Does Oregon, WI need an earthquake retrofit?

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places Oregon in Seismic Design Category B: Low seismic hazard. Code requires basic seismic detailing (bracing, connections) but no special structural system restrictions. That puts Oregon in the 20th percentile nationally for seismic hazard - higher than 20% of the 4,875 US cities USGS was checked against here.

Oregon by the numbers

USGS's underlying values for Oregon: 0.038g peak ground acceleration, 0.078g at short period, 0.05g at 1 second. Within Wisconsin alone, Oregon ranks 36 of 157 cities by seismic hazard - the 78th percentile in-state. Oregon has a population of about 11,895.

Retrofit economics for Oregon

A full earthquake retrofit typically runs $5,000-$10,000 nationally (around $7,000 typical), driven mainly by house size and foundation type, not by Wisconsin specifically. California's Earthquake Brace + Bolt grant, which covers a large share of this cost, is a California-only program and does not apply in Wisconsin.

Earthquake insurance for a Oregon home

A Oregon homeowner cannot buy a standalone earthquake policy in most cases - it is added to an existing homeowners policy as an endorsement, so the place to start is a regular home-insurance quote.

Where Oregon's figures come from

Oregon's Category B and every number above trace to USGS's own ASCE 7-16 Design Maps service - see the methodology guide. See the category explainer for what Category B does and doesn't tell you about Oregon.