Palmetto, GA: what USGS's seismic model says

Palmetto carries Seismic Design Category C under USGS's ASCE 7-16 model. Moderate seismic hazard. Code adds irregular-building restrictions and requires bracing of some nonstructural components (e.g. tall shelving, water heaters) in addition to structural detailing. Rank it against the rest of the country and Palmetto sits at the 68th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Palmetto by the numbers

USGS's underlying values for Palmetto: 0.084g peak ground acceleration, 0.169g at short period, 0.083g at 1 second. Within Georgia alone, Palmetto ranks 92 of 148 cities by seismic hazard - the 38th percentile in-state. Palmetto has a population of about 5,213.

What a retrofit costs in Palmetto

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 Georgia 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 Georgia.

Earthquake insurance for a Palmetto home

A Palmetto 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 Palmetto's figures come from

Palmetto's Category C 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 C does and doesn't tell you about Palmetto.