Panama City's Seismic Design Category, explained

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places Panama City in Seismic Design Category B: Low seismic hazard. Code requires basic seismic detailing (bracing, connections) but no special structural system restrictions. That puts Panama City in the 17th percentile nationally for seismic hazard - higher than 17% of the 4,875 US cities USGS was checked against here.

How Panama City compares

USGS's underlying values for Panama City: 0.032g peak ground acceleration, 0.068g at short period, 0.05g at 1 second. Within Florida alone, Panama City ranks 33 of 228 cities by seismic hazard - the 86th percentile in-state. Panama City has a population of about 37,024.

Retrofit economics for Panama City

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 Florida 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 Florida.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

A Panama City 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 Panama City's figures come from

Panama City'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 Panama City.