Pierre, SD: what USGS's seismic model says

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places Pierre in Seismic Design Category A: Lowest seismic design category. Building code requires no seismic-specific detailing here beyond ordinary construction practice. Rank it against the rest of the country and Pierre sits at the 15th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Where Pierre sits in South Dakota

USGS's underlying values for Pierre: 0.055g peak ground acceleration, 0.11g at short period, 0.032g at 1 second. Within South Dakota alone, Pierre ranks 9 of 18 cities by seismic hazard - the 53th percentile in-state. Pierre has a population of about 13,788.

Bracing and bolting: the actual cost

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 South Dakota 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 South Dakota.

Earthquake insurance for a Pierre home

A Pierre 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 Pierre's figures come from

Pierre's Category A 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 A does and doesn't tell you about Pierre.