Does Pocatello, ID need an earthquake retrofit?

Pocatello carries Seismic Design Category D under USGS's ASCE 7-16 model. High seismic hazard - this is the category most of coastal California, the Pacific Northwest, and other active fault regions fall into. Code mandates significant seismic detailing and restricts irregular structural configurations. This is the category the Brace + Bolt scope (cripple-wall bracing, foundation bolting) is built for. Rank it against the rest of the country and Pocatello sits at the 82th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Where Pocatello sits in Idaho

USGS's underlying values for Pocatello: 0.201g peak ground acceleration, 0.458g at short period, 0.152g at 1 second. Within Idaho alone, Pocatello ranks 2 of 36 cities by seismic hazard - the 97th percentile in-state. Pocatello has a population of about 58,231.

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 Idaho 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 Idaho.

What this means for insurance

A Pocatello 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 Pocatello's figures come from

Pocatello's Category D 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 D does and doesn't tell you about Pocatello.