Pontiac's Seismic Design Category, explained

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places Pontiac in Seismic Design Category B: Low seismic hazard. Code requires basic seismic detailing (bracing, connections) but no special structural system restrictions. That puts Pontiac in the 25th percentile nationally for seismic hazard - higher than 25% of the 4,875 US cities USGS was checked against here.

Pontiac by the numbers

USGS's underlying values for Pontiac: 0.044g peak ground acceleration, 0.09g at short period, 0.044g at 1 second. Within Michigan alone, Pontiac ranks 94 of 153 cities by seismic hazard - the 39th percentile in-state. Pontiac has a population of about 62,528.

Retrofit economics for Pontiac

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 Michigan 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 Michigan.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

A Pontiac 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 Pontiac's figures come from

Pontiac'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 Pontiac.