Port Lavaca, TX: what USGS's seismic model says

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Port Lavaca is 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 Port Lavaca sits at the 10th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

How Port Lavaca compares

USGS's underlying values for Port Lavaca: 0.028g peak ground acceleration, 0.058g at short period, 0.027g at 1 second. Within Texas alone, Port Lavaca ranks 287 of 384 cities by seismic hazard - the 25th percentile in-state. Port Lavaca has a population of about 11,299.

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 Texas 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 Texas.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

A Port Lavaca 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 Port Lavaca's figures come from

Port Lavaca'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 Port Lavaca.