Port Washington's Seismic Design Category, explained

Port Washington carries Seismic Design Category B under USGS's ASCE 7-16 model. Low seismic hazard. Code requires basic seismic detailing (bracing, connections) but no special structural system restrictions. Nationally, Port Washington ranks above 17% of the 4,875 cities in this dataset for seismic hazard - the 17th percentile.

Where Port Washington sits in Wisconsin

USGS's underlying values for Port Washington: 0.032g peak ground acceleration, 0.067g at short period, 0.044g at 1 second. Within Wisconsin alone, Port Washington ranks 89 of 157 cities by seismic hazard - the 44th percentile in-state. Port Washington has a population of about 12,750.

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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

A Port Washington 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 Washington's figures come from

Port Washington'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 Port Washington.