Prairie du Chien, WI: what USGS's seismic model says

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places Prairie du Chien in Seismic Design Category B: Low seismic hazard. Code requires basic seismic detailing (bracing, connections) but no special structural system restrictions. Nationally, Prairie du Chien ranks above 16% of the 4,875 cities in this dataset for seismic hazard - the 16th percentile.

Prairie du Chien by the numbers

USGS's underlying values for Prairie du Chien: 0.029g peak ground acceleration, 0.06g at short period, 0.046g at 1 second. Within Wisconsin alone, Prairie du Chien ranks 96 of 157 cities by seismic hazard - the 39th percentile in-state. Prairie du Chien has a population of about 5,472.

Retrofit economics for Prairie du Chien

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.

Earthquake insurance for a Prairie du Chien home

A Prairie du Chien 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 Prairie du Chien's figures come from

Prairie du Chien'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 Prairie du Chien.