Puyallup's Seismic Design Category, explained

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Puyallup is Category D. 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. Nationally, Puyallup ranks above 90% of the 4,875 cities in this dataset for seismic hazard - the 90th percentile.

Where Puyallup sits in Washington

USGS's underlying values for Puyallup: 0.5g peak ground acceleration, 1.267g at short period, 0.437g at 1 second. Within Washington alone, Puyallup ranks 58 of 125 cities by seismic hazard - the 54th percentile in-state. Puyallup has a population of about 42,552.

What a retrofit costs in Puyallup

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 Washington 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 Washington.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

A Puyallup 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 Puyallup's figures come from

Puyallup'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 Puyallup.