Robstown's Seismic Design Category, explained

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places Robstown in Seismic Design 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 Robstown sits at the 11th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Where Robstown sits in Texas

USGS's underlying values for Robstown: 0.031g peak ground acceleration, 0.064g at short period, 0.018g at 1 second. Within Texas alone, Robstown ranks 261 of 384 cities by seismic hazard - the 32th percentile in-state. Robstown has a population of about 10,383.

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.

What this means for insurance

A Robstown 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 Robstown's figures come from

Robstown'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 Robstown.