Rockville, MD: what USGS's seismic model says

Rockville 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. That puts Rockville in the 45th percentile nationally for seismic hazard - higher than 45% of the 4,875 US cities USGS was checked against here.

Where Rockville sits in Maryland

USGS's underlying values for Rockville: 0.07g peak ground acceleration, 0.135g at short period, 0.043g at 1 second. Within Maryland alone, Rockville ranks 13 of 46 cities by seismic hazard - the 73th percentile in-state. Rockville has a population of about 68,417.

What a retrofit costs in Rockville

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 Maryland 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 Maryland.

What this means for insurance

A Rockville 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 Rockville's figures come from

Rockville'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 Rockville.