Does Roswell, GA need an earthquake retrofit?

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places Roswell in Seismic Design Category C: Moderate seismic hazard. Code adds irregular-building restrictions and requires bracing of some nonstructural components (e.g. tall shelving, water heaters) in addition to structural detailing. Rank it against the rest of the country and Roswell sits at the 71th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

How Roswell compares

USGS's underlying values for Roswell: 0.111g peak ground acceleration, 0.213g at short period, 0.09g at 1 second. Within Georgia alone, Roswell ranks 39 of 148 cities by seismic hazard - the 74th percentile in-state. Roswell has a population of about 92,227.

What a retrofit costs in Roswell

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 Georgia 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 Georgia.

Earthquake insurance for a Roswell home

A Roswell 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 Roswell's figures come from

Roswell's Category C 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 C does and doesn't tell you about Roswell.