Does Saco, ME need an earthquake retrofit?

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places Saco in Seismic Design Category B: Low seismic hazard. Code requires basic seismic detailing (bracing, connections) but no special structural system restrictions. Rank it against the rest of the country and Saco sits at the 64th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

How Saco compares

USGS's underlying values for Saco: 0.171g peak ground acceleration, 0.288g at short period, 0.072g at 1 second. Within Maine alone, Saco ranks 13 of 20 cities by seismic hazard - the 37th percentile in-state. Saco has a population of about 21,064.

What a retrofit costs in Saco

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 Maine 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 Maine.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

A Saco 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 Saco's figures come from

Saco'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 Saco.