Scottsdale's Seismic Design Category, explained

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Scottsdale is Category B. Low seismic hazard. Code requires basic seismic detailing (bracing, connections) but no special structural system restrictions. Nationally, Scottsdale ranks above 57% of the 4,875 cities in this dataset for seismic hazard - the 57th percentile.

Where Scottsdale sits in Arizona

The raw figures: peak ground acceleration 0.103g, short-period spectral response 0.234g, 1-second spectral response 0.076g. Among 57 Arizona cities in this dataset, Scottsdale ranks 31 for seismic hazard, the 46th percentile within the state. About 246,170 people live in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Bracing and bolting: the actual cost

Outside California, no state-level retrofit grant equivalent to Brace + Bolt could be found for Arizona. A typical retrofit still runs $5,000-$10,000 nationally, about $7,000 for a common single-family job.

Earthquake insurance for a Scottsdale home

Outside California, earthquake coverage is typically sold as an endorsement added to a standard homeowners policy, not a separate product - worth asking about directly when getting a home-insurance quote for a Scottsdale address.

More on how this number was built

The methodology guide covers exactly how USGS's public design-maps API produced Scottsdale's numbers. The guide to what a Seismic Design Category actually means covers why a category is never a substitute for an engineer's assessment of one specific house.