Does Selma, TX need an earthquake retrofit?

Selma carries Seismic Design Category A under USGS's ASCE 7-16 model. 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 Selma sits at the 6th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Where Selma sits in Texas

USGS's underlying values for Selma: 0.024g peak ground acceleration, 0.051g at short period, 0.026g at 1 second. Within Texas alone, Selma ranks 336 of 384 cities by seismic hazard - the 13th percentile in-state. Selma has a population of about 11,900.

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 Selma 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 Selma's figures come from

Selma'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 Selma.