Sheboygan's Seismic Design Category, explained

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Sheboygan is Category A. 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 Sheboygan sits at the 10th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Where Sheboygan sits in Wisconsin

USGS's underlying values for Sheboygan: 0.029g peak ground acceleration, 0.06g at short period, 0.041g at 1 second. Within Wisconsin alone, Sheboygan ranks 97 of 157 cities by seismic hazard - the 38th percentile in-state. Sheboygan has a population of about 49,624.

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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin.

Earthquake insurance for a Sheboygan home

A Sheboygan 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 Sheboygan's figures come from

Sheboygan'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 Sheboygan.