Does Snellville, GA need an earthquake retrofit?

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places Snellville 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. That puts Snellville in the 69th percentile nationally for seismic hazard - higher than 69% of the 4,875 US cities USGS was checked against here.

How Snellville compares

USGS's underlying values for Snellville: 0.093g peak ground acceleration, 0.185g at short period, 0.085g at 1 second. Within Georgia alone, Snellville ranks 81 of 148 cities by seismic hazard - the 46th percentile in-state. Snellville has a population of about 22,336.

Retrofit economics for Snellville

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.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

A Snellville 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 Snellville's figures come from

Snellville'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 Snellville.