Does South Burlington, VT need an earthquake retrofit?

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places South Burlington 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. Rank it against the rest of the country and South Burlington sits at the 77th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Where South Burlington sits in Vermont

USGS's underlying values for South Burlington: 0.206g peak ground acceleration, 0.34g at short period, 0.085g at 1 second. Within Vermont alone, South Burlington ranks 4 of 8 cities by seismic hazard - the 57th percentile in-state. South Burlington has a population of about 21,713.

Retrofit economics for South Burlington

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 Vermont 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 Vermont.

What this means for insurance

A South Burlington 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 South Burlington's figures come from

South Burlington'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 South Burlington.