St. Albans's Seismic Design Category, explained

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, St. Albans is Category B. Low seismic hazard. Code requires basic seismic detailing (bracing, connections) but no special structural system restrictions. Rank it against the rest of the country and St. Albans sits at the 50th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

How St. Albans compares

USGS's underlying values for St. Albans: 0.078g peak ground acceleration, 0.151g at short period, 0.065g at 1 second. Within West Virginia alone, St. Albans ranks 9 of 26 cities by seismic hazard - the 68th percentile in-state. St. Albans has a population of about 10,301.

What a retrofit costs in St. Albans

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 West Virginia 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 West Virginia.

Insuring against this, not just retrofitting

A St. Albans 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 St. Albans's figures come from

St. Albans's Category B 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 B does and doesn't tell you about St. Albans.