St. Marys's Seismic Design Category, explained

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places St. Marys in Seismic Design 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. Marys sits at the 39th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Where St. Marys sits in Georgia

USGS's underlying values for St. Marys: 0.062g peak ground acceleration, 0.127g at short period, 0.063g at 1 second. Within Georgia alone, St. Marys ranks 130 of 148 cities by seismic hazard - the 12th percentile in-state. St. Marys has a population of about 20,119.

Retrofit economics for St. Marys

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 St. Marys 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. Marys's figures come from

St. Marys'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. Marys.