Ulysses, KS: what USGS's seismic model says

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places Ulysses in Seismic Design Category A: Lowest seismic design category. Building code requires no seismic-specific detailing here beyond ordinary construction practice. That puts Ulysses in the 13th percentile nationally for seismic hazard - higher than 13% of the 4,875 US cities USGS was checked against here.

Where Ulysses sits in Kansas

USGS's underlying values for Ulysses: 0.039g peak ground acceleration, 0.084g at short period, 0.036g at 1 second. Within Kansas alone, Ulysses ranks 61 of 63 cities by seismic hazard - the 3th percentile in-state. Ulysses has a population of about 5,582.

What a retrofit costs in Ulysses

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 Kansas 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 Kansas.

What this means for insurance

A Ulysses 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 Ulysses's figures come from

Ulysses'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 Ulysses.