University Place, WA: what USGS's seismic model says

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places University Place in Seismic Design Category D: High seismic hazard - this is the category most of coastal California, the Pacific Northwest, and other active fault regions fall into. Code mandates significant seismic detailing and restricts irregular structural configurations. This is the category the Brace + Bolt scope (cripple-wall bracing, foundation bolting) is built for. Rank it against the rest of the country and University Place sits at the 90th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

University Place by the numbers

USGS's underlying values for University Place: 0.5g peak ground acceleration, 1.378g at short period, 0.48g at 1 second. Within Washington alone, University Place ranks 59 of 125 cities by seismic hazard - the 53th percentile in-state. University Place has a population of about 35,160.

Retrofit economics for University Place

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 Washington 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 Washington.

Earthquake insurance for a University Place home

A University Place 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 University Place's figures come from

University Place's Category D 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 D does and doesn't tell you about University Place.