Does Wauwatosa, WI need an earthquake retrofit?

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places Wauwatosa 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 Wauwatosa sits at the 19th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

Wauwatosa by the numbers

USGS's underlying values for Wauwatosa: 0.036g peak ground acceleration, 0.075g at short period, 0.048g at 1 second. Within Wisconsin alone, Wauwatosa ranks 52 of 157 cities by seismic hazard - the 67th percentile in-state. Wauwatosa has a population of about 48,794.

What a retrofit costs in Wauwatosa

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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin.

Earthquake insurance for a Wauwatosa home

A Wauwatosa 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 Wauwatosa's figures come from

Wauwatosa'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 Wauwatosa.