Does Webster, NY need an earthquake retrofit?

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Webster is Category B. Low seismic hazard. Code requires basic seismic detailing (bracing, connections) but no special structural system restrictions. That puts Webster in the 51th percentile nationally for seismic hazard - higher than 51% of the 4,875 US cities USGS was checked against here.

How Webster compares

The raw figures: peak ground acceleration 0.082g, short-period spectral response 0.154g, 1-second spectral response 0.048g. Among 170 New York cities in this dataset, Webster ranks 139 for seismic hazard, the 18th percentile within the state. About 5,787 people live in Webster, New York.

Retrofit economics for Webster

Outside California, no state-level retrofit grant equivalent to Brace + Bolt could be found for New York. A typical retrofit still runs $5,000-$10,000 nationally, about $7,000 for a common single-family job.

Earthquake insurance for a Webster home

Outside California, earthquake coverage is typically sold as an endorsement added to a standard homeowners policy, not a separate product - worth asking about directly when getting a home-insurance quote for a Webster address.

More on how this number was built

The methodology guide covers exactly how USGS's public design-maps API produced Webster's numbers. The guide to what a Seismic Design Category actually means covers why a category is never a substitute for an engineer's assessment of one specific house.