Westminster's Seismic Design Category, explained

Westminster carries Seismic Design Category B under USGS's ASCE 7-16 model. 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 Westminster sits at the 49th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

How Westminster compares

USGS's underlying values for Westminster: 0.075g peak ground acceleration, 0.141g at short period, 0.043g at 1 second. Within Maryland alone, Westminster ranks 7 of 46 cities by seismic hazard - the 87th percentile in-state. Westminster has a population of about 20,662.

Bracing and bolting: the actual cost

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 Maryland 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 Maryland.

What this means for insurance

A Westminster 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 Westminster's figures come from

Westminster'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 Westminster.