Westville's Seismic Design Category, explained

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places Westville 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 Westville sits at the 31th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

How Westville compares

USGS's underlying values for Westville: 0.052g peak ground acceleration, 0.108g at short period, 0.064g at 1 second. Within Indiana alone, Westville ranks 124 of 126 cities by seismic hazard - the 2th percentile in-state. Westville has a population of about 5,260.

What a retrofit costs in Westville

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 Indiana 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 Indiana.

What this means for insurance

A Westville 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 Westville's figures come from

Westville'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 Westville.