Does Westwood, NJ need an earthquake retrofit?

Westwood 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 Westwood sits at the 66th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

How Westwood compares

USGS's underlying values for Westwood: 0.185g peak ground acceleration, 0.298g at short period, 0.061g at 1 second. Within New Jersey alone, Westwood ranks 9 of 194 cities by seismic hazard - the 96th percentile in-state. Westwood has a population of about 11,434.

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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey.

What this means for insurance

A Westwood 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 Westwood's figures come from

Westwood'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 Westwood.