Whitefish Bay, WI: what USGS's seismic model says

USGS's ASCE 7-16 seismic design model - the same standard building codes use - places Whitefish Bay in Seismic Design Category B: Low seismic hazard. Code requires basic seismic detailing (bracing, connections) but no special structural system restrictions. Nationally, Whitefish Bay ranks above 18% of the 4,875 cities in this dataset for seismic hazard - the 18th percentile.

How Whitefish Bay compares

USGS's underlying values for Whitefish Bay: 0.035g peak ground acceleration, 0.073g at short period, 0.047g at 1 second. Within Wisconsin alone, Whitefish Bay ranks 67 of 157 cities by seismic hazard - the 58th percentile in-state. Whitefish Bay has a population of about 14,532.

What a retrofit costs in Whitefish Bay

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 Whitefish Bay home

A Whitefish Bay 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 Whitefish Bay's figures come from

Whitefish Bay'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 Whitefish Bay.