Does Wichita Falls, TX need an earthquake retrofit?

Wichita Falls 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 Wichita Falls sits at the 51th percentile for seismic hazard among 4,875 US cities.

How Wichita Falls compares

USGS's underlying values for Wichita Falls: 0.081g peak ground acceleration, 0.157g at short period, 0.06g at 1 second. Within Texas alone, Wichita Falls ranks 17 of 384 cities by seismic hazard - the 96th percentile in-state. Wichita Falls has a population of about 102,372.

What a retrofit costs in Wichita Falls

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 Texas 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 Texas.

Earthquake insurance for a Wichita Falls home

A Wichita Falls 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 Wichita Falls's figures come from

Wichita Falls'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 Wichita Falls.