Does Woods Cross, UT need an earthquake retrofit?

Under the seismic model IBC and ASCE 7 use for new construction, Woods Cross is Category D. High seismic hazard - this is the category most of coastal California, the Pacific Northwest, and other active fault regions fall into. Code mandates significant seismic detailing and restricts irregular structural configurations. This is the category the Brace + Bolt scope (cripple-wall bracing, foundation bolting) is built for. That puts Woods Cross in the 95th percentile nationally for seismic hazard - higher than 95% of the 4,875 US cities USGS was checked against here.

Woods Cross by the numbers

USGS's underlying values for Woods Cross: 0.677g peak ground acceleration, 1.494g at short period, 0.55g at 1 second. Within Utah alone, Woods Cross ranks 11 of 95 cities by seismic hazard - the 89th percentile in-state. Woods Cross has a population of about 11,493.

What a retrofit costs in Woods Cross

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 Utah 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 Utah.

What this means for insurance

A Woods Cross 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 Woods Cross's figures come from

Woods Cross's Category D 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 D does and doesn't tell you about Woods Cross.