Is Clay County, Alabama in an earthquake zone?

Clay County sits in a moderate seismic hazard area under the USGS National Seismic Hazard Model. Moderate shaking is credible here. Codes require real seismic detailing, though less than on the West Coast.

What is the Seismic Design Category for Clay County?

Around the county centre the ASCE 7-16 Seismic Design Category is C, assuming Site Class D. The category for a specific parcel depends on its soil.

Earthquake Risk in Clay County, Alabama: Seismic Hazard & Design Category (USGS)

Hazard level

Moderate

Seismic Design Category

S_s (short period)

0.207 g

S₁ (1-second)

0.086 g

PGA

0.111 g

Values are for the county centroid (33.270, -85.864) at Site Class D, Risk Category II, ASCE 7-16. A specific parcel can differ, mostly because of soil.

What this means in Clay County

Moderate shaking is credible here. Codes require real seismic detailing, though less than on the West Coast.

Buildings here are designed to Seismic Design Category C, which is how U.S. codes classify earthquake demand on a site. It drives structural detailing, bracing and, in the higher categories, whether a site-specific ground-motion study is needed at all.

Check a specific address in Clay County County-centre values are a starting point. The free lookup runs the model at your exact address.

Common next steps in a moderate hazard area

Anchor the heavy things. Tall furniture, water heaters and wall-mounted screens move first in shaking.
→ Anti-tip furniture straps and anchors
Know how to shut off the gas. The wrench belongs at the meter, not in a drawer indoors.
→ Non-sparking gas shut-off wrench
Keep water you did not have to think about. Mains can be out for days after a significant event.
→ Emergency water storage and kits

Disclosure: as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases (tag: theboringthin-20). It costs you nothing extra and does not change any value on this page.