Is Santa Barbara County, California in an earthquake zone?

Santa Barbara County sits in a very high seismic hazard area under the USGS National Seismic Hazard Model. Very strong ground shaking is expected over a building’s life. This is at or near a major active fault.

What is the Seismic Design Category for Santa Barbara County?

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

Earthquake Risk in Santa Barbara County, California: Seismic Hazard & Design Category (USGS)

Hazard level

Very high

Seismic Design Category

S_s (short period)

1.951 g

S₁ (1-second)

0.712 g

PGA

0.877 g

Values are for the county centroid (34.537, -120.038) at Site Class D, Risk Category II, ASCE 7-16. A specific parcel can differ, mostly because of soil.

What this means in Santa Barbara County

Very strong ground shaking is expected over a building’s life. This is at or near a major active fault.

Buildings here are designed to Seismic Design Category D, 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 Santa Barbara County County-centre values are a starting point. The free lookup runs the model at your exact address.

Common next steps in a very high 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

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