Will Your Home Stand Up to the Bay Area's Next Big Quake?

Regional and local building officials say it’s virtually impossible to determine how the roof you’re living under will fare during the next big earthquake — which  along the Rodgers Creek Fault, just east of Petaluma. 

Many houses built prior to the ‘90s wouldn’t meet minimum building code standards today. But, to retrofit them would be expensive and time consuming, say local building safety experts.

“The important thing is that they met code when they were built,” said Greg Adams, Rohnert Park’s building inspector. “The code really doesn’t go into retrofitting older houses, it’s more like ‘if you want to retrofit, here’s how.’”

To help you assess the potential damage to your home, you can do an easy test that can help determine if your home will survive an earthquake. Just answer the questions and tally up your points.

• Was your home built before 1960? (five points) 1961-1978? (three points) 1979? (one point)
• How tall is it? Two ore more stories with living area above garage? (five points) Split level or on a hillside? (six points) One story, with three or more steps to the front door? (four points) One story, with less than three steps to the front door? (one point)
• What intensity does the shaking intensity map show for your neighborhood? Dark red or black? (seven points)

According to the Association of Bay Area Governments, from which the test is taken, if you counted 13 points or more, your home probably needs to be evaluated to see if it is strong enough to keep you and your family reasonably safe, unless it has been strengthened in the last few years.

This test, which is for single-family homes, varies slightly for apartment buildings. The findings can differ in multi-story buildings depending on what material the walls are built from and if the walls are reinforced. The most important thing to know is when your house was built, if you don't know any of this other information.

Take the full "apartment test" here. Do you live in a mobile home? Take that quick test here.