Every Utah Valley homeowner lives near the Wasatch Fault, and most have never read the part of their insurance policy that excludes earthquakes. The risk is real, and the money questions are specific: what coverage costs, what the deductible means, whether your brick house is the vulnerable kind, and what the building codes do and do not promise. For what to do before and during a quake, see Earthquake Preparedness in Utah Valley.
The odds
The Working Group on Utah Earthquake Probabilities put the chance of one or more magnitude 6.75 or larger earthquakes in the Wasatch Front region in the next 50 years at 43 percent, and of magnitude 6.0 or larger at 57 percent. The Wasatch fault zone itself accounts for 18 points of that 43 percent. The magnitude 5.7 earthquake near Magna on March 18, 2020, was a small preview.
What your policy does not cover
Standard homeowners policies exclude earthquake damage, as they exclude floods. Coverage comes as a separate policy or an endorsement. The Utah Insurance Department recommends it for every homeowner, yet by industry estimates only about 14 percent of Utah homeowners carry it, against about 8 percent nationally.
What earthquake insurance costs, and the deductible
- The deductible is a percentage of the home's insured value, not a flat amount. The department has put the typical deductible around 10 percent, with a range of 5 to 25 percent. On a home insured for $300,000, a 10 percent deductible means the first $30,000 of damage is yours.
- Construction matters. A wood-frame house costs less to insure than a brick one, which is more likely to be badly damaged.
- Read the fine print. Policies differ on landslides and mudflows triggered by a quake, and on how aftershocks are counted.
Your mortgage does not go away
A mortgage is a debt, not an insurance policy: if an earthquake damages or destroys the house, the loan is still owed. Lenders require hazard insurance but generally do not require earthquake coverage, which is why most homeowners do not have it. The question to ask yourself is whether you could repair or rebuild, and keep paying the mortgage, without it.
The brick-house question
Unreinforced masonry, brick walls without steel reinforcement, is the Wasatch Front's biggest earthquake weakness, and Utah Valley's older neighborhoods have a great deal of it. If you own or are buying an older brick home, a structural engineer can tell you what you have and what a retrofit would involve; a listing cannot. For older homes generally, see Buying a Historic Home in Utah Valley.
The 2026 codes
On July 1, 2026, Utah moved most of its construction codes to the 2024 editions, with no grace period, but kept the 2021 edition of the International Residential Code, the code for houses, with state amendments. The wildland-urban interface code moves to its 2024 edition on January 1, 2027. Modern codes are written so buildings protect the people inside during a strong earthquake, not so they come through undamaged; even a code-built house can need expensive repairs.
Practical notes
- Read your policy's exclusions tonight.
- Get an earthquake quote and look hard at the deductible.
- If your house is old brick, get a structural engineer's opinion.
- Keep an emergency fund sized to the deductible, if you buy coverage.
Related Guides
- Buying a Historic Home in Utah Valley
- Multigenerational Living in Utah Valley
- Renting in Salt Lake County on Utah Valley Wages
- Earthquake Preparedness in Utah Valley
- Renters Insurance in Utah Valley
Frequently Asked Questions
Does homeowners insurance cover earthquakes in Utah?
How big is an earthquake insurance deductible?
What are the odds of a big earthquake on the Wasatch Front?
Which building code applies to a new house in Utah?
How many Utah homeowners have earthquake insurance?
Does my mortgage go away if an earthquake destroys my house?
Does the Utah Insurance Department recommend earthquake insurance?
How do I know if my brick house is unreinforced masonry?
