Zones
Every structure shall be designed to resist loads from an earthquake or seismic event for its given seismic zone.

Whatcom County is located in seismic zone D-1 in the west half of the county and D-0 in the east half.

Codes
Design of the structure may be prescriptive per the Building Code, or if outside of the prescriptive requirements it shall be designed by a design professional and they shall provide the design criteria, calculations, and professional stamp and signature on the calculations packet and plans where applicable.

Hazards Information
For additional information regarding design maps on earthquake hazards you may go to the United States Geological Survey’s (USGS) website.