USRC Earthquake Rating Certifications

A USRC Verified Rating can be used for promotional, marketing and publicity purposes. Owners whose Verified Ratings meet specific performance thresholds can use the badges above to promote the resilient design of their buildings. Each Verified Rating is:

  • awarded one to five stars in each dimension of SAFETY, DAMAGE and RECOVERY,
  • performed by certified professionals,
  • technically reviewed,
  • transparent – using national standards,
  • credible – designed to prevent manipulation,
  • easy for the lay person to understand.

Is it time to sell or refinance your building?

The USRC Transaction Rating gives your team due diligence reports based on the only consensus engineering methodology in the industry for seismic risk assessment. It delivers consistent information regardless of the engineer performing the evaluation. Technical reviews are performed to maintain credibility. Your Transaction Rating will remain confidential with the USRC. Each Transaction Rating:

  • is awarded one to three stars in each dimension of SAFETY, DAMAGE and RECOVERY,

  • is in conformance with ASTM Seismic Risk Assessment standards,

  • produces SEL and SUL estimates

  • is performed by certified professionals,

  • is randomly audited by USRC reviewers,

  • is easy for the lay person to understand.

The USRC Getting to Silver Rating provides a means for owners to achieve a USRC designation that sets their buildings apart as contributing to a resilient community and as good long term investments. A Getting to Silver Rating is:

  • awarded three stars in each dimension of SAFETY, DAMAGE and RECOVERY,

  • for buildings built to post 2000 building codes,

  • recognized by the USGBC in their RELi® resilience standard,

  • transparent – using national standards,

  • credible – designed to prevent manipulation,

  • easy for the lay person to understand.

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Disclaimer

USRC Rating Definitions have been derived from technical publications originally developed by the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC). SEAONC granted the USRC permission to use these documents. Any differences between USRC Ratings and related SEAONC documents are solely the work of the USRC and do not reflect any opinion, endorsement, or approval by SEAONC. While US codes and engineering practices are among the most advanced in the world, evaluations of building performance subject to natural disasters include a significant amount of uncertainty: unknowns related to forecasting actual event location, size and duration, the actual intensity to which the building is subject, and the quality of the building design and construction. Current building analysis, evaluation and correlation methods do not address or remove all these sources of uncertainty. Due to many factors including but not limited to variations in construction, differing site conditions, and variations in natural and man-made events, the performance evaluation of a single building includes a significant amount of uncertainty.