FreeFlood.com - Is My House in a Flood Zone?

What is the NFIP?

The National Flood Insurance Program

The NFIP is a Federal insurance underwriting program that enables property owners in participating communities to purchase inexpensive insurance protection against losses from flooding.

This insurance is designed to provide an insurance alternative to disaster assistance to meet the escalating costs of repairing damage to buildings and their contents caused by floods.

What is an SFHA?

Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA)

In support of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), FEMA has undertaken a massive effort of flood hazard identification and mapping to produce Flood Hazard Boundary Maps, Flood Insurance Rate Maps, and Flood Boundary and Floodway Maps. Several areas of flood hazards are commonly identified on these maps. One of these areas is the SFHA, which is defined as an area of land that would be inundated by a flood having a 1% chance of occurring in any given year. This was previously referred to as the base flood or a 100-year flood.

The 1% annual chance standard was chosen after considering various alternatives. The standard constitutes a reasonable compromise between the need for building restrictions to minimize potential loss of life and property and the economic benefits to be derived from floodplain development.

New development may take place within a SFHA, provided that development complies with local floodplain management ordinances, which must meet the minimum Federal requirements. Flood insurance is required for insurable structures within a SFHA to protect federally funded or federally backed investments and assistance used for acquisition and/or construction purposes within communities participating in the NFIP (for example. FHA or VA backed mortgage loans).

What are the various Flood Zone determination letters?

Flood zones are geographic areas that the FEMA has defined according to varying levels of flood risk. These zones are depicted on a community's Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) or Flood Hazard Boundary Map. Each zone reflects the severity or type of flooding in the area.

Moderate to Low Risk Areas

B, C, and X: Areas outside the 1-percent annual chance floodplain, areas of 1% annual chance sheet flow flooding where average depths are less than 1 foot, areas of 1% annual chance stream flooding where the contributing drainage area is less than 1 square mile, or areas protected from the 1% annual chance flood by levees. No Base Flood Elevations or depths are shown within this zone. Insurance purchase is not required in these zones.

High Risk Areas

A: Areas with a 1% annual chance of flooding and a 26% chance of flooding over the life of a 30-year mortgage. Because detailed analyses are not performed for such areas; no depths or base flood elevations are shown within these zones.

AE, A1-A30: Areas with a 1% annual chance of flooding and a 26% chance of flooding over the life of a 30-year mortgage. In most instances, base flood elevations derived from detailed analyses are shown at selected intervals within these zones.

AH: Areas with a 1% annual chance of shallow flooding, usually in the form of a pond, with an average depth ranging from 1 to 3 feet. These areas have a 26% chance of flooding over the life of a 30-year mortgage. Base flood elevations derived from detailed analyses are shown at selected intervals within these zones.

AO: River or stream flood hazard areas, and areas with a 1% or greater chance of shallow flooding each year, usually in the form of sheet flow, with an average depth ranging from 1 to 3 feet. These areas have a 26% chance of flooding over the life of a 30-year mortgage. Average flood depths derived from detailed analyses are shown within these zones.

AR: Areas with a temporarily increased flood risk due to the building or restoration of a flood control system (such as a levee or a dam). Mandatory flood insurance purchase requirements will apply, but rates will not exceed the rates for unnumbered A zones if the structure is built or restored in compliance with Zone AR floodplain management regulations.

A99: Areas with a 1% annual chance of flooding that will be protected by a Federal flood control system where construction has reached specified legal requirements. No depths or base flood elevations are shown within these zones.

High Risk - Coastal Areas

V: Coastal areas with a 1% or greater chance of flooding and an additional hazard associated with storm waves. These areas have a 26% chance of flooding over the life of a 30-year mortgage. No base flood elevations are shown within these zones.

VE, V1 - 30: Coastal areas with a 1% or greater chance of flooding and an additional hazard associated with storm waves. These areas have a 26% chance of flooding over the life of a 30-year mortgage. Base flood elevations derived from detailed analyses are shown at selected intervals within these zones.

Undetermined Risk Areas

D: Areas with possible but undetermined flood hazards. No flood hazard analysis has been conducted. Flood insurance rates are commensurate with the uncertainty of the flood risk.

What is a 100-year Flood Zone?

The term "100-year flood" is misleading. It is not a flood that will occur once every 100 years. Rather, it is the flood elevation that has a 1 percent chance of being equaled or exceeded each year. Thus, a 100-year flood could occur more than once in a relatively short period of time.

A 100-year flood, which is the standard used by most Federal and state agencies, is used by the NFIP as the standard for floodplain management and to determine the need for flood insurance. A structure located within a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) shown on an NFIP map has a 26 percent chance of suffering flood damage during the term of a 30 year mortgage.

Why does my mortgage lender require me to buy flood insurance?

Under federal law, the purchase of flood insurance is mandatory for all federal or federally related financial assistance for the acquisition and/or construction of buildings in high-risk flood areas, or Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA).

The amount of flood insurance coverage required by the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973, as amended by the National Flood Insurance Reform Act of 1994, is the lesser of the following:

The maximum amount of NFIP coverage available for the particular property type
The outstanding principal balance of the loan
The insurable value of the structure

If the property is not in a high-risk area, but instead in a low-to-moderate risk area, federal law does not require flood insurance. Historically speaking, about one-in-four flood claims come from areas in low-risk areas outside of SFHAs.

My community has never been flooded. Do I need coverage?

Flooding occurs in low-to-moderate risk areas as well as in high-risk areas. Poor drainage systems, rapid accumulation of rainfall, snowmelt, and broken water mains can all result in flood. Properties on a hillside can be damaged by mudflow, a covered peril under the Standard Flood Insurance Policy.

Can I purchase flood insurance even though I am in a low-risk zone?

You are eligible to purchase a flood policy with the same coverage you would receive if you lived in a high-risk area. That is, of course, as long as your community participates in the NFIP. You may qualify for the Preferred Risk Policy which provides coverage at a very low cost.

Does my homeowners insurance policy cover flooding?

No. Flood damage is not typically covered by a homeowners insurance policy. You need a specific policy addition to cover flood damage.

I live in a low-risk flood zone. Do I need flood insurance?

Most likely, yes. It's a good idea to buy flood insurance even if you live in a low or moderate risk area. Almost 25 percent of all flood insurance claims come from areas with low-to-moderate flood risk. You may qualify for the Preferred Risk Policy (a lower-cost flood insurance policy) that provides coverge at very low cost.

Am I eligible for flood insurance?

You must live in a community that participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to qualify for National Flood Insurance.

Can I get flood insurance if I'm renting a property?

If you live in a community that participates in the NFIP, you can get flood insurance to cover the contents of your home or business.

What are Base Flood Elevations (BFE)s?

The computed elevation to which floodwater is anticipated to rise during the base flood. Base Flood Elevations (BFEs) are shown on Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) and on the flood profiles. The BFE is the regulatory requirement for the elevation or floodproofing of structures. The relationship between the BFE and a structure's elevation determines the flood insurance premium.