How to Check If Your Home Is in a Flood Zone
You can look up your property’s address on FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center to check whether your home is in a flood zone.
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Written byJessica Martel
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Jessica is a freelance writer, professional researcher, and mother of two rambunctious little boys. She specializes in personal finance, women and money, and financial literacy. Jessica is fascinated by the psychology of money and what drives people to make important financial decisions. She holds a Masters of Science degree in Cognitive Research Psychology.
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Edited byNick Versaw
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Nick Versaw leads Compare.com's editorial department, where he and his team specialize in crafting helpful, easy-to-understand content about car insurance and other related topics. With nearly a decade of experience writing and editing insurance and personal finance articles, his work has helped readers discover substantial savings on necessary expenses, including insurance, transportation, health care, and more. As an award-winning writer, Nick has seen his work published in countless renowned publications, such as the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and U.S. News & World Report. He graduated with Latin honors from Virginia Commonwealth University, where he earned his Bachelor's Degree in Digital Journalism.
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In This Article
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) maps flood zones in the U.S. to show each property’s flood risk. The purpose is to help homeowners and insurance companies determine the likelihood of a flood. The flood risk of your property can affect your home insurance requirements, your property value, and the safety of you and your family.
Learn how to check whether your property is in a flood zone, the different types of flood zones, and what you should do if your home is in a high-, moderate-, or low-risk area.
How to Check If Your Property Is in a Flood Zone
To check whether your property is in a flood zone, you can use FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center. This service is free, and it takes only a few minutes to complete a flood zone lookup of your location.
Alternatively, some states provide property flood risk assessment tools. For example, the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources has its own Flood Hazard Assessment Tool (FHAT). Similar to the FEMA tool, the FHAT displays flood zones in Hawaii based on FEMA’s Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps.
Using FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center
To find your property using FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center, follow these steps:
Search your address. Enter your address into the search bar and press search.
Review the flood map. Your search will bring up a flood map for your area. A red marker identifies the location you entered.
Take a look around. You can zoom in and out to get different views of the area. The key under the map can help you identify Special Flood Hazard Areas and other features.
Identify your risk. If you live in a flood zone, the map will outline the area in a teal box. If you live in a high-risk area, the map will be blue. If you live in a low-risk area, your area won’t have any shading.
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Understanding Flood Zone Types
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FEMA’s flood map identifies areas with a high risk of flooding as Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs). An SFHA has a 1% chance of a large flood happening in any year.[1]
If you live in an SFHA, it means a flood is more likely to happen. And if you have a federally backed mortgage, your lender will require you to have a flood insurance policy.
High-risk flood zones (A and V)
Special flood hazard areas that begin with the letters A or V have the highest risk of a flood. They’re in a 100-year flood zone, where there’s a 1% chance of a flood happening in any given year.
Moderate- and low-risk zones (X, B, and C)
Zones outside of an SFHA, labeled Zone B or Zone X (shaded) are moderate flood hazard areas. Also known as a 500-year flood zone, these areas have a 0.2% chance of a flood occurring within any year.
Areas labeled as Zone X (unshaded) or Zone C have a minimal flood hazard. They’re located outside an SFHA and have a higher elevation than areas in Zone B and Zone X (shaded).
While lenders don’t typically require flood insurance in these zones, you can use the information from FEMA’s maps to determine whether you want the added protection.
What to Do If Your Property Is in a Flood Zone
If you identify that your property is in a flood zone and at a higher risk, here are some steps you can take to protect your home:[2]
Get insurance. A standard homeowners insurance policy doesn’t cover flood damage. If you live in a high-risk area, or even a low- or moderate-risk area, consider flood insurance.
Maintain gutters. Clean gutters and downspouts regularly so water flows away from your home.
Elevate utilities and equipment. Elevate and anchor air conditioners, heat pumps, and water meters to prevent flood damage.
Move important documents. Keep documents and valuables in a safe location and put them in watertight containers.
Install flood vents. This will allow floodwater to flow through a crawl space or garage.
Install a sump pump. A sump pump helps move groundwater away from your home. Choose a device with battery backup in case the electricity goes out.
Opt for flood-resistant materials. If you’re building or renovating, consider using flood-resistant materials (like ceramic tile or vinyl flooring instead of carpets) and metal instead of wood door frames.
What if you disagree with your flood zone?
If FEMA identifies your property as being in a flood zone but you believe this is incorrect, you can challenge the flood zone designation. If your property is at or above the elevation of the 1% annual flood chance (known as the base flood elevation) you may be incorrectly included in the SFHA. If your property was elevated during construction (known as earthen fill) you may also be eligible for an amendment.
In this situation, you can request to change your designation using a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) or a Letter of Map Revision-Based on Fill (LOMR-F). Using these letters, you can request that FEMA remove your property from the SFHA.
You’ll typically need to hire a licensed land surveyor or registered professional engineer to get an elevation certificate for your property.
FEMA normally completes the review process within 60 days.[3]
Flood Zone Insurance Requirements
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A standard homeowners insurance policy doesn’t cover flood damage. If you want to cover physical damages from flooding or the cost to rebuild your home after a flood, you’ll need to purchase flood insurance as an add-on to your existing policy or as a stand-alone policy.
If you live in a high-risk flood area with a mortgage from a government-backed lender, the lender will require you to have flood insurance.
Even if you live outside of a high-risk flood zone, you may want to consider purchasing a flood insurance policy. Nearly one-third of NFIP flood insurance claims come from zones outside of high-risk flood areas.[4]
How to Get Flood Insurance
Flood insurance is available through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and private insurers. To purchase insurance with the NFIP, you can start by requesting a free online quote using the NFIP quote tool, which takes only a few minutes.
Once you have a quote, you can share it with an agent in your area or call your current insurance company.
But keep in mind that there’s typically a 30-day waiting period before an NFIP policy goes into effect. But it can go into effect sooner if your lender requires insurance or if the flood map changes and your property is classified as higher-risk.
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Flood Zone FAQs
If you’re still wondering whether you’re in a flood zone, find more helpful flood zone information below.
Do you need flood insurance if you’re not in a high-risk zone?
If you’re not in a high-risk zone, you likely aren’t required to get flood insurance. But you still might want to consider a flood policy. Flooding is a risk even in low and moderate areas, with 90% of natural disasters in the U.S. involving some form of flooding and nearly one-third of NFIP flood insurance claims coming from outside of high-risk flood zones.[5]
How often do FEMA flood maps get updated?
It depends on when new and more accurate information becomes available. Other factors, such as the extent of new development and the completion of flood-control projects, can also affect how often FEMA updates the maps.[6]
Do flood zones change over time?
Yes, flood zones can change over time. This is why FEMA establishes and revises flood zone designations when new information becomes available.
What’s the difference between a 100-year and a 500-year flood?
A 100-year flood zone is an area with a 1% (1/100) annual chance of flooding. A 500-year flood zone is an area with a 0.2% (1/500) annual chance of a flood occurring.
Related Articles
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Sources
- Federal Emergency Management Agency. "Flood Zones."
- Federal Emergency Management Agency. "Protect Your Home from Flooding."
- Federal Emergency Management Agency. "Letter of Map Amendment & Letter of Map Revision-Based on Fill Process."
- National Flood Insurance Program. "Flooding Happens Everywhere."
- Insurance Information Institute. "Facts about flood insurance."
- Federal Emergency Management Agency. "Frequency of Updating Flood Maps?."
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Jessica MartelPersonal Finance Writer
Jessica is a freelance writer, professional researcher, and mother of two rambunctious little boys. She specializes in personal finance, women and money, and financial literacy. Jessica is fascinated by the psychology of money and what drives people to make important financial decisions. She holds a Masters of Science degree in Cognitive Research Psychology.
Nick Versaw leads Compare.com's editorial department, where he and his team specialize in crafting helpful, easy-to-understand content about car insurance and other related topics. With nearly a decade of experience writing and editing insurance and personal finance articles, his work has helped readers discover substantial savings on necessary expenses, including insurance, transportation, health care, and more. As an award-winning writer, Nick has seen his work published in countless renowned publications, such as the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and U.S. News & World Report. He graduated with Latin honors from Virginia Commonwealth University, where he earned his Bachelor's Degree in Digital Journalism.