FEMA flood zones
What flood zone am I in?
Enter an address to see its FEMA flood zone from the National Flood Hazard Layer. Then read what the zone means: how likely flooding is, whether a lender will ask for flood insurance, and what you can do about it.
Free property report with the FEMA flood zone plus wildfire, wind, earthquake and landslide risk. Open the full address analyzer.
Flood zones at a glance
FEMA maps flood risk on Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). The key line is the base flood: a flood with a 1% chance of happening in any given year. Land inside it is a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA).
| Zone | What FEMA maps | SFHA |
|---|---|---|
| A, AE, AH, AO | 1% annual chance flood (riverine, lake, shallow) | Yes |
| AR, A99 | 1% annual chance flood behind a levee being restored or built | Yes |
| V, VE | 1% annual chance coastal flood with wave action | Yes |
| X (shaded), X500, B | 0.2% annual chance flood, or shallow / levee-reduced 1% | No |
| X (unshaded), C | Outside the 0.2% annual chance floodplain | No |
| D | Possible but undetermined — not analyzed by FEMA | No |
High risk: Special Flood Hazard Areas
Zones starting with A or V. Land with a 1% chance of flooding in any given year (the base flood). V zones add coastal wave action.
Also: Zone A, Approximate A zone
Inside the 1% annual chance floodplain, mapped with approximate methods, so no base flood elevation is published.
What zone A meansAlso: A1–A30 (older maps)
Inside the 1% annual chance floodplain, with a base flood elevation set by a detailed FEMA study.
What zone AE meansInside the 1% annual chance floodplain where flooding is shallow ponding, usually 1 to 3 feet deep.
What zone AH meansInside the 1% annual chance floodplain where flooding is shallow sheet flow on sloping ground, usually 1 to 3 feet deep.
What zone AO meansAlso: AR/AE, AR/AH, AR/AO, AR/A
Behind a flood-control system (such as a levee) that FEMA decertified and that is being restored to protect against the base flood.
What zone AR meansInside the 1% annual chance floodplain, to be protected by a federal flood-control system (such as a levee) that is still under construction.
What zone A99 meansAlso: Zone V
Coastal high hazard area: the 1% annual chance floodplain with storm-driven wave action, mapped without a base flood elevation.
What zone V meansAlso: V1–V30 (older maps)
Coastal high hazard area: the 1% annual chance floodplain with storm-driven wave action, with a base flood elevation that includes wave height.
What zone VE meansModerate risk
Shaded X (B on older maps). The 0.2% annual chance floodplain, shallow 1% flooding, or areas behind levees.
Minimal risk
Unshaded X (C on older maps). Outside the 0.2% annual chance floodplain.
Undetermined risk
Zone D. Flooding is possible, but FEMA has not analyzed the area.
What your flood zone means for insurance
Lenders require flood insurance in high-risk zones. If a home is in a Special Flood Hazard Area (any A or V zone) and has a mortgage from a federally regulated or insured lender — or one backed by FHA, VA, USDA, Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac — in a community that participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), federal law requires the lender to make you carry flood insurance. Lenders can also require it outside those zones.
Homeowners insurance does not cover flood. Standard homeowners policies exclude flood damage. Flood coverage is a separate policy, through the NFIP or a private flood insurer. NFIP policies generally have a 30-day waiting period before coverage starts.
Flooding happens outside high-risk zones. A 1% chance each year is roughly a 26% chance over 30 years, and floods bigger than the base flood, heavy rain and drainage problems reach homes in moderate and minimal risk zones too.
Your lender or a licensed agent can confirm the requirements for a specific home.
Flood zone questions
- What flood zone is my address in?
- Enter the address on this page. We look it up in FEMA’s National Flood Hazard Layer and show the flood zone in a free property report. The official map for any property is also available on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center.
- What is a FEMA flood zone?
- A flood zone is the label FEMA gives an area on its Flood Insurance Rate Maps based on how likely it is to flood. Zones starting with A or V are high-risk Special Flood Hazard Areas; shaded X (or B) is moderate risk; unshaded X (or C) is minimal risk; and D means the risk has not been determined.
- What is a Special Flood Hazard Area?
- A Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) is land FEMA expects to flood in the base flood, the flood with a 1% chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. All A and V zones are SFHAs.
- How do I know if I need flood insurance?
- If the home is in a Special Flood Hazard Area and has a mortgage from a federally regulated or insured lender (or one backed by FHA, VA, USDA, Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac) in a community that participates in the NFIP, the lender must require flood insurance. Lenders can also require it outside those areas. Your lender or a licensed agent can confirm.
- Does homeowners insurance cover flooding?
- No. Standard homeowners policies exclude flood damage. Flood coverage is bought separately through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) or a private flood insurer.
- Does homeowners insurance cover hurricane damage?
- Hurricanes cause both wind and flood damage, and policies treat them differently. Homeowners policies often cover wind damage, sometimes with a separate hurricane or wind deductible, and in some coastal areas wind is covered by a separate policy or state wind pool. Flooding from storm surge or rain is excluded and needs flood insurance. A licensed agent can explain how a specific policy applies.
- Can a home outside a high-risk flood zone flood?
- Yes. Flood maps model river and coastal flooding at specific probabilities. Heavy rain, overwhelmed drainage and floods larger than the base flood can affect homes in moderate and minimal risk zones too.
- What if I think my flood zone is wrong?
- If a licensed surveyor or engineer shows your building is above the base flood elevation, you can ask FEMA for a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) to remove it from the Special Flood Hazard Area.
Check the flood zone for any address
We look up the address in FEMA’s National Flood Hazard Layer and show the zone alongside the rest of the property’s risk profile.
Free property report with the FEMA flood zone plus wildfire, wind, earthquake and landslide risk. Open the full address analyzer.
This page is general education about FEMA flood zone designations, not insurance or legal advice and not an offer of coverage. Zone definitions come from FEMA’s Flood Insurance Rate Maps; maps change, and the official map for any property is on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center. Your lender or a licensed agent can confirm the flood insurance requirements for a specific home.