Flood zone A99: what it means for your home and insurance
Inside the 1% annual chance floodplain, to be protected by a federal flood-control system (such as a levee) that is still under construction.
Free property report with the FEMA flood zone plus wildfire, wind, earthquake and landslide risk. Open the full address analyzer.
What zone A99 means
Zone A99 marks areas within the 1% annual chance floodplain that will be protected by a federal flood-protection system, such as a levee or dam, where construction has reached the statutory milestones but is not yet finished.
A99 is part of the Special Flood Hazard Area. FEMA does not publish base flood elevations or depths for A99 zones.
FEMA calls the flood with a 1% chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year the "base flood" (often called the 100-year flood). A 1% chance each year adds up: over 30 years it works out to roughly a 26% chance of at least one such flood.
Insurance in zone A99
This is a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). Under federal law, if you have a mortgage from a federally regulated or insured lender — or a loan backed by FHA, VA, USDA, Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac — on a building in an SFHA in a community that participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), the lender must require flood insurance. Your lender or a licensed agent can confirm what your loan requires.
Standard homeowners policies exclude flood damage. Flood coverage is bought separately, either through the NFIP or from a private flood insurer.
When the flood-protection system is complete and accredited, FEMA may revise the map. Your community floodplain administrator can tell you where the project stands.
Reducing flood risk
- Ask your community about the flood-protection project timeline.
- Levees and dams reduce flood risk; they do not remove it. Plan an evacuation route.
- Get an Elevation Certificate so you know how your lowest floor compares to the base flood elevation.
- Raise furnaces, water heaters, electrical panels and HVAC equipment above expected flood levels.
- Use flood-resistant materials (tile, concrete, closed-cell insulation) below the base flood elevation.
- Install a backflow valve so floodwater cannot push sewage back into the house.
- Grade soil away from the foundation and keep gutters, downspouts and drains clear.
Your community’s floodplain administrator can tell you which building requirements apply locally.
Zone A99 questions
- What does flood zone A99 mean?
- Zone A99 is an area in the 1% annual chance floodplain that will be protected by a federal flood-protection system, such as a levee, that is still under construction. It is part of the Special Flood Hazard Area.
- Is flood insurance required in zone A99?
- A99 is part of the Special Flood Hazard Area, so lenders must require flood insurance on federally regulated or backed loans in participating communities. Your lender or a licensed agent can confirm.
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.
Other flood zones
All FEMA flood zonesThis 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.