Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map, then pick the zone letters you see and whether the address is inside the Coastal Barrier Resources System. The check explains what that means for a loan and for flood insurance. It does not look up addresses itself.
1Which zone does FEMA’s map show for the address?
2Is the address inside the Coastal Barrier Resources System?
Find the zone on FEMA’s flood map for the exact address. Not sure what you are looking at? Read Flood Zones Explained for Beach Home Buyers.
Pick a zone on the left to see what it means for your loan and your insurance.
Special Flood Hazard Area
A, AE, AH, AO, A1-A30, A99, AR
- FEMA defines this as the area flooded by the base flood, an event with a 1 percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year.
- If you borrow from a federally regulated or federally backed lender, the law requires flood insurance on the building for the term of the loan, for at least the outstanding balance or the maximum coverage available, whichever is less.
- Lenders must accept private flood insurance that meets the same coverage requirements.
- For permits and insurance, the key height in A zones is the elevation of the lowest floor.
Special Flood Hazard Area, coastal
V, VE, V1-V30
- Coastal areas with a 1 percent or greater annual chance of flooding and an additional hazard from storm waves.
- FEMA puts the chance of flooding in these areas at 26 percent over the life of a 30-year mortgage.
- The same flood insurance requirement applies when you borrow from a regulated or federally backed lender.
- Here the key height is the elevation of the lowest horizontal structural member, the bottom of the beams that hold the house up.
Outside the Special Flood Hazard Area
B or X (shaded)
- FEMA’s moderate flood hazard: the area between the limits of the base flood and the 0.2-percent-annual-chance, or 500-year, flood.
- The federal purchase requirement for flood insurance applies only inside the Special Flood Hazard Area.
- Most homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage, so price a separate flood policy anyway.
Outside the Special Flood Hazard Area
C or X (unshaded)
- FEMA’s minimal flood hazard on the map.
- FEMA’s own words: floods can happen anywhere. Flood insurance is a separate policy and is available to anyone in a community that takes part in the National Flood Insurance Program.
- Maps are revised over time, so check the date of the map you are reading.
Coastal Barrier Resources System
- Outside the system, NFIP flood insurance is available wherever the community takes part in the program.
- Keep the CBRS Mapper Documentation that shows the address is outside; it can be used for real estate transactions and insurance.
Coastal Barrier Resources System
- Within the system, most new federal spending and financial assistance is prohibited, including NFIP flood insurance. Under 42 U.S.C. 4028 there is no new NFIP coverage for new construction or substantial improvements after the area’s prohibition date (October 1, 1983 for the original system).
- The same law says a federally insured lender may still make a loan secured by a building that cannot get NFIP coverage. Ask your lender early.
- Ask about private flood insurance, and keep the CBRS Mapper Documentation with your purchase papers.
Coastal Barrier Resources System
- Check the address with the CBRS Validation Tool in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s CBRS Mapper. It produces a document saying whether the location is in or out.
- Within about 20 feet of a boundary the tool will not decide; ask the Service for a CBRS Property Determination letter.
- A new NFIP policy typically takes effect after a 30-day waiting period; the wait does not apply when the coverage is bought in connection with making a loan.
- Ask the seller for the flood insurance declarations page and any elevation certificate, and whether the NFIP policy can be assigned to you.
Reading the result
The zone letters come from FEMA’s Flood Insurance Rate Map. The high-risk zones beginning with A and V together make up the Special Flood Hazard Area, the land FEMA expects to be flooded by an event with a 1 percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. Our guide to Flood Zones Explained for Beach Home Buyers covers every letter.
The zone decides whether federal law requires flood insurance when you borrow from a regulated or federally backed lender. It no longer decides the price on its own: since April 2023 FEMA prices NFIP policies using flood frequency, several flood types, distance to water, the building’s elevation and the cost to rebuild. See Elevation Certificates and Flood Insurance Pricing: What Beach Buyers Should Ask For.
The Coastal Barrier Resources System is a separate map kept by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Inside it, new NFIP coverage is generally not available for new construction or substantial improvements after the area’s prohibition date. Coastal Barrier Resources System: Why Some Beach Homes Can’t Get Federal Flood Insurance explains how to check an address.
Nothing here replaces a quote. Ask an insurance agent for NFIP and private flood quotes on the exact address before you make an offer.