Tax Report: Flood Details Section
Flood Zones gives a details about the properties flood area type, the information is taken from FEMA. FEMA maps flood zones in communities across the US, identifying areas of varying flood risk on Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). FEMA’s high-risk flood zones – those that make up the SFHA – are those that begin with the letters “A” or “V.” Homeowners located in A or V zones may be required to purchase flood insurance if they have a mortgage from a federally-backed or federally-regulated lender. FEMA’s low and moderate risk flood zones – those outside the SFHA – are those that begin with the letters “X,” “B,” or “C.” Use the link above the Food Zones box to visit FEMA’s website, where this data is acquired and regularly updated. There is also a note on data update date under Published. Further info on Flood Zones available here.
We also attempt to classify Storm Surge areas and possible Inundation depth, also based on FEMA provided data. Storm Surge data includes BFE (Base Flood Elevation) depth, which shows the projected depth of water in the case of a 1% chance flood occurring. Inundation depth refers to the categories of storms that would likely cause water inundation (eg. in a Category 1 storm, this property is expected to flood).
Note: The exact location of a building on a lot may affect whether flood insurance is required. One flood zone may affect part of the parcel, but the part with a building may be in a different zone. some owners/builders plan sufficiently or do extra work to avoid these issues. It may be wise to overlay building footprints or aerials to see what part(s) of the parcel are affected by which flood zone. FEMA may also adjust their zones to reflect additional data and ensure proper designation.
FEMA Corrections and Adjustments
From time-to-time, FEMA issues small scale adjustment to its comprehensive flood maps. This can be because of recent changes to the development, landscaping, or grading of a property, updated surveys and modelling, or other requests from property owners for additional research. Often these changes will remove a property/building from a higher risk flood zone.
In these cases, FEMA may issue updates called a Letter of Map Change (LOMC) or a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA). We collect these minor adjustments and (where possible) adjust our data to reflect the newer FEMA designations. In cases like this, you will see the LOMA/LOMC referenced and linked to, as shown above.
Building Level Flood designations
Flood zone boundaries often cover only parts of a parcel, which leads to multiple possible flood zone matches for an individual piece of property. In those cases, we display all possible flood zones for the parcel, as the owner may need to know the status of different parts of the property for building or other purposes.
In cases where we know the location of a building or other structure on a parcel with multiple flood zones, we will attempt to provide information regarding whether the building(s) are in a higher risk flood zone. In those cases, we will provide an additional note in the flood report section, indicating that the building seems to be in or out of that flood zone. See examples below:
Important Note: All Flood Layer Designations are based on the comparing publicly available map layers which may have been created with differing levels of accuracy and precision, and at varying times. While these maps are generally reliable, we are NOT responsible for any errors related to the currency of these datasets, nor exact locations of any buildings, lot lines, or other property features relative to FEMA flood zones.
We advise all property owners to consult licensed insurance professionals to verify the risks, flood zones, and insurance availability for their property.