Flood Hazard Zone

Maps, Classifications, & Information

Congress mandates that federally regulated or insured lenders require flood insurance for all buildings located in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) with a federally backed loan. Because insurance agents agree to sell and service flood insurance to property owners, both insurance agents and lenders play an important role in this process.

Buildings in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) must be built to minimize future flood damage. At a minimum, residences must be built so that the lowest floor (including basement) is elevated to or above the Base Flood Elevation. Other requirements may apply in coastal areas if you are considering developing land in the SFHA. Also be aware that existing buildings in the SFHA not constructed in accordance with such standards will carry high flood insurance premiums.

source: FEMA

Current FEMA Guidance for Flood Hazard Zones

Hazard zone mapping is the final product of the detailed analyses of a coastal flood study process undertaken by a Mapping Partner, performed either by the study contractor (SC), map revision requester, or Cooperating Technical Partner (CTP). The results of the coastal flood study are described in the FIS report and delineated onto a Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). The FIRM depiction of the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) for coastal hazards, as determined by detailed studies of storm surge flooding, storm-induced erosion, and wave effects, is generally subdivided into six different zones, including:

VE Zones, also known as the coastal high hazard areas. They are areas subject to high velocity water including waves; they are defined by the 1% annual chance (base) flood limits (also known as the 100-year flood) and wave effects 3 feet or greater. The hazard zone is mapped with base flood elevations (BFEs) that reflect the combined influence of stillwater flood elevations, primary frontal dunes, and wave effects 3 feet or greater.
AE Zones, also within the 100-year flood limits, are defined with BFEs that reflect the combined influence of stillwater flood elevations and wave effects less than 3 feet. The AE Zone generally extends from the landward VE zone limit to the limits of the 100-year flood from coastal sources, or until it reaches the confluence with riverine flood sources. The AE Zones also depict the SFHA due to riverine flood sources, but instead of being subdivided into separate zones of differing BFEs with possible wave effects added, they represent the flood profile determined by hydrologic and hydraulic investigations and have no wave effects.
AO Zones, representing coastal hazard areas that are mapped with flood depths instead of base flood elevations. Depths are mapped from 1 to 3 feet, in whole-foot increments. These SFHAs generally are located in areas of sheet flow and runoff from coastal FLOOD HAZARD ZONES 3 FEMA COASTAL FLOOD HAZARD ANALYSIS AND MAPPING GUIDELINES FOCUSED STUDY REPORTS flooding where a BFE cannot be established. The AO Zone is also used in riverine flood mapping.
AH Zones, representing coastal hazard areas associated with shallow flow or ponding, with water depths of 1 to 3 feet. These areas are usually not subdivided, and BFEs are mapped.
X Zone (shaded), representing the coastal (or riverine) floodplain areas between the 100- year flood and 0.2% annual chance (500-year) flood. These areas are located outside the SFHA, but are depicted on the FIRM unless map scale limitations prevent detailed mapping of this area. They were formerly mapped and depicted as Zone B.
X Zone (unshaded), representing the areas on the FIRM that are located outside the limits of the 500-year flooding. They were formerly mapped and depicted as Zone C.
Source: FEMA.gov

Flood Zone Classifications

The following table gives an explanation for the flood zone designations:

BFE = Base Flood Zone Elevation

SFHA = Land areas that are at high risk for flooding are called Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs), or floodplains. These areas are indicated on Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs)

Zone C, Zone X - Areas determined to be outside 500-year floodplain determined to be outside the 1% and 0.2% annual chance floodplains.

Zone B, Zone X500 - Areas of 500-year flood; areas of 100-year flood with average depths of less than 1 foot or with drainage areas less than 1 square mile; and areas protected by levees from 100-year flood. An area inundated by 0.2% annual chance flooding.

Zone A - An area inundated by 1% annual chance flooding, for which no BFEs have been determined.

Zone AE - An area inundated by 1% annual chance flooding, for which BFEs have been determined.

Zone AH - An area inundated by 1% annual chance flooding (usually an area of ponding), for which BFEs have been determined; flood depths range from 1 to 3 feet.

Zone AO -An area inundated by 1% annual chance flooding (usually sheet flow on sloping terrain), for which average depths have been determined; flood depths range from 1 to 3 feet.

Zone AR - An area inundated by flooding, for which BFEs or average depths have been determined. This is an area that was previously, and will again, be protected from the 1% annual chance flood by a Federal flood protection system whose restoration is Federally funded and underway

Zone A1-A30 - An area inundated by 1% annual chance flooding, for which BFEs have been determined. .

Area Not Included (ANI),(N) - An area that is located within a community or county that is not mapped on any published FIRM.

Zone D - An area of undetermined but possible flood hazards.

Undescribed (UNDES) - Area of Undesignated Flood Hazard. A body of open water, such as a pond,lake, ocean, etc., located within a community's jurisdictional limits, that has no defined flood hazard.

Zone VE - An area inundated by 1% annual chance flooding with velocity hazard (wave action); BFEs have been determined.

Zone V(1-30) -Costal flood with velocity hazard (wave action); BFEs have not been determined.

FWIC - An area where the floodway is contained within the channel banks and the channel is too narrow to show to scale. An arbitrary channel width of 3 meters is shown. BFEs are not shown in this area, although they may be reflected on the corresponding profile. (Floodway Contained in Channel)

100IC - An area where the 1% annual chance flooding is contained within the channel banks and the channel is too narrow to show to scale. An arbitrary channel width of 3 meters is shown. BFEs are not shown in this area, although they may be reflected on the corresponding profile. (1% Annual Chance Flood Discharge Contained in Channel)

500IC -An area where the 0.2% annual chance flooding is contained within the channel banks and the channel is too narrow to show to scale. An arbitrary channel width of 3 meters is shown. ( 2% Annual Chance Flood Discharge Contained in channel)

Source: floodmaps.com

Zone VE and Zone AE

Within a coastal SFHA are two primary flood hazard zones: Zone VE and Zone AE. Zone VE, also known as a Coastal High Hazard Area, is considered one of the areas of highest risk depicted on FIRMs. Zone VE is designated where wave hazards are expected to be particularly strong and have the potential to cause dramatic structural damage. To address the added wave hazard, more stringent building practices are required in Zone VE, such as elevating a home on pilings so that waves can pass beneath it, or a prohibition to building on fill, which can be easily washed away by waves. These practices are intended to improve the chance of a home safely weathering a storm.

Base Flood Elevations (BFEs) will vary in each zone. Changes in flood zones and BFEs can have a significant impact on building requirements and flood insurance costs. BFEs may differ dramatically within a small area, because waves can diminish in size over a short distance upon encountering obstructions or steep ground.

Source: FEMA

Limit of Moderate Wave Action (LiMWA)

The coastal areas designated as Zone AE are places that experience lesser wave conditions during storm events, compared to Zone VE, or areas that are well sheltered from waves. Some Zone AE areas also have a Limit of Moderate Wave Action (LiMWA) shown on the FIRM; this is the location where the 1-percent-annual-chance wave height equals 1.5 feet. Past storms have shown that waves as small as 1.5 feet can cause foundation failure and structural damage to buildings.

To communicate the high risk from waves that still exists in a portion of the Zone AE areas, FEMA began showing the LiMWA on FIRMs. Communities are encouraged to adopt building construction standards similar to Zone VE in those areas.

Flooding occurs not only in Special Flood Hazard Areas, such as Zones AE and VE, but also in areas with a low to moderate hazard, shown as Zone X on a FIRM. Anyone can be financially vulnerable to floods. People outside of high-risk areas file over 20 percent of National Flood Insurance Program claims and receive one third of FEMA’s disaster assistance for flooding.

Source: https://www.fema.gov/flood-maps/coastal/insurance-rate-maps

FEMA Flood Map Service Center: Search By Address

Whether you are in a high risk zone or not, you may need flood insurance because most homeowners insurance doesn't cover flood damage. If you live in an area with low or moderate flood risk, you are 5 times more likely to experience flood than a fire in your home over the next 30 years. For many, a National Flood Insurance Program's flood insurance policy could cost less than $400 per year. (source: FEMA)

Find your home's Flood Factor

Past floods, current risks, and future projections based on peer-reviewed research from the world’s leading flood modelers.

Coastal Flood Insurance Rate Maps

Coastal Flood Maps

There are two primary flood hazard zones within a coastal special flood hazard area. Learn how coastal hazards are mapped.

A Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) is an official map on which FEMA has delineated Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHAs ) applicable to the community. As part of its Risk MAP effort, FEMA scientists and engineers work with other federal, state, regional, community, tribal, non-profit, nongovernmental and private-sector partners to determine the flood risk for properties along the populated U.S. coastline. If you live in a populated area along the coast, your community may have recently received, or may soon receive, an updated coastal FIRM and Flood Insurance Study report.
Source: FEMA

Flood Risk Products (FEMA)

FLOOD RISK MAP: Flood Risk Maps summarize the notable flood risks within the project area and present this data within one large map.

FLOOD RISK REPORT: Flood Risk Reports summarize flood hazard and risk exposure to a community. In conjunction with the FIS report, it explains in detail the methodology and results of a Flood Insurance Rate Map.

Virginia Beach

Norfolk

Chesapeake

Hampton

Portsmouth

Newport News

Suffolk

Search other locations in Virginia

Please note: Flood Risk Products have purposes that are different from regulatory flood hazard products (i.e., FIRM, FIS Report, and FIRM Database). Regulatory flood hazard products are mandated by law and used by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for rating flood insurance policies and enforcing the federal mandatory insurance purchase requirements. Flood Risk Products are supplementary resources for communicating flood risk to communities and may not entirely align with the regulatory flood maps. The information in these products reflect what was produced by the FEMA Risk MAP study in that area. Depending on the requirements of the study, the Flood Risk Products available for your community may consist of a Flood Risk Map, Flood Risk Report or Flood Risk Database.