Flood Zones & Flood Maps in Hampton Roads, Virginia
Flood-zone information is an important part of evaluating property throughout coastal Hampton Roads. Whether you're buying, selling, relocating, or simply trying to understand your current home, the first step is knowing what the official maps show for the specific property.
FEMA flood maps identify mapped flood hazards and Special Flood Hazard Areas, but a flood-zone designation is only one piece of understanding a property's flood risk. Insurance, elevation, coastal conditions, drainage, lender requirements, and other property-specific information can all be part of the larger conversation.
Look Up a Specific Property
Start with FEMA's official Flood Map Service Center and search by address to review the effective flood-hazard information for a property.
Search FEMA Flood Maps by AddressUnderstand the Flood-Zone Letters
AE, VE, X, AO, AH and other map designations describe different mapped flood-hazard conditions. We'll break down the most relevant designations below.
Understand FEMA Flood ZonesFind Local Hampton Roads Resources
Localities maintain additional floodplain, stormwater, evacuation, and mapping resources that can provide important local context.
Find Your CityUnderstanding FEMA Flood Zones
The letters on a FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) describe different types of mapped flood hazards. In Hampton Roads, buyers and homeowners commonly encounter designations such as AE, VE, X, AO, and AH. Understanding the basic differences can make the map much easier to read—but the designation should always be verified for the specific property using current official information.
What is a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA)?
A Special Flood Hazard Area is the area subject to flooding from the flood event that has a 1% chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. FEMA maps several A and V zone designations within the SFHA.
What is Base Flood Elevation (BFE)?
Base Flood Elevation is the elevation of surface water associated with the 1%-annual-chance flood. FEMA shows BFEs on applicable detailed flood-zone areas, including Zone AE and Zone VE.
Zone AE
Zone AE is within the Special Flood Hazard Area and represents areas subject to the 1%-annual-chance flood where Base Flood Elevations have been determined.
Zone VE
Zone VE is a coastal high-hazard area within the Special Flood Hazard Area where additional hazards are associated with storm-driven wave action. Base Flood Elevations are determined for Zone VE.
Zone X — Shaded & Unshaded
Zone X does not always mean the same thing. Shaded Zone X can identify areas associated with the 0.2%-annual-chance flood or certain lower-depth 1%-annual-chance flooding conditions. Unshaded Zone X generally identifies areas FEMA maps outside the 0.2%-annual-chance floodplain.
Zones AO & AH
These are Special Flood Hazard Areas associated with shallow flooding. Zone AH generally represents ponding with mapped Base Flood Elevations, while Zone AO generally represents shallow sheet-flow conditions with mapped flood depths.
Coastal Flood Zones & Wave Action
In coastal Hampton Roads, understanding the flood-zone letter is only the beginning. FEMA's coastal mapping also considers wave action, which can create different mapped conditions and building considerations even within areas that may appear close together on a map.
Zone VE: Coastal High Hazard Areas
FEMA designates Zone VE as a coastal high-hazard area within the Special Flood Hazard Area. These areas are subject to the 1%-annual-chance flood and additional hazards associated with storm-driven waves.
On FEMA coastal maps, VE areas are associated with wave heights of 3 feet or greater during the base flood and have mapped Base Flood Elevations.
Coastal AE: An Important Additional Layer
Some coastal areas mapped as Zone AE can also experience wave effects during the base flood. FEMA may identify a portion of this area as a Coastal A Zone.
FEMA defines a Coastal A Zone as the portion of the Special Flood Hazard Area landward of a V Zone, or landward of an open coast without a mapped V Zone, where base-flood wave heights are between 1.5 and 3 feet.
What is the Limit of Moderate Wave Action (LiMWA)?
The Limit of Moderate Wave Action, commonly called the LiMWA, is the inland limit of the area expected to experience base-flood wave heights of 1.5 feet or greater.
When FEMA depicts the LiMWA on a Flood Insurance Rate Map, it helps distinguish the portion of a coastal AE area where moderate wave action may occur. The area between the V Zone boundary and the LiMWA is commonly referred to as the Coastal A Zone.
The LiMWA provides additional property-specific mapping context because wave action can affect structural and floodplain considerations during a coastal flood event.
How This Information May Apply to a Coastal Property
Properties with the same FEMA flood-zone designation may still have different property-specific elevation, coastal, construction, or mapping information. When reviewing a coastal property, buyers may choose to gather additional information from the appropriate official and professional sources.
- current FEMA flood-zone designation
- Base Flood Elevation, when applicable
- whether LiMWA or Coastal A mapping applies
- available elevation or survey documentation
- local floodplain information
- property-specific insurance information
- property-specific lender requirements
- other information the buyer considers relevant to their decision
Find Flood Information Across Hampton Roads
FEMA provides the official federal flood-hazard mapping, while each Hampton Roads locality maintains its own floodplain, mapping, permitting, stormwater, and property-information resources. For a specific home, I recommend starting with FEMA and then reviewing the applicable city's current local guidance.
Start With the Property Address
Use FEMA's Flood Map Service Center to review the effective flood-hazard information associated with a specific property before moving into the locality-specific resources below.
Virginia Beach
Review City floodplain guidance, flood-zone lookup information, Flood Insurance Rate Map resources, Base Flood Elevation information, and local floodplain requirements.
Norfolk
Explore Norfolk's current flood-zone information, property lookup tools, elevation-certificate resources, and floodplain guidance.
Chesapeake
Use Chesapeake's floodplain-management resources for local mapping, address searches, Special Flood Hazard Area information, Base Flood Elevations, and elevation certificates.
Portsmouth
Review Portsmouth's current Flood Program for city floodplain information, mapping resources, and local planning guidance.
Suffolk
Find City flood and emergency-preparedness information, FEMA mapping guidance, and local resources for understanding flood hazards in Suffolk.
Hampton
Review Hampton's official flood-map information, GIS property lookup guidance, Base Flood Elevation resources, and current FEMA mapping.
Newport News
Use Newport News' current flood-risk resource to access local GIS mapping, flood-zone information, and property-specific guidance.
Know Your Hurricane Evacuation Zone
Your hurricane evacuation zone is separate from your FEMA flood-zone designation. Virginia's Know Your Zone program uses evacuation zones A through D across Coastal Virginia to help residents understand whether they may be directed to evacuate during a hurricane or tropical-storm emergency. Use your physical street address to identify your current zone.
Flood Information & Real Estate Due Diligence
Flood-related information can be one part of a real estate transaction in Hampton Roads. My role is to help clients identify relevant property information, locate authoritative resources, and understand which questions may need to be directed to a lender, insurance professional, surveyor, locality, FEMA, or another appropriate professional.
A Flood-Zone Designation Is One Piece of Property Information
FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps identify mapped flood hazards and are used for floodplain management and other purposes. A mapped designation does not, by itself, describe every condition that may affect a particular property. Property-specific information may also include elevation data, available documentation, local floodplain information, insurance information, lender requirements, and other relevant records or professional evaluations.
Information Buyers May Want to Review
During due diligence, buyers may choose to gather flood-related information about a specific property from the appropriate official and professional sources.
- the current FEMA flood-zone designation
- the effective Flood Insurance Rate Map for the property
- Base Flood Elevation information, when applicable
- LiMWA or other coastal mapping information, when applicable
- available elevation documentation
- local floodplain or property information
- property-specific insurance information from an insurance professional
- property-specific lending requirements from the buyer's lender
- other records or professional evaluations the buyer considers relevant
Information Sellers May Want to Locate
Sellers may also choose to gather existing flood-related information about their property so it is available when questions arise during a transaction.
- the property's current mapped FEMA flood-zone designation
- available elevation certificates or surveys
- existing flood-related property documentation
- information maintained by the applicable locality
- other records relevant to required disclosures or buyer due diligence
Elevation Certificates & Other Property Documentation
FEMA's Elevation Certificate is one type of document used to provide elevation information for buildings in certain floodplain-management and insurance contexts. Whether an Elevation Certificate exists, is needed, or is relevant will depend on the property and the purpose for which the information is being requested.
Questions about surveying or elevation measurements should be directed to an appropriately qualified surveyor or other professional. Questions about insurance should be directed to an insurance professional, and questions about financing requirements should be directed to the applicable lender.
Flood Zones & Flood Maps: A Guide to Keep Handy
Prefer something you can save, flip through, or reference later? I created this Hampton Roads Flood Zones & Flood Maps Guide to make some of the terminology and resources easier to understand in one place.
Inside, you’ll find clear explanations of FEMA flood-zone designations, SFHA, Base Flood Elevation, coastal flood zones and LiMWA, along with practical guidance for researching information for a specific property.
The guide is educational; the sources are where you verify. Because flood maps, local requirements, insurance information, and other property-specific details can change, use the current links and official resources on this webpage when researching a property.
