Reading the Federal Register every morning
FEMA is redrawing flood maps. Find out before your lender does.
When FEMA proposes a new flood map, it publishes a notice in the Federal Register and gives property owners 90 days to appeal. Very few people ever see it. We read every notice and email you when one covers a county where you own property.
It's $4 a month or $40 a year for any number of properties, so a family home and a 40-parcel portfolio cost the same.
Is FEMA changing maps near you?
Enter an address to see every flood hazard notice published for its county in the last 12 months. It's free and you don't need an account.
Last 12 months
Flood maps change more often than people think.
Each notice below is real. FEMA publishes them in batches, sometimes a dozen in one day, and each one can cover counties in several states.
Browse every county's history →
Source: federalregister.gov, FEMA "flood hazard determinations" notices
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What a flood zone actually is
FEMA's Flood Insurance Rate Maps split land into zones based on how likely it is to flood. The letters look arbitrary, but they decide whether your lender requires flood insurance, how high a new building has to sit, and what a buyer's agent says about the lot. Click a zone to see what it means.
"100-year flood" is a terrible name
It doesn't mean once a century. It means a 1% chance every single year, and those years add up. Move the slider to see the chance of at least one such flood while you own the property.
chance of at least one 1%-annual-chance flood over a 30-year mortgage.
Each square = 1 in 100 properties like yours
How a flood map changes, and where we come in
A new map takes years to make but only a few months to become official. The window you can do anything about is short, and the only public notice of it is a dense government filing.
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Flood study 1–3 years
FEMA and local partners model rainfall, rivers, tides and terrain, often with new lidar elevation data.
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Preliminary maps released
Draft maps go to the community. Some hold an open house. Most residents never hear about it.
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Proposed flood hazard determinations
FEMA publishes the proposed changes in the Federal Register. This starts the 90-day appeal and comment period, your one formal chance to challenge the new map with survey or engineering data.
FloodFlag emails you here, with the deadline -
Letter of Final Determination
Appeals are resolved and the final notice is published. The new maps typically take effect about six months later.
FloodFlag emails you again, so you can line up insurance before the effective date -
New maps take effect
Lenders check the new zones. If a building with a federally backed mortgage is now in a high-risk zone, flood insurance becomes mandatory, and new construction must meet the new elevation rules.
One home or a whole portfolio
A map change hits a homeowner and a developer in different places: one feels it in the mortgage, the other in the pro forma. Here's what an alert means for each.
What changes for you
- Your lender may require flood insurance. If your home moves into a zone starting with A or V and you have a federally backed mortgage, coverage becomes mandatory once the new map is effective.
- You can appeal, but only for 90 days. If you think the new map is wrong, an appeal needs technical evidence, such as an elevation certificate from a licensed surveyor.
- Buying early can cost less. NFIP policies usually take 30 days to start, but coverage bought because of a map change can begin sooner, and homes newly mapped into a high-risk zone may qualify for a discounted starting rate that phases up over time.
- It affects what you can build. Big renovations in a high-risk zone (generally over 50% of the building's value) must bring the whole house up to current elevation rules.
When an alert arrives
- Open the notice and find your community in its table.
- Look up your address on FEMA's preliminary map viewer to see if your zone changes.
- If it does, call an insurance agent and ask about map-change pricing before the effective date.
- If you think the map is wrong, talk to a surveyor while the appeal window is open.
What changes for you
- Due diligence has a blind spot. A parcel that's Zone X on today's effective map can be in a proposed AE zone right now. Check the county before you close, not after.
- Construction costs move with the BFE. A higher base flood elevation means more fill, taller foundations or a different structure type, and work in a regulatory floodway may need a "no-rise" engineering study.
- Rehab budgets hit the 50% rule. In high-risk zones, substantial improvements trigger full compliance with current elevation requirements, which can kill a value-add deal.
- Your buyers' carrying costs change. Mandatory insurance for future owners affects exit pricing, and private flood carriers and lenders underwrite to the zone.
Built for portfolios
One subscription covers every address you add, across any number of counties and states. Add a parcel when you're underwriting it, remove it when you pass.
Each alert names the property and the notice, so you can forward it straight to your engineer or lender.
What does a zone do to insurance rates?
Less directly than it used to, and more than most people expect. Here's the honest version.
The zone isn't the price anymore
Since FEMA's Risk Rating 2.0 took effect (October 2021 for new policies), National Flood Insurance Program premiums are calculated for each building: distance to water, elevation, flood type, and what it would cost to rebuild. Two houses in the same zone can have very different premiums.
For most primary homes, annual NFIP increases are capped at 18% by law.
But the zone still decides a lot
Whether you have to buy insurance at all is set by the zone, and that's usually the biggest cost difference there is. Zones also set building requirements, guide private insurers and lenders, and shape how buyers read a listing.
We don't quote premiums. A licensed agent can price an NFIP or private policy for a specific building. Our job is to make sure you know a change is coming while there's still time to act.
| Zone | Annual flood chance | Insurance required?* | New construction | Good next step |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VE, V | 1%, plus waves 3 ft+ | Yes | Elevated on pilings or columns; no fill for support | Elevation certificate; coastal-specialist agent |
| AE, A, AH, AO | 1% | Yes | Lowest floor at or above the base flood elevation (often plus local freeboard) | Elevation certificate; ask about newly-mapped pricing |
| X (shaded) | 0.2%, or shallow 1% | No | Usually no federal elevation rule | Policies here are often inexpensive; worth a quote |
| X | Below 0.2% | No | No federal elevation rule | Check local drainage; flooding happens outside mapped zones too |
| D | Undetermined | No | Varies by community | Ask the local floodplain administrator |
*For buildings with mortgages from federally regulated or insured lenders. Any lender can require coverage in any zone.
Start monitoring
You'll get an email the morning a notice is published for any county you watch, with what's changing, the appeal deadline if there is one, and a link to the official notice.
$4 / month
or $40 / year, two months free
- Unlimited properties, in any state
- Proposed, final and map-revision notices
- Appeal deadlines in every alert
- Switch plans or cancel anytime from your manage link; alerts keep coming through the period you paid for
Your first property
You can add more after checkout.
Payment is handled by Stripe. We never see your card number.
Fair questions
Does an alert mean my property is changing zones?
Not necessarily. FEMA's notices are organized by county and community, and a study might only touch one river or one stretch of coast. The alert tells you a change is happening in your county. The notice and FEMA's preliminary map viewer tell you whether your parcel is in it.
Is FloodFlag affiliated with FEMA?
No. We're an independent service that reads FEMA's public notices in the Federal Register. Everything we alert you to is public information. We just make sure you see it.
How fast will I hear about a new notice?
We check the Federal Register every morning, and alerts go out the same day a notice is published.
I manage a lot of properties. Is there a bulk plan?
Every plan is already unlimited: $4/month or $40/year covers any number of properties. Add as many addresses as you like from your manage page. If you need to load hundreds at once, email us and we'll help.
Can you tell me what my flood insurance will cost?
No, and be wary of anyone who quotes a price from the zone alone. Since Risk Rating 2.0, NFIP premiums depend on the specific building. An insurance agent can quote yours; we make sure you have time to get that quote before a map change takes effect.
How do I cancel?
Use the manage link in any of our emails and choose Billing. You'll keep getting alerts until the end of the month you've paid for.