Real Estate in Northeast Florida and Around the World

One common question that many people have when purchasing a home relates to whether the house is located in a flood zone.  Guess what?  Technically almost every property is located in a flood zone.  But not every property is located in a "Special Flood Hazard Area".  This is the phrase that should most interest home buyers.

FEMA describes a Special Flood Hazard Area as follows: 

The land area covered by the floodwaters of the base flood is the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) on NFIP maps. The SFHA is the area where the NFIP's floodplain management regulations must be enforced and the area where the mandatory purchase of flood insurance applies. The SFHA includes Zones A, AO, AH, A1-30, AE, A99, AR, AR/A1-30, AR/AE, AR/AO, AR/AH, AR/A, VO, V1-30, VE, and V.

Wow, did that leave you scratching your head too?  So, what this basically means is that if the property is located in one of the zone categories above (A-V), then you must purchase flood insurance IF, you are financing the property with a lender that is insured by any of the governmental corporations (i.e. FDIC), and/or to provide eligibility to participate in any federally approved disaster funds that may become available for distribution if a flood were to occur.  These of course are general statements, and you should always check with your property insurer to obtain their advise on whether you should purchase or may be required to purchase flood insurance.  Flood zones change, and as such, so do the maps.

If you are unsure whether any of the improvements to your land is located in a Special Flood Hazard area, you can check the flood zone maps at FEMA.  You will find additional information about FEMA and other national emergency situational resources throughout the FEMA website, so take a few minutes and look around.