What Does a Flood C Zone Mean?

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) produces flood risk maps for the entire country. These designations of flood risk affect everything from insurance rates to mortgage rates depending on the amount of risk involved.

Zone Designations

FEMA has letter designations for all land in order to show flood risk. Each letter or letter combination has a standard meaning nationwide so no matter where you are the key is the same.

Zone C

Zone C as shown on Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) normally does not get detailed study or qualify for showing as a floodplain since ponding or problems with drainage are localized.

Risk

Flood hazards are considered minimal if shown as Zone C as they are above the area with 0.2 percent flood chance yearly and are not within the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA).

Insurance

If you own or rent property in Flood Zone C and your community is a participant in the National Flood Insurance Program, you can get flood insurance. Not all areas participate, however, so you should check with your local government regarding availability.

Significance

Flood zone C is good if you are going to purchase property or build on property you already own as it is not likely to have major flood issues and is usually insurable.

References

• FEMA: Flood Zones
• FEMA: Designations