500IC: A 0.2% annual flooding area within the channel banks but channels are smaller than the scale will allow.100IC: A 1% annual flooding area within the channel banks but channels are smaller than the scale will allow.FWIC: A contained floodway area within the channel banks but channels are smaller than the scale will allow.Undescribed (UNDES): A body of water (pond, lake, ocean, etc.) in a community’s jurisdiction without an undefined flood hazard.Zone D: It’s not exactly determined but there is possible flooding.Area Not Included (ANI),(N): Simply put, these areas have been designated yet.Not-Determined: Houses are rarely in these areas unless you are out in the country but I include them since this is the definitive guide to flood zones.Zone V(1-30): This is a coastal flood area that includes a velocity hazard (wave action) – BFEs have not been determined.Zone VE: This area gets inundated by a 1% annual chance of flooding and includes a velocity hazard (wave action) – BFEs have been determined.Zone A1-A30: This area gets inundated by a 1% annual chance of flooding – BFEs have been determined.This area was and will be again protected from the 1% annual chance of flooding by a Federal funded flood protection system. This area gets inundated by flooding – BFEs or depths have been determined. Zone AR: This area gets inundated by a 1% annual chance of flooding (usually sheet flow on sloping terrain) – Average depths have been determined.Zone AO: This area gets inundated by a 1% annual chance of flooding (usually sheet flow on sloping terrain) – Average depths have been determined.Zone AH: This area gets inundated by a 1% annual chance of flooding (usually an area of ponding) – BFEs have been determined.Zone AE: This area gets inundated by a 1% annual chance of flooding – BFEs have been determined.Zone A: This area gets inundated by a 1% annual chance of flooding – No BFEs (Base Flood Elevation) have been determined.This is also known as the base flood plain. Heavy-Flood: These areas have a 1 in 100 annual chance (1% probability) of flooding.Zone B, Zone X500 (shaded): Areas 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.Medium-Flood: Chances of flooding are medium as you are somewhere in between the 500 year floodplain and the 100 year floodplain.

Flood insurance will be cheapest in this area. Zone C, Zone X (unshaded): Locations that are outside the 500-year floodplain.There is a 1 in 500 chance (.2% probability) of the property flooding in a given year. Low-Flood: The chances of flooding are low but Hurricane Harvey showed us there is always a chance.FEMA goes into more detail for each zone but I tried to break each one down. What are the different zones and what do they mean?Įach zone has been designated with a letter which corresponds to the FEMA code. Put in an address and this will send you to the FEMA site to get the info. We all are….unless you are in an area that FEMA has not designated yet but if you are in that area chances are you are in an X Zone (more on that below).įEMA has designated everyone to be in a flood zone but the question isn’t, “Am I in a flood zone?” but, “Which flood zone am I in?”įEMA has a tool that allows you to find out the flood zone for any property. What is a flood zone?Ī flood zone is how FEMA determines the likelihood of your property flooding in a given amount of time FEMA isn’t guaranteeing anything by determining them but it gives you the ability to make necessary arrangements.Īll this info is on the FEMA website but good luck navigating that beast so here is what I did, I took all the information and condensed it to what you needed to know. Flood zones designations are a really good thing. I live in Houston, TX and ever since Hurricane Harvey hit, we all want to make sure we understand the flood zones. The Definitive Guide to FEMA flood zones and Determining Yours | Houston, TX

Fema flood zone codes