How Does Distance to Water Impact Flood Insurance Rates?

Today, we want to answer one of the age-old questions we get in the flood insurance industry: how does the distance of my property from water impact my flood insurance rates?

NFIP Rating Now

At the time of writing, the distance of how close you are to a body of water doesn't really have that much of an impact when it comes to rates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). This may be one of the bases why you're in a high-risk flood zone when there are flood map changes however this isn't the only basis on why you're mapped into these zones. You also have to account for the history of flood loss and the number of claims made in that property over the last ten years. 

When you're mapped into a high-risk flood zone, like Flood Zone A, there will be a significant increase in your flood insurance rates especially if you're previously in a low-risk flood zone like Flood Zone X. However, your house's distance to a lake, river, or creek doesn't really impact your rates. So, it doesn't mean that the closer you are to water, the higher your flood insurance will be. Right now, this still depends on the flood zone designation of your property. 

NFIP 2.0

It's important to remember that this might all change once the new risk rating program also known as the NFIP 2.0 kicks in. This distance may impact your flood insurance rates in this new risk rating system that the Federal Management Emergency Agency (FEMA) will put out with the NFIP.

In fact, flood zones may not be as impactful if we were to compare it to the distance of your property to the water. Instead of getting rates based on the flood zone, this NFIP 2.0 might base the increase your rating depending on how close your property is to the water.

This means that the closer you are to a body of water, the higher your flood insurance rates will be. You will also have to take into consideration that your rates will also increase depending on the construction of your house. The fewer flood mitigation efforts installed in the house like flood vents, maybe raising the lowest adjacent grade, and/or removing any type of structure that may become a catalyst for flooding, the higher your flood insurance rates will be.

If you got questions about your flood insurance options, how to minimize your flood risks, how these changes will impact your flood insurance, and anything about flood, reach out to us by clicking the links below. You can call us, get a quote from us to protect your property from flooding, and visit our YouTube channel where you can subscribe to get your daily dose of flood education videos.

Remember, we have an educational background in flood mitigation and we want to help you avoid risks of flooding in every aspect. Let's be prepared through flood education and awareness.