Flood zones and insurance in South Florida

What are FEMA flood zones?

Short answer: FEMA's flood maps divide land into zones by flood risk. Zones that start with A or V are high-risk areas, called Special Flood Hazard Areas. Zone X is moderate or low risk.

• Zone A: 1% chance of flooding each year. No base flood elevation is shown on the map.
• Zone AE: the same risk, with a base flood elevation (the height water is expected to reach in that 1% flood).
• Zones AH and AO: shallow flooding of 1 to 3 feet, as ponding (AH) or water flowing over the ground (AO).
• Zone VE: coastal areas with the same 1% risk plus storm waves of 3 feet or more. Building rules and insurance are stricter here.
• Zone X (shaded): between the 1% flood and the 0.2% flood (the "500-year" flood). Moderate risk.
• Zone X (unshaded): minimal flood hazard.

Low risk does not mean no risk. Heavy rain can flood streets and ground floors in any zone, so many owners outside high-risk zones buy flood insurance too.

How do I find the flood zone of a property?

Short answer: type the address into FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, or use your county's flood zone tool. Then ask the seller for an elevation certificate, if there is one.

1. FEMA Flood Map Service Center (msc.fema.gov): the official maps for every US address.
2. Miami-Dade County flood zone tool: shows the current zone. The county page still describes the 2009 maps; new FEMA maps take effect on February 19, 2027, so check both the current and the new zone.
3. Broward County flood zone maps: based on the FEMA maps that took effect on July 31, 2024.
4. Palm Beach County GIS: shows the maps that took effect on December 20, 2024.
5. Elevation certificate: a form signed by a surveyor that shows the height of the building compared with the base flood elevation. It helps price flood insurance. Ask the seller or the city.

When maps change, a home can move into or out of a high-risk zone. If you buy in Miami-Dade before February 2027, ask your insurance agent how the new map affects your price.

Is flood insurance required?

Short answer: yes, if the building is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and you have a mortgage from a federally regulated or insured lender. Lenders can require it in other zones too. Cash buyers are not required by federal law, but Citizens policyholders are.

Most US mortgages fall under the federal rule. Your lender checks the zone before closing. If the building is in a high-risk zone, you must show a flood policy before you close. In a condo, the lender looks at the association's flood policy for the building, and you may also need your own policy for your unit.

Even with cash, think about flood risk before you buy. Standard home, condo and renter's policies do not cover flood damage.

Should I buy NFIP or private flood insurance?

Short answer: both are options. The federal National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has fixed limits and rules. Private policies can offer higher limits or a different price, and lenders must accept private policies that meet federal standards.

NFIP basics:

• Limits for a home or a condo unit: up to $250,000 for the building and $100,000 for contents. Renters can buy contents coverage only, up to $100,000.
• Condo associations buy a building policy for the whole condo, up to $250,000 times the number of units.
• There is usually a 30-day wait before a new policy starts. There is no wait when you buy the policy because you are getting, changing or renewing a loan.
• Prices follow FEMA's Risk Rating 2.0 system, used for all policies since April 1, 2022. Most yearly increases are capped at 18%.
• Congress must renew the program from time to time. The current law extends it to December 11, 2026. If it lapses, FEMA stops selling and renewing policies until Congress acts, but it keeps paying valid claims. It lapsed from October 1 to November 12, 2025.

Private flood insurance: since July 1, 2019, federal rules require lenders to accept private flood policies that meet the legal definition of private flood insurance. Florida law also allows insurers to sell their own flood policies. Compare limits, the deductible, what counts as a "flood", and whether the policy covers your contents and the cost to live elsewhere during repairs.

What does Citizens require?

Short answer: Citizens Property Insurance, the state-created insurer, now requires most of its home policyholders to also have flood insurance. Policies for condo units (HO-6) are exempt.

Citizens is Florida's insurer for people who cannot find coverage from a private company at a fair price. Florida Statutes 627.351 sets its flood rule:

• Inside a high-risk zone: flood insurance has been required for new policies since April 1, 2023 and for renewals since July 1, 2023.
• Outside a high-risk zone, by the home's replacement cost: $600,000 or more from January 1, 2024; $500,000 or more from January 1, 2025; $400,000 or more from January 1, 2026; all other homes from January 1, 2027.
• The flood policy must cover at least the dwelling amount the NFIP offers, or your Citizens dwelling amount.
• The rule does not apply to condo unit owner policies, to policies without wind coverage, or to condo association policies.

Two more Citizens rules matter to buyers. First, a home is not eligible for Citizens if a private insurer offers similar coverage for no more than 20% above the Citizens premium. A state "clearinghouse" checks private offers before a Citizens policy is placed or renewed. Second, private insurers can offer to take over Citizens policies (a "takeout"); an offer within 20% of the Citizens premium makes the policy ineligible to stay.

For policies starting on or after July 1, 2026, Citizens lowered its average homeowners multiperil rate by 8.8%, and raised condo association rates by 7.7% (multiperil) and 14.1% (wind only).

How do hurricane deductibles work?

Short answer: in Florida, hurricane damage usually has its own deductible, set as a percentage of your dwelling coverage: often 2%, 5% or 10%. It applies once per calendar year, not once per storm.

Florida Statutes 627.701 requires insurers to offer hurricane deductibles of $500, 2%, 5% and 10% of the dwelling limit (the $500 option is not required for dwellings insured for $250,000 or more). Example: with $400,000 of dwelling coverage and a 2% hurricane deductible, you pay the first $8,000 of hurricane damage. With 10%, you pay the first $40,000.

If a second hurricane hits in the same year, you pay the rest of your hurricane deductible or your regular deductible, whichever is greater. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. A higher deductible lowers the premium, but make sure you could pay it after a storm.

What does the condo master policy cover, and what does HO-6 cover?

Short answer: the association's master policy covers the building and common areas. Your HO-6 policy covers the inside finishes of your unit, your belongings, your liability and your share of association costs after a loss.

Under Florida Statutes 718.111(11), the association must insure the condominium property. The master policy does not cover, among other things:

• Your personal property.
• Floor, wall and ceiling coverings.
• Electrical fixtures, appliances, water heaters and water filters.
• Built-in cabinets and countertops.
• Window treatments.

Those items are your responsibility, so your HO-6 should cover them. Under Florida Statutes 627.714, an HO-6 policy must also include at least $2,000 of loss assessment coverage, which helps pay your share if the association charges owners after a covered loss. Ask your agent about a higher amount: a large building deductible shared among owners can cost much more than $2,000.

Two more rules: the association's deductibles are a common expense paid by all owners, and if you cause damage by negligence or by breaking the rules (for example, a leak from a broken washer hose), you can be charged for it.

How does insurance affect condo HOA fees?

Short answer: the building's insurance is paid from the monthly HOA fee. When the master policy, the flood policy or the deductible goes up, owners pay more.

• The master policy usually covers wind, fire and other risks for the whole building. In a high-risk flood zone, the association also buys a flood policy.
• Since July 1, 2025, the association must check the building's replacement cost at least every 3 years, and it can base the coverage on that cost.
• After a hurricane, the association's deductible is shared among owners. It can lead to a special assessment.
• In older buildings, insurance costs come on top of the higher reserve payments required since 2024. See our condo rules after Surfside guide.

Before you buy, ask the association for the current master and flood policies, the premium, the hurricane deductible, and when the policies renew. Ask if a large increase is expected at renewal.

What flood information must sellers and landlords give me?

Short answer: since October 1, 2024, a Florida home seller must give you a flood disclosure form, and since October 1, 2025, landlords must give one to tenants with a lease of 1 year or longer.

• Sellers (Florida Statutes 689.302): at or before signing the sales contract, the seller tells you about flood insurance claims, federal flood aid (such as FEMA assistance), and, since October 1, 2025, any flooding the seller knows damaged the home.
• Landlords (Florida Statutes 83.512): for leases of 1 year or longer, in a separate document, the landlord tells you about known past flooding, flood claims and FEMA aid. The form reminds tenants that renter's insurance does not cover flood damage.

The form tells you what the owner knows. It does not replace checking the flood zone and getting your own insurance quotes.

How can I lower my insurance costs?

Short answer: wind protection, the right deductible, and flood insurance in a community with a FEMA discount all help.

• Wind mitigation. Florida law requires insurers to give discounts for features that reduce wind damage, such as stronger roof-to-wall connections, impact windows and doors, and shutters. A wind mitigation inspection documents them.
• My Safe Florida Home. The state program offers free wind mitigation inspections and grants of up to $10,000 for eligible homeowners, when funds are available.
• FEMA's Community Rating System. NFIP policies in participating communities get a discount, inside and outside high-risk zones. From October 1, 2026: unincorporated Miami-Dade County 35%; Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Palm Beach County, Boca Raton and West Palm Beach 25%; City of Miami, Broward County and Hollywood 20%; Fort Lauderdale 15%.
• Get quotes early. Ask for quotes during your inspection period, not the week before closing.

Step by step

1. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center and your county's tool.
2. In Miami-Dade, check both the current map and the new map effective February 19, 2027.
3. Ask the seller for the flood disclosure form and any elevation certificate.
4. In a condo, ask the association for the master policy, flood policy, premiums and deductibles.
5. Get quotes for home or HO-6 insurance and flood insurance during your inspection period.
6. Choose a hurricane deductible you could pay after a storm.
7. Buy flood insurance at least 30 days before you need it, unless it is tied to your loan closing.