3 years ago when I bought the place, it wasnt in a flood zone.  they redid maps and now Im in an 'A' flood zone.  the maps show the flood zone getting up into only 1/2 of my house , FML, almost made it.  add to that FML, apparently, also according to the maps, im the only person in the street in this situation WTF?

anyhow, what happens?  how long can I go before the mortgage co finds out?  any penalties or other BS to deal with?

Don't worry about the mortgage, worry about a storm flooding your house. IIRC, Zone A is pretty cheap, depending on house/ contents value. Your home insurance won't cover it.

could possibly make your home harder to sell in the future, as well.

I researched it a bit when I was house shopping last year. I know the insurance is expensive as fuck, even with the government sponsorship. Whats worse, operstionally, It doesn't really cover much of what you'd lose in a flood. The premiums are not tax deductible. I don't know much about the designation process, but if it were me, I'd try to figure a way to challenge it.


Eta: it appears to be cheap on the surface. Dig in, you'll see that is far from cheap, even for the low risk zones.

November, nor'easter, balls deep in water stacking sandbags was all I needed to know...

Just call your insurance company and get it. flooding is a bitch.

It is possible for you to request a re-evaluation of your lot to determine if the specific elevation is indeed in the flood zone. It will be at your expense but could possibly prevent you from paying a lot on insurance premiums.

Zone A means that there is not a detailed floodplain study.  I would see what the insurance premium is and then contact a Civil Engineer to get a fee for performing a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA).  Figure out which is more worthwhile, knowing that engineer findings may not help your case.  But, sometimes the house itself is above the floodplain elevation, but the mapping does not portray that.  Do you have a basement?

How did you find out about the change?

You could take the chance and wait until the bank "asks" you to get flood insurance. And rest assured if you need it, they will tell you.

Or you could just get a quote. It may not be that much.

If the mortgage company finds out they will send you a letter telling you to get flood insurance, or they will provide it and bill you accordingly.
It's far cheaper to get it yourself.
I have the minimum possible.
It's something I will never need, and it's a crock that they require it, but until my mortgage is paid off, I have to have it.
Btw, they are trying to make it considerably more expensive. To the point it would not be worth keeping my house.
Sucks.

FEMA has been reclassifying the zones to get more people onto madatory flood insurance. The program is broke beyond belief.

1) Fight the reclassification. Get a LOMA. Do what it takes.

2) It is not cheap. Even the Zone A is expensive becuase there used to be a "discount rate." Not anymore.

3) Yes, it hurts resale value.

4) Once you are clear, then look into insurance if you are still concerned.

5) Flood insurance doesn't cover crap INSIDE the house, just the house.


I sucessfully fought and got a LOMA at my old house. Thanks to 1) my 84 year old neighbor who had all the elevation maps going back to before any of the land was developed in the 1800's, 2) a neighbor who was an architech and new all the ins-and-outs of what the impact of all the construction over the years, and 3) the county office that did all the paperwork and was happy to generate it for FEMA approval.


Only cost me about $50 to copy drawings and time spent. Saved me $2500 a year.

We saw a "greater than 100 year" flood a few back.  The maps were from the 60's and turned out to be overly conservative.  I agree it's all a clusterfuck though.

Find someone who can use a surveyors level to do it cheap (free) before you hire a licensed surveyor... IIRC to get yourself out of the zone you'll need a drawing sealed by a PLS, but if you can get someone to do it cheap and you find out you're still in it then you might save a few $$.

Another option would be to see what lidar data is available for the area to see if its likely to be worth having a survey done.

If you know, your mortgage company is going to know too. Very shortly.

 My flood insurance covers contents also.  You can get it either way building only, contents only or both.