StormReady

Flood Insurance

If you are located within a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) (see 100-year floodplain map), we encourage you to buy flood insurance to protect yourself from flood losses.

When flood insurance is required
If you buy a house in a designated high-risk flood zone and receive a mortgage loan from a federally regulated or insured lender, your lender is legally bound to require you to get and maintain flood insurance.

When flood insurance is not required
If you have a home of business in a low-or-moderate risk flood zone, flood insurance is not required. However, flood insurance is still available and you may be eligible for a low-cost Preferred Risk Policy.

Did you know it could take 30 days before flood insurance takes effect?
Flooding is not covered by standard property insurance. Contact your insurance agent for flood insurance information. Property owners can insure buildings and contents, and renters can insure their possessions. Elevation certificates may be on file at the Sacramento County Department of Water Resources.

The county participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) which makes flood insurance available to everyone in the county. The unincorporated county's flood prevention program improved its Community Rating System (CRS) rating in 2002 to a Class 5, providing residents who live within a SFHA with a 10 or 25 percent discount on flood insurance premiums. This is an annual savings of about $2,000,000 countywide.

Remember, you do not have to live in a floodplain to qualify for flood insurance. According to FEMA, 30 percent of flood claims are not located within a SFHA.

Additional information about flood insurance is available at FEMA's official National Flood Insurance Program website - http://www.floodsmart.gov.