Flood Zones and Insurance

Flood Zone Information and Flood Insurance

Standard homeowners insurance policies do not cover losses due to flooding. The city of Roanoke participates in the National Flood Insurance Program, which makes it possible for Roanoke property owners of obtain federally-backed flood insurance. This insurance is available to any owner on insurable property (buildings and/or contents) in Roanoke. The average annual premium for this insurance on a residential home is about $600. The actual cost will vary depending on the amount of coverage and the degree of flood hazard. This insurance is required in certain instances, such as the purchase of a home with a federally backed mortgage and when the home is located within a floodplain.

If you are considering flood insurance, constructing a new building, or adding to an existing building, you may need to know if your property is located within a floodplain. For any property located in the city of Roanoke, the Office of the City Engineer will provide the following information, based on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM):

Whether the property is in a Special Flood Hazard Area (floodplain)
An elevation certificate for those buildings that are located in the Special Hazard Area

This information, as well as the FIRM zone, community number, panel number, FIRM date and elevation datum used on the FIRM is available from the Office of the City Engineer, or by using the city's Geographic Information System (GIS). The map information provided by the city is general in nature and is not considered a “guaranteed” determination. The mortgage lender is responsible for determining if a flood insurance policy is required for a loan.

The following labels are used to describe flood zones:

ZONE	DESCRIPTION
Floodway	Areas where water is likely to be deepest and fastest. These areas are required to be kept free of obstructions. The city of Roanoke requires the submittal of engineering calculations before approving any filling or development in the floodway.
A	Areas that are known to be flooded during very large storms occurring an average of every 100 years, but have no elevations determined.
AE	Areas that are known to be flooded during very large storms occurring an average of every 100 years, and do have elevations determined. Elevation certificates are available for buildings in these areas.
X500	Areas that are known to be flooded during very large storms occurring an average of every 500 years, but have no elevations determined.
X	Areas determined to be outside the 500-year floodplain.

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