The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) identifies flood zones on Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs).1 The different flood zone categorizations correlate with a land area’s risk of flooding. Areas labeled in Zone X have a minimal to moderate flood hazard.2
Knowing your flood zone is important so you can understand the flood risks your property faces. You should always make sure you have the home insurance coverage you need, including a flood insurance policy if you live in an area at risk of flooding.
Here’s what you need to know about Zone X and finding your flood zone.
Flood Zone X describes a land area with minimal to moderate flood hazard, depending on whether it’s shaded or unshaded.
FEMA publishes FIRMS that serve as official community maps to define special flood hazard areas (SFHAs) and the community’s specific flood zones. SFHAs are high-risk flood zones. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) uses these maps for insurance purposes, as well as floodplain management and mitigation.3
Though people living in Zone X aren’t at a high risk, flooding can still occur and cause damage. More than 25% of flood insurance claims filed nationwide are in areas with low or moderate risk of flooding.4
If you live in a Zone X community that participates in the NFIP, you have the option to buy flood insurance, but you don’t have to. But homeowners in SFHAs must purchase flood insurance.
Zone X can be shaded or unshaded on the FIRM. A shaded Zone X represents a moderate flood hazard area.
SFHAs — also sometimes called base flood zones — fall at or below base flood elevation (BFE). Properties at or below BFE are in a 100-year floodplain, meaning they have a 1% chance of flooding in a given year.
Properties in shaded Zone X or Zone B have a level of flood risk between the limits of 100-year and 500-year floods, the latter of which has a 0.2% chance of flooding each year.5
An unshaded Zone X is an area of minimal flood hazard, which presents less of a hazard than a shaded Zone X.
Unshaded Zone X has protection by a levee from a 100-year flood and falls outside the 500-year flood range.6
Despite living in a low-risk area, you should still pay extra attention to your immediate surroundings. Areas of ponding and other poor drainage areas could cause shallow flooding in an unshaded Zone X, even if those potential problems weren’t big enough to warrant a higher risk rating from FEMA.
Follow these steps to find your flood zone:
Visit the FEMA Flood Map Service Center (MSC).
Enter your address.
View your property’s flood zone and estimated flood risk.
FIRMs from FEMA help you understand your flood risk and serve as a good starting indicator of your flood insurance premium. FEMA quantifies flood zone risk by an area’s annual chance of flooding.
No. Flood insurance generally isn’t required if you live in Zone X. But one-third of flood insurance claims come from areas with a low to moderate flood risk. Opting for a flood insurance policy can ensure your property is protected in the event of a flood.
People with single-family homes who buy a flood insurance policy through the NFIP pay an average of $786 per year for flood insurance. If you live in Zone X, your premiums could be lower, since FEMA considers this zone to be at a lower risk of flooding.
How much you pay for a flood insurance policy depends on whether you buy it from the NFIP or a private insurer, your specific location, and the details of your property.
FEMA has flood zone types with low, moderate, and high risk of flooding. Homes with a high risk of flooding face a much greater chance of flooding. Such areas can face additional hazards, like water-surge hazards from a severe storm or natural disaster.
Here’s a quick guide to the main flood zone designations. Compare flood insurance requirements, risk levels, and details below.7
The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is a federal program that helps provide affordable flood insurance for property owners. It also helps with environmental planning so communities can develop and maintain floodplain management regulations. You must live in an NFIP community in order to purchase flood insurance through the program, which sells coverage through a network of private insurance partners.
If you live in a high-risk SFHA, you have to purchase flood insurance. Even if you live in an area with a low or moderate risk of flooding, purchasing flood insurance through a private insurer or the NFIP is a good idea.
It’s important to know the flood zone you live in and the associated risks. The following information can help answer your remaining questions about Flood Zone X.
A shaded Zone X is an area with a moderate flood hazard. Properties in this zone face a level of risk somewhere between the limits of 100-year and 500-year floods.
Even though flood insurance in Zone X isn’t required, it may still be a good idea to purchase a policy. One-third of flood insurance claims come from areas with a low or moderate flood risk, according to FEMA. If a flood damages your home and you don’t have a flood insurance policy, you’d have to pay out of pocket to make the repairs.
No. Homeowners living in Zone X don’t legally need to purchase flood insurance. Only Zones A and V have mandatory flood insurance purchase requirements. But it’s always a good idea to purchase flood insurance if you face a low to moderate risk of flooding. Standard home insurance policies don’t cover flood damage.
Unshaded Zones C and X have a low risk of flooding, which is better than a moderate or high risk. You can still face risks from local drainage problems, shallow pooling water, and more.
Flood Zones A and V are at the highest risk of flooding. If you have a property in one of these zones, your mortgage lender will likely require you to purchase a separate flood insurance policy. And if you have a federally backed mortgage, you’ll have to buy flood insurance as a condition of the mortgage.
No. If you live in a Flood Zone X, you don’t have to meet the requirement of buying flood insurance. But you should consider purchasing home insurance if you live in a geographic area with a low or moderate risk of flooding because a flood event can cause a lot of damage. Ask your insurance agent for help during the process if you need it.
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