Protect your assets

Flood Insurance

Protect your assets

Flood Insurance

Photo: Andy Losee

    Anywhere it can rain it can flood!

Severe thunderstorms, flash floods from post-wildfire events, and poor drainage systems can result in flooding. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policy covers direct and physical losses to your structure and belongings in the event of a flood. Most homeowners' and renters’ insurance does not cover flooding events. Just one inch of flood water can cause more than $25,000 in damage to your home or business. Purchasing flood insurance will help protect the things you value, with flood insurance you are able to recover more quickly after a flood.

High-Risk Flood Zones

A high risk flood zone is any area with a 1% chance or higher to experience flooding each year. Those areas have at least a one-in-four chance of flooding during a 30-year mortgage. Flood risk mapping is always being added and updated online. If your area isn’t mapped digitally, historical flood risk maps may be available. Contact the Floodplain Mapping Program for more information.
On flood risk maps, high risk flood zones are categorized as Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA) and are labeled with an A or V and are shaded aqua blue. Flood zones labeled with X, C, or B and shaded orange or unshaded are lower risk areas.
Low Risk does not equal No Risk!
It is important to understand your flood risk and be prepared for a flood event, even if you are in a low risk flood zone. Learn more about flood risk zones.
On flood risk maps, high risk flood zones are categorized as Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA) and are labeled with an A or V and are shaded blue. Flood zones labeled with X, C, or B and shaded orange or unshaded are low risk areas.

Low Risk does not equal No Risk!

It is important to understand your flood risk and be prepared for a flood event, even if you are in a low risk flood zone. Learn more about flood risk zones.

Click  on the map
to discover your flood risk

The National Flood Insurance Program

Created by Congress in 1968, The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) provides flood insurance for property owners, renters, and businesses in participating communities. Check the Community Status Book Report to see if your community participates in the NFIP.
Visit floodsmart.gov to get flood insurance information
Utah Communities that participate in the NFIP
Find a NFIP Insurance Agent to get a free quote
National Flood Insurance Program logo Program Logo, click to visit floodsmart.gov.
Visit floodsmart.gov

Private Flood Insurance

An image of Utah homes falling into the Santa Clara River
Over 30 homes were damaged by the January 2005 floods in southern Utah. These homes are along the Santa Clara River in Santa Clara.

Private flood insurance is another alternative to the NFIP. What makes private flood insurance different from the NFIP is that private insurance is not backed by the federal government. Private flood insurance doesn’t have the same restrictions as the NFIP and can offer coverage options such as replacement costs for personal property and can include temporary living expense coverage.

There are many benefits and disadvantages to either a private or federal flood insurance policy. It is always a good idea to speak to your insurance agent, read your policy exclusion, and see what works best for you. Find more information about flood insurance options with the Utah Insurance Department.

Visit the Utah Insurance Department to get more information

Federal Disaster Assistance

Federal disaster assistance is only made available when a Presidential Disaster is declared, in the state of Utah most flood events do not result in a declaration. Disaster assistance from FEMA and the US Small Business Administration (SBA) is only designed to help start the recovery process. It is not enough to restore your home, business, or property to pre-disaster conditions, and comes in the form of a loan that must be repaid. Flood insurance does not have to be paid back and is there to help restore your property. There is no better way to protect the life you built than with flood insurance.
An image from 1983 showing flooding along state street in downtown Salt Lake City, UT
Flooding along State Street, Salt Lake City, Utah, June 1983. Photo by S. Thiriot.

Consider the Flood Risk There are no statutes or regulations in Utah requiring a real estate seller to disclose information to a prospective buyer on a specified form or requiring specific flood-related disclosures. You need to do this research on your own. You can type your address of interest here: FEMA’s Map Service Center to see if it is within a mapped floodplain.

Your lender may still require flood insurance regardless of whether it is in a FEMA flood zone. Be sure to ask. Flood Insurance Tips BEFORE BUYING A NEW HOME, 1 Stop, Call, and Confirm Flood insurance is only sold by licensed insurance agents in your area. To protect yourself from a fraudulent insurance agent or company, before signing your application or paying for coverage, STOP. CALL the Utah Insurance Department at 801-538-3800 or 800-439-3805 and CONFIRM that the agent and company you are dealing with is licensed to sell flood insurance. Flood Insurance Tips Protect yourself 2 Your Belongings A home inventory is important for a number of reasons. It can help you determine the types and level of coverage you need before disaster strikes. And after a major loss, the home inventory can assist you in filing a claim. Flood Insurance Tips Carefully Document View Sample Inventory Documents and Valuables List 3 Basement Flooding Basements are any area of a building with a floor that is below ground level on all sides. Rooms that are not fully below ground level such as a sunken living room, crawlspace, and lower level split level buildings may still be considered as a basement because the lowest floor is below ground on all sides. Your lender may still require flood insurance regardless of whether it is in a FEMA flood zone. Be sure to ask.

Examples of covered items: Central air conditioners, fuel tanks and the fuel in them, furnaces and water heaters, electrical outlets and switches, drywall that is unfinished, electrical junction and circuit breaker boxes, and foundation elements and anchorage systems. Flood Insurance Tips Flood insurance coverage Learn About Basement Flooding 4 NFIP Offers Protection Learn About Mudflow Risk, in Spanish Damage from a mudflow is often serious and costly. To be protected from that risk property owners can take out a flood insurance policy from FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

An NFIP policy covers mudflow if it meets the general definition of flooding under the standard flood insurance policy. Mudflow is defined separately as "a river of liquid and flowing mud on the surfaces of normally dry land areas, as when earth is carried by a current of water.” Flood Insurance Tips be protected from mudflow losses Learn About Mudflow Risk 5 family unpacking moving boxes at their new home woman talking on the phone and taking notes patterned background design basement flooding affecting washer and dryer home damaged due to flooding and mudflow