Flood Insurance

The City of Sacramento strongly encourages all property owners within Sacramento to carry a flood insurance policy of to help protect themselves and their property. If you have questions regarding your flood risks and insurance needs, please contact the City’s Floodplain Hotline at 916-808-5061 or floodinfo@cityofsacramento.org.

Flood Insurance - What you need to know

Protect yourself now! You need flood insurance. While less than 25% of the City of Sacramento is within the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), any property, in or out of the SFHA is at risk of flooding because the City is protected by levees.

Sacramento's vast floodplain and flooding tendencies are due to our neighboring Sacramento and American Rivers, as well as our local creeks and streams and drainage systems, which rely on pumps to drain properly. These flooding risks mean that it is important that you and your family protect yourself and your property against flooding.

There are many reasons why Sacramento area property owners should carry and maintain flood insurance.

• Levees Do Not Guarantee Your Safety. Sacramento is protected by levees that can still be overtopped or collapse in violent winter storms. 
• Homeowners Insurance Does Not Cover Damage Caused by a Flood. If your property should flood, repairs may cost more than 50% of the value of your building or home. 
• Nature Is Unpredictable. Even if you live outside of the SFHA, you are still at risk of flooding due to unpredictable forces of nature? be prepared, carry a flood insurance policy!
• 30-Day Waiting Period. Typically, there's a 30-day waiting period from date of purchase before your flood insurance policy becomes effective.
• Renters Beware. A renter’s contents may not be covered by the properties flood insurance. Renters should protect their contents with flood insurance.

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has updated its risk rating methodology through the implementation of a new pricing methodolgy called Risk Rating 2.0. The methodology leverages best practices and cutting-edge technology to enable FEMA to deliver rates that are actuarily sound, equitable, easier to understand and better reflect a property's flood risk. Risk Rating 2.0 methodology applied to new policies as of Oct 2, 2021 and April 1, 2022 for renewing policies.  

NFIP has implemented Congressionally mandated reforms required by the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014 (HFIAA) that repeal and modify the Biggert Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (Biggert-Waters). Flood insurance rates and other charges will be revised for new or existing policies beginning on April 1, 2015. In addition to insurance rates, other changes resulting from Biggert-Waters and HFIAA will be implemented that will affect the total amount a policyholder pays for a flood insurance policy. Highlights of some of those changes can be found at on FEMA's website. 

 Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA)

The SFHA, as designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) represents the 100-year regulatory floodplain. This means that in any given year, properties in this area have a one-in-100 chance of becoming flooded. Property owners in the SFHA are only allowed to carry regular or Standard flood insurance which is available through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). To get a Standard or Regular flood insurance policy, please contact your local insurance provider. For information about the NFIP or flood insurance providers, please call 800-427-4661 or visit www.floodsmart.gov.