Outer Banks, North Carolina Flood Zones
The Outer Banks barrier islands are extremely vulnerable to Atlantic hurricane storm surge, overwash, and coastal erosion. These low-lying islands face flood risk from both ocean and sound-side flooding during storms.
Common Flood Zones in Outer Banks
Properties in Outer Banks, NC are commonly designated in these FEMA flood zones:
Check Your Outer Banks Address
Enter any Outer Banks, NC address to instantly see its FEMA flood zone, risk level, and whether flood insurance is required.
Free Flood Zone LookupWhat Your Flood Zone Means in Outer Banks
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to every property in the United States based on flood risk assessments. In Outer Banks, the most common designations are Zone VE, Zone AE, Zone X.
Properties in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) - zones starting with A or V - are required to carry flood insurance if they have a federally-backed mortgage. Properties in Zone X are outside the SFHA and flood insurance is typically optional but often recommended.
Flood zone designations can change over time through Letters of Map Amendment (LOMA) or Letters of Map Revision (LOMR). Use our free lookup tool to check the current flood zone for any Outer Banks address.