Houston, Texas Flood Zones
Houston is one of the most flood-prone major cities in the United States, facing risk from hurricane storm surge, bayou flooding, and extreme rainfall. Hurricane Harvey in 2017 dropped over 50 inches of rain on parts of the metro area, with over 60 inches recorded in nearby Southeast Texas, causing unprecedented flooding.
Common Flood Zones in Houston
Properties in Houston, TX are commonly designated in these FEMA flood zones:
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Enter any Houston, TX 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 Houston
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to every property in the United States based on flood risk assessments. In Houston, the most common designations are Zone AE, Zone AO, Zone VE, 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 Houston address.