Flood Insurance Information

National Flood Insurance Program

The City of Montpelier participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The NFIP makes federally backed flood insurance available for all buildings, whether they are in a floodplain or not. Flood insurance covers direct loss caused by surface flooding, including a river flowing over its banks, a lake storm, and local drainage problems.

The NFIP insures buildings, including mobile homes, with 2 types of coverage: structural and contents. Structural coverage is for the walls, floors, insulation, furnace, and other items permanently attached to the structure. Contents coverage may be purchased separately provided the contents are in an insurable building.

Mandatory Purchase Requirement

As a result of the National Flood Insurance Reform Act of 1994, a mandatory purchase requirement applies to all forms of federal or federally related financial assistance for buildings located in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). This requirement affects loans and grants for the purchase, construction, repair, or improvement of any publicly or privately owned building in the SFHA, including machinery, equipment, fixtures, and furnishings contained in such buildings.

Financial assistance programs affected include loans and grants from agencies such as the Department of Veterans Affairs, Farmers Home Administration, Federal Housing Administration, Small Business Administration, and Federal Emergency Management Agency. The requirement also applies to secured mortgage loans from financial institutions, such as commercial lenders, savings and loan associations, savings banks, and credit unions that are regulated, supervised, or insured by federal agencies such as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Office of Thrift Supervision. It also applies to all mortgage loans purchased by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac in the secondary mortgage market.

Flood insurance for properties not in the SFHA

Every year, thousands of people learn the hard way that you don't need to live near a river or coastline to face a flood.  Floods are the No. 1 natural disaster in the United States, yet only a fraction of homes are financially protected with food insurance against the cost of flooding. Most homes outside of high-risk areas qualify for the National Flood Insurance Program's Preferred Risk Policy (PRP).  

Planning Department Staff can provide you with information about PRPs for Homeowners or for Businesses.

How It Works

Before a person can receive a loan or other financial assistance from one of the affected agencies or lenders, there must be a check to see if the building is in a SFHA. The SFHA is the base (100 year) floodplain mapped on a Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). It is shown as 1 or more zones that begin with the letter “A” or “V.”

Copies of the Flood Insurance Rate Maps are available for review in the Department of Planning and Development, 39 Main Street. Many lenders and insurance agents have copies also. It is the agency’s or the lender’s responsibility to check the FIRM to determine if the building is in a SFHA, although many communities provide assistance.

If the building is in a SFHA, the agency or lender is required by law to require the recipient to purchase a flood insurance policy on the building. The requirement is for structural coverage equal to the amount of the loan (or other financial assistance) or the maximum amount available, whichever is less. The maximum amount available for a single-family house is $250,000.

The mandatory purchase requirement does not affect loans or financial assistance for items that are not covered by a flood insurance policy, such as vehicles, business expenses, landscaping, and vacant lots. It does not affect loans for buildings that are not in the SFHA, even though a portion of the lot may be flood prone. While not mandated by law, a lender may require a flood insurance policy for a property in any zone on a Flood Insurance Rate Map.

For more information about the National Flood Insurance Program, please visit the FEMA website.

Community Rating System

The Community Rating System (CRS) is intended to reward communities that undertake floodplain management activities beyond the requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program. Because of its on-going efforts to manage floodplain development, prevent flood losses, and inform the public of the flood hazards (such as through this website), Montpelier has achieved a flood insurance rating of 8, which translates to a 10% savings on flood insurance premiums for the City of Montpelier and all property owners in the city.