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1. Is my property at risk of being flooded?

If you live along or near the Winooski, North Branch, Dog, or Steven's Branch Rivers or other water course, your property may be in a floodplain. The floodplain is an area identified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) with a 1% chance of being flooded each year.

To help you determine where your property is in relation to the floodplain, please check the following map: 100-Year Flood Map. You can get more information about FEMA at the FEMA Website.

2. What can I do to protect my property?

After prevention, perhaps the most important flood protection device is insurance. There are also many ways to physically protect your house, building, or property from damage due to flooding. These include elevating your building above the base flood elevation, installing closures and sealants around doors and windows, constructing new watertight walls, or constructing floodwalls or levees.

The Kellogg-Hubbard library has the following books which explain floodproofing in more detail:

Floodproofing Non-Residential Structures, FEMA, 1986.
Retrofitting Flood-prone Residential Structures, FEMA, 1986.
Design Guidelines for Flood Damage Reduction, FEMA, 1981.

You can get more information by visiting the
Kellogg-Hubbard Library website.

3. How can I purchase flood insurance?

If your property is located in the floodplain and you do not have flood insurance, talk to your insurance agent. Homeowner's insurance policies do not cover damage from floods. However, because Montpelier participates in the National Flood Insurance Program, you can purchase a separate flood insurance policy. The insurance is backed by the Federal government and is available to everyone, even for properties that have been flooded in the past.

The City of Montpelier has implemented a number of initiatives in an effort to reduce damage due to flooding. As a result, the City was able to achieve a rating of 9 through the Community Rating System (CRS) Program, which translates into a 5% reduction in flood insurance rates for the municipality as well as individual policy holders.

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

4. How can I prevent my property from floods?

Do not dump or throw trash into ditches, streams or rivers. A plugged channel cannot carry water and when it rains the water has to go somewhere.

If your property is next to a ditch or stream, please do your part and keep the banks clear of brush and debris.

Always check with the City before you build on, alter, regrade or fill on your property.

5. What if my property is not the floodplain?

It is possible that as the shape of land changes over time or new information becomes available, properties once believed to be in the floodplain might, in fact, no longer be. For more information, please view the Flood Guide page.