ALTA Survey Houston
(888) 808-9783

How To Find Your Property On FEMA’s Flood Insurance Rate Maps

What are FEMA flood maps?

FEMA’s Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) or just Flood Maps are provided after a flood risk assessment has been completed or updated for a community.  This study is known as a Flood Insurance Study.  The FIRM gives you the Base Flood Elevations (BFEs) and insurance risk zones in addition to floodplain boundaries.  The FIRM may also show a delineation of the regulatory floodway.

Once the “insurance risk zone”  (commonly referred to as the flood zone) is determined, actuarial rates, based on these risk zones, are then applied for newly constructed, substantially approved, and substantially damaged buildings.  FEMA uses these rates to determine the insurance rate you will pay for flood insurance

FEMA’s Digital Flood Maps

FEMA discontinued the production and distribution of paper flood maps in 2009 as part of its Digital Vision Initiative. This affected all the Flood Maps, boundary information, and study reports. However, clients can still view the products for free through their website or buy them in digital format.

To view these flood maps online, go to FEMA’s Map Service Center and key in your address (hi-lited area shown here) search for your home.  This will prompt you to then select the map that covers your area.  The Flood Maps are somewhat cumbersome to use online. It is best to go through the tutorial on the bottom right of the address search page for an easier and more effective use of the GIS map.

More Posts

Aerial view of tornado debris scattered across a neighborhood, captured in a way that shows details helpful for lidar mapping assessments
land surveying
Surveyor

How Lidar Mapping Helps Assess Tornado Damage

When tornadoes hit Houston, the damage shows up fast—broken roofs, torn fences, uprooted trees, and debris scattered across entire blocks. But what most people don’t see is the hidden impact on the land itself. That’s where lidar mapping comes in. This technology helps surveyors understand what changed on a property

Read More »
November 26, 2025 No Comments
A fallen tree damaging a backyard wall, showing how a property survey helps prevent boundary mistakes and tree disputes between neighbors
boundary surveying
Surveyor

Can a Property Survey Prevent Tree Disputes?

A few days ago, a viral TreeLaw story exploded online. A homeowner came back from a short trip only to find an entire strip of trees missing along what they believed was their boundary. Their neighbor had taken a chainsaw to the whole row, leaving the yard bare and the

Read More »
November 19, 2025 No Comments
A professional survey pilot conducts a drone survey during sunset, illustrating how crews stay precise when GNSS signals are unstable
land surveying
Surveyor

When GNSS Fails: How a Drone Survey Stays Accurate

When you book a drone survey you expect precise data — accurate maps, clean 3D models, and measurements you can trust. But what happens when something far beyond the city skyline interferes with that precision? This week, a massive solar flare sent charged particles racing toward Earth, shaking up GPS

Read More »
November 12, 2025 No Comments
Aerial view of a large drainage and infrastructure site representing the importance of ALTA Land Title Surveys for new public projects
alta survey
Surveyor

Election-Week Funding Boosts ALTA Land Title Survey Demand

If you work with property, construction, or land in Houston, you’ve likely heard of an ALTA Land Title Survey. It’s showing up in more projects than ever — and this week, it matters most. Texans are voting on new plans to fund water, drainage, and flood-control improvements. These decisions will

Read More »
November 5, 2025 No Comments
Flooded residential property after heavy rain where a boundary survey may be needed to check for soil movement and shifted property lines
boundary surveying
Surveyor

When Storms Shift the Ground, a Boundary Survey Saves You

Houston is preparing for another round of heavy rain. City officials have started lowering Lake Houston by about a foot to prevent flooding, and storm alerts are already in effect. For most homeowners, this just means getting ready for wet weather. But for anyone with property near a bayou, drainage

Read More »
October 29, 2025 No Comments
Land surveyor using a total station along a city street during redevelopment work for an ALTA Title Survey
alta survey
Surveyor

Street Closures Spark New ALTA Title Survey Demand

When Houston City Council voted to close part of Polk Street for the huge George R. Brown Convention Center expansion, it might have sounded like a small traffic update. But for downtown property owners, developers, and lenders, that single vote did far more. It changed boundaries, shifted rights-of-way, and started

Read More »
October 22, 2025 No Comments