Do you know your Flood Zone?

• Important new developments for you to know: New Flood Zone Maps
• FEMA periodically updates those maps and just published new Preliminary Flood Zone Maps for Miami-Dade County, on February 25, 2021. The new maps can be downloaded from FEMA Map Service Center or using the Flood Zone Maps Application.

Understanding your flood map
To identify a community’s flood risk, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) conducts a Flood Insurance Study. The study includes information on canal and stream flows, storm tides, hydrologic/hydraulic analyses, and rainfall and topographic surveys.

FEMA uses this data to create the flood hazard maps – the Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs) that outline your community’s different flood risk areas.

FEMA periodically updates those maps and it is currently updating the map for Miami-Dade County. Below are the definitions for all the flood zone designations shown in Miami-Dade County’s DFIRMs.

ZONE AE (Moderate to High Flooding Risk) This is the flood insurance rate zone that corresponds with flood depths greater than three feet. Mandatory flood insurance purchase requirements apply.

ZONE AH (Moderate to High Flooding Risk) Areas with a 1% annual chance of shallow flooding, usually ponding with, with an average depth ranging from 1 to 3 feet. These areas have a 26% chance of flooding over the life of a 30‐year mortgage. Base flood elevations derived from detailed analyses are shown at selected intervals within these zones. This is the flood insurance rate zone that corresponds to areas of shallow flooding with average depths between one and three feet. Mandatory flood insurance purchase requirements apply.

ZONE AO (Sheet Flow) Areas with a 1% or greater chance of shallow flooding, usually sheet flow, with an average depth ranging from 1 to 3 feet. These areas have a 26% chance of flooding over the life of a 30‐year mortgage. Average flood depths derived from detailed analyses are shown within these zone. Mandatory flood insurance purchase requirements apply.

ZONE VE (High Flooding Risk) This is the flood insurance rate zone that corresponds to coastal areas that have additional hazards associated with storm waves. There is at least a one-in-four chance of flooding during a 30-year mortgage. Mandatory flood insurance requirements apply.

Zone A (unnumbered) (High Flooding Risk) Because detailed analyses are not performed for such areas, no depths or base flood elevations are shown within these zones. There is at least a one-in-four chance of flooding during a 30-year mortgage. Mandatory flood insurance requirements also apply.

Zone D Areas with possible but undetermined flood hazards. No flood hazard analysis has been conducted. Flood insurance rates are commensurate with the uncertainty of the flood risk. In Miami-Dade County, most of these areas fall within Everglades National Park.

In moderate-to-low-risk areas, the chance of being flooded is reduced but not completely removed. These areas submit more than 20 percent of the NFIP claims and receive one-third of all disaster assistance for flooding. Flood insurance isn’t federally required in moderate-to-low areas, but it is recommended for all property owners and renters. They are shown on flood maps as zones labeled with the letter X (or a shaded X).

The Water Cycle
Precipitation falls from clouds to the earth as rain, snow or ice. An average of 52 inches of rain falls on South Florida each year. Excess water, called runoff, flows from land into ponds, lakes, or canals.

In South Florida, the water also flows into wetlands, marshes or estuaries and into the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico. Some rainfall slowly seeps, or percolates, into the ground to recharge, or refill, the underground layer of sand, gravel or rock. These layers, called aquifers, hold water.

In South Florida, wells are drilled into some aquifers to pump out water needed for people, businesses and farms. Water can also flow through aquifers to refill lakes and rivers and sometimes bubble out of the ground as freshwater springs. The sun heats up the earth’s surface, causing water to turn to vapor as it evaporates. Plants release water through transpiration.

Together, all the water rising into the air is called evapotranspiration. The warm vapor continues to rise until it reaches cooler air; it condenses into very small droplets or ice crystals, forming clouds.

It is all connected
Make sure that only rain gets into the drainage system by correctly disposing of trash and landscape debris. It is ILLEGAL to throw away or discharge anything into the rivers, canals, lakes, bays or any waters in Miami-Dade County. By law, nothing but rainwater is allowed to be discharged into the storm drains.

If you witness dumping of any liquid or materials into storm drains or waters of the County, call the 24-hour Environmental Emergency Hot-Line at 305-372-6955, or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS (8477).

Wetlands are our friends
Did you know that rainfall is an important part of the ecology of South Florida? Rainfall drains into floodplains such as the Everglades and our many wetlands, filters through these areas, and is eventually stored underground.

Underground water is the only source of drinking and domestic water supply in South Florida. It is important that we protect and maintain these drainage areas; the quality of our drinking water depends on it!

Questions about flood maps
Miami-Dade County Flood Zone Hot Line at 305-372-6466, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

FEMA Map Assistance Center at 1-877-FEMA MAP or 1-877-336-2627, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., for information and assistance on how to obtain flood maps. You can also view maps online.

To view printed copies of the maps, visit the following locations:

Miami-Dade RER, Water Management Division
701 NW 1 Court, Suite 500 Miami, FL 33136 305-372-6529

Miami-Dade RER, Downtown Environmental Plan Review Office
701 NW 1 Court, Suite 200 Miami, FL 33136 305-372-6899

Miami-Dade RER, West Dade Environmental Plan Review Office
11805 SW 26 Street Miami, FL 33175 786-315-2800

Questions about flood insurance

Visit Floodsmart or speak with your insurance agent.

• Floodsmart and assistance information in Spanish
• Floodsmart and  assistance information in Creole

For coverage and rates questions, call 1-800-427-4661.

For the publication in an accessible format, call 305-372-6779.

Why do floods occur?
Because Miami-Dade County is located in a unique geographical area, it is particularly susceptible to flooding from major rain events and storm surge.

The County is surrounded by major water bodies, the Atlantic Ocean, Biscayne Bay, and many rivers, lakes and canals.

Miami-Dade County lies close to sea level and its underground water supply is just below the ground surface. Therefore, major rain events sometimes leave rainwater nowhere to drain, causing occasional flooding in some areas of the County.

Know your flood risk
If you are not sure where your property is located on the map, call Miami-Dade County’s Flood Zone Hotline at 305-372-6466 and your exact flood zone designation will be confirmed.

You can also find the flood zone for your property.

You may visit the FEMA Map Service Center Website to download a copy of the maps.  

The Stormwater Utility Section also provides flood protection assistance to citizens, in the form of site visits and advice on how to protect your property from flooding.

Call Miami-Dade County at 305-372-6688 to report any unusual flooding in your area or to request a site visit for your property.

Additional floodplain information
The hotline also provides additional information about your flood risk, such as location of coastal high hazard areas, flood depths at your property, historical flood maps, newly mapped flood prone areas, special rules for building in the floodplain, and future sea level vulnerability.

For information about natural conservation areas, and other protected areas, visit our Environmental Considerations tool or call the Flood Zone Hotline.

Get an Elevation Certificate
Once you have determined that your house lies in a flood zone, an Elevation Certificate can then tell you how high your house was built in relation to that flood zone. These Certificates are required for all new construction, as well as for construction projects that involve making substantial improvements to a structure.

An Elevation Certificate is an important document that every homeowner should have, and in case of a disaster, would demonstrate to County authorities that your house is at or above the required elevation. If the Certificate shows that your house is lower than the required elevation, then the so-called “50% rule” would apply to your house.

This rule means that if your house is in a flood zone and is damaged and/or improved to an amount greater than 50% of its market value, it will have to be raised to meet the current elevation requirement. Miami-Dade County has kept records of these Certificates on file since the County began participating in the Community Rating System (CRS).

For more information about the 50 percent rule or Elevation Certificates, call Miami-Dade County’s 311 Contact Center or the Flood Zone Hotline at 305-372-6466.

Insure your home
Flood insurance is required for any federally backed mortgage in a Special Flood Hazard Area.

Note: when purchasing flood insurance, the policy does not go into effect until 30 days after purchase. Visit FEMA's National Flood Insurance website for the most current information on flood insurance premiums and to locate a flood insurance agent in your area.

Because of Miami-Dade County’s rating under the National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP) Community Rating System, Miami-Dade County policy holders who live in a flood zone have enjoyed a 25 % discount on their flood insurance premiums since October 1, 2003. A 10% discount on flood insurance is also available for those who live outside of flood zones, except on preferred risk policies.

Protect your home
There are things you can do to minimize or eliminate property damage before a flood event occurs. Grading your property, elevating and securing electrical appliances, placing all low-lying electrical fixtures on separate electrical circuits, and using flood-resistant materials on exterior surfaces are some ways you can help yourself.

Under emergency conditions, sand bags can be used to protect structures from flood waters, and elevating or covering furniture and valuables can help
minimize damage.

Retrofitting your home
All construction in Miami-Dade County requires the issuance of building permits prior to construction. Building permits are obtained after submittal and approval of building plans. An important part of the review process is the requirement that structures be built high enough and use proper design to protect against flood damage.

If you plan to construct an addition to your house, build a new house, or for any other type of development, call Miami-Dade County’s Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources (RER) at 786-315-2000 for information on how to obtain the necessary permits.

If you see construction taking place in Miami-Dade County without the proper permits, call the Miami-Dade County's 311 Contact Center or the Code Enforcement Office at 786-315-2424 to report it.

To obtain information on how to select a contractor to repair your home after a flood or other natural disaster, or to conduct a search to find out if a complaint has been filed on a contractor working in Miami-Dade County, visit our building contractor's Web page.

If you live in a condo
If you live in a condominium, private community with an association, or if your place of business is located in a commercial property such as a warehouse or shopping mall, then you should become familiar with the drainage system in your private community and/or place of business. Specifically, you should be aware of the location, condition and operation of the on-site drainage system that your homeowner’s association or place of business is responsible for maintaining.

It is also a good idea to develop a list of important contact persons/phone numbers associated with the maintenance of the drainage system BEFORE an emergency arises

Be aware

When an Emergency Flood Warning Notice is issued for your area, take safety precautions immediately:

Do not walk or drive through flowing or standing water. Unseen obstructions or hazards may harm you or your vehicle. Also, sewage from overflowing sewer lines may be present in the water.

Avoid downed power lines and electrical wires. These lines can cause shock and electrocution.

Turn off the power in your house. This should include electrical power as well as all propane gas tanks and lines.

Watch your step in flooded areas. Slip-and-fall accidents are common in wet, slippery areas.

Be alert for small animals that are flushed out by flooding conditions. Under stress, animals may react by biting when disturbed.

Be aware of gas leaks in the house. Do not smoke, nor use candles or open flames, until you are sure no leaks exist; ventilate enclosed areas if you think gas is present.

For more information, please visit the Red Cross website.

Repetitive losses
A Repetitive Loss (RL) property is any insurable building for which two or more claims of more than $1,000 were paid by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) within any rolling ten-year period, since 1978. A RL property may or may not be currently insured by the NFIP.

Currently there are over 122,000 RL properties nationwide. To find out more about repetitive loss properties, visit our website.

Weather warnings / watches
The National Weather Service monitors local weather conditions. If flooding from rain is anticipated, the Service will broadcast Flood Warning Notices through television, radio and wire services. These notices are intended to make you aware and help you prepare for possible flooding.

If an Emergency Flood Warning Notice is issued, the National Weather Service will broadcast this warning through the Emergency Alert System, and through TV and radio stations. For more information visit the County's Alerts and Notification Web page.

Your opinion counts
Miami-Dade County is constantly updating its Floodplain Management Plan. To reduce street flooding, the County’s Stormwater Utility is in the process of identifying, prioritizing and implementing local drainage projects throughout the County. We would like to hear from you to be sure we are meeting your needs.

Please see the following questions and respond by calling our Flood Complaints Hotline, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, at 305-372-6688.

We would like to know:
Do you have flooding problems in your neighborhood or at your place of business? If so, have you notified the County, and if you did, was our response satisfactory? Have you noticed the drainage improvements being constructed by Miami-Dade County? Have they helped reduce flooding in your local community?

View FEMA Maps

You can also view the digital maps through FEMA's website. Please note that paper maps were phased out under FEMA's Map Modernization Program.

There are several options to view the digital maps. The choice will depend on your computer resources and information needs.

• Visit the FEMA Map Service Center and download the FIRMette Desktop Viewer. This application supports the maps in image format (.tiff or .png). This version supports FIRMette creation for both two-color and black and white maps.
• Use the  Mapping Information Platform from FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layer Web Map Service (WMS). You can use either the online Map Viewer. ArcGIS or use Google Earth, which is a popular Internet application to view maps.

This website provides zipped Keyhole Markup Language (.kmz) files through which users can view map overlays created from FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layer on Google Earth images.

For more information on flood protection and related topics at the national level, please visit FEMA.

Flood problems not shown on the FEMA Flood Maps

Our community provides information regarding past flood events, vulnerability to sea level rise, king tide flooding events and coastal erosion hazards. For more information, call the Flood Zone Hotline at 305-372-6466.

Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM)

The current FEMA maps became effective on September 11, 2009. Miami-Dade County officially adopted the maps in July 2009 as required for the County to continue participating in the NFIP, which guarantees the availability of flood insurance to residents within Unincorporated Miami-Dade County.

FEMA is responsible for developing all updates to the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) and for the administration of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Miami-Dade County, its municipalities and the South Florida Water Management District provided engineering and topographic information to FEMA for their use in creating the new FIRMs.

Coastal Barrier Resources Act Zones or Otherwise Protected Areas (OPAs)

The current FEMA maps became effective on September 11, 2009. Miami-Dade County officially adopted the maps in July 2009 as required for the County to continue participating in the NFIP, which guarantees the availability of flood insurance to residents within Unincorporated Miami-Dade County.

FEMA is responsible for developing all updates to the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) and for the administration of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Miami-Dade County, its municipalities and the South Florida Water Management District provided engineering and topographic information to FEMA for their use in creating the new FIRMs.

The Coastal Barrier Resources Act zones are undeveloped areas that are part of the Coastal Barrier Resources System. Flood Insurance and disaster assistance are not available in those areas. "Otherwise Protected Areas" (OPAs) are areas protected from development by other legislation and jurisdiction. If you want to know if your property is located in one of those areas, call Miami-Dade Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources Coastal Resources Section at 305-372-6575 or use the environmental considerations web tool.

Flood problems not shown on the FEMA flood maps

Our community provides information regarding past flood events, vulnerability to sea level rise, king tide flooding events and coastal erosion hazards. For more information, call the Flood Zone Hotline at 305-372-6466.

Flood Map Copies

The maps can be purchased from FEMA by calling the Map Service Center at 1-877-FEMA MAP or visiting their Map Service Center website.

Viewing Paper Copies of the Maps

Miami-Dade County keeps paper copies of the Flood Insurance Rate Maps at the following locations:

Environmental Resources Management
Downtown Plan Review Office
701 NW 1st Court, Suite 200
Miami FL 33136
305-372-6899
Hours of operation:
8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Environmental Resources Management
West Dade Plan Review Office
11805 SW 26 Street
Miami FL 33175
786-315-2800
Hours of operation:
7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Historical FEMA Flood Map

Historical FEMA flood map information is also available upon request through the Flood Zone Hotline at  305-372-6466.