What does flood zone AE mean?
Zone AE is a high-risk flood area on FEMA's maps: land with at least a 1% chance of flooding in any year, where FEMA has calculated how high the water is expected to rise (the base flood elevation).
In more detail
AE is the most common high-risk zone on FEMA's Flood Insurance Rate Maps. The "A" means the area floods in the 1% annual-chance flood, often called the 100-year flood. The "E" means a detailed study set a base flood elevation, so you can compare a building's floor height to the expected water level.
Older maps label the same areas A1 through A30. They mean the same thing.
A 1% annual chance sounds small, but it adds up to about a 26% chance of at least one flood over a 30-year loan.
What it means when you buy
If a building sits in zone AE and the loan comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, flood insurance is required. The premium depends heavily on how the lowest floor compares to the base flood elevation, so ask for an elevation certificate before you price the deal.
How the free flood check shows it
The free flood check shows the zone for the parcel and for each building on it, so you can see if only the back lot is in AE or the main building too.
Check the flood zone for an address, free
Enter any US address to see its FEMA flood zone and a map of the flood areas around it. Add your email to see which buildings sit in the flood zone and the risk numbers.