What does flood zone X mean?
Zone X is FEMA's label for moderate and low flood risk. Shaded X is roughly the 500-year floodplain (0.2% annual chance). Unshaded X is outside it. Flood insurance is not required by lenders in either.
In more detail
Shaded zone X covers land in the 0.2% annual-chance flood, land in the 1% flood where water would be less than a foot deep, and some areas behind levees. Older maps call this zone B.
Unshaded zone X is land outside the 0.2% annual-chance flood. Older maps call it zone C.
Zone X does not mean no risk. FEMA reports that more than 20% of flood insurance claims come from outside the high-risk zones, often from heavy rain and poor drainage.
What it means when you buy
Lenders won't require flood insurance in zone X, but it is cheaper here and worth pricing for buildings near the edge of a high-risk zone. Check whether part of the parcel crosses into an A zone.
How the free flood check shows it
The free flood check draws the zone lines over the parcel so you can see how close each building sits to a higher-risk area.
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.