What is a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA)?
A Special Flood Hazard Area is the land FEMA maps in the 1% annual-chance flood. It covers zones A, AE, A1-A30, AH, AO, AR, A99, V, VE and V1-V30.
In more detail
The SFHA is the legal line that matters. Inside it, federally regulated and insured lenders must require flood insurance on buildings that secure a loan, and communities must enforce floodplain building rules to stay in the National Flood Insurance Program.
The line is drawn on the Flood Insurance Rate Map. A parcel can be partly in and partly out; what counts for insurance is where the building sits.
What it means when you buy
If any building you're financing is in the SFHA, plan on flood insurance as a fixed operating cost. A Letter of Map Amendment can take a building out if a survey shows it sits above the base flood elevation.
How the free flood check shows it
The free flood check tells you, building by building, which structures on the parcel fall inside the SFHA.
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.