Prepare for Floods

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Be Aware | Be Vigilant | Be Safe - you may only have minutes to react.

The City of Boulder is the No. 1 Flash Flood Risk community in the state of Colorado. Floods can happen at any time with little or no warning. Are you prepared? 

 

Flood Insurance Information

Review your existing insurance policies to determine if your current coverage is comprehensive enough to cover potential losses. In addition to buying flood insurance, property owners should also consider purchasing additional insurance coverage for sewer backups.

Insurance can be purchased from a licensed private insurance company or an independent property and casualty insurance agent. This is usually the homeowner's insurance agent. Any local insurance agent can sell an insurance policy and must legally charge the same rate.

The City of Boulder participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) by adopting and enforcing floodplain management ordinances to reduce future flood damage. In exchange, the NFIP makes federal government-backed flood insurance available to homeowners, renters and business owners, whether or not their properties are in a floodplain. 

The city also participates in the Community Rating System The NFIP’s Community Rating System (CRS) is a voluntary incentive program that recognizes and encourages community floodplain management activities that exceed the minimum NFIP requirements. Flood insurance premium rates are discounted to reflect the reduced flood risk resulting from community actions that meet the three goals of the CRS:

1. Reduce flood losses;
2. Facilitate accurate insurance rating; and
3. Promote the awareness of flood insurance.

Participating communities must implement specific measures to reduce the impacts of floods, including:

• Adoption of federal Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs);
• Local floodplain regulations;
• Floodplain development permits;
• Inspection for compliance;
• Maintaining records of floodplain development;
• Helping community members obtain flood information;
• Floodplain master planning; and
• Stormwater maintenance activities.

For CRS participating communities, flood insurance premium rates are discounted in increments of 5%: i.e., a Class 9 community would receive a 5% premium discount, while a Class 8 community would receive a 10% discount. The city joined the CRS in 1992 as a Class 8 community, improved to a Class 7 in 2008 and then to a Class 6 in 2012. The city was awarded a Class 5 rating in early 2013. As a result, standard policyholders now receive a 25% discount on flood insurance with anticipated citywide annual savings of more than half a million dollars.  

To find a qualified NFIP agent, call toll-free at 1-888-379-9531 or visit www.floodsmart.gov.

To see if your property is located in a floodplain, select the Map of Floodplains (Interactive).

For information about updates to the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) and Letter Of Map Amendment process (LOMA), see the  Maps of Floodplains page.

You can also get a Public Flood Map or a Flood Insurance Rate Map from the FEMA Map Service Center.

Do not wait to buy insurance! 
With most policies, there is a 30-day waiting period before flood insurance will take effect.

Elevation & Flood Proofing Certificates

When purchasing flood insurance, the insurance agent may ask for an Elevation Certificate or Floodproofing Certificate. These certificates identify protection measures that may have been incorporated into the building's construction and are used to determine the annual premium costs for an insurance policy.

Only Elevation Certificates apply to residential structures, since FEMA does not recognize floodproofing measures for residential construction. If the lowest floor of a dwelling and its associated structures are located above the 100-year flood elevation, insurance premium costs are reduced. For new residential construction in Boulder, the lowest floor and associated structures must be constructed a minimum of two feet above the 100-year flood elevation.

Elevation Certificates must be prepared and certified by a Colorado-registered professional land surveyor. Floodproofing Certificates must be prepared and certified by a Colorado-registered professional engineer or architect.

Use the Flood Elevation Certificate Search feature to see if a property has an elevation certificate on file with the city's building department.