FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) represent an estimate of the risk of flooding in a certain area, and specifically show the extent of the floodplain affected by the base flood or “100-year flood”. This is the severity of flood that has a 1% chance of occurring in any given year, and the base floodplain is called the Special Flood Hazard Area. A FIRM is the official map of a community on which FEMA has delineated both the special hazard areas and the risk premium zones applicable to the community.

Who Uses FIRMs?

Private citizens and insurance and brokers use the FIRM to locate properties and buildings in flood insurance risk areas.

Community officials use the FIRM to administer floodplain management regulations and to mitigate flood damage.

Lending institutions and federal agencies use the FIRM to locate properties and buildings in relation to mapped flood hazards, and to determine whether flood insurance is required when making loans or providing grants following a disaster for the purchase or construction of a building.

View FIRMS for Your Area

1. Read this tutorial (1 Mb) on obtaining Floodplain Insurance Rate Maps through FEMA’s FIRMette Desktop viewer. (Greene County FIRM index)

2. Visit https://msc.fema.gov/portal to find your Floodplain Insurance Rate Map

View more information on FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program