FEMA flood information: National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)

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Flood assistanceThe County of Marin administers the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and the Community Rating System (CRS) Program for unincorporated areas of Marin County.

Land Development engineers can provide one-on-one information regarding the FEMA mapping of the Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA) at the Public Works Land Development Permit Counter, located in the Marin County Civic Center, Room 308 or via phone at 415-473-3755. The engineers are available to determine if your property is located in a Special Flood Hazard Area and answer questions about flood maps, flood zones, base flood elevations (BFE), flood protection, and flood insurance. Staff is also available to perform site visits and provide information on flood protection and reducing flood risk.

For flood information within town or city limits, please contact the community directly.

The County of Marin administers the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood insurance program in unincorporated areas of Marin County. For information on flood insurance within the limits of any Marin Communities, please contact them directly.

Contact us - our staff is always available to answer questions and offer assistance as needed.

Active stream gauge information

Marin County Flood Control and Water Conservation District operates and maintains weather related sites in Marin County with various types of gauges to measure precipitation (rainfall), creek level, wind, barometric pressure, temperature and humidity. Go to Marin OneRain to find the rain gauge in your area.

Elevation certificates

The Elevation Certificate is an important administrative tool of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). It is to be used to provide elevation information necessary to ensure compliance with community floodplain management ordinances, to determine the proper insurance premium rate, and to support a request for a Letter of Map Amendment or Revision (LOMA or LOMR-F).

This certification is to be signed and sealed by a land surveyor, engineer, or architect authorized by law to certify elevation information. Please refer to the unincorporated Marin County Elevation Certificate table to find certificate locations listed alphabetically by street address

The County of Marin administers the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood insurance program in unincorporated areas of Marin County. For information on flood insurance within the limits of any Marin Communities, please contact them directly.

Maps and information

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is responsible for the preparation of Flood Insurance Rate Maps for the National Flood Insurance Program. The panels on this page contain information about the FEMA studies which are underway in Marin County, how to locate the various flood zones in Marin County, answers to frequently asked questions and additional links for more information.

The County of Marin administers the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood insurance program in unincorporated areas of Marin County. For information on flood insurance within the limits of any Marin Communities, please contact them directly.

Flood insurance maps

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is responsible for the preparation of Flood Insurance Rate Maps for the National Flood Insurance Program. Two separate FEMA studies have been completed in Marin County that have resulted in revised Flood Insurance Rate Maps for residents in unincorporated Marin and certain cities/towns. In summary, this is the status of the two studies:

  1. The San Francisco Bay Coastal study became effective 3-17-16. This study affected all low lying areas along the Eastern Marin County San Francisco Bay shoreline.
  2. The Open Pacific Coast study, which is studying the flood risk along the Marin County Pacific Ocean coast became effective 8-15-17.

Some property owners have acquired letters of Map Change (LOMC) for their properties. A list of valid LOMCs is available.

For more information on these studies, visit this FEMA Region IX website.

As there have been significant changes to these flood zone maps the following information is important for property owners:

  • If you wish to visit FEMA FIRM's please go to the FEMA Flood Map Service Center website and enter your address.
  • For the County of Marin's Geographical Information System (GIS) maps, please go to the Marin Map website.
  • If you are unable to get a map, please feel free to come into the Marin County Department of Public Works, Room 308 at the Civic Center, call (415) 473-3755 or email us and we will be able to give you the same map.
  • Federally backed mortgage lenders will very likely require property owners that are partially or fully within a SFHA to purchase flood insurance. We recommend printing the FEMA FIRM's and the Marin GIS maps. Show the flood hazard area maps to your mortgage lender to get a determination from them if you are required to get flood insurance. For general FEMA flood insurance information, please visit the FloodSmart website. The County and cities are not involved in any way with the administration or provision of flood insurance. We want to advise you, however, that in the past, as part of FEMA’s authority to administer flood insurance, they have subsidized or ‘grandfathered’ lower insurance rates for property owners that obtained flood insurance policies prior to their property being added to a Special Flood Hazard Area. This is still the case, but FEMA advises that this grandfathering is being phased out over the next few years. For more information on flood insurance, you can visit the National Flood Insurance Program website, operated by FloodSmart.gov or contact your insurance agent.
  • For an overview of the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014, visit this FEMA website.
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