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Local Governments

Local officials play a key role in protecting their communities from floods. By identifying flood risks and taking steps to reduce them, they can help keep people safe and make their communities stronger and better prepared.

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Become a participating community

Joining the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is an important step toward reducing your community’s risk of flooding and to help recover faster after a flood. Joining the NFIP also means property owners in the area can buy NFIP flood insurance and receive disaster assistance for flood damage.

Participation is voluntary, more than 22,700 communities have adopted and enforced floodplain management ordinances to reduce flood damage and protect new and existing buildings.

Join the NFIP

How communities join and participate in the NFIP

See the Community Status Book for a list of all participating communities.

The first step is finding out if your community currently participates in the NFIP by reviewing the Community Status Book.

If it doesn’t, fill out the NFIP application for participation form and contact your FEMA Regional Office or the NFIP State Coordinating Agency. These offices will provide an application, a sample resolution and a model floodplain management ordinance.

If you need to contact a regional office, visit FEMA Regional Office for information.

You can find an NFIP State Coordinating Agency by visiting NFIP State Coordinating Agency.

Adopt higher standards

Local officials can encourage their participating counties, municipalities and tribal nations to become stronger and better prepared by taking steps to reduce flood risk, such as the following:

  • Promoting flood insurance.

  • Adopting higher floodplain management standards than the NFIP minimum requirements (e.g., higher freeboard, lower substantial damage ratios).

  • Maintaining rigorous enforcement of standards.

  • Supporting property buyouts and community planning efforts that maintain open plots of land.

  • Encouraging responsible building practices (ASCE or IBC, for example, including IBC Appendix G)

Benefits of adopting higher standards

Benefits of adopting higher floodplain management standards than the minimum requirements include:

  • Your community can recover faster after flooding events.

  • Lower impact to surrounding properties and communities.

  • Reduced financial and structural damage for property owners.

  • Reduced premiums for residents and business owners in high-risk areas that participate in the Community Rating System (CRS).

Community Rating System (CRS)

The CRS is a voluntary incentive program to encourage floodplain management practices that exceeds the minimum NFIP requirements. Currently, more than 1,700 communities nationwide participate.

For participating communities, flood insurance premium rates are discounted to reflect the efforts the community has made to reduce flood risk.

When communities take steps to mitigate their flood risk, they can earn credits and discounts on flood insurance for property owners. These discounts can be as high as 45% within the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA).

Review the Mitigation Planning and the Community Rating System bulletin to learn how local governments can improve their mitigation plans and see how property owners can receive discounted flood insurance premiums for these efforts.

For more information about the CRS, read the local officials guide to the CRS and the CRS Coordinator’s Manual.

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Local best practices in disclosing flood risk

The Local Flood Risk Disclosure document offers ideas and examples to help community officials and real estate professionals make flood risk information available and easy to understand before purchasing or renting a property.

Inside, you’ll find:

  • A list of local flood risk disclosure best practices that have been implemented in communities across the nation.
  • Spotlights on five communities with differing geographies, demographic characteristics and flood hazard concerns.
  • Additional information on over 80 communities in 21 states.

Download a copy

Tools & resources

  • Community Assistance Program-State Support Services Element (CAP-SSSE)

    CAP-SSSE is a grant program that provides states with funding for technical assistance to local communities.

    Find out more
  • Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) Grants

    This program may be available to communities to help pay for mitigation projects that reduce the impact of flooding.

    Learn more
  • Increased Cost of Compliance (ICC) coverage

    NFIP policyholders in high-risk areas who have experienced substantial damage may be eligible to receive up to $30,000 in ICC coverage.

    Learn about your coverage
  • ICC guidance for state & local officials

    When a community receives a FEMA HMA grant for an awarded mitigation project, a policyholder may be able to assign the ICC claim payment for the community to use as part of the non-federal cost-share requirements.

    Download the guide
  • Floodplain Management Requirements Study Guide & Desk Reference

    The study guide and desk reference has guidance on handling specific issues and explains requirements to community members.

    Get the resource
  • Digital & printed floodplain management resources

    Additional floodplain management resources are available for download or to be ordered by phone through the FEMA Publication Distribution Center at 1 (800) 480-2520.

    Download the resources
  • Training courses with the Emergency Management Institute (EMI)

    Floodplain managers are encouraged to stay on top of mitigation best practices with these training courses.

    Take a course
  • Training courses with the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM)

    Floodplain managers are encouraged to stay on top of mitigation best practices with these training courses.

    Look at training courses