Zone AE is the most common high-risk flood zone on FEMA's maps. Here is what it means for insurance, building and buying. Paste an address below to see its FEMA flood zone, or a whole list to check them all at once.
Quick answer
Flood zone AE is a high-risk flood area: land with a 1% or greater chance of flooding each year (the "100-year floodplain"), where FEMA has studied the flooding in detail and set a base flood elevation, the height floodwater is expected to reach in that flood. It is part of the Special Flood Hazard Area, so flood insurance is required for a mortgage from a federally regulated or insured lender, and new or substantially improved buildings must have their lowest floor at or above the base flood elevation.
Step 1 of 2 · about a minute
Or paste one address per line
US addresses with a house number and a state or ZIP. Only the address is used for the check.
Every zone AE area has a base flood elevation (BFE): the water surface height of the 1% annual chance flood, in feet above a datum. It sets how high a new building's lowest floor must be, and many communities add one to three feet of freeboard. An elevation certificate compares a building's floors with the BFE.
Insurance is required for mortgages from federally regulated or insured lenders, and for federal disaster assistance on the building. Since Risk Rating 2.0, premiums depend on the property itself (its elevation, distance to water, flood types, the cost to rebuild) rather than on the zone alone, and an elevation certificate can still help lower one.
It's high risk by definition: over a 30-year mortgage, a 1% annual chance adds up to about a 26% chance of at least one such flood. Millions of homes are in zone AE and are bought, sold and insured every day; the cost is the insurance, and the building rules when you build or renovate. A building that sits higher than the BFE can usually be insured for less.
Zone A is the same 1% annual chance floodplain mapped by approximate methods, without a base flood elevation. Zone X is outside the high-risk floodplain. If a building is on ground above the BFE, a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) from FEMA can take it out of the high-risk area.
A guide and a planning check, not an official flood zone determination: a lender's determination, or FEMA's own map, is the official answer for a single property.
What does flood zone AE mean?
A high-risk flood area with a 1% or greater annual chance of flooding, where FEMA has set a base flood elevation from a detailed study.
Is flood insurance required in zone AE?
Yes, for mortgages from federally regulated or insured lenders, which covers most mortgages. Without a mortgage it is your choice, but federal disaster assistance for the building can depend on it.
Is flood zone AE bad?
It's a high-risk zone: about a 26% chance of at least one 100-year flood over a 30-year mortgage. It means paying for flood insurance and following the building rules, and homes there are bought and sold every day.
What is the difference between flood zone AE and X?
AE is inside the high-risk 100-year floodplain, with insurance required for federally backed mortgages and building rules. X is outside it, with neither.
What is the difference between zone A and AE?
Both are the 100-year floodplain. AE has a base flood elevation from a detailed study; A was mapped by approximate methods and has none.
Can I get my house out of zone AE?
If the building or its lot is on natural ground above the base flood elevation, FEMA can issue a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) removing it from the high-risk area. A surveyor prepares the elevation information.
How do I check if an address is in zone AE?
Enter it in the checker above: it shows the FEMA zone and, for AE, the base flood elevation where FEMA publishes one.