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FEMA flood zones · Florida

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Flood Zone Map

182,760 residents·in Broward County·35,049 flood claims county-wide

Coastal high risk (V, VE)FloodwayHigh risk (A, AE)Moderate (X, 500-year)Minimal (X)Undetermined (D)

Shaded areas are FEMA’s mapped flood hazard zones in and around Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Zoomed out they are simplified; at street level the map switches to FEMA’s exact layer. Tap anywhere to check that spot, or search an address above.

Flood risk in Fort Lauderdale

The map above shows FEMA’s flood zones in and around Fort Lauderdale; tap any spot, or search an address, for the exact zone. FEMA’s flood insurance records are kept by county, not by city, so the numbers below are for all of Broward County, which includes Fort Lauderdale.

18% of Broward County’s area is in FEMA’s high-risk flood zones, and another 12% in shaded X (mostly the 0.2% floodplain and areas behind levees).

Where the flood claims came from

4% of Broward County’s flood insurance claims were on properties rated outside FEMA’s high-risk zones.

31,918 NFIP claims with a recorded rated flood zone, 1978 to date. The zone is the one FEMA used to rate that policy, which may not match today’s map. Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.

How deep the water got

outlet80″ door12″24″36″48″60″72″84″

In Broward County flood insurance claims that reported a flood depth, the average was 6 inches.

Drawn to scale against an 80-inch door. Even a few inches soaks flooring, the bottom of the drywall and anything plugged in near the floor.

Average of the depths reported on the county’s claims (zero and implausible values left out). Source: OpenFEMA NFIP claims.

Flood claims, year by year

The worst year was 1999, with 6,520 claims and $19.4M paid, the year of Hurricane Floyd and Hurricane Irene.

1978: 29 claims1979: 2,142 claims1980: 80 claims1981: 885 claims1982: 185 claims1983: 154 claims1984: 96 claims1985: 102 claims1986: 183 claims1987: 25 claims1988: 52 claims1989: 43 claims1990: 18 claims1991: 476 claims1992: 595 claims1993: 67 claims1994: 794 claims1995: 405 claims1996: 163 claims1997: 143 claims1998: 389 claims1999: 6,520 claims2000: 1,487 claims2001: 390 claims2002: 350 claims2003: 562 claims2004: 1,034 claims2005: 4,853 claims2006: 173 claims2007: 182 claims2008: 264 claims2009: 944 claims2010: 255 claims2011: 972 claims2012: 888 claims2013: 285 claims2014: 175 claims2015: 136 claims2016: 95 claims2017: 1,917 claims2018: 97 claims2019: 377 claims2020: 1,382 claims2021: 57 claims2022: 126 claims2023: 3,723 claims2024: 657 claims2025: 91 claims2026: 31 claims19801990200020102020

Bar height is scaled by square root so ordinary years stay visible next to the worst one. NFIP claims by year of loss. Source: OpenFEMA.

Full Broward County flood history: disasters, storm reports and events →

The zones you’ll see on the map

Cross-section of a river floodplainDiagram: a river valley. The floodway is the channel and the land beside it; the 1%-annual-chance flood surface (the base flood elevation) covers the valley floor as zone A or AE; a narrow band higher up is shaded X, the 0.2% floodplain; higher ground is X.0.2% CHANCE A YEAR (500-YEAR)BASE FLOOD ELEVATION · 1% A YEARXAEFloodwayAEX
  1. A / AE Inside the 1%-a-year floodplain: about a 26% chance of flooding over a 30-year mortgage. AE has a mapped base flood elevation; plain A does not.
  2. Floodway The channel and the land beside it that has to be kept clear enough to carry the flood. Building here is tightly limited.
  3. X shaded The 0.2% (500-year) floodplain, plus some levee-protected and very shallow flood areas.
  4. X Outside both lines. No federal requirement to insure, which is not the same as no risk.

Every flood zone code explained →

Flood insurance in Fort Lauderdale

If a building is in a high-risk zone (A or V) and its mortgage comes from a federally regulated or insured lender, or is federally backed, flood insurance is required.

The average NFIP premium across Florida was $965 a year on August 31, 2026 (premium plus the federal policy fee; the reserve fund assessment and HFIAA surcharge come on top). Risk Rating 2.0 prices each building on its own flood risk, so a quote can be far from the average.

Outside the high-risk zones it is optional, and often worth having: from 2014 to 2024 nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. Quotes: FloodSmart.gov or a local agent.