FEMA Flood Zone Scraper

Query FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL) to get official flood zone designations for any location in the United States.

Features

• Look up flood zones by coordinates or address
• Automatic geocoding via Census Bureau API (free)
• FIRM panel information
• Base Flood Elevation data (where available)
• Human-readable flood risk descriptions

Data Source

This scraper uses FEMA's official NFHL ArcGIS REST services:

• https://hazards.fema.gov/arcgis/rest/services/public/NFHL/MapServer

No API key required - this is free government data.

Output Fields

Field	Type	Description
queryLocation	object	Input lat/lon and address
primaryFloodZone	string	Main flood zone code (A, AE, X, etc.)
floodRisk	string	Human-readable risk description
floodZones	array	All intersecting flood zones with details
firmPanel	object	FIRM map panel information

Flood Zone Details

Field	Type	Description
floodZone	string	Zone code (A, AE, V, X, etc.)
zoneSubtype	string	Zone subtype if applicable
staticBfe	number	Static Base Flood Elevation
dfirmId	string	Digital FIRM identifier
versionId	string	Data version

FIRM Panel Info

Field	Type	Description
panelNumber	string	FIRM panel number
firmPanelId	string	Full panel identifier
effectiveDate	string	Date map became effective
state	string	State FIPS code
county	string	County FIPS code

Flood Zone Codes

High Risk Zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas - SFHA)

Zone	Description
A	1% annual chance of flooding
AE	Zone A with Base Flood Elevations
AH	Shallow flooding (1-3 feet)
AO	Sheet flow flooding
AR	Temporary risk (levee restoration)
V	Coastal high velocity wave action
VE	Coastal zone with BFE

Moderate to Low Risk Zones

Zone	Description
B/X (shaded)	0.2% annual chance (500-year)
C/X (unshaded)	Minimal flood risk
D	Undetermined risk

Example Output

{
    "queryLocation": {
        "lat": 29.7604,
        "lon": -95.3698,
        "address": "Houston, TX"
    },
    "primaryFloodZone": "AE",
    "floodRisk": "High Risk - 1% annual chance with Base Flood Elevations determined",
    "floodZones": [
        {
            "floodZone": "AE",
            "zoneSubtype": null,
            "staticBfe": 35.0,
            "riskDescription": "High Risk - 1% annual chance with Base Flood Elevations determined"
        }
    ],
    "firmPanel": {
        "panelNumber": "0325",
        "firmPanelId": "48201C0325J",
        "effectiveDate": "2019-01-25T00:00:00.000Z",
        "state": "48",
        "county": "201"
    },
    "scrapedAt": "2024-01-20T10:30:00.000Z"
}

Input Options

Option 1: Coordinates (Direct)

{
    "locations": [
        {"lat": 29.7604, "lon": -95.3698, "address": "Houston, TX"},
        {"lat": 25.7617, "lon": -80.1918, "address": "Miami, FL"}
    ]
}

Option 2: Addresses (Auto-Geocoded)

{
    "addresses": [
        "1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500",
        "100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608"
    ]
}

Use Cases

• Real estate flood risk assessment
• Insurance underwriting
• Property due diligence
• Mortgage flood determination
• Urban planning research
• Climate risk analysis

Rate Limits

The FEMA NFHL service is free but has usage limits. This scraper includes automatic rate limiting (1 second between requests) to prevent overload.

Legal

This scraper accesses publicly available FEMA data. The data is provided "as is" for informational purposes. For official flood determinations, consult a licensed surveyor or contact your local floodplain administrator.