• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Accessibility Statement

Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on TwitterFollow Us on InstagramFollow Us on YouTubeRSS Feed

Kimberly Howell Properties

San Antonio Real Estate

office@kimberlyhowell.com
(210) 493-6888
  • Blog
  • About Us
  • Agents
  • Buyers
    • Neighborhoods
    • Relocation Information
  • Sellers
  • Listings
    • Available Rentals
    • Homes for Sale
    • McNair Custom Homes
    • Open Houses
  • Contact
  • Rental SearchHomes for Rent
  • REALTORS®Find an Agent
  • McNair Custom HomesNew Construction
  • Property SearchHomes for Sale
You are here: Home / Miscellaneous / Flood Zones and FEMA Mapping

Flood Zones and FEMA Mapping

July 23, 2013 by Linda Mosse 2 Comments

Flood Waters

It is so important to check what flood zone your property is located in prior to writing a contract to purchase a new home or lot to build on. FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) is responsible for flood mapping and updates these flood maps periodically. This means that it is possible for a property’s flood risk to change from one year to the next. Even if an owner has checked “no” on the seller’s disclosure that the parcel of land is not in a floodplain or does not require flood insurance, that can easily change.

In Bexar County, new digital floodplain maps were proposed and instituted in 2010. Reasons for flood risk changes according to FEMA include: “Rainfall, river-flow and tidal-surge data, topography, flood-control measures, and changes due to building and development.”

The last reason, changes due to building and development, tends to be one of the bigger reasons that the flood maps are changing more frequently here in San Antonio and in the Texas Hill Country areas (Spring Branch, Bulverde, and Boerne). If you see a lot of construction on the way to the areas you are considering, make sure you check on the flood zones for that area.

You can also use some common sense while you are scouting out the location of your dream home. Did you go through a low-water crossing to get there? Are there any other ingress/egress options to that particular piece of land? Did you go over a river or pass a creek bed (even a dry one)? What kinds of trees are growing close to where you want to build? This can be a great indicator of how wet the property gets too.

One quick way to check an address against FEMA’s current flood zone risk is to enter the parcel address at www.floodsmart.gov. Many properties in San Antonio are currently considered in Zones X, B, or C. Your REALTOR® should be able to find this information by searching your tax records, then accessing the Courthouse Retrieval System, and then locating the corresponding zone for that parcel under the flood zone/panel section of that site. When they are here in this location, they can also view the flood maps surrounding that area using FEMA’s FIRM maps (Flood insurance rate maps). This way, you have a good indication if your land is located in an area that could change in zoning due to nearby streams or if there is flood risk nearby that could shift due to construction.

Remember that even if the land you are considering is not located in a flood zone, it is still worth considering flood insurance if you are near areas that experience flash flooding or if you notice that you must pass through low water crossings to get to and from your property. Also, it is possible to get a reduced rate for flood insurance if a property is not yet zoned as a higher risk, and can then be grandfathered at that rate, rather than waiting to see if it gets zoned differently (and then having to pay that higher insurance amount).

The zoning to be careful of when choosing a property are Zones A or V. These areas are considered high risk and according to FEMA, “have a 1 in 4 chance of flooding during a 30-year mortgage.”

There are many parcels of good land throughout the San Antonio and Hill Country areas that may have a partial flood zone designation. These parcels will require careful planning for building, but don’t necessarily have to be rejected due to this designation. However, more care must be taken to ensure that any buildings on the land are built up out of the 100-year floodplain. For instance, the back portion of a five acre parcel may be within the 100-year floodplain (and zoned A or V), but it could be good for livestock grazing. As long as the building site for a home, barn, etc. are located up out of that elevation, that parcel could still be a good choice and may be a good deal!

Make sure you use a REALTOR® who has some experience in the area of flood zones and FEMA mapping so you are sure to have all the facts before moving forward on a lot!

image courtesy of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Related Posts

  • Is Your Home in a Flood Zone? You May Not Even KnowIs Your Home in a Flood Zone? You May Not Even Know
  • Distribution of Proposition 1 Funds AnnouncedDistribution of Proposition 1 Funds Announced
  • Organize Your Move: Moving ChecklistOrganize Your Move: Moving Checklist
  • Canyon Springs Neighborhood Gets Creative with Ice StormCanyon Springs Neighborhood Gets Creative with Ice Storm
  • Texas Law Library – Looking for the Law?Texas Law Library – Looking for the Law?

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: flood zones, fema

Quick Search

About Linda Mosse

Linda Mosse served in the U.S. Air Force and worked for the National Park Service in the field of environmental engineering. She holds her Masters in Business Administration along with two other degrees and has been a REALTOR® for over eight years. Linda enjoys helping buyers and sellers with residential properties as well as working in the commercial real estate industry. Linda is well versed in the San Antonio area, as well as Bulverde, Spring Branch, and Canyon Lake. Call Linda at (210) 264-4513 or email her at lindamosse@sbcglobal.net.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Grace says

    September 14, 2016 at 9:13 AM

    Hi . do u know the area in San Antonio are flood free . Pls tell me the name . I m moving to San Antonio.

    Reply
    • Matt Stigliano says

      October 1, 2016 at 7:21 AM

      Grace – there is no guarantee that any area will ever be flood free. In a place like south Texas, we get rain and drought back and forth, so that affects us quite a bit – areas that look like they’re dry can quickly become flooded (we have a lot of dry creek beds here that will become raging rivers during rainstorms). If you want to avoid homes that are in flood zones, you can check the FEMA flood maps mentioned in the article as well as checking with your insurance carrier.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Open Floorplan

Is An Open Floorplan The Right Style For You?

Open floorplan living is often billed as the perfect floor plan, bringing family together in a single room where cooking, conversation and the screen share the same space. It has been a popular feature of a … [Read More...] about Is An Open Floorplan The Right Style For You?

New Kitchen

Nine Mistakes To Avoid With A New Kitchen

No room carries more influence with a buyer than the kitchen because it’s where the everyone gathers and many memories are made. The kitchen can represent up to 20% of the entire value of a property, so it’s … [Read More...] about Nine Mistakes To Avoid With A New Kitchen

House Fire Safety

9 Ways To Avoid Housefires

A fire in your home can happen at any time of the year, but with colder months upon us it’s easy to see how the danger increases with the setting of wood-burning heaters and the use of candles to create a cozy … [Read More...] about 9 Ways To Avoid Housefires

Call A Plumber

Is It Time To Call A Plumber?

As a homeowner, you’ll inevitably have to call in a Sydney plumber to deal with plumbing problems at some stage. It’s one of the ‘pleasures’ of owning property! Choosing the right contractor can feel a little … [Read More...] about Is It Time To Call A Plumber?

First Time Homebuyer

8 Tips For First Time Homebuyers

Being a first time homebuyer can feel quite intimidating – you’ve got to deal with agents, sellers, rival buyers, banks, and title companies. And it’s not always clear what role each of them plays in the … [Read More...] about 8 Tips For First Time Homebuyers

Search Our Site

Real Estate Topics

  • Buying a Home
  • Homeowner Tips
  • KHP News
  • Local Events
  • Local Laws
  • Miscellaneous
  • Mortgages and Financing
  • Open Houses
  • Real Estate
  • Real Estate Market
  • Renters and Landlords
  • San Antonio Places
  • Sell Your Home
  • Technology
Our real estate agents can help you with properties anywhere in Texas. If you need assistance finding agents in other parts of the country, please contact us.

Search Homes

Explore Cities

  • Alamo Heights 27 Listings
  • Bandera 384 Listings
  • Blanco 155 Listings
  • Boerne 615 Listings
  • Bulverde 303 Listings
  • Canyon Lake 367 Listings
  • Castle Hills 20 Listings
  • Castroville 76 Listings
  • Cibolo 350 Listings
  • Comfort 57 Listings
  • Converse 551 Listings
  • Fair Oaks Ranch 68 Listings
  • Floresville 268 Listings
  • Garden Ridge 24 Listings
  • Helotes 201 Listings
  • Hill Country Village 3 Listings
  • La Vernia 181 Listings
  • Lakehills 119 Listings
  • Leon Valley 23 Listings
  • Live Oak 57 Listings
  • Mico 117 Listings
  • New Braunfels 1305 Listings
  • Olmos Park 5 Listings
  • San Antonio 9547 Listings
  • Schertz 269 Listings
  • Seguin 607 Listings
  • Selma 60 Listings
  • Shavano Park 13 Listings
  • Spring Branch 357 Listings
  • Terrell Hills 27 Listings
  • Universal City 70 Listings
  • Windcrest 29 Listings
  • Hollywood Pk 5 Listings

Stay up to date with the latest from Kimberly Howell Properties.

San Antonio real estate and property information provided by Kimberly Howell Properties. Kimberly Howell Properties does not assume any liability or responsibility for the operation or content of any of the linked resources, nor for any of the interpretations, comments, graphics, or opinions contained therein. All information deemed reliable, but not guaranteed.

KJH Properties, Inc. is a licensed real estate brokerage in the State of Texas, Equal Opportunity Employer, and supporter of the Fair Housing Act.

TREC Information About Brokerage Services | TREC Consumer Protection Notice | Privacy Policy

All content © 2009-2020 Kimberly Howell Properties, unless otherwise noted.