Before hurricane season starts on June 1, every owner on the barrier islands should know two things about their property: its flood zone and its evacuation zone. They sound alike but answer different questions. Here is how to look up both and what the letters mean.
Key takeaways
- Your flood zone comes from FEMA’s flood maps and affects insurance. Your evacuation zone comes from the county and tells you when to leave.
- In our county parcel data, every one of the 8,805 parcels in zip 33767 (Clearwater Beach, Sand Key and Island Estates) sits in a FEMA special flood hazard area and evacuation zone A.
- Of those, 816 parcels include a VE zone, the coastal high hazard area with wave action.
- Federally backed mortgages require flood insurance in special flood hazard areas.
Flood zone or evacuation zone?
| Flood zone | Evacuation zone | |
|---|---|---|
| Set by | FEMA flood insurance rate maps | Pinellas County Emergency Management |
| Answers | How likely flooding is, for insurance and building rules | When you should leave for a storm |
| Labels | VE, AE, X and others | A through E, with A leaving first |
| Where to look | FEMA Flood Map Service Center | Pinellas County Know Your Zone |
What the flood zone letters mean
- VE: coastal high hazard area, where storm waves are expected on top of flooding. Building rules are strictest here.
- AE: an area with a 1% annual chance of flooding and a set base flood elevation.
- X (shaded and unshaded): moderate or minimal flood hazard areas. Flooding can still happen here.
VE and AE are both special flood hazard areas. If your loan is federally backed or regulated and the building sits in one, your lender must require flood insurance.
How to look up your property
What the county data shows near us
We checked the county parcel data we use on this site for zip 33767. Every parcel, 8,805 in total, falls in a special flood hazard area and in evacuation zone A. Of those, 816 include a VE zone. That’s a factual count from county GIS layers, not a statement about any one home’s insurance cost, which depends on the building, its elevation and the policy.
Watch out: New flood policies through the National Flood Insurance Program generally have a 30-day waiting period before coverage starts, so don’t wait for a storm in the forecast to buy one.
What this means for you
- Write down your evacuation zone and plan where you’d go.
- Check whether your policy covers flood. Standard homeowners policies don’t.
- Keep a copy of any elevation certificate with your insurance papers.
- Read our Flood Zones 101 guide and our hurricane season guide.
Please note: Laws, tax rules and insurance terms change, so check the details for your situation with a licensed professional, such as a Florida real estate attorney, insurance agent or tax adviser, before you act.
Looking at a property and want the zones pulled for you? Contact us, or browse our condo building guides.
Sources
- FEMA Flood Map Service Center.
- FEMA, flood zone definitions.
- Pinellas County, Know Your Zone.
- FEMA, flood insurance, purchase requirement and waiting period.
- Pinellas County GIS flood hazard and evacuation layers as joined to county parcels in our site data, zip 33767.