DFIRM Letter of Final Determination

DFIRM FAQs

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has updated the Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map (DFIRM). The new flood maps became effective on April 19, 2019. Many flood boundaries have changed, and some properties have been mapped into the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). Typically, this SFHA corresponds to the 100-year floodplain and will be marked as Zone A or Zone AE on the DFIRM.

If you have a mortgage from a federally-regulated lender and building(s) on your property are within the SFHA, then by federal law, your lender must require you to carry flood insurance as of the DFIRM’s adoption on April 19, 2019. Flood insurance is available through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Contact your insurance agent to learn about lower-cost “grandfathering” options offered by the NFIP for properties being mapped into higher-risk areas for the first time. For more information on flood insurance, visit the National Flood Insurance Program’s website, https://www.floodsmart.gov/.

In addition, any portions of properties that lie within the newly mapped SFHA will be subject to floodplain development regulations per City Ordinance Chapter 151. Please contact Community and Development Services at (270) 887-4285 to check the new DFIRM for your property or to obtain more information on floodplain development regulations. You can download floodplain maps for your area on the FEMA’s Map Service Center Website. Please go to our “Links” page and click on the FEMA Map Service Center icon.