The City of Santa Clarita’s current effective Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) were issued to the City of Santa Clarita in 2008. As part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) National Map Modernization Program, all existing flood maps were digitized and produced in computer format to be easily corrected or updated for future revisions. It is important to note that the flood zones represented on the FIRMs released in September of 2008 are not based on new flood studies. It is a digitized version of the previous 35-year old data.
The City of Santa Clarita has been working closely with FEMA on a multiyear project to re-examine the City’s flood risk and develop more detailed digital flood hazard maps. This will aid to better communicate the flood risk across properties and designate flood zones to establish rates for flood insurance. The studies are complete and preliminary maps have been issued to our community. The Santa Clara River and eight of the major tributaries (Mint Canyon, Iron Canyon, Sand Canyon, Bouquet Canyon, San Francisquito Canyon, Placerita Canyon, South Fork of the Santa Clara River, and Newhall Creek) were a part of the study. This current effort is nearing completion and the new maps are set for final adoption at the end of 2017.
The results of the new data show some areas that were previously designated in Special Flood Hazard Areas (A zones) will be removed and designated as lower risk zones and other areas will be newly mapped into A zones that were previously designated as low risk.
How will these changes affect you?
If you have a mortgage from a federally regulated or insured lender and the buildings on your parcel are within an A zone, then by Federal law, your lender must require you to carry flood insurance. This requirement will take place when the flood maps become effective.
Flood insurance is available through FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and may be obtained through one of several insurance companies that underwrite policies for the NFIP. Contact your insurance agent to learn about lower cost options offered by the NFIP for properties mapped into higher-risk areas for the first time. If flood insurance is not a requirement, the City still recommends that you purchase flood insurance.
The document below provides additional information on the new flood maps:
Map Modernization and Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps
The documents below explain FEMA’s new procedures for flood insurance rating of properties newly mapped into a Special Flood Hazard Area (A zone)
What Property Owners Need to Know
Newly Mapped into A High-Risk Area – Preferred Risk Policy
Preferred Risk Policy – Commercial
Preferred Risk Policy – Residential
