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Flood Zone A99: What It Means and Whether You Need Flood Insurance

Updated October 2026 · FEMA definitions and NFIP claims for Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina and Texas

What Zone A99 means

Zone A99 is land in the 1% annual chance floodplain that will be protected by a federal flood-protection system — usually a levee or dam — once construction is finished. FEMA only uses it when the project has reached certain statutory milestones.

It is still a Special Flood Hazard Area. No base flood elevation is shown, and there are no elevation requirements for new buildings while the protection is being built.

Flood claims from Zone A99 buildings

In FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program claims for Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina and Texas, 7,531 claims (0% of claims with a recorded zone) came from buildings rated in Zone A99, with $214.3M paid since 1978. 1,046 of them were for floods in 2015 or later. The typical (median) paid claim was $13K.

Counties with the most Zone A99 claims:

• Plaquemines Parish, LA — 1,888 claims, $146.7M paid
• St. Charles Parish, LA — 1,664 claims, $46.1M paid
• Galveston County, TX — 1,446 claims, $4.9M paid
• Jefferson County, TX — 1,315 claims, $5.3M paid
• Lafourche Parish, LA — 1,117 claims, $9.4M paid
• St. Mary Parish, LA — 23 claims, $28K paid
• Jefferson Parish, LA — 13 claims, $528K paid
• Hillsborough County, FL — 10 claims, $5K paid

The zone is the one the building was rated in when the claim was paid; maps change over time.

Building rules in Zone A99

There are no elevation or floodproofing requirements while the zone is A99. That changes if the project stalls and the area is remapped.

Flood insurance in Zone A99

Yes, for most buyers. Zone A99 is a Special Flood Hazard Area, so a mortgage from a federally regulated or insured lender — including FHA, VA, USDA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans — requires flood insurance on the building.

Since FEMA’s Risk Rating 2.0 took effect in 2021–2022, NFIP premiums are priced for each building — elevation, distance to water, rebuilding cost and past claims — rather than by zone alone. The zone still decides whether insurance is mandatory. NFIP covers up to $250,000 for a home and $100,000 for contents, and new policies usually take 30 days to start, so do not wait for a storm forecast. Lenders must also accept qualifying private flood policies.

If you are buying or own a home in Zone A99

• Ask the floodplain manager how far along the levee or dam project is and when the map is expected to change.
• Ask the seller for the flood disclosure and whether the house has ever had a flood claim — many states require it.
• Check the flood claim history for the ZIP code and county, not only the zone.

Check an address or ZIP code

Our free flood check shows FEMA’s flood zone for an address and how many flood claims were paid nearby. Or search a county or ZIP:

Common questions

Other flood zones

• Zone AE — High risk, with a mapped base flood elevation (BFE).
• Zone A — High risk, mapped by approximate methods — no BFE on the map.
• Zone A1–A30 — The older name for AE: high risk, with a BFE.
• Zone AH — High risk of shallow ponding, usually 1–3 ft, with a BFE.
• Zone AO — High risk of shallow sheet flow on slopes, usually 1–3 ft deep.
• Zone AR — High risk, behind a decertified levee that is being restored.
• Zone VE — Coastal high risk with storm waves of 3 ft or more; BFE on the map.
• Zone X — Outside the high-risk floodplain. Shaded X is moderate risk; unshaded X is minimal.
• All FEMA flood zones explained

General information, not insurance, legal or real-estate advice. Sources: FEMA flood zone definitions and the NFIP Redacted Claims data set. Confirm the zone for a specific property with FEMA or your local floodplain manager.