ALTA Survey Illinois
(888) 808-9783

How To Find Your Property On FEMA’s Flood Insurance Rate Maps

What are FEMA flood maps?

FEMA’s Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) or just Flood Maps are provided after a flood risk assessment has been completed or updated for a community.  This study is known as a Flood Insurance Study.  The FIRM gives you the Base Flood Elevations (BFEs) and insurance risk zones in addition to floodplain boundaries.  The FIRM may also show a delineation of the regulatory floodway.

Once the “insurance risk zone”  (commonly referred to as the flood zone) is determined, actuarial rates, based on these risk zones, are then applied for newly constructed, substantially approved, and substantially damaged buildings.  FEMA uses these rates to determine the insurance rate you will pay for flood insurance

FEMA’s Digital Flood Maps

FEMA discontinued the production and distribution of paper flood maps in 2009 as part of its Digital Vision Initiative. This affected all the Flood Maps, boundary information, and study reports. However, clients can still view the products for free through their website or buy them in digital format.

To view these flood maps online, go to FEMA’s Map Service Center and key in your address (hi-lited area shown here) search for your home.  This will prompt you to then select the map that covers your area.  The Flood Maps are somewhat cumbersome to use online. It is best to go through the tutorial on the bottom right of the address search page for an easier and more effective use of the GIS map.

More Posts

Narrow urban lot with houses close together and a rear alley garage, showing tight spacing and limited side yard common in city homes
land surveying
Surveyor

What a Land Survey Company Checks on Narrow Lots 

Chicago homes often sit on tight lots. You walk down a slim side path. You park in a garage off the alley. It all feels pretty normal at first. Still, small spaces can hide real problems. That’s where working with a land survey company in Chicago starts to make sense.

Read More »
April 30, 2026 No Comments
Aerial view of a flooded residential area with water pooling, with lidar mapping highlighting drainage issues and how water flows across the property
land surveying
Surveyor

Hidden Drainage Problems LiDAR Mapping Can Reveal

Heavy rain hit the Chicago area again this week. Streets filled up fast. Some homes saw water creep closer than expected. For many people, it felt sudden. But the truth is simple. Most of these problems were already there. Water just exposed them. Many properties in Chicago look flat. They

Read More »
April 23, 2026 No Comments
Aerial view of a narrow residential lot with boundary lines showing how surveying companies help define property limits in tight city spaces
land surveying
Surveyor

Building on a Small Lot? Call Surveying Companies Early

Chicago is changing fast. New homes, coach houses, and small multi-unit buildings are showing up in older neighborhoods. A big reason for this is infill development. Instead of building far out, people are building on existing lots inside the city. Many of these lots are 25 or 50 feet wide.

Read More »
April 16, 2026 No Comments
Aerial view of a residential property with a rear alley showing how an ALTA survey reveals access and layout limitations
alta survey
Surveyor

ALTA Survey: Catch Access Issues Before You Build

A buyer picks up a small property in Chicago. The lot looks fine. There’s a rear alley. Cars pass through, trash gets picked up, and nothing feels off. So the project moves forward. Plans get drawn. Parking gets laid out. The timeline starts to take shape. Then during review, something

Read More »
April 9, 2026 No Comments
See how a drone survey helps make tight Chicago job sites safer, faster, and easier to manage before construction begins.
land surveying
Surveyor

How a Drone Survey Makes Tight Job Sites Safer

An aerial survey using drones gives project teams a faster way to understand site conditions before work begins. In a dense city like Chicago, where space is limited and activity is constant, this approach helps reduce unnecessary movement across active areas. Many professionals still refer to this method as a

Read More »
April 2, 2026 No Comments
Surveyor performing a construction survey to mark site layout before work begins
land surveying
Surveyor

Why a Construction Survey Matters Before Work Begins

Big projects do not always move in a straight line. In Chicago, recent transit delays have made that clear. Work can slow down when funding shifts or plans change. But even when everything pauses, the ground does not. The site keeps changing every day, which is why getting the site

Read More »
March 26, 2026 No Comments