Flood insurance terms, explained
What these terms mean when they appear on flood insurance. Each definition describes the term itself, not what to do about it.
- Base flood elevation
- The height floodwater is expected to reach in a major flood. How your home sits relative to it affects your rates.
- Building coverage
- Flood coverage for the physical structure of your home and its built-in systems.
- Contents coverage
- Flood coverage for your personal belongings. It is purchased separately from building coverage.
- Flood zone
- A FEMA map designation for an area flood risk. It affects your rates and whether a lender requires flood insurance.
- Increased cost of compliance
- Extra flood coverage that helps pay to elevate, relocate, or demolish a repeatedly flooded building to meet floodplain rules.
Other policy types
These are general definitions. Your own policy is what governs your coverage, and the same term can be defined differently from one policy to the next. Read your own policy to see what these terms say in your document, cited to the page.