Flood zones V and VE

What the V zones are

Zone V is a coastal high hazard area with wave velocity where flood water surface elevations have not been determined.

In Zones VE and the older V1 to V30, BFEs from detailed coastal analysis are shown on the map.

On Florida's coastal flood maps, Zone VE is where waves are expected to be 3 feet high or more. Coastal AE areas expect waves under 3 feet.

Some coastal maps show a Limit of Moderate Wave Action (LiMWA) line. It marks how far inland breaking waves of 1.5 feet or more are expected in the 1 percent flood.

Zones V and VE are high risk coastal areas, with the added hazard of storm waves.

Sources: What a coastal high hazard area is; Zone V has no BFE; Zone VE shows BFEs; VE means waves of 3 feet or more; Coastal A Zone and the LiMWA line; High risk coastal: the V zones

Building rules in the V zones

All new construction in Zones V1 to V30, VE and V must be located landward of the reach of mean high tide.

New and substantially improved buildings in V zones must be elevated on pilings or columns so the bottom of the lowest horizontal structural member is at or above the BFE.

The space below the lowest floor of a V zone building must be open or enclosed only by non supporting breakaway walls, open wood lattice or insect screening.

Fill may not be used for structural support of buildings in Zones V1 to V30, VE and V.

Communities must prohibit man made changes to sand dunes and mangrove stands in V zones that would increase potential flood damage.

Source: V zone buildings must be landward of mean high tide

Flood insurance

Regulated lenders may not make, increase, extend or renew a loan secured by a building in a special flood hazard area unless it carries flood insurance for the loan term.

Federal rules require flood insurance purchase in the A zones (A, A1 to A30, AE, A99, AO, AH, AR) and the V zones (V1 to V30, VE, V, VO), among others.

Regulated lenders must accept private flood insurance when its coverage meets the federal requirement.

If a map update puts a building into an SFHA, the NFIP offers a Newly Mapped discount when a policy is bought or renewed within 12 months of the update.

Sources: Lenders must require flood insurance in SFHAs; Zones where purchase is mandatory; Newly mapped discount

Elevation certificates

FEMA describes elevation certificates as an optional NFIP tool for checking a building's First Floor Height and the elevation around it.

A community may require an elevation certificate both before and after construction.

A request to change a flood map finding, such as the flood zone, through a Letter of Map Change must include an elevation certificate.

Before paying for a new one, ask around: former owners may have a copy, and the developer or builder may have been required to get one.

In Florida, the elevation certificate must be completed and sealed by a Florida licensed surveyor, though community officials may complete it for approximate Zone A and Zone AO sites.

In Maricopa County, Arizona, ECs are usually completed by a registered land surveyor or engineer, but a homeowner may complete one in Zones AO and A without a BFE.

Florida permit holders must submit an EC once the lowest floor is placed, before further vertical construction.

Since January 1, 2023, Florida law requires surveyors and mappers to submit a digital copy of every EC they complete to the state Division of Emergency Management.

Sources: Elevation certificates are optional rating tools; Florida: completed and sealed by a Florida licensed surveyor; Homeowners may complete it in AO and A without BFE; Florida surveyors file every EC with the state