National Flood Insurance Program
Community Rating System
A Local Official’s Guide to
Saving Lives, Preventing Property Damage, and
Reducing the Cost of Flood Insurance
FEMA B 573 / 2018
FEMA
TheCommunity
RatingSystem Works
Every year, flooding causes hundreds
of millions of dollars’ worth of damage
to homes and businesses around
the
country. Standard homeowners
and
commercial property
insurance
policies do
not cover flood
losses. To
meet
the need for this vital
coverage,
the
Federal
Emergency
Management
Agency (FEMA) administers the
National Flood Insurance Program
(NFIP).
The NFIP
o
ffers reasonably priced
flood insurance to all properties in
communities that comply with
minimum standards for floodplain
management.
The NFIP’s
Community Rating
System
(CRS) credits community efforts
beyond those minimum
standards by
reducing flood insurance premiums for
the community’s
property owners. The
CRS
is similar
to—but separate from—
the
private
insurance
industry’s
programs
that
grade communities
on
the effectiveness of
their
fire
suppression and
building code
enforcement
efforts.
CRS discounts on
flood insurance
premiums range from
5%
up to 45%
(see Table 1),
based on
CRS credit
points that are awarded to
communities. The discounts provide
an incentive for communities to
implement new
flood protection
activities that can
help save lives and
property when a flood occurs.
The
CRS provides credit under 19
public information and floodplain
management activities described in
the CRS Coordinator’s Manual.
You’re probably already doing many
of these activities. To get credit,
community officials will need to
prepare documentation that verifies
these efforts.
The
CRS assigns credit points for each
activity. Table
2 lists the activities and
the possible number of credit points
for each
one. The table also shows the
average number of
credit points
communities earn for each
activity.
These averages may give you a better
indication
than the maximums
of what
your community can expect.
To be eligible for a CRS discount, your
community must do Activity 310,
Elevation
Certificates. If you’re a
designated repetitive loss
community,
you must
also do Activity 510,
Floodplain
Management Planning. All
other activities are optional.
Based on the total number of points
your community earns, the CRS
assigns you to one of ten classes. Your
discount on flood insurance premiums
is based on your class.
premiums. If your community earns
as little as 500 points, it’s in Class 9,
and property owners in the SFHA get
a 5% discount. If a community does
not apply or fails to receive at least
500 points, it’s in Class 10, and
property owners get no discount.
Table 1, below, shows the number o
f
points required for each class and the
corresponding discount.
Fo
r example, if your community earns
4,500 points or more, it qualifies for
Class 1, and property owners in the in
the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA)
get a 45% discount on their insurance
Table 1.
How much discount property owners in your community can get
Rate Class
Discount for
SFHA*
Discount for
Non-SFHA**
Credit Points
Required
1
45%
10%
4,500 +
2
40%
10%
4,000–4,499
3
35%
10%
3,500–3,999
4
30%
10%
3,500–3,499
5
25%
10%
3,000–2,999
6
20%
10%
2,500–2,499
7
15%
5%
1,500–1,999
8
10%
5%
1,000–1,499
9
5% 5% 500–999
10
0
0
0–499
* Special Flood Hazard Area
** Preferred Risk Policies are available only in B, C, and X Zones for properties that are
shown to have a minimal risk of flood damage. The Preferred Risk Policy does not receive
premium rate credits under the CRS because it already has a lower premium than other
policies. Although they are in SFHAs, Zones AR and A99 are limited to a 5% discount.
Premium reductions are subject to change.
Table 2.
What You Can Do to Get Credit
The CRS grants credit for 19 different activities that fall into four series:
Series
300
Public Information
Maximum
Points*
Average
Points *
This series credits programs that advise people
about the flood hazard, flood insurance, and
ways to reduce flood damage. The activities
also provide data insurance agents need for
accurate flood insurance rating.
310
Elevation Certificates
38
• Maintain FEMA elevation certificates for new
construction in the floodplain. (At a minimum, a
community must maintain certificates for buildings
built after the date of its CRS application.)
320
Map Information Service
•
Provide Flood Insurance Rate Map information to
those who inquire, and publicize this service.
73
330
Outreach Projects
•
Distribute outreach projects with messages about
flood hazards, flood insurance, flood protection
measures, and/or the natural and beneficial functions
of floodplains.
87
340
Hazard Disclosure
•
Real estate agents advise potential purchasers of
flood-prone property about the flood hazard.
•
Regulations require notice of the hazard.
14
350
Flood Protection Information
•
The public library and/or community’s website
maintains references on flood insurance and flood
protection.
38
360
Flood Protection Assistance
•
Give inquiring property owners technical advice on
how to protect their buildings from flooding, and
publicize this service.
55
370
Flood Insurance Promotion
•
Assess flood insurance coverage within the
community and implement a plan to promote flood
insurance.
39
Series 300 Total
981 3448
*Maximum and average points are subject to change. See the current
CRS Coordinator’s Manual
for the latest information.
Series
400
Mapping & Regulations
Maximum
Points*
Average
Points *
This series credits programs that limit
floodplain development or provide increased
protection to new and existing development.
410
Floodplain Mapping
• Develop new flood elevations, floodway delineations,
wave heights, or other regulatory flood hazard data
for an area not mapped in detail by the flood
insurance study.
• Have a more restrictive mapping standard.
802
60
420
Open Space Preservation
•
Guarantee that currently open public or private
floodplain parcels will be kept free from
development.
•
Zone the floodplain for minimum lot sizes of 5 acres
or larger.
2,020
509
430
Higher Regulatory Standards
•
Limit new buildings and/or fill in the floodplain.
•
Require freeboard.
•
Require soil tests or engineered foundations.
•
Require compensatory storage.
•
Require coastal construction standards in AE Zones.
•
Have regulations tailored to protect critical facilities
or areas subject to special flood hazards (for example,
alluvial fans, ice jams, subsidence, or coastal
erosion).
2,042
270
440
Flood Data Maintenance
•
Keep flood and property data on computer records.
•
Use better base maps.
•
Maintain elevation reference marks.
222
115
450
Stormwater Management
•
Regulate new development throughout the water-
shed to ensure that post-development runoff is no
greater than pre-development runoff.
•
Regulate new construction to minimize soil erosion
and protect or improve water quality.
755
132
Series 400 Total
5,841
1,086
Series
500
Flood Damage Reduction
Maximum
Points*
Average
Points *
This series credits programs that reduce the
flood risk to existing development.
510 Floodplain Management Planning
• Prepare, adopt, implement, and update a
comprehensive flood hazard mitigation plan using a
standard planning pr ocess.
• Prepare an analysis of the repetitive flood loss areas
within the community.
Note: category C repetitive loss communities must
receive credit for either the floodplain
management plan or the repetitive loss area
analysis, above.
• Prepare, adopt, implement, and update a plan to
protect natural functions within the community’s
floodplain.
622
175
520
Acquisition and Relocation
•
Acquire and/or relocate floodprone buildings so that
they are out of the floodplain.
2,250
195
530
540
Flood Protection
•
Protect existing floodplain development by
floodproofing, elevation, or minor flood control
projects.
Drainage System Maintenance
•
Have a program for and conduct annual inspections
of all channels and detention basins; remove debris as
needed.
1,600
570
73
218
Series 500 Total
5,042 661
Series
600
Flood Preparedness
Maximum
Points*
Average
Points *
This series credits flood warning, levee safety,
and dam safety projects.
610 Flood Warning and Response
• Provide early flood warnings to the public, and have a
detailed flood response plan keyed to flood crest
predictions.
395
254
620
Levees
•
Annually inspect and maintain existing levees; have a
system for recognizing the threat of levee failure and/or
overtopping, disseminating warnings, and providing
emergency response; and coordinate with operators of
critical facilities.
235
157
630
Dams
•
Have a high-hazard-potential dam that could affect the
community; have a system for recognizing the threat of
dam failure, disseminating warnings, planning and
practicing emergency responses; and coordinating with
operators of critical facilities.
160
35
Series 600 Total
790 446
All Series
Total
12,654
2,537
Additional Credit
Your community can get additional
credit for regulating development
outside the SFHA to the same
standards as development inside the
SFHA. There is also credit for
assessing future flood conditions,
including the impacts of future
development, urbanization, and
changing weather patterns. See the
CRS Coordinator’s Manual for full
details.
Many communities can qualify for
what the CRS calls “state-based
credit,” based on the activities or
regulations a state or regional agency
implements within communities. For
example, some states have disclosure
laws eligible for credit under Activity
340 (Hazard Disclosure). Any
community in those states can receive
the state-based credit.
Your comm
unity may want to
consider floodplain management
activities not listed in the
CRS Coordinator’s Manual. You should
evaluate these activities for their
ability to increase public safety,
reduce property damage, avoid
economic disruption and loss, and
protect the environment. In addition,
you can request a review of these
activities to determine whether they
could be eligible for CRS credit. FEMA
welcomes innovative ways to prevent
or reduce flood damage.
How to Apply
Participation in the CRS is voluntary.
If your community is in full
compliance with the rules and
regulations of the NFIP, you may
apply. There’s no application fee, and
all CRS publications are free.
Your community’s chief executive
officer (your mayor, city manager, or
other top official) must appoint a CRS
coordinator to serve as the liaison
between the community and FEMA.
The coordinator should know the
operations of all departments that
deal with floodplain management and
public information. And the
coordinator should be able to speak
for the community’s chief executive
officer.
To begin the application process, your
community submits a letter of interest
to your FEMA Regional Office and
documents that you are implementing
floodplain management activities that
warrant at least 500 CRS credit points.
On the CRS Resources website
(www.CRSresources.org) you can find
a sample letter; the CRS Quick Check, a
tool that helps you assess your
community’s possible credit points;
and further instructions.
You ma
y also want to download from
that website a copy of the
CRS Coordinator’s Manual, which
describes the program in full and
provides specific information,
including eligible activities, required
documentation, and resources for
assistance.
Help is also available through the
contact information below.
CRS-related materials and many more
resources are available at the
CRS
Resources website and
on FEMA’s
website
(https://www.fema.gov/
national-flood-insurance-program-
community-rating-system).
After your community applies for a
CRS classification, the CRS
will verify
the information
and arrange for flood
insurance premium discounts.
For more info, write, phone, or fax:
NFIP/CRS
P.O. Box 501016
Indianapolis, IN 46250-1016
(317) 848-2898
Fax: (201) 748-1936
e-mail: nfipcrs@iso.com
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