Homeowner Handbook › Owning a home › Flood zones and flood insurance
Part 1 · Owning a home in South Hillsborough
Flood Zones and Flood Insurance in South Hillsborough County
By Linda Reynolds · Last reviewed November 2026
In this chapter
Check a home’s flood zone · What the zones mean · Flood insurance basics · Citizens’ flood requirement · Florida’s flood disclosure · Before you buy · If you’re selling
The short version
Check a home’s flood zone and get a flood insurance quote before you’re locked into the purchase, not after. A standard homeowners policy doesn’t cover flooding, flood policies usually take 30 days to start, and homes outside high-risk zones flood too. If you insure with Citizens, flood coverage will be required on most policies by January 1, 2027.
How to check a home’s flood zone
It takes about five minutes, and you can do it before you even tour a home:
- Hillsborough County’s Find My Flood Zone. Search any address with the county’s Find My Flood Zone tool to see its FEMA flood zone.
- The County Floodplain Viewer. The county’s Floodplain Viewer shows additional floodplain areas from the county’s own watershed studies. The county treats these as higher-risk for building rules, though lender flood requirements are based on FEMA’s maps.
- FEMA’s flood map. Confirm the zone on FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center, the official map lenders use.
- The elevation certificate. Ask the seller whether they have one. It shows how high the home sits compared with expected flood levels, and it can make a big difference in a flood insurance quote.
- Questions? Hillsborough County’s Floodplain Administration team is at floodplainadmin@hcfl.gov or (813) 635-5400.
Homes near Tampa Bay in Apollo Beach, and near the bay and the Little Manatee River in Ruskin, are more likely to have coastal flood zones, while inland areas like Sun City Center and Wimauma are usually mapped differently. Every address is its own case, so look it up rather than going by the neighborhood.
A flood zone is about risk on paper. It doesn’t tell you whether a specific home actually took on water in past storms, and the county’s floodplain models don’t include storm surge. That’s what the seller’s disclosure, your evacuation zone, and your own questions are for.
What the flood zones mean
A and AE zones
High-risk flood areas, with about a 1% chance of flooding in any year. With a federally backed mortgage, your lender will require flood insurance.
V and VE zones
High-risk coastal areas that also face storm-driven waves. Expect flood insurance to be required and to cost more.
X zones
Moderate- to lower-risk areas. Flood insurance usually isn’t required by lenders here, but it’s often much cheaper, and these homes still flood.
Flood insurance basics
- Your homeowners policy doesn’t cover flooding. Flood needs its own policy, either through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) or a private flood insurer.
- There’s usually a 30-day wait. NFIP policies generally start 30 days after you buy them. The exception: flood insurance bought as part of getting a mortgage has no waiting period, which is why buyers should line it up before closing.
- Low risk isn’t no risk. A meaningful share of flood claims every year come from homes outside high-risk flood areas, often from heavy rain rather than storm surge.
- Compare quotes. An independent insurance agent can price both NFIP and private flood policies for the same home.
For the rest of your coverage, see the handbook’s homeowners insurance chapter.
Citizens’ flood insurance requirement
If your homeowners policy is with Citizens Property Insurance and includes wind coverage, Florida law requires flood insurance too. Homes in high-risk flood zones already need it. For homes outside high-risk zones, the requirement is phasing in by dwelling coverage amount:
- January 1, 2024: dwelling coverage of $600,000 or more
- January 1, 2025: $500,000 or more
- January 1, 2026: $400,000 or more
- January 1, 2027: all policies, regardless of value
Condo unit-owner policies, tenant policies, and policies that exclude wind are not included. If you’re buying and expect to insure with Citizens, budget for flood coverage from day one. Details are on Citizens’ flood page.
Florida’s flood disclosure for home sales
Florida sellers of residential property must give buyers a flood disclosure at or before the time the contract is signed. Since October 1, 2025, it covers:
- Whether they’ve filed a flood insurance claim on the property
- Whether they’ve received assistance, such as from FEMA, to repair flood damage
- Whether they know of flooding that damaged the property while they owned it
Read the disclosure carefully, and ask follow-up questions about anything marked “yes.”
Before you buy: a flood checklist
- Look up the flood zone before you make an offer.
- Ask the seller for the elevation certificate and the flood disclosure.
- Get a flood insurance quote during your inspection period, not after.
- Add flood insurance to your monthly budget, even if it’s optional.
- Check the home’s hurricane evacuation zone too. It reflects storm surge risk, which flood maps don’t fully show.
- If you’ll insure with Citizens, plan for its flood requirement.
If you’re selling
Fill out the flood disclosure honestly and completely. Having an elevation certificate and your flood insurance details ready helps buyers get a quote quickly, which can keep your sale on track. Ask your insurance agent whether your flood policy can transfer to the buyer.
Looking at a home and not sure about the flood risk?
Send me the address. I’ll help you look up the flood zone, ask the right questions, and get insurance quotes lined up before you’re committed.
Have a question about your situation?
Let’s talk it through. No pressure, just clear answers.
Keep reading
Sources: Hillsborough County flood maps · National Flood Insurance Program (FloodSmart) · Citizens Property Insurance · Florida Realtors on the expanded flood disclosure
Equal Housing Opportunity. This handbook offers general information, not insurance or legal advice. Please review your coverage with a licensed insurance agent.