Story County (unincorporated) participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which makes federally-backed flood insurance available for all eligible buildings, whether they are in a floodplain or not.
The NFIP insures commercial and residential buildings, including mobile homes, with two types of coverage: buildings and contents. Building coverage is for the walls, floors, insulation, furnace, and other items permanently attached to the structure. Contents coverage may be purchased separately, if the contents are in an insurable building.
The official site of the National Flood Insurance Program
Flood insurance is available to anyone in unincorporated Story County. Most homeowner's insurance policies do not cover flood. And a flood occurs whenever surface water gets into your home or business, regardless of the source. Even if you're miles away from the nearest creek, if surface water gets into your home or business and causes damage, that is "flood damage".
Loans, Assistance and Federally-Mandated Flood Insurance
Since 1973, flood insurance has been mandatory for federally-backed mortgages on building that are located in the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). The SFHA is the 1% flood hazard area illustrated with an "A" on Story County's Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM).
How it Works?
When you have a federally-insured mortgage (or applying to get one), the lender is required to complete a Standard Flood Hazard Determination (SFHD) form. If that determination finds a building located in the SFHA, the lender is obligated, by law, to require that the building be insured against flood.
Federal regulations require that the coverage be equal to the amount for the loan for the structure, or the maximum amount of insurance available from NFIP (whichever is less). Some lenders may require flood insurance coverage equal to the value of the structure - not just the loan amount.
The Story County Flood Insurance Study was updated by FEMA and adopted by the Story County Board of Supervisors in January 2021. The study includes two volumes linked below:
Volume 1
Volume 2
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