Flood & Hurricane Resource

Check Your Flood Zone & Evacuation Zone

The official, address-based lookups for your flood zone and your hurricane evacuation zone on Florida's Gulf Coast. Flood zones come from FEMA's flood insurance rate maps; evacuation zones come from storm-surge mapping. They are not the same thing, and both matter before you buy, rent, or insure a home.

Check Your Flood Zone Check Your Evacuation Zone

What we do and don't do here

We do not run a flood-zone estimator, and we will never state a zone for an address on this site. Only the official lookups below can answer "what zone is my address?": you enter your address into FEMA or Sarasota County's system and read the result from the authority.

Why? Zones change after storms, remapping, and ordinance updates. The official maps are the only current, legally meaningful source.

Check Your Flood Zone

Official lookup

Your flood zone is set by FEMA's flood insurance rate map (FIRM). Enter your address into an official lookup to see the zone FEMA has mapped for your property: whether it sits in a Special Flood Hazard Area (such as Zone AE or coastal VE), a moderate-to-low-risk Zone X, or an undetermined Zone D. That zone drives whether flood insurance is required for a federally backed mortgage and what coverage is wise.

FEMA Flood Map Service Center

The official address-based flood map lookup. Enter your property's address to see the flood insurance rate map (FIRM) zone FEMA has mapped for it.

Open FEMA address search

Sarasota County Flood Map Information

The City of Sarasota's flood map information page, with links to the official flood insurance rate maps and local flood information.

Open Sarasota County flood maps

Sarasota County Flood Maps

Official Sarasota County flood map portal: FEMA flood insurance rate maps affecting Sarasota County (effective March 27, 2024) and local flood zone information.

Open Sarasota County flood maps

Official sources only. We never proxy, guess, or estimate your zone for you.

Check Your Evacuation Zone

Official lookup

Your hurricane evacuation zone (A through E in Sarasota County) is set by storm-surge risk, not by the flood map. It tells you when and whether your area is directed to evacuate for any given storm. Check your evacuation level at Sarasota County's official prepared page before hurricane season, and again when a storm approaches, levels can be re-assessed as forecasts change.

Sarasota County “Be Prepared” Official evacuation zone lookup and hurricane preparedness information at scgov.net/BePrepared.

Know the difference

Flood Zone vs Evacuation Zone: What’s the Difference?

They sound similar and both have “zone” in the name, but flood zones and evacuation zones are very different classifications. One is about insurance risk, the other is about surge evacuation. A home can be low flood risk and still sit in an evacuation zone near the coast, or sit inland in a flood-prone drainage area and never be in an evacuation zone.

Flood Zone (FEMA flood insurance rate map)

A flood zone describes your property's flood risk for insurance and lending. It comes from FEMA's FIRM, the flood insurance rate map. High-risk zones such as AE or coastal VE sit in the Special Flood Hazard Area and generally require flood insurance with a federally backed mortgage; Zone X is moderate to low risk; Zone D is undetermined. Neither you nor we decide this, the map does.

Evacuation Zone (hurricane storm surge)

An evacuation zone (A through E in Sarasota County) is set by storm-surge risk, not by floodplain mapping. It tells when and whether your neighborhood is told to evacuate for a given storm. Being low flood risk does not mean you are safe from surge, so check both maps, know your exact zone, and follow local evacuation orders when they come.

A one-line summary

Flood zone on the FEMA map tells you about inundation risk and flood insurance. Evacuation zone tells you about storm surge and whether to evacuate. They are two different maps, both official, and you should know both for your address.

Related Gulf Coast resources

Hurricane & Flood Preparedness Evacuation, shutters, insurance and supply checklists. Understanding Florida Insurance Flood insurance, wind coverage and how insurance shapes a home purchase. Cost of Living Comparisons Housing, insurance premiums and everyday costs by region. Home & Flood Insurance Guide Why Florida policies differ, flood vs wind coverage, deductibles and the records and inspections that matter.

Plan the move

Question about a specific property's flood or evac status?

We can't state a zone for anyone, but Michael routinely walks buyers through reading the official maps, the insurance picture, and what each zone means for a home purchase. Send your question and he will get back to you.

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