What does flood insurance cover?

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What counts as a flood?

Under the NFIP, a flood is water covering two or more acres of land that is normally dry, or two or more properties, and one of them is yours. The water has to come from rivers or the sea overflowing, from rain or surface water building up fast, or from mudflow.

Storm surge counts. See does flood insurance cover storm surge.

Water that gets only into your home is not a flood under the NFIP. A burst pipe is not a flood. Rain coming in through the roof is not a flood either. Wind damage belongs to your homeowners or windstorm policy.

Some private flood policies count a flood that hits only your home. See how private flood and the NFIP differ.

Most homeowners policies do not cover flood. See how homeowners insurance and flood insurance differ.

So what does it pay for? Start with the building.

What does building coverage pay for?

Building coverage pays to repair the home itself, up to $250,000 on an NFIP policy. That includes:

• the walls, floors and foundation,
• the electrical and plumbing systems,
• the furnace and water heater,
• a refrigerator, which counts as part of the building,
• carpet put down over an unfinished floor,
• removing flood debris from your property.

A detached garage is covered for up to 10% of the home's building limit. That money comes out of the home's limit, not on top of it. The garage is not covered if someone lives in it or it is used for a business or a farm. A shed or pool house is not on the home's policy. It needs its own policy.

Rebuilding to code. If your county or city floodplain office says your flooded home is substantially damaged and must be raised, moved or torn down, the policy has up to $30,000 more to help. This is called Increased Cost of Compliance. It is on top of the building payment, but the two together cannot pass the most the law allows for the home.

Mobile homes. The NFIP covers a mobile (manufactured) home on a permanent foundation. In a high-risk zone it must also be anchored. See mobile home flood insurance.

And your things? Here is what contents coverage pays.

What does contents coverage pay for?

Contents coverage pays for your belongings, up to $100,000 on an NFIP policy. Think furniture, clothes and electronics, plus:

• a clothes washer and dryer,
• a freezer and the food in it,
• a portable or window air conditioner,
• a portable microwave or dishwasher,
• carpet over a finished floor.

Contents is paid at actual cash value. That means what your things are worth today, after age and wear, not the cost of new ones.

Art, collectibles, jewelry, watches, furs and business property share one cap: $2,500 in total for each loss, not for each item.

Building and contents each have their own deductible.

Renting? A landlord's policy covers the building, not your things. A renter can buy an NFIP contents-only policy for up to $100,000.

What about the basement? The rules are strict there.

Does flood insurance cover a basement?

Only a short list of things. A basement is any area with its floor below ground level on all sides. In a basement, in any flood zone, the NFIP building coverage pays only for:

• the furnace, water heater, central air conditioner and heat pump,
• electrical boxes, outlets and switches,
• sump pumps, fuel tanks and the fuel in them, and well water tanks and pumps,
• water softeners and water filters,
• stairs attached to the building,
• drywall that is not taped or finished, and insulation that will not burn,
• the foundation, and clean-up.

Contents coverage there pays only for a washer and dryer, a freezer and the food in it, and a portable or window air conditioner.

Each item must be installed where it is used and, if it needs power, hooked up. Finished walls, finished floors, furniture and everything else kept in a basement are not covered.

Under a raised home. The same short list applies to an enclosed area below the lowest raised floor of a home that is built up on posts, piers, pilings or walls, when the home was built after the area's first flood map and sits in Zones A1-A30, AE, AH, AR, V1-V30 or VE.

What is not covered at all? Here is the list.

What does flood insurance not cover?

An NFIP policy does not pay for:

• Living costs. A hotel, rent or meals while the home is fixed. It does not pay for losing the use of your home or for lost business income either.
• Cars. Flood insurance does not cover cars or other self-propelled vehicles. A machine that is not licensed for the road can be covered while it is inside the building, if it is used mainly to care for the property or is made to help a person with a disability.
• Homes over water. A building that sits entirely in, on or over water, or seaward of the mean high tide line, is not covered if it was built or greatly improved after September 30, 1982. Open structures, such as a boathouse, are not covered either, and neither are belongings kept in, on or over water.
• Coastal barrier areas. Property that federal law bars from flood insurance, under the Coastal Barrier Resources Act, cannot be insured by the NFIP. In Walton County, the county says all residents can buy NFIP flood insurance, with some exceptions within Coastal Barrier Resource Areas.
• Boats. Watercraft and their equipment are not covered.
• Money and papers. Cash, coins, stamps, deeds, stocks and other valuable papers are not covered.
• Things left outside. Belongings not inside a building are not covered.
• The land. Land, lawns, trees, shrubs and plants are not covered.
• Pools and hot tubs. Swimming pools, their equipment, and hot tubs that are not bathroom fixtures are not covered.
• Outdoor structures. Fences, retaining walls, seawalls, bulkheads, docks and piers are not covered.
• Decks and patios. Decks, patios, walks and driveways outside the home are not covered. Steps and a landing up to 16 square feet are.
• Wells and septic systems. Underground structures and equipment, including wells and septic systems, are not covered.
• Earth movement. A sinkhole, landslide or gradual erosion is not covered, even if a flood caused it. Mudflow is covered, and so is land along a shore that caves in from flood waves.
• Rain and wind. Rain through the roof and wind damage are not flood.
• Fire, theft and explosion. These are not flood losses, so flood insurance does not pay for them.
• Power failure. Damage from a power, heating or cooling failure is not covered, unless flood water damaged that equipment at your home.
• Building law costs. The cost to meet a local building law is not covered by the building limit. After big flood damage, Increased Cost of Compliance coverage can pay toward it.
• Ice and freezing. Damage from the weight of ice, or from freezing and thawing, is not covered.
• Some mold. Mold from a flood can be covered. Mold is not covered if it comes from a leak inside the home, or if the home was not dried out and cared for after the water went down.
• Most drain backups. A backed-up drain or sump is covered only when a flood in the area caused it.
• A flood already under way. A flood that started on or before the day you applied and paid is not covered. If the policy started at a loan closing, a flood that started before then is not covered.

Is the NFIP limit enough for your home? Here is how to tell.

Is $250,000 enough?

For many homes it is. For some it is not. Building coverage on an NFIP policy can never be more than what it would cost to rebuild the home, or $250,000, whichever is less.

The NFIP pays to rebuild the home at today's cost only when both are true:

1. It is your main home, and
2. It is insured for at least 80% of what it would cost to rebuild, or for the NFIP maximum.

If either one fails, the NFIP pays what the damaged part was worth, after age and wear.

What your lender needs. The law asks for at least the smaller of what you owe on the loan or the NFIP maximum for the building. Your lender may ask for more. See how much coverage a lender requires.

Higher-value homes. If rebuilding would cost more than $250,000, some private flood policies offer a higher building limit. Some also offer living costs or basement coverage as add-ons. Each policy is different, and a private company decides home by home whether to offer one. Compare private flood and the NFIP.

When does coverage start? Here is the timing.

When does coverage start?

An NFIP policy usually has a 30-day wait. If you buy it as part of getting, refinancing, extending or renewing a mortgage, coverage starts at closing with no wait. Read the 30-day wait rules.

What will it cost for your home? See what sets the price.

What does it cost?

Same flood zone, very different prices. Your zone decides whether your lender requires flood insurance. The NFIP price depends on the home and its spot: how high the first floor sits, what it would cost to rebuild, and how often that spot floods. The coverage and deductible you pick count too. See what goes into a Florida flood insurance price.

Start with your exact address. Check my address to see the FEMA flood zone for that spot. Then a licensed, independent insurance agent can compare NFIP and private options for your home.

After a flood, how do you file? Read the next step.

What does it pay before and after a flood?

Before a storm. When a flood is about to hit, the NFIP pays up to $1,000 for sandbags, pumps, plastic sheeting and similar supplies to protect the home. It also pays up to $1,000 to move your things to a safer place, and they stay covered there for 45 days. Neither raises your limits.

After a flood. Report it fast, take photos before you clean up, and watch the deadlines. Read the flood claim steps.

Questions Florida homeowners ask about what flood insurance covers

What does flood insurance not cover?

An NFIP policy does not pay for a hotel or other living costs, cars, money and papers, things kept outside, land and plants, pools, fences, seawalls and docks, decks and patios outside the home, wells and septic systems, or damage from sinkholes, rain, wind or fire. See the full list.

Does flood insurance cover my basement?

Only a short list of things. In a basement, an NFIP policy pays for items like the furnace, water heater, electrical box, sump pump, unfinished drywall and the foundation, plus a washer, dryer and freezer. Finished walls, finished floors and furniture there are not covered.

Does flood insurance cover mold?

Mold from a flood can be covered. Mold is not covered if it comes from a leak inside the home, or if the home was not dried out and cared for after the water went down.

Does flood insurance pay for a hotel?

Not an NFIP policy. It does not pay for a hotel, rent or meals while the home is fixed. Some private flood policies offer living costs as an add-on.

Does flood insurance cover my car?

No. Flood insurance does not cover cars or other self-propelled vehicles.

Does flood insurance cover a sewer backup?

A backed-up drain is covered only when a flood in the area caused it.

Does it cover my detached garage or shed?

A detached garage is covered for up to 10% of the home's building limit, and that money comes out of the home's limit. A shed or pool house is not on the home's policy. It needs its own policy.

Is contents coverage included?

No. Contents is a separate coverage, up to $100,000 on an NFIP policy. Ask for it, or you do not have it.

Is $250,000 enough?

It depends on what it would cost to rebuild your home. NFIP building coverage cannot be more than the rebuild cost or $250,000, whichever is less. If rebuilding would cost more, some private flood policies offer a higher building limit.

Facts last checked November 13, 2026. Every figure comes from the federal or state source listed above.