National Flood Insurance Program

Community Rating System

A Local Official’s Guide to

Saving Lives

Preventing Property Damage

Reducing the Cost of Flood Insurance

FEMA B-573 / May 2015
How the Community 

Rating System 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 policies do 

not cover flood losses. So, to meet 

the need for this vital coverage, the 

Federal Emergency Management 

Agency (FEMA) administers the 

National Flood Insurance Program 

(NFIP). 

The NFIP offers reasonably priced 

flood insurance in communities that 

comply with minimum standards for 

floodplain management.

The NFIP’s Community Rating 

System (CRS) recognizes 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.

CRS discounts on flood insurance 

premiums range from 5% up to 

45%. Those discounts provide an 

incentive for new flood protection 

activities that can help save lives and 

property in the event of a flood.

To participate in the CRS, your 

community can choose to undertake some or all of the 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 an application documenting 

the 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 

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. 

For example, if your community 

earns 4,500 points or more, it qualifies for Class 1, and property owners 

in the floodplain get a 45% discount.

If your community earns as little as 

500 points, it’s in Class 9, and property owners in the floodplain 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 

of points required for each class 

and the corresponding discount.

Table 1:

How much discount property owners in your community can get

Discount

Rate Class SFHA* 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% 3,000 – 3,499

5 25% 10% 2,500 – 2,999

6 20% 10% 2,000 – 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 Public Information Maximum Average

300 Points* 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 that insurance agents need for accurate flood 

insurance rating.

310 Elevation Certificates 116 46

•	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 90 63

•	Provide Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) information to people who inquire, and publicize this service.

330 Outreach Projects 350 63

•	Send information about the flood hazard, flood

insurance, flood protection measures, and/or the 

natural and beneficial functions of floodplains to 

flood-prone residents or all residents of a community.

340 Hazard Disclosure 80 14

•	Real estate agents advise potential purchasers

of flood-prone property about the flood hazard.

•	Regulations require notice of the hazard.

350 Flood Protection Information 125 33

•	The public library and/or community’s website 

maintains references on flood insurance and 

flood protection.

360 Flood Protection Assistance 110 49

•	Give inquiring property owners technical advice on

how to protect their buildings from flooding, and 

publicize this service.

370 Flood Insurance Promotion 110 0

Series 300 Total 981 268

*Maximum and average points are subject to change. See the current CRS Coordinator’s Manual

for the latest information.
Series Mapping and Regulations Maximum Average

400 Points* Points*

This series credits programs that provide increased 

protection to new development.

410 Floodplain Mapping 802 65

•	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.

420 Open Space Preservation 2,020 474

•	Guarantee that currently vacant floodplain parcels

will be kept free from development.

430 Higher Regulatory Standards 2,042 214

•	Require freeboard.

•	Require soil tests or engineered foundations.

•	Require compensatory storage.

•	Zone the floodplain for minimum lot sizes of

1 acre or larger.

•	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).

440 Flood Data Maintenance 222 54

•	Keep flood and property data on computer records.

•	Use better base maps.

•	Maintain elevation reference marks.

450 Stormwater Management 755 119

•	Regulate new development throughout the watershed to ensure that post-development runoff is no 

worse than pre-development runoff.

•	Regulate new construction to minimize soil erosion

and protect or improve water quality.

Series 400 Total 5,841 926
Series Flood Damage Reduction Maximum Average

500 Points* Points*

This series credits programs that reduce the flood 

risk to existing development.

510 Floodplain Management Planning 622 123

•	Prepare, adopt, implement, and update a comprehensive flood hazard mitigation plan using a 

standard planning process.

(This is a minimum requirement for all repetitive 

loss communities.)

520 Acquisition and Relocation 1,900 136

•	Acquire and/or relocate flood-prone buildings so

that they are out of the floodplain.

530 Flood Protection 1,600 136

(Protection of existing floodplain development by 

floodproofing, elevation, or minor structural projects.)

540 Drainage System Maintenance 570 214

•	Conduct periodic inspections of all channels and

retention basins, and remove debris as needed.

Series 500 Total 4,692 609
Series Flood Preparedness Maximum Average

600 Points* Points*

This series credits flood warning, levee safety, 

and dam safety projects.

610 Flood Warning and Response 395 144

•	Provide early flood warnings to the public, and have

a detailed flood response plan keyed to flood crest 

predictions.

620 Levee Safety 235 0

•	Maintain existing levees not otherwise credited in

the flood insurance rating system that provide some 

flood protection.

630 Dam Safety 160 0

(Communities in a state with an approved dam 

safety program that have at least one building subject 

to inundation from the failure of a high-hazardpotential dam receive some credit.)

Series 600 Total 790 144

All Series Total 12,304 1,947
Extra Credit

Your community can get extra credit 

for regulating development outside 

the SFHA to the same standards as

development inside the SFHA. Also,

if your community faces growth 

pressures, the mapping and regulation activities in Series 400 receive 

extra credit. See the CRS Coordinator’s 

Manual for full details.

Many communities can qualify for 

what the CRS calls “uniform minimum credit,” based on the activities 

a state or regional agency implements on behalf of its communities. 

For example, some states have disclosure laws eligible for credit under 

Activity 340, Hazard Disclosure.

Any community in those states can 

receive the uniform minimum credit.

Your community 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 should 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 (that is, your mayor, city 

manager, or other top official) must 

appoint a CRS coordinator to handle 

the application work and 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.

The first step in the application 

process is to get a copy of the CRS 

Application, which contains all the 

instructions and procedures you 

need for preparing and submitting 

your community’s initial application 

for a CRS classification. The CRS 

Application includes easy-to-follow 

worksheets that provide credits 

for applicable activities. The CRS 

Application also identifies the documentation you must submit to support the credits you are requesting.

You may also want to order 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. 

Your designated CRS coordinator 

should fill out and submit your 

application. Help is also available

through the contact information 

below. The CRS will verify the information and arrange for flood insurance premium discounts.

To order CRS publications at no 

charge, fax the order form on the 

following page to 201-748-1936, 

or mail to the address below. You 

can also e-mail your request to 

nfipcrs@iso.com. Both the CRS 

Application and the CRS Coordinator’s 

Manual are also available at FEMA’s 

CRS Resource Center website — 

www.training.fema.gov/emiweb/crs. 

For more info, write, phone, or fax: 

NFIP/CRS

P.O. Box 501016

Indianapolis, IN 46250-1016

Telephone: 317-848-2898

Fax: 201-748-1936

E-mail: nfipcrs@iso.com
Order Form

Fax to: 201-748-1936Please send me these CRS publications:

No. of Copies	 Document

CRS Coordinator’s ManualCRS Application

Name PhoneTitleStreetCity	 State	 ZIPCommunity Name NFIP Number(if applicable) (if applicable)

z15131 (5/15)