You may know this as the 100-year flood level, or the level a flood reaches only once every hundred years. Only properties with a 1 percent chance or higher of flood each year are at base flood elevations. Learn how to read a flood insurance rate map and determine your property's base flood elevation.
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Go to FEMA's website (fema.gov) and click "Disaster & Maps" at the top of the page.
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Click "Maps" at the top-left of the screen, then select "Flood Maps" toward the top of the screen.
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Select "Flood Insurance Rate Maps," then "Find a FIRM."
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Enter a property's address at the top-left of the screen, then click "Search by Street Address."
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Select "View" in the results screen. The map usually takes a few minutes to load.
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Click on the map in the vicinity of your property to zoom in. Your property has a base flood elevation if it is in an area shaded green.
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Note the letters that indicate the zone where your property lies, then read the legend on the right side of your flood map to find your base flood elevation.