Know Your Flood Hazard

Flooding can happen almost anytime and anywhere. It’s important for residents to know their flood risk so they can protect themselves and their property. Henrico County is constantly collecting information to determine where flooding is likely to happen in our community.

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Where Might Flooding Occur?

There are two types of floodplains in Henrico County—those identified by FEMA and County-identified floodplains. On April 25, 2024, updated FEMA Flood Maps became effective for flood insurance and regulatory purposes. You can learn more about these maps by visiting the FEMA Map Update Webpages.

Henrico County went through a process in 2007 to identify additional floodplains, above and beyond FEMA, in order to better protect County residents. You can learn more about flood hazard areas by viewing Henrico County’s floodplain maps. Henrico County’s current floodplain maps became effective on December 18, 2007. These can be found on the county’s Flood Zone Map Viewer. This includes both the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) and the County-identified floodplains. The FEMA FIRMs are used by lenders to determine flood insurance requirements on properties and can also be found in the FEMA Map Service Center.

Using the Flood Zone Map Viewer

  1. Open the Flood Zone map in your internet browser.
  2. Access the legend. In the top right corner, click the button with three horizontal lines. The legend will show you what the different symbols on the map indicate. Henrico County special flood hazard areas and FEMA special flood hazard areas are shown as shaded areas.
  3. Turn layers on or off. By default, the map will show Dam Points and Henrico Flood Zone and Dam Safety Information, but additional layers can be turned on. In the top right corner, click the button that looks like three squares stacked on one another. In this panel you can check and uncheck boxes to turn layers on or off.
  4. Find your property. If you would like to learn where your property is located relative to a flood zone, you can search your address or parcel number in the top left corner. If your property is in one of the colored shaded areas, you may have an increased flood risk.
  5. Explore more. What routes do you typically travel in the county? Make yourself aware of potential flood hazards on county roads and consider alternate routes during rain events.

Real-Time Gage Information

Henrico County partners with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to monitor rainfall and water levels countywide, including precipitation and water level gages at every county-owned dam. This gage network helps the County manage water levels and keep an eye on potential flooding with real-time stream gage information. The USGS also has current water data available for Virginia.

Changes to Floodplain Boundaries

Floodplain boundaries may be modified based on new data or development changes through a Letter of Map Change (LOMC). A LOMC is (1) an official FEMA letter that amends or revises an effective Flood Insurance Rate Map or Flood Insurance Study or (2) an official county letter that amends or revises the most recent County Comprehensive Drainage Map.

FEMA’s LOMC process must be used to revise the FEMA floodplains in Henrico County, and FEMA’s process includes Letters of Map Revision (LOMR) and Letters of Map Amendment (LOMA). LOMRs change the boundaries displayed on the map and require engineered flood studies to support the request. LOMAs can remove individual structures or lots on naturally occurring high ground from the floodplain without changing the map boundaries.

Henrico County’s LOMC process must be used to revise the Community floodplains in Henrico County, and this process includes LOMRs that change the boundaries displayed on the map. This process requires engineered flood studies to support the request and must be approved by the County Engineer. This process is outlined in the Floodplain Technical Guidance Manual.