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1. Learn about this resource. 

Homeowners can get a free resilience assessment and free counseling on actions to protect their home from flooding. We—the DC Government—will hire a professional to come to your home for a free flood resilience assessment and help identify the best solutions for your flooding concerns to reduce flood risk in your home. We will provide you with a home resiliency report detailing these recommendations and a free Elevation Certificate that can possibly be used to reduce flood insurance premiums.

 

This program is called FloodSmart Homes and is offered by the District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE). Homeowners who participate in the FloodSmart Homes program will receive:
 

• Free home resilience assessment and report

• Free counseling on resilience upgrades and flood prevention​

• Free Elevation Certificate completed by a licensed surveyor​

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2. Check if you are eligible.

Our goal is to serve all homeowners with flood risk who indicate interest in the program. Homes that are in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), also known as the 100-year floodplain, will be served first as they are at the highest risk during a flood. Following this, homes in the 500-year floodplain will be served, then all other homes who indicate interest and have documented flood risk.

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You can see if your home is in a floodplain by doing one of the following: ​

• Visit the DC Flood Risk Portal website and locate your home:

  • Enter your address in the top right corner of the page. 

  • When the map zooms to your location, click on the Legend dropdown and note whether your home is located within the “1% Annual Chance Flood Hazard”, "0.2% Annual Chance Flood Hazard", or “Regulatory Floodway” zones. 

  • If any part of the outline of your home—even a small corner—overlaps with either of these zones, it means you are most likely in an SFHA.  If the location is not immediately clear, click on your home and note the zone designation in the pop-up box.  If your home is in zones “A,” “AE,” “AH,” or “AO,” it means you are most likely in an SFHA.​​

• Send an email to the Flood Team at flood.risk@dc.gov.