Map Service Center
You are about to enter the FEMA Map Service Center (MSC) website.
- View Digital and Paper Flood Maps
- Purchase Flood Maps
- More information about FEMA's flood maps and flood mapping initiatives
Enter the Map Service Center
Map Service Center e-mail updates
View Digital and Paper Flood Maps
The MSC is the official government distribution center for digital and paper flood hazard mapping products created by FEMA in support of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
Here you can view all current flood maps (Flood Insurance Rate Maps) effective for the entire U.S. and its Territories. You can also create a FIRMette, which is a copy of these maps that will fit on an 8 ½” x 11” sheet of paper. FIRMettes have the same legal status as the normal size maps and can be used for all aspects of the NFIP, including floodplain management, flood insurance, and enforcement of mandatory flood insurance purchase requirements.
In addition to viewing flood maps and creating FIRMettes, the MSC website allows you to view:
- Flood Insurance Study (FIS) reports, and
- Letters of Map Change.
The website also provides help pages that can aid you in:
- creating FIRMettes;
- locating flood maps; or
- finding contact information for other NFIP related resources.
All of this can be done free of charge!
Purchase Flood Maps
In addition, Individuals, businesses and professionals can purchase flood maps and other products in paper format, on CD/DVD, or as a digital download, including:
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FIRMs;
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Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map databases;
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FIS reports;
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Q3 data;
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NFIP Flood Insurance Manual; and
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Community Status Books
(Note: Not all products are available in all media types)
More information about FEMA's flood maps and flood mapping initiatives
FEMA is currently working on updating flood risk identification using state of the art technology and through partnerships with communities, through the Map Modernization initiative. The map products of this effort are called Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs). As is the case with all Flood Insurance Rate Maps, these new DFIRMS are used to calculate the cost of insurance premiums, to establish flood risk zones and base flood elevations to mitigate against potential future flood damages to properties. Insurable buildings located in high-risk areas, called Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs), secured by a Federally backed loans, are required to purchase flood insurance.
Read more about the National Flood Insurance Program, flood hazard mapping, and floodplain management.
Last Modified: Tuesday, 13-May-2008 14:24:51 EDT