This page is a resource for coastal flood hazard information pertinent to FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), specifically technical modeling and mapping applications. This page is intended for mapping professionals and contractors serving coastal areas.
Coastal Flood Hazard Guidance Documents and Forms
The Coastal Flood Risk Study Process page provides a brief introduction to some of the main modeling and mapping theoretical components associated with a FEMA coastal flood hazard analysis. These components should be considered when developing coastal map revision requests in order for the requester to submit a complete request including the provision of MT-2 Forms. More detailed information is provided in FEMA’s guidance documents.
Guidance for conducting coastal flood hazard analysis and mapping was originally housed in three separate documents organized by geography:
- Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico Coastal Guidelines Update (2007)
- Final Draft Guidelines for Coastal Flood Hazard Analysis and Mapping for the Pacific Coast of the United States (2005)
- Great Lakes Coastal Guidelines Update (2014)
As a part of FEMA’s larger guidance transformation effort, the three geographically organized coastal guidance volumes are being parsed out by topic and guidance for the three coastal geographies are being combined. The table below summarizes the topics that have been transformed. Transformed guidance content supersedes content in the original three volumes; however, the three volumes have not been transformed in their entirety yet and are therefore still relevant for the non-transformed sections.
All documents listed below can be found on the FEMA Guidance page.
Topics that Have Been Transformed | |
Topic | Guidance Document Title |
General Coastal Considerations | Guidance: Coastal General Study Considerations (May 2014) |
Study Documentation | Guidance: Coastal Study Documentation and Intermediate Data Submittals (May 2014) |
Coastal Barrier Resources System | Guidance: Coastal Barrier Resources Systems (CBRS) Mapping on FEMA FIRMs (May 2014) |
Coastal Flood Risk Datasets | Guidance: Coastal-Specific Non-Regulatory Datasets (May 2014) |
Data Capture | Guidance: Coastal Data Capture (May 2014) |
Combined Coastal and Riverine Floodplain (NEW) | Guidance: Combined Coastal and Riverine Floodplain (May 2015) |
| Erosion | Guidance: Erosion (Nov 2015) |
| Overland Wave Propagation | Guidance: Overland Wave Propagation (Nov 2015) |
| Coastal Structures | Guidance: Coastal Structures (Nov 2015) |
| Wave Setup | Guidance: Coastal Wave Setup (Nov 2015) |
| Floodplain Mapping | Guidance: Coastal Floodplain Mapping (Nov 2015) |
Coastal Guidance by Geographic Location | |
East and Gulf Coasts | Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico Coastal Guidelines Update (Feb 2007) |
Pacific Coast | Guidelines for Coastal Flood Hazard Analysis and Mapping for the Pacific Coast of the United States (Jan 2005) |
Great Lakes | Guidance: Great Lakes Coastal Guidelines Update (Jan 2014) |
Other Coastal Guidance Documents | |
| |
FEMA Coastal Models and Software
FEMA has developed several programs to support coastal flood hazard analysis including the Coastal Hazard Analysis Modeling Program (CHAMP), RUNUP, and Wave Height Analysis for Flood Insurance Studies (WHAFIS).
For More Information
For more information or additional assistance:
- Contact a Map Specialist at the FEMA Map Information eXchange (FMIX) toll free, at 1-877-FEMA MAP (1-877-336-2627).
- Please register to receive updates on FEMA Flood Hazard Mapping activities, including updates on levee-related activities, via e-mail.