To arrive at an accurate flood premium requires that you know certain facts.  The easiest way is to use the FEMA website to find the current zone.  It will also provide you with the Community name that you must have. Click here.  Type in the property address. The Community name (remember it) will appear along with the current map date.  Then click on the green button.   Find your current flood zone.  The darker shades are the A and V zones, the lighter shades are B, C and X zones. 

Once you know the Zone and Community name then you need to know if that Community has a CRS credit.
For those communities in Louisiana, go to Louisiana CRS page. The third column is the CRS date.  The fourth column is the discount percentage for A, AE, A1-30,  the fifth column is for B, C, X, A99 and AR zones.

For communities not in Louisiana, go to the FEMA CRS page.  Scroll down near the bottom till you find Communities and their classes and click on it.  It will show a list of the states.  Under your state look for the Community Name.  If the Community name is not listed, then your community does not get any discount off their flood premiums! 

Column four is the actual discount percentage credit that applies to AE and A1-30 zones.

Column five is for B, C and X zones. 

Next, go to FEMA's Community Status Book. Find your state, click on it, then look for the community name that was found above.  The date to the right is the date that community entered the NFIP. Be sure that it says R after the date for the Regular program.  These dates help to determine whether the building was built before or after the Community entered the Flood program.  I am told that this date applies 99.9 percent of the time.

We have two important terms you need to understand. The term FIRM stands for Flood Insurance Rate Map

Pre-Firm Building means a building for which construction or substantial improvement occurred on or before December 31, 1974 or before the effective date of an initial Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). (Date found in the Community Status Book)

Post-Firm Building means a building for which construction or substantial improvement occurred after December 31, 1974 or on or after the effective date of an initial Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM), whichever is later.

Residential means 1-4 families.  Other Residential means 5 or more family units and Non-Residential is Commercial

All of the rates provided are in the Regular Program and are for the most common building types.  There are other building types like those with basements or more than one full floor above ground level.

By checking the info on the worksheet, you can then choose one of the following:

If the Zone is AE, A1-30, AO, AH or A and  is Pre-Firm, go to Residential,  Non-Residential or Other Residential.

If the Zone is AE & A1-30 and  is Post-Firm, go to Residential ,  Non-Residential  or Other Residential

If the Zone is currently B, C or X  and is Pre-Firm or Post-Firm, go to Residential Preferred Policy Rates or Non-Residential Preferred Policy Rates. No construction date needed for these zones.

If the zone is A99 Pre-Firm go to Residential, Non-Residential or Other Residential.

If the zone is A99 Post-Firm go to Residential, Non-Residential or Other Residential.