Floodplains are areas of land that are inundated by surface water during large storm events. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) regulates floodplains on the “base flood” or sometimes referred to as the 100-year flood. The 100-year flood has a 1% chance of occurring in any given year. A 100-year flood may seem like a rare occurrence, but has a 26% probability of occurring over the life of a 30-year mortgage for a home located within a 100-year flood zone. Floodplains in Shoreline are mapped along the Puget Sound shoreline, Boeing Creek, and Thornton Creek.

Shoreline is a participating community in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), administered by FEMA To participate, the City must adopt and enforce Floodplain Management regulations for development in the community’s floodplains and that meets state and federal standards.

Map and Regulation Changes

After years of study and stakeholder outreach the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) has published new countywide Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) that will become effective August 19, 2020. You can view the new FIRMs below: 

You can learn more about FEMA’s flood map update process here.

To coincide with the map updates, the City of Shoreline is updating its Floodplain Management regulations to meet current standards for participation in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) – enabling Shoreline residents and businesses to continue to purchase flood insurance.

Floodplain Development Checklist

Property owners and developers must complete the Floodplain Development Permit Submittal Checklist when applying for a permit within a FEMA-designated floodplain.

Current Flood Insurance Rate Maps

The current FEMA flood insurance rate maps (FIRMs) affect properties along the Puget Sound shoreline, Boeing Creek, and Thornton Creek. Use the links below view the current maps:

Flood Insurance

Federal flood insurance is required in FEMA-designated flood hazard areas, and also when using federal loans to purchase or build in a FEMA-designated flood hazard area. More information about purchasing flood insurance can be found at FloodSmart.gov.