Flood Insurance in Pennsylvania
Flood is excluded from every standard homeowners policy in Pennsylvania — here's how to actually cover it.
The most important thing to know about flood is that your standard homeowners insurance policy does not cover it — not from a swollen creek, not from a hurricane remnant, not from a flash flood. Flood is excluded from standard homeowners forms. In southeastern Pennsylvania that gap is not academic: the remnants of Hurricane Ida in 2021 led to a federal disaster declaration that included Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties, and the Schuylkill and Delaware rivers and creeks such as the Brandywine, Perkiomen, Darby and Neshaminy run through many of the towns we serve.
Flood coverage comes two ways. The federal National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is the baseline, available almost everywhere and required by your lender if your home sits in a FEMA high-risk flood zone. Its limits are capped — $250,000 on the structure and $100,000 on contents — which is fine for many homes and short for higher-value ones. The growing private flood market often beats NFIP on price and limits, especially for homes outside the highest-risk zones. We quote both and show you the comparison.
Two facts surprise homeowners every year. First, you do not have to be in a high-risk zone to flood. A flood map shows mapped risk, not every street that can take water, and a policy outside the high-risk zones can cost less. Second, NFIP policies generally carry a 30-day waiting period before they take effect (44 CFR 61.11), so buying as the forecast turns bad does not work. The time to bind is before the season, not during the warning.
If your home is high-value, pair flood with the right dwelling limit on the home itself — see high-value home insurance. Start a Pennsylvania homeowners quote with your address and we will check your flood zone and quote NFIP against private options.
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Frequently asked questions
Does flood insurance cover a sewer or sump-pump backup?
Only when there is a flood. The NFIP policy excludes water that backs up through sewers or drains, or overflows a sump pump, unless a flood in the area is the direct cause (44 CFR Part 61, Appendix A(1)). For a backup with no flood, you need a water-backup endorsement on your homeowners policy, which usually carries its own sub-limit.
Is my finished basement covered by NFIP flood insurance?
Only partly. In a basement, NFIP coverage is limited to listed items such as furnaces, water heaters, electrical panels and unfinished drywall; finished walls, flooring and most belongings kept there are not covered (44 CFR Part 61, Appendix A(1)). Some private flood policies cover more, so ask us to compare.
Is there any way around the 30-day wait?
In a few cases. Coverage bought in connection with making, increasing, extending or renewing a mortgage loan can start at the loan closing, and a first-time policy bought within 13 months after the community's flood map is revised can start the next day (44 CFR 61.11(a)). Otherwise the 30 days apply, so buy before you need it.
How do I find out my flood zone?
Look up your address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center (msc.fema.gov), or send us the address and we pull it with the quote.