Flood Information

The Flood Hazard

The City of Niceville is subject to floods, coastal flooding, storm surges and flash flooding, in all seasons of the year. Homes in the City located in a high flood risk area are subject to a 1% annual chance flood event and they have 26% chance of flooding during a 30 year period.

Federal regulations mandate these home be covered by flood insurance. To learn more about the flood hazards in our area or to see if your home is in the regulated floodplain, please contact the City of Niceville administration office at 850-279-6436, extension 1001 or by email Administration.

Flood Safety

Avoid walking or driving through flood waters
Just six inches of moving water can knock you down, and two feet of water can sweep your vehicle away.
If there is a chance of flash flooding, move immediately to higher ground. Flash floods are the Number 1 cause of weather-related deaths in the U.S.
If floodwaters rise around your car but the water is not moving, abandon the car and move to higher ground. Do not leave the car and enter moving water.
Avoid camping or parking along streams, rivers, and creeks during heavy rainfall. These areas can flood quickly and with little warning.
Visit this site to see what the cost of a flood would be to your property, The Cost of Flooding.
A Guide to Flood Mitigation (PDF)
CRS NFIP Information (PDF)
Flood Safety (PDF)

National Flood Insurance Program

The Niceville Public Library maintains a rack specifically for documents related to flood insurance, flood protection, and floodplain management as a service to our citizens. Also included are Niceville’s Flood Insurance Maps, Floodway Map, and a guidebook explaining their use. Feel free to visit this display on your next visit to the Library. If there are any additional documents you would like to see as part of this display, contact the Administration Office at (850) 279-6436 Ext.1001

Flood Insurance Rate Map Determinations

The City of Niceville is a participant in the regular program of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and its Community Rating System. The city provides map determinations and Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) data to inquirers and provides information on the flood insurance purchase requirement as a service to its citizens.

City Staff assists citizens by reading the FIRM in response to telephone calls; helping a person who walks in to read the FIRM; and by completing forms and providing other pertinent information. Niceville’s Community Number is 120338, the date of our current FIRM index is December 6, 2002, and the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 is the elevation datum used on our FIRM.

The FIRM is available for review at the Building Department, City Hall Administration, and the Library. We also provide the following information: Whether the property is located in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), what the FIRM zone designation is, the base flood elevation, and the FIRM panel number and suffix. Also, elevation and flood-proofing certificates dating back to October, 1992, are available for review at the Building Department.

Florida Department of Emergency Management (FDEM) flood maps along with elevation certificates.

FEMA Elevation Certificate(with instructions and building diagrams)

Elevation Certificates

FEMA Map Service Center link to DFIRMS

Northwest Florida Water Management District Flood Information Portal

FEMA/SERT News Release on flooding damage

Coastal Construction Manual (Fema P-55)

Above the Flood (Fema-347)

Answers to questions about the NFIP (Fema F-084)

Elevated Residential Structures (FEMA 54)

Protecting Manufactures Homes from Floods and Other Hazards (FEMA P-85)

Mitigation of Flood and Erosion Damage to Residential Buildings in Coastal Areas, FEMA-257 (1994)