Flooding
Dam Safety
The dams in our community are safe and well maintained, but if you live downstream of a dam, it's important to know what to do in an emergency.
Flood Control & Safety
The County has taken steps to help protect people and property against flooding and detect flooding conditions along major waterways.
Flood Risk Mapping
Do you know your flood risk? Check Elevation Certificates, Flood Insurance Risk Maps, Dam Inundation Areas and more.
Protect your Investment
Just one inch of water in your home can cause $25,000 in damage! Protect your family and property against flooding with a flood insurance policy.Floodplain Information
The Repetitive Flood Loss Area Analysis for Prince William County looks at the properties in low-lying areas along inland waterways, as well as the coastal area along the Potomac River. Mitigation - or actions taken to reduce risk - to address these repetitive loss properties will ultimately be instrumental in reducing the overall costs to individual homeowners as well as the National Flood Insurance Program.
The Department of Public Works Environmental Services Division maintains a list of elevation certificates for new and substantially improved buildings. Copies of elevation certificates can be accessed online and are also displayed in the interactive floodplain viewer.
We have made Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) interactive for Prince William County in our interactive floodplain viewer. You may also print a PDF of your specific FIRM.
Purchase Flood Insurance. Homeowners and business multi-peril insurance policies do not cover losses from floods. Flood insurance policies must be purchased as a separate policy. Properties in Flood Zone A, AE, and VE are required to carry flood insurance if they have a federally backed mortgage. For properties in Flood Zone X, it is highly recommended to carry flood insurance as floods do not respect Zone X boundaries. Following the purchase of flood insurance, NFIP imposes a 30-day waiting period, so residents should purchase insurance before the onset of the rainy season to ensure coverage during the flooding season.
More information is available on topics from flood insurance advice, to property protection, the hazard mitigation plan, flood safety. Emergency Preparedness information and links to real-time stream gauges for waterways that may impact our area are available below. These stream gauge links display hydrographs that list the minor, moderate, and major flood levels for each waterway; the "Flood Impacts & Photos" section of each page provides a list of areas or landmarks that are expected to flood at each stage.