How Much Is Flood Insurance in Vermont? Average Flood Insurance Cost and Coverage

Flood insurance rates in Vermont depend on where you reside and your risk factors, including your ground elevation, foundation type, construction type and more.

Usually, renters or homeowners insurance doesn’t cover damages caused by natural flooding. Every property is vulnerable to flooding, but you should check your local flood map to see if your household is at risk.

Even if your area is low-risk, flood insurance can prevent unexpected expensive repair costs due to flood-related damage since the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) estimates that an inch of water can cause up to $25,000 in damage.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Cost of Flood Insurance in Vermont
• Flood Insurance Companies in Vermont
• Flood Insurance Coverage
• Flood Insurance Cost Factors in Vermont
• Do You Need Flood Insurance?
• Vermont Flood Insurance FAQs

The average flood insurance cost in Vermont is $1,639 per year. Rates can change depending on your location and the individual property risks that you may have. If you live in a flood-prone area, you may pay more for insurance than someone in a lower-risk location.

Compared to the national average cost for flood insurance, Vermont residents pay roughly $872 more. This is because Vermont may have more high-risk flood zones than other states.

MoneyGeek discovered that Grand Isle County offers the most affordable premiums in the state, at around $811 yearly. Washington County is the most expensive, costing roughly $2,447 annually.

The table below shows how much flood insurance costs in Vermont by county.

Vermont residents can purchase flood insurance from a private provider or the NFIP. Private insurance companies have a standard policy similar to the NFIP coverage or an excess policy. Excess policy supplements your base policy.

Choosing a private insurance provider best suits households that live outside an NFIP community or that need more coverage than an NFIP policy provides.

The NFIP partners with various insurance companies in Vermont that provide flood coverage for homeowners. MoneyGeek made a list of NFIP-participating insurance providers and their contact numbers for your convenience.

Generally, it’s easy to purchase flood insurance in Vermont since there are no special requirements. Contact the NFIP Hotline at 877-336-2627 or your home insurance agent to begin the process.

Since the NFIP has a 30-day waiting period, MoneyGeek recommends buying your flood insurance policy immediately. However, several private insurance companies have a 10-day waiting period. It’s best to reach out to your agent to confirm.

Flood insurance generally covers your building or home against damages, including its contents. Remember that you could face $25,000 in flood damages with just an inch of water.

Standard flood insurance doesn’t cover vehicle flooding, patios, landscaped gardens, pools, basement items or cash.

Building coverage helps you save from costly repairs to your building. It’s part of your basic standard flood insurance policy and includes physical aspects of your home like:

• Foundation walls
• Electrical systems
• Plumbing systems
• Furnaces, central heating and air conditioning
• Built-in appliances
• Permanent carpets
• Built-in furniture

With an NFIP policy, you can buy up to a maximum of $250,000 worth of coverage.

On the other hand, contents coverage is also part of your flood insurance and protects items like:

• Furniture
• Clothing
• Electronic equipment
• Artworks
• Large appliances like washers and dryers.

NFIP policyholders can obtain a maximum of $100,000 worth of coverage.

Up until October 2021, insurance companies used your location as the basis to determine the cost of flood insurance. FEMA has interactive maps that help you check the historical flood risk of U.S. counties for each state.

Based on FEMA’s data about Vermont’s flooding events since 1996, Washington County has the most flood occurrences at 68. Grand Isle County has the fewest occurrences at 25. The average annual cost of flood insurance in these counties is $2,447 and $811, respectively.

In October 2021, FEMA introduced a risk rating system called Risk Rating 2.0. It reviews individual property risks like dwelling structure, elevation, frequency of flooding, foundation type, replacement and repair costs and proximity to water.

This system gives a more informative and detailed premium computation, but your premiums are greatly affected by where you reside. MoneyGeek shares some of the flood insurance cost factors below.

Homeowners and renters insurance generally doesn’t include flood insurance. Since every building is susceptible to flooding, getting flood insurance is wise because it will protect you regardless of your location’s risk level.

Nevertheless, homeowners with government-backed mortgages residing in high-risk flood areas must get flood insurance.

With private flood insurance, insurers must pay claims if your property gets flooded, even if there’s no presidential disaster declaration. Usually, a federal disaster assistance grant is limited to $5,000 per household. Flood repair costs could be more than that.

Getting flood insurance offers peace of mind and provides protection for your home.

Getting flood insurance and determining costs can be overwhelming. MoneyGeek has answered some frequently asked questions to help you with your research.