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Flood zones & flood insurance

What is the difference between an evacuation zone and a flood zone?

Short answer

An evacuation zone tells you whether to leave ahead of a hurricane because storm surge may reach the area, while a flood zone describes a property's everyday flood risk from drainage, sheet flow or tides. They come from different maps, so check both for any address you are buying.

What an evacuation zone means

Palm Beach County's Division of Emergency Management defines evacuation zones as areas that may be inundated by storm surge, the sudden push of water ahead of a storm coming on shore. When a hurricane threatens, officials order evacuations by zone letter.

The Florida Division of Emergency Management says evacuation zones are designated from A to F and that storm surge flooding is the greatest threat to life from a hurricane. It also says anyone in an ordered zone, a low-lying flood area or a mobile home should follow all evacuation orders. Palm Beach County's evacuation-zone sheet tells people in Zone A to evacuate if they live in a manufactured or mobile home, in substandard construction, or in a flood-prone area.[1][2][3]

What a flood zone means

The County defines flood zones as areas at risk of varying levels of flooding from causes such as poor drainage, sheet flow or coastal tides. Flood zones come from flood maps and are what lenders and insurers look at, which is why the flood zone, not the evacuation zone, shows up in a home purchase.

Palm Beach County's flood-zone guide stresses that all county residents live in a flood zone and that low risk does not mean no risk. Its lookup tool may show both a current and a pending zone; if no pending zone is shown, the current flood zone applies.[1][4]

How to check both for one address

Palm Beach County's Know Your Zone page has two separate lookups, one for hurricane evacuation zones and one for flood zones. Type the street address without punctuation, for example "20 S Military Trail".

A home can be in an evacuation zone and still sit in a moderate-risk flood zone, or the reverse, because the two maps answer different questions. Before you make an offer, note both results and ask the seller for any elevation certificate.[1][4]

Key takeaways

  • Evacuation zones are about storm surge and when to leave during a hurricane.
  • Flood zones describe flood risk from drainage, sheet flow or tides and drive lender and insurance decisions.
  • Palm Beach County's Know Your Zone page has separate lookups for each map.
  • Mobile and manufactured homes should follow evacuation orders even outside an ordered zone, per the state.

Sources

  1. [1]Palm Beach County Division of Emergency Management — Know Your Zone
  2. [2]Florida Division of Emergency Management — Know Your Zone
  3. [3]Palm Beach County Division of Emergency Management — Evacuation Zones (PDF)
  4. [4]Palm Beach County Planning, Zoning & Building — How to Find Your Flood Zone (PDF)

Reviewed October 11, 2026. General real-estate information for Florida, not legal, tax, lending or insurance advice. Laws, rates and deadlines change — confirm property-specific facts with the agency cited, a Florida real-estate attorney, CPA or licensed insurance agent.

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Rules like these play out differently address by address. Tell us the property and what you are deciding. The Basaran Group · Anthony Basaran, P.A. · LoKation Real Estate.

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