New Castle County has been accepted into the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Community Rating System thereby allowing residents of the unincorporated portions of the County to receive a 10% reduction on their flood insurance.
Communities that regulate development in the floodplain are able to participate in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). As a participating community, New Castle County residents are available to receive federally backed flood insurance policies.
The Community Rating System is a voluntary program that rewards participating communities for taking measures above the National Flood Insurance Program minimum standards. The CRS rewards communities that enforce higher regulatory standards concerning the floodplain.
The main incentive to participate in this voluntary program is that flood insurance premiums can be reduced. The 10% discount goes into effect for New Castle County residents at the renewal of their individual policies.
Currently, there are more than 1,200 communities participating in the CRS.
A CRS community is ranked according to its implementation of four different types of activities. These activities are public information, mapping and regulatory activities, flood damage reduction activities and flood preparedness activities.
Due to the efforts of New Castle County’s Department of Land Use and the Department of Public Safety Division’s Office of Emergency Management, New Castle County is being ranked as a Class 8 community. Some of the higher standards they have adopted in order to receive the rate reduction are: requiring the lowest floor of new construction to be 18" above the base flood elevation, limiting new subdivision of parcels in the floodplain, storm water management regulations, and outreach to residents located in the floodplain.
Other CRS communities in New Castle County are: Delaware City, City of New Castle, and City of Newark
For questions concerning Community Rating System please contact: New Castle County Office of Emergency Management at 302-395-2700 or John Gysling with New Castle County Department of Land Use at 302-395-5473.
For questions pertaining to how communities can become rated contact Greg Williams with DNREC at 302-739-9921.