Brooklyn Flood Zone Map When You Sell: Marine Park, Mill Basin, Bergen Beach and New York’s Flood Disclosure Rule

We counted every Brooklyn tax lot with at least one home on it in the city’s MapPLUTO file (version 26v2), which flags lots that touch FEMA’s 1% annual chance floodplain. A flag means some part of the lot is inside that line, not necessarily the house. We also matched 3,434 one- to three-family house sales from January through August 2026 to those lots.

Is my address in a Brooklyn flood zone?

Look it up by address. The city’s Find Your Flood Map page points to FEMA’s Region II coastal site and to FloodHelpNY.org, from the Center for New York City Neighborhoods. You can also see the maps in person at the Department of Buildings Brooklyn office, 210 Joralemon Street, 8th Floor.

Check your lot on both maps. The city says flood insurance rates will follow the 2007 effective maps until new ones are issued, while its Building Code follows the 2015 preliminary maps. So a lot can be outside the zone for insurance and inside it for building rules.

Which flood zones are high risk?

Zones AE, AO or VE. Federal law requires flood insurance on a home in one of those zones if it has a federally backed mortgage, and FloodHelpNY notes that almost all mortgages are. The same rule applies if the building got federal disaster assistance for repairs or lost contents.

High-risk zones have a 1% chance of flooding each year. That’s the “100-year floodplain” you’ll see on New York’s seller disclosure form.

Only high-risk zones have a base flood elevation, or BFE. It’s the height above sea level that water is projected to reach in that 1% storm, and flood insurance is priced on how far above or below it your home sits. Homes with the lowest floor at or above the BFE get inexpensive rates. An X zone has no projected BFE on the current map.

How are flood zones determined in NYC?

FEMA draws them. According to the city, its flood insurance rate maps take into account topography and the types and strength of storms that have hit the region over time.

FEMA released new preliminary maps in January 2015, and the city appealed that June. Engineers hired by the city found errors in FEMA’s modeling that overstated the size of the 100-year floodplain and the height of base flood elevations. On October 17, 2016, FEMA announced the city had won and agreed to revise the maps, including a new map of future conditions that accounts for climate change.

The gap between the two maps is wide. The 2015 map flags 4.3 times as many Brooklyn home lots as the 2007 map, and the city’s flood map site says flood risk is “real and increasing with the impacts of climate change.”

Which Brooklyn neighborhoods are in the flood zone?

The south shore ones. In the city’s official Marine Park-Mill Basin-Bergen Beach neighborhood area, 2,572 of 10,805 home lots (23.8%) are flagged on the 2015 map, up from 398 on the 2007 map. That’s 6.5 times as many. The Midwood and Madison neighborhood areas have zero on both maps.

House sales show where that risk lands block by block. Here’s how many 2026 sales in each city sales area were on flagged lots.

New York City Department of Finance Rolling Sales (file dated September 9, 2026), one- to three-family houses sold for $100,000 or more from January through August 2026, matched to MapPLUTO 26v2 lot flags. Condo and co-op sales aren’t included.

Gerritsen Beach had the highest share in the table, with 40 of 43 house sales on flagged lots. Bergen Beach came next at 20 of 51, while the Marine Park sales area had 4 of 115. The city’s neighborhood area puts them under one name, which hides that gap.

So “Is Marine Park in a flood zone?” depends on the street. For parking, parks and schools, see our Marine Park neighborhood guide.

The Brooklyn flood zone map by ZIP code

Brooklyn has nine ZIP codes where at least 5% of home lots are flagged on the 2015 map. Together they hold 99.4% of the borough’s flagged lots. ZIP code 11224 has the highest share on both maps.

Lot shares: NYC Department of City Planning MapPLUTO 26v2, lots with at least one home. Main sales areas are the Department of Finance neighborhoods with at least 10 home sales in that ZIP code from January through August 2026, up to three listed. House sales as in the table above.

A ZIP code can hide a split. City records put Madison and Gerritsen Beach sales in the same ZIP code, 11229. This year 40 of 43 house sales in Gerritsen Beach were on flagged lots, compared with 0 of 90 in Madison.

At the other end, ZIP codes 11230 and 11210 have no flagged home lots on either map.

What do New York sellers have to disclose about flooding?

Sellers of one- to four-family homes answer 8 flood questions on the property condition disclosure statement, numbered 10 to 17. Under New York Real Property Law section 462, the form goes to the buyer prior to the signing by the buyer of a binding contract of sale.

• Question 10: Is any of the property in a FEMA-designated floodplain?
• Question 11: Is it wholly or partly in the Special Flood Hazard Area, the “100-year floodplain,” on FEMA’s current flood insurance rate maps?
• Question 12: Is it in a Moderate Risk Flood Hazard Area, the “500-year floodplain”?
• Question 13: Does federal law require flood insurance on the property?
• Question 14: Have you, or any previous owner you know of, received help for flood damage from FEMA, the Small Business Administration or another federal program?
• Question 15: Is there flood insurance? If yes, attach the policy.
• Question 16: Is a FEMA elevation certificate available? If yes, attach it.
• Question 17: Have you filed a flood damage claim with any insurer, including the National Flood Insurance Program?

Take care with question 11. It asks about FEMA’s “current” maps, and New York City works from two. Check your lot on both, and ask your attorney how to answer.

Past federal aid follows the house. The form notes that when a property has received federal disaster assistance, the requirement to carry flood insurance passes down to all future owners. A seller who willfully fails to meet these rules is liable for the buyer’s actual damages under section 465.

There’s no buying your way out of the form anymore. Chapter 484 of the Laws of 2023 eliminated the $500 credit sellers could once give instead, effective March 20, 2024. If you’re getting ready to list, here’s how we sell Brooklyn homes.

What is an elevation certificate, and does it expire?

For a home in a high-risk zone, FloodHelpNY calls an elevation certificate the best way to know your base flood elevation and whether your insurance is rated correctly. If new maps would put your home at higher risk, it can also help make sure the home is mapped correctly.

It doesn’t expire. The date printed in the upper right corner only means there’s a newer version of the form, and a certificate on an old form is still valid. Once you have one, work with your insurance agent to update your policy.

If you’re buying, ask the seller first, because the previous owner may already have one. If you’re selling and have it, question 16 asks you to attach it.

Does homeowners insurance cover flooding?

No. The city and FloodHelpNY both say homeowners insurance doesn’t cover flood damage, so flood coverage is bought on its own. Renters are in the same spot, since renter’s insurance isn’t likely to cover belongings damaged by a flood.

A flood policy has two parts, building and contents, and you can choose separate coverage amounts and deductibles for each. A washer, dryer or freezer counts as contents, so it’s only covered if you buy contents coverage.

Flood flags come from the NYC Department of City Planning’s MapPLUTO file, and sale records from the New York City Department of Finance. Flood map history comes from the city’s flood maps site, insurance points from FloodHelpNY.org, and disclosure rules from New York Real Property Law sections 462 and 465. This is general information, not legal or insurance advice.