Burleigh County Flood Insurance Rate Map Update

On May 13, 2022, The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) and an accompanying Flood Insurance Study (FIS) report showing updated flood hazard determinations for portions of Burleigh County, including the City of Bismarck. 

These preliminary products have been developed from the best available data obtained using new technology and recent studies. Updated floodplain maps provide our community with more accurate and reliable flood information so we may better manage flood risk. The resulting mapping products will become the effective Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM), once adopted.

Preliminary FEMA Map Products 

Preliminary FEMA Map products are new or revised Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs), Flood Insurance Study (FIS) reports, and FIRM Databases.

Preliminary products, including new or revised FIRMs, FIS reports, and FIRM Databases, are not final and are presented as the best information available at this time. Additionally, preliminary data cannot be used to rate flood insurance policies or enforce the Federal mandatory purchase requirement. FEMA will remove preliminary data once effective data is available.

Follow the steps below to locate preliminary flood hazard maps using the Preliminary Map Search Tool:

  1. Click on the following link: https://hazards.fema.gov/femaportal/prelimdownload/searchLoad.action  
  2. Select North Dakota from the State, District, or Territory menu
  3. Select Burleigh County from the County or Parish menu
  4. Select Get Preliminary FEMA Map Products
  5. Select FLOOD INSURANCE RATE MAP INDEX PDF from the FIRM list, download and open the file. 
  6. Using the Map Index, locate the FIRM map panel that includes the location of the property you are inquiring about and select the corresponding PDF from the FIRM list. 

FEMA Flood Map Changes Viewer

FEMA’s Flood Map Changes Viewer (FMCV) is an online tool that simplifies access to multiple flood hazard datasets. This Flood Map Changes Viewer (FMCV) tool produces a side-by-side comparison of the effective FIRM and preliminary FIRM for a selected location. 

The Flood Map Changes Viewer (FMCV) is for awareness, review, and guidance purposes only and cannot be used for flood insurance policy rating or mandatory flood insurance purchase requirements.

The information can be viewed at the following link:  https://fema.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=e7a7dc3ebd7f4ad39bb8e485bb64ce44 

Preliminary Summary of Map Action (SOMA)

FEMA’s Summary of Map Actions (SOMA) provides a comprehensive list of previously issued Letters of Map Change (LOMC) for a community and assists community officials and property owners in determining the status of these LOMCs as a result of revisions to the FIRM. 

The SOMA identifies if the outcome of a current LOMC is likely to be incorporated into the revised panel, superseded by new information used to prepare the revised panel, or revalidated once the revised panel becomes effective. 

Following are the SOMA documents for Burleigh County and the City of Bismarck:

Burleigh County SOMA

City of Bismarck SOMA