The National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS) is a voluntary incentive program that encourages community floodplain management activities that exceed the minimum NFIP requirements. In CRS, a community’s flood insurance premium rates are discounted in exchange for taking steps to protect people and properties from floods and storms (the reductions reflect the reduced flood risk resulting from the community’s actions).
Discounts are based on points accrued by performing CRS approved activities. Thanks to help from the folks at CRS, we’ve been able to indicate which pages on our site recommend activities that qualify for CRS credit. We’ve marked these pages with green icons indicating how many points the activity may qualify for, and we provide specific information on how it ties into approved CRS activities. You can see a list of all CRS-eligible activities on the site here.
Here’s a summary table of how those points can translate into steep reductions in your community’s flood insurance premiums:
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CRS Credit/Discount Summary (from FEMA)
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|---|---|---|---|
| Premium Reduction | |||
| Credit Points | Class | SFHA* | Non-SFHA* |
| 4,500+ | 1 | 45% | 10% |
| 4,000 – 4,499 | 2 | 40% | 10% |
| 3,500 – 3,999 | 3 | 35% | 10% |
| 3,000 – 3,499 | 4 | 30% | 10% |
| 2,500 – 2,999 | 5 | 25% | 10% |
| 2,000 – 2,499 | 6 | 20% | 10% |
| 1,500 – 1,999 | 7 | 15% | 5% |
| 1,000 – 1,499 | 8 | 10% | 5% |
| 500 – 999 | 9 | 5% | 5% |
| 0 – 499 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| *Special Flood Hazard Area Premium reductions are subject to change. |
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Note that every NFIP policy holder in a CRS-participating community (including the community itself) sees a discount, with those in the mapped floodplain receiving the greatest benefit.
For information on applying for the CRS program, see the application section of the CRS Resource Center. Essentially, your community will have to fill out some paperwork, send it in for review, and then work with a CRS specialist to work out the final details.
For more information on CRS, visit the CRS Resource Center.