Community Rating System

About the Community Rating System

The National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS) is a voluntary incentive program that recognizes and encourages community floodplain management activities that exceed the minimum NFIP requirements. As a result, flood insurance premium rates are discounted to reflect the reduced flood risk resulting from the community actions meeting the three goals of the CRS:

  • Facilitate accurate insurance rating
  • Promote the awareness of flood insurance
  • Reduce flood loses

Participating Communities

For CRS participating communities, flood insurance premium rates are discounted in increments of 5%; i.e., a Class 1 community would receive a 45% premium discount, while a Class 9 community would receive a 5% discount (a Class 10 is not participating in the CRS and receives no discount).

The City of Frederick has enrolled in the Community Rating System. A Community Assistance Visit (CAV) from the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) was completed on December 7, 2010. During the CAV, MDE determined the City has an effective floodplain management program, and is regulating development in the floodplain appropriately. A letter of good standing from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was received on June 3, 2011 for compliance with the National Flood Insurance Program requirements.

The City of Frederick was accepted in the Community Rating System (CRS) at a Class 7 level, October 1, 2012. This classification rating provides a 15 percent discount on annual flood insurance premiums for properties located within Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA) and a 5 percent discount in non-SFHA.

FEMA Review

The CRS program credits floodplain management activities in four categories: public Information, mapping and regulations, flood damage reduction and flood preparedness. Every year a community must reaffirm that it is continuing to perform the activities for which it is receiving CRS credit, through a process known as CRS Recertification.

Recertification is an annual activity where communities submit projects completed during the year, progress reports, and similar items that document the implementation of credited activities.

Also on a regular basis - every 5 years for communities in classifications 6 to 10, every 3 years for communities classified 5 or better - FEMA conducts an audit of communities’ CRS program records. The audit provides an opportunity for the community to verify the credited elements of the program, as well as present any new programs that it has implemented which are eligible for CRS credit.