Base flood elevation

FEMA defines base flood elevation as the height of floodwater in a flood with a 1 percent chance of happening each year. The number appears on the flood insurance rate map for zones such as AE and VE. It is a reference point, not a promise about the next storm.

Builders and officials use the BFE to set how high a new home's lowest floor must sit. Many places add freeboard on top of it. The result is called the design flood elevation. Read how flood zones shape a Tampa build to see how the pieces fit together.