Does Downtown flood?
Downtown, Los Angeles, CA · ZIP codes 90014, 90015 and 90017: the ZIP codes on most of the flood insurance claims counted here. ZIP codes do not follow neighborhood lines.
Yes. Insured properties in and around Downtown have filed flood claims. About 1.1% of Downtown’s mapped area is inside FEMA’s Special Flood Hazard Area; the rest is in moderate or minimal-hazard Zone X. NFIP flood insurance records list 31 claims from the Census block groups that cover Downtown, from 1978 through 1998. 24 of them received a payment, totaling $87,510 (not adjusted for inflation). The busiest years were 1978 (15 claims), 1980 (9 claims), 1997 (2 claims).
Past claims do not predict future flooding, and a neighborhood figure cannot tell you about one building. Look up the exact address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and get flood insurance quotes before you sign a lease or a contract.
Check a specific address in Downtown
Neighborhood figures are averages. Our address check looks up the FEMA flood zone and California’s fire hazard severity zone at one address, from the same public maps: check if your address is in a flood zone.
Flood zones street by street in Downtown
The named streets in Downtown, longest first, with how much of each street’s length inside Downtown lies in FEMA’s high-risk flood zones (the Special Flood Hazard Area, zones A and V). Length is the part inside Downtown; the main zone is the FEMA zone covering most of that length. A street can cross several zones, so the zone at one address can differ from the street’s main zone: check the address above for that. 187 shorter streets are not listed.
| Street | Length | In high-risk zones | Main zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| I-10 | 7.2 mi | 1.0% | X (unshaded, minimal) (98%) |
| Harbor Frwy & Transit Way | 3.3 mi | 0.7% | X (unshaded, minimal) (99%) |
| US Hwy 101 | 3.0 mi | 0.8% | X (unshaded, minimal) (99%) |
| S Santa Fe Ave | 2.4 mi | 0.0% | X (unshaded, minimal) (100%) |
| S Grand Ave | 2.1 mi | 1.1% | X (unshaded, minimal) (88%) |
| E Olympic Blvd | 2.1 mi | 0.0% | X (unshaded, minimal) (100%) |
| S Figueroa St | 2.1 mi | 0.0% | X (unshaded, minimal) (99%) |
| E 15th St | 2.1 mi | 0.0% | X (unshaded, minimal) (99%) |
| S Alameda St | 2.0 mi | 0.0% | X (unshaded, minimal) (100%) |
| S Olive St | 2.0 mi | 0.0% | X (unshaded, minimal) (100%) |
| S Hill St | 1.9 mi | 0.0% | X (unshaded, minimal) (100%) |
| S Main St | 1.9 mi | 0.0% | X (unshaded, minimal) (98%) |
| S Hope St | 1.9 mi | 3.5% | X (unshaded, minimal) (96%) |
| S Broadway | 1.9 mi | 0.0% | X (unshaded, minimal) (99%) |
| S Los Angeles St | 1.9 mi | 3.2% | X (unshaded, minimal) (97%) |
| S Flower St | 1.9 mi | 8.4% | X (unshaded, minimal) (92%) |
| E 8th St | 1.9 mi | 0.0% | X (unshaded, minimal) (97%) |
| E 16th St | 1.9 mi | 0.0% | X (unshaded, minimal) (99%) |
| S Central Ave | 1.9 mi | 0.0% | X (unshaded, minimal) (100%) |
| S San Pedro St | 1.8 mi | 0.0% | X (unshaded, minimal) (97%) |
| E 7th St | 1.6 mi | 0.6% | X (unshaded, minimal) (98%) |
| Wall St | 1.5 mi | 0.0% | X (unshaded, minimal) (100%) |
| E 14th St | 1.5 mi | 0.0% | X (unshaded, minimal) (100%) |
| W 4th St | 1.5 mi | 0.0% | X (unshaded, minimal) (99%) |
| E 6th St | 1.4 mi | 0.0% | X (unshaded, minimal) (100%) |
Streets: U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb, Transportation (primary, secondary and local roads). Flood zones: FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL), Flood Hazard Zones and FIRM Panels, retrieved October 24, 2026. Each street is clipped to the neighborhood boundary and measured in an equal-area projection. Street lengths are rounded.
Flood zones in Downtown
Share of Downtown’s mapped area (about 15.1 km²) in each FEMA flood zone, from FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL), Flood Hazard Zones and FIRM Panels. Effective date of the FIRM panel(s) covering it (06037C1610F, 06037C1617G, 06037C1619G, 06037C1628F, 06037C1636G, 06037C1638G): September 26, 2008, December 21, 2018.
| FEMA zone | Share of area |
|---|---|
| X (unshaded, minimal) | 96% |
| X (shaded, 0.2% annual chance) | 2.4% |
| AE | 0.6% |
| A | 0.4% |
What the zones mean
- Zone AE (and A, AH, AO)
- High-risk: part of the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), the area FEMA maps as having a 1-percent chance of flooding in any given year (the “100-year” or base flood). AE areas have a mapped base flood elevation.
- Zone VE (and V)
- High-risk coastal areas, also in the SFHA, where the base flood is expected to bring additional hazards from storm waves.
- Zone X (shaded)
- Moderate hazard: between the limits of the 1-percent and the 0.2-percent-annual-chance (“500-year”) flood.
- Zone X (unshaded)
- Minimal hazard: outside the SFHA and higher than the 0.2-percent-annual-chance flood elevation. Minimal is not zero: flood claims are filed from X zones too.
Source: FEMA Glossary: Flood Zones.
Flood insurance claims over time
Claims filed under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) from the 2010 Census block groups that cover Downtown. About 88% of the combined area of those block groups lies inside Downtown. Only insured properties appear, so these counts understate total flooding.
By decade
| Decade | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 15 | $14,522 |
| 1980s | 11 | $41,241 |
| 1990s | 5 | $31,747 |
By year of loss
Named flood events with the most claims
- Flooding: 17 claims
- Pineapple Express - Southern: 1 claims
FEMA labels some events only as “Flooding”. Claims by the flood zone the property was rated in:
- Not reported: 25
- X/B/C (moderate or minimal): 6
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Extreme heat in Downtown
FEMA’s National Risk Index rates heat wave risk for the census tracts that cover Downtown as: “Very Low” for 76%; “Relatively Low” for 24% of the area. Their heat wave risk scores range from 5 to 24 out of 100 (national percentiles). The index weighs how often heat waves happen, what they are expected to cost, and how vulnerable and resilient the community is, so a dense area can rate differently from a nearby one (FEMA National Risk Index, Census Tracts feature layer, Version 1.20.0 (December 2025)).
Trees shade streets and buildings and cool the air around them (U.S. EPA: Using Trees and Vegetation to Reduce Heat Islands). In the USDA Forest Service’s 2025 satellite-based tree canopy map, trees cover about 0.5% of Downtown’s area on average, compared with 8.6% for Los Angeles as a whole (the 114 Los Angeles areas on this site combined) (USDA Forest Service. 2026. USFS NLCD Percent Tree Canopy CONUS v2025-6 (2025 map). Salt Lake City, UT).
During a heat advisory, follow the National Weather Service: Heat Safety guidance. Neighborhood averages cannot tell you how hot a particular home, block or unit gets.
Fire hazard severity zones in Downtown
California’s 2025 Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps do not place any of Downtown in a moderate, high or very high zone (CAL FIRE Office of the State Fire Marshal, Fire Hazard Severity Zones). Wildfire smoke and wind-blown embers can still reach areas outside the zones.
Fire hazard data: CAL FIRE Office of the State Fire Marshal. CAL FIRE does not endorse this site.
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s). FEMA: “The National Risk Index data are meant for planning purposes only. This National Risk Index dataset was created for broad nationwide comparisons and is not a substitute for localized risk assessment analysis.”
Before you rent or buy in Downtown
- Look up the exact address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center; a neighborhood can mix high-risk and minimal-hazard zones.
- Ask the landlord or seller about past flooding and flood insurance claims at the property.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: new NFIP policies usually take 30 days to start (FloodSmart (NFIP): Buy a Flood Insurance Policy).
- Ask which floor the unit is on and where parking, storage and mechanical equipment sit.
- Hiring movers? Check the moving company’s federal license and insurance first with the free Los Angeles mover check.
Living in Downtown
Flood maps are only one part of choosing a neighborhood. For what day-to-day life in Downtown is like, from parks to errands, see Living in Downtown, Los Angeles on StrollPlace.
Buyer and renter FAQ
Does Downtown flood?
Yes. Insured properties in and around Downtown have filed flood claims. About 1.1% of Downtown’s mapped area is inside FEMA’s Special Flood Hazard Area; the rest is in moderate or minimal-hazard Zone X. NFIP flood insurance records list 31 claims from the Census block groups that cover Downtown, from 1978 through 1998. 24 of them received a payment, totaling $87,510 (not adjusted for inflation). The busiest years were 1978 (15 claims), 1980 (9 claims), 1997 (2 claims). Past claims do not predict future flooding, and conditions vary street by street, so check the specific address.
Is Downtown in a flood zone?
About 1.1% of Downtown’s mapped area is inside FEMA’s Special Flood Hazard Area; the rest is in moderate or minimal-hazard Zone X. Shares by zone: X (unshaded, minimal) 96%; X (shaded, 0.2% annual chance) 2.4%; AE 0.6%; A 0.4%. The FIRM panel(s) covering it took effect September 26, 2008, December 21, 2018.
Which streets in Downtown are in a high-risk flood zone?
No street listed here has most of its length in FEMA high-risk zones. Less than 10% of I-10, Harbor Frwy & Transit Way, US Hwy 101, S Santa Fe Ave, S Grand Ave, E Olympic Blvd, S Figueroa St and E 15th St does. Zones can change along a street, so check the exact address.
What ZIP code is Downtown in?
Downtown is in Los Angeles, CA. ZIP codes 90014, 90015 and 90017: the ZIP codes on most of the flood insurance claims counted here. ZIP codes do not follow neighborhood lines. Check the specific address for its own flood zone.
Do renters need flood insurance?
Standard renters policies usually do not cover flood. Renters in a community that participates in the NFIP can buy contents-only flood coverage, up to $100,000 for belongings.
How long does a new flood policy take to start?
A new NFIP policy generally takes effect 30 days after purchase. Exceptions include no wait when the policy is bought while making, increasing, extending or renewing a mortgage, and a one-day wait in a newly designated high-risk zone within 12 months of the map change.
How much coverage can NFIP provide?
For a one-to-four family home, NFIP building coverage goes up to $250,000 and contents coverage up to $100,000. You can buy flood insurance even if you are not in a high-risk zone, as long as your community participates in the NFIP.
FAQ sources: FloodSmart (NFIP): Buy a Flood Insurance Policy; FEMA Fact Sheet: Think you don’t need flood insurance? Think again (Jan. 21, 2025); 44 CFR 61.11, Effective date and time of coverage.
Nearby neighborhoods
- Does Boyle Heights flood?
- Central-Alameda – living in Central-Alameda (StrollPlace)
- Chinatown – living in Chinatown (StrollPlace)
- Historic South-Central – living in Historic South-Central (StrollPlace)
- Lincoln Heights – living in Lincoln Heights (StrollPlace)
- Pico-Union – living in Pico-Union (StrollPlace)
How these numbers were made
Neighborhood boundary: Los Angeles Times Neighborhood Boundaries, published by the City of Los Angeles (DataLA), licensed CC BY 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). Flood zone shares: the neighborhood polygon intersected with FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL), Flood Hazard Zones and FIRM Panels, area computed in an equal-area projection; retrieved October 24, 2026. Claims: OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3 records for Los Angeles County (county code 06037), dataset as of September 8, 2026, retrieved October 24, 2026. A 2010 Census block group is counted for a neighborhood when at least 25% of the block group lies inside the neighborhood, or at least 25% of the neighborhood lies inside the block group. Block groups used: 060372073011 (100.0% of the block group is inside Downtown), 060372260021 (100.0% of the block group is inside Downtown), 060372075011 (100.0% of the block group is inside Downtown), 060372063002 (100.0% of the block group is inside Downtown), 060372073021 (100.0% of the block group is inside Downtown), 060372073022 (100.0% of the block group is inside Downtown), 060372074001 (100.0% of the block group is inside Downtown), 060372079002 (100.0% of the block group is inside Downtown), 060372073012 (100.0% of the block group is inside Downtown), 060372062001 (100.0% of the block group is inside Downtown), 060372062002 (100.0% of the block group is inside Downtown), 060372063001 (100.0% of the block group is inside Downtown), 060372079001 (100.0% of the block group is inside Downtown), 060372060311 (97.9% of the block group is inside Downtown), 060372060312 (97.9% of the block group is inside Downtown), 060372071011 (63.1% of the block group is inside Downtown), 060372071021 (39.1% of the block group is inside Downtown), 060372260012 (51.4% of the block group is inside Downtown), 060372260022 (100.0% of the block group is inside Downtown), 060372240201 (40.4% of the block group is inside Downtown), 060372240101 (100.0% of the block group is inside Downtown), 060372240102 (100.0% of the block group is inside Downtown), 060372260011 (45.5% of the block group is inside Downtown), 060372075021 (100.0% of the block group is inside Downtown), 060372060201 (38.6% of the block group is inside Downtown), 060372077101 (100.0% of the block group is inside Downtown), 060372063003 (100.0% of the block group is inside Downtown). Neighboring pages can share a block group, so their counts can overlap. Paid totals add building, contents and Increased Cost of Compliance payments and are not adjusted for inflation; a claim whose FEMA record shows a negative payment (an adjustment) counts as zero. Tree canopy: the mean of the 2025 NLCD Tree Canopy Cover values (0–100%, 30 m cells in an equal-area projection) for cells whose center lies inside the polygon. Fire hazard severity zones: the 2025 zone polygons (Local and State Responsibility Areas) intersected with the neighborhood polygon in an equal-area projection; the share of area in each class. FEMA National Risk Index: census tracts intersected with the polygon in an equal-area projection; each rating’s share is the share of the polygon covered by tracts with that rating (tracts covering less than 1% are left out; together the tracts used cover 95%). We do not compute a new score. Tracts used: 06037206051 (24%), 06037226002 (17%), 06037206052 (6.1%), 06037207400 (5.8%), 06037224010 (5.5%), 06037207711 (4.6%), 06037207902 (4.6%), 06037226001 (3.4%), 06037206303 (2.9%), 06037207502 (2.8%), 06037207712 (2.7%), 06037206202 (2.5%), 06037206020 (2.2%), 06037224020 (2.1%), 06037206201 (1.3%), 06037207101 (1.3%), 06037207305 (1.3%), 06037207901 (1.3%), 06037207303 (1.2%), 06037207102 (1.1%), 06037207306 (1.1%). See the methodology.
Sources
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), FEMA OpenFEMA Dataset: FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims - v3. Retrieved on October 24, 2026.
- FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL), Flood Hazard Zones and FIRM Panels. Retrieved on October 24, 2026.
- Los Angeles Times Neighborhood Boundaries, published by the City of Los Angeles (DataLA), licensed CC BY 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb, 2010 Census Block Groups.
- FEMA Glossary: Flood Zones.
- FloodSmart (NFIP): Buy a Flood Insurance Policy.
- FEMA Fact Sheet: Think you don’t need flood insurance? Think again (Jan. 21, 2025).
- 44 CFR 61.11, Effective date and time of coverage.
- OpenFEMA Terms and Conditions.
- USDA Forest Service. 2026. USFS NLCD Percent Tree Canopy CONUS v2025-6 (2025 map). Salt Lake City, UT (30 m cells; read October 24, 2026).
- National Weather Service: Heat Safety.
- U.S. EPA: Using Trees and Vegetation to Reduce Heat Islands.
- CAL FIRE Office of the State Fire Marshal, Fire Hazard Severity Zones (2025 maps; read October 24, 2026).
- FEMA National Risk Index, Census Tracts feature layer, Version 1.20.0 (December 2025) (retrieved October 24, 2026).
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb, Transportation (primary, secondary and local roads).
Data as of September 8, 2026 (FEMA claims) and October 24, 2026 (flood zones); hazard data computed October 24, 2026. Page last updated October 27, 2026.