Does North Hollywood flood?

North Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA · ZIP codes 91605, 91602, 91601 and 91505: 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 North Hollywood have filed flood claims. About 1.2% of North Hollywood’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 19 claims from the Census block groups that cover North Hollywood, from 1978 through 2026. 17 of them received a payment, totaling $206,831 (not adjusted for inflation). The busiest years were 1980 (5 claims), 1983 (4 claims), 2026 (3 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 North Hollywood

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 North Hollywood

The named streets in North Hollywood, longest first, with how much of each street’s length inside North Hollywood lies in FEMA’s high-risk flood zones (the Special Flood Hazard Area, zones A and V). Length is the part inside North Hollywood; 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. 98 shorter streets are not listed.

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 North Hollywood

Share of North Hollywood’s mapped area (about 15.202 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 (06037C1310F, 06037C1320F, 06037C1328F, 06037C1340F): September 26, 2008.

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 North Hollywood. About 87% of the combined area of those block groups lies inside North Hollywood. Only insured properties appear, so these counts understate total flooding.

By decade

By year of loss

Named flood events with the most claims

• Flooding: 7 claims
• Pineapple Express - Southern: 3 claims

FEMA labels some events only as “Flooding”. Claims by the flood zone the property was rated in:

• X/B/C (moderate or minimal): 8
• A/AE/AH/AO (high risk): 6
• Not reported: 5

How much is flood insurance in North Hollywood?

The typical National Flood Insurance Program policy on homes and units (one building or unit per policy) in North Hollywood costs $1,244 a year: the median of 16 policies that started between August 1, 2025 and July 31, 2026. Half of them cost between $1,082 and $1,456. That is the full amount paid for the year, the premium plus FEMA’s fees and surcharges, and every one of these policies is priced under Risk Rating 2.0. A quote for one building can be far from this: its elevation, foundation, age, coverage and deductible all change the price. Private flood insurance is not included.

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Dataset: FIMA NFIP Redacted Policies - v3, computed October 24, 2026.

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Before you rent or buy in North Hollywood

• 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 North Hollywood

Flood maps are only one part of choosing a neighborhood. For what day-to-day life in North Hollywood is like, from parks to errands, see Living in North Hollywood, Los Angeles on StrollPlace.

Buyer and renter FAQ

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 Studio City flood?
• Sun Valley – living in Sun Valley (StrollPlace)
• Toluca Lake – living in Toluca Lake (StrollPlace)
• Valley Glen – living in Valley Glen (StrollPlace)
• Valley Village – living in Valley Village (StrollPlace)
• Does Sherman Oaks flood?

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: 060371254023 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371239022 (44.1% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371241042 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371255021 (42.6% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371254011 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371255022 (28.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371233012 (36.1% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371224202 (39.9% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371232042 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371253202 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371241021 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371241022 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371241023 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371242011 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371239013 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371254012 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371254022 (95.8% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371243001 (99.8% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371255011 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371239011 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371242013 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371254021 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371255012 (99.7% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371231041 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371231042 (99.9% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371231043 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371232031 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371231031 (99.6% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371230101 (53.2% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371231032 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371241041 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371242032 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371253103 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371253201 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371252002 (41.4% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371253101 (99.7% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371253102 (99.8% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371243002 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371232061 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371252001 (82.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371232033 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371239012 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371239021 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371241031 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371242012 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371243003 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371232032 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371232041 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371232051 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371232052 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371233011 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371233013 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371242031 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371242041 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371242042 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371241032 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371241051 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood), 060371241052 (100.0% of the block group is inside North Hollywood). 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 99%). We do not compute a new score. Tracts used: 06037123901 (8.5%), 06037125310 (6.9%), 06037124201 (6.4%), 06037123103 (5.9%), 06037124300 (5.9%), 06037123104 (5.1%), 06037123205 (5.0%), 06037123301 (4.9%), 06037125402 (4.6%), 06037124102 (4.3%), 06037123206 (4.0%), 06037123203 (3.9%), 06037125200 (3.8%), 06037125501 (3.1%), 06037123902 (2.6%), 06037125322 (2.5%), 06037123010 (2.4%), 06037123204 (2.1%), 06037124103 (2.1%), 06037124104 (2.1%), 06037124105 (2.1%), 06037124203 (2.1%), 06037124204 (2.1%), 06037125321 (1.7%), 06037125404 (1.5%), 06037122420 (1.4%), 06037125502 (1.2%), 06037125403 (1.1%). See the methodology.

Sources

1. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), FEMA OpenFEMA Dataset: FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims - v3. Retrieved on October 24, 2026.
2. FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL), Flood Hazard Zones and FIRM Panels. Retrieved on October 24, 2026.
3. Los Angeles Times Neighborhood Boundaries, published by the City of Los Angeles (DataLA), licensed CC BY 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).
4. U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb, 2010 Census Block Groups.
5. FEMA Glossary: Flood Zones.
6. FloodSmart (NFIP): Buy a Flood Insurance Policy.
7. FEMA Fact Sheet: Think you don’t need flood insurance? Think again (Jan. 21, 2025).
8. 44 CFR 61.11, Effective date and time of coverage.
9. OpenFEMA Terms and Conditions.
10. 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).
11. National Weather Service: Heat Safety.
12. U.S. EPA: Using Trees and Vegetation to Reduce Heat Islands.
13. CAL FIRE Office of the State Fire Marshal, Fire Hazard Severity Zones (2025 maps; read October 24, 2026).
14. FEMA National Risk Index, Census Tracts feature layer, Version 1.20.0 (December 2025) (retrieved October 24, 2026).
15. FEMA OpenFEMA Dataset: FIMA NFIP Redacted Policies - v3.
16. 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 24, 2026.