Does Venice flood?
Yes. Insured properties in and around Venice have filed flood claims. About 20% of Venice’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 46 claims from the Census block groups that cover Venice, from 1978 through 2025. 24 of them received a payment, totaling $268,438 (not adjusted for inflation). The busiest years were 1998 (10 claims), 2024 (5 claims), 2017 (4 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.
Flood zones in Venice
Share of Venice’s mapped area (about 7.867 km²) in each FEMA flood zone, from FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL), Flood Hazard Zones and FIRM Panels. Mapped base flood elevations inside the neighborhood range from 8 to 19 feet. Effective date of the FIRM panel(s) covering it (06037C1588G, 06037C1589G, 06037C1751G, 06037C1752G, 06037C1754G): April 21, 2021.
| FEMA zone | Share of area |
|---|---|
| X (unshaded, minimal) | 80% |
| AE | 12% |
| VE | 8.0% |
| X (shaded, 0.2% annual chance) | 0.2% |
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 Venice. About 87% of the combined area of those block groups lies inside Venice. Several of these block groups extend over open water, which the Census includes in block-group boundaries; counting land only (Census land and water areas), about 97% lies inside Venice. Only insured properties appear, so these counts understate total flooding.
By decade
| Decade | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2 | $0 |
| 1980s | 7 | $36,351 |
| 1990s | 14 | $38,246 |
| 2000s | 3 | $10,021 |
| 2010s | 6 | $37,869 |
| 2020s | 14 | $145,951 |
By year of loss
Named flood events with the most claims
- Pineapple Express - Southern: 9 claims
- Flooding: 7 claims
- February California Atmospheric River: 4 claims
- California Atmospheric River: 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): 27
- A/AE/AH/AO (high risk): 15
- Not reported: 4
Extreme heat in Venice
FEMA’s National Risk Index rates heat wave risk for the census tracts that cover Venice as: “Very Low” for 88%; “Relatively Low” for 12% of the area. Their heat wave risk scores range from 4 to 19 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 4.2% of Venice’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.
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 Venice
- 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.
Living in Venice
Flood maps are only one part of choosing a neighborhood. For what day-to-day life in Venice is like, from parks to errands, see Living in Venice, Los Angeles on StrollPlace.
Buyer and renter FAQ
Does Venice flood?
Yes. Insured properties in and around Venice have filed flood claims. About 20% of Venice’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 46 claims from the Census block groups that cover Venice, from 1978 through 2025. 24 of them received a payment, totaling $268,438 (not adjusted for inflation). The busiest years were 1998 (10 claims), 2024 (5 claims), 2017 (4 claims). Past claims do not predict future flooding, and conditions vary street by street, so check the specific address.
Is Venice in a flood zone?
About 20% of Venice’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) 80%; AE 12%; VE 8.0%; X (shaded, 0.2% annual chance) 0.2%. The FIRM panel(s) covering it took effect April 21, 2021.
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
- Del Rey
- Mar Vista – living in Mar Vista (StrollPlace)
- Playa del Rey – living in Playa del Rey (StrollPlace)
- Playa Vista – living in Playa Vista (StrollPlace)
- Westchester – living in Westchester (StrollPlace)
- Sawtelle – living in Sawtelle (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 23, 2026. Claims: OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3 records for Los Angeles County (county code 06037), dataset as of September 8, 2026, retrieved October 23, 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: 060372731001 (99.4% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372731003 (100.0% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372735022 (41.2% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372735023 (100.0% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372735024 (100.0% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372739021 (99.9% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372738002 (100.0% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372738003 (100.0% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372741001 (88.6% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372741002 (99.6% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372734021 (100.0% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372734022 (42.7% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372734023 (100.0% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372734024 (100.0% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372732003 (100.0% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372735021 (100.0% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372731002 (100.0% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372732004 (100.0% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372732002 (100.0% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372736001 (100.0% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372732001 (100.0% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372737002 (100.0% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372736002 (100.0% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372736003 (100.0% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372737001 (100.0% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372737003 (100.0% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372738001 (67.3% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372733002 (100.0% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372733003 (100.0% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372739023 (37.1% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372742024 (100.0% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372736004 (100.0% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372739024 (99.6% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372739025 (100.0% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372742021 (93.6% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372742023 (100.0% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372733001 (100.0% of the block group is inside Venice), 060372739022 (100.0% of the block group is inside Venice). 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. 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. 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 100%). We do not compute a new score. Tracts used: 06037273100 (15%), 06037274202 (12%), 06037273902 (11%), 06037273700 (8.8%), 06037273200 (8.2%), 06037273800 (7.7%), 06037273600 (7.5%), 06037274100 (7.4%), 06037273300 (7.3%), 06037273502 (7.2%), 06037273403 (5.0%), 06037273404 (2.7%). See the methodology.
Sources
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), FEMA OpenFEMA Dataset: FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims - v3. Retrieved on October 23, 2026.
- FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL), Flood Hazard Zones and FIRM Panels. Retrieved on October 23, 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 23, 2026).
- National Weather Service: Heat Safety.
- U.S. EPA: Using Trees and Vegetation to Reduce Heat Islands.
- FEMA National Risk Index, Census Tracts feature layer, Version 1.20.0 (December 2025) (retrieved October 23, 2026).
Data as of September 8, 2026 (FEMA claims) and October 23, 2026 (flood zones); hurricane, evacuation and heat data computed October 23, 2026. Page last updated October 23, 2026.