Getting Flood Insurance in Louisiana
Flooding can happen anywhere in Louisiana, but standard homeowners insurance won’t cover the damage. You’ll need separate flood insurance to protect your home and belongings, which you can get through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) or through a private insurance company.
How much does Louisiana flood insurance cost?
The average cost of an NFIP flood insurance policy in Louisiana is $1,305 a year, but your actual flood insurance cost could be much higher or lower than this, depending on where you live, the coverage you choose and other factors.
Private flood insurance, meanwhile, can range widely in terms of cost and might not always be available.
How is your rate determined?
Your flood zone no longer tells the whole story when it comes to your flood insurance rate. Since April 2023, FEMA has used Risk Rating 2.0 to look more closely at your home and the flood risks around it when pricing NFIP policies.
That means you and your neighbor could live in the same flood zone but pay different rates. Flood maps still help lenders decide whether to require flood insurance coverage. But the details about your property now play a larger role in determining what you’ll pay.
FEMA considers several details about your home and its flood risk when calculating your rate, including:
- Distance from water: Homes closer to the coast, rivers and other water sources may face a higher risk of flooding.
- Flood frequency and type: FEMA considers how often flooding happens and why. For example, does the greatest risk come from heavy rainfall, river overflow, storm surge or coastal erosion?
- Elevation: How high your home sits can affect its risk of flood damage.
- Replacement cost: A home that costs more to rebuild may also cost more to insure.
- Structure: Details about how your home was built, such as its foundation type, can affect your rate.
- Coverage limits and deductible: Buying more coverage may increase your premium, while choosing a higher deductible may lower it.
NFIP flood insurance in New Orleans costs an average of about $1,263 a year, based on FEMA data through Aug. 31, 2026. Your rate may be higher or lower since FEMA now prices coverage based on the flood risk of your specific property.
What does flood insurance cover?
The NFIP offers two types of flood insurance: building coverage and contents coverage.
Building coverage protects the structure and systems of your home. This includes:
- Foundation walls, anchorage systems and staircases
- Electrical and plumbing systems
- Fuel tanks, well water tanks and pumps, and solar energy equipment
- Carpeting and window blinds
- Furnaces and water heaters
- Refrigerators, stoves and built-in appliances
- Installed cabinetry, paneling and bookcases
- Detached garages
Contents coverage helps pay for flood damage to your personal belongings, including:
- Clothing, furniture and electronics
- Washers and dryers
- Portable air-conditioning units
- Microwave ovens
- Valuables such as furs and original artwork (up to $2,500)
You buy building and contents coverage separately, and each has its own deductible. NFIP-backed flood insurance policies offer up to $250,000 in building coverage and $100,000 in contents coverage for a single-family dwelling.
Flood insurance won’t pay for every expense you could face after a flood. NFIP policies generally exclude temporary housing, cars, outdoor property like pools and landscaping, and sewer backups that aren’t related to flooding. They also don’t cover cash, valuable papers, financial losses from business interruption or personal property in basements.
Is flood insurance required in Louisiana?
Your lender will typically require you to buy flood insurance if your home is in a high-risk flood zone and you have a mortgage through a federally regulated or insured lender. A lender might require coverage in other situations, too, so check your loan terms. Otherwise, you can generally decide whether you want coverage.
However, flooding can still happen in areas with a lower risk. FEMA reports that an average of 40% of NFIP claims occur outside high-risk areas. LendingTree’s latest coastal flooding study also found that Louisiana faces the highest coastal flooding risk among the states analyzed. Coastal flooding threatens nearly 2 in 5 Louisiana residents.
Since standard home insurance policies don’t cover flood damage, you may want to buy flood insurance in Louisiana even if your lender doesn’t require it. The cost of a policy could be far less than what you might have to pay out of pocket after a flood.
How do I get flood insurance in Louisiana?
You can buy NFIP flood insurance through a participating insurance company or agent. Chances are good that the company you bought your homeowners insurance through can provide you with flood insurance. If it can’t, it can probably refer you to another insurer. You can also compare some of the best flood insurance companies online.
Another option is private flood insurance, which may offer higher coverage limits or broader protection. However, coverage and availability vary by insurer.
You can buy flood insurance at any time, but keep in mind that NFIP policies typically have a 30-day waiting period before coverage goes into effect. There are a few exceptions to this:
- If you buy flood insurance while making, increasing, extending or renewing a mortgage, there is no waiting period.
- If FEMA newly designates your property as part of a high-risk flood zone and you buy coverage within 12 months of the map update, the waiting period is one day.
- If you change your flood insurance coverage while renewing an existing NFIP policy, there’s no waiting period.
Methodology
The average rates for National Flood Insurance Program policies in Louisiana overall and in New Orleans specifically, are based on FEMA Floodsmart data for policies in force, retrieved on Aug. 31, 2026.
See our editorial guidelines for more details on how we gather information.
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