Flood insurance cost · Lake County, CA

Flood insurance cost in Lake County, California

What homeowners with a National Flood Insurance Program policy actually pay, from FEMA's records of 858 home policies in force on August 31, 2026.

Lake County, CaliforniaPolicies in force on Aug 31, 2026

Median annual cost of NFIP flood insurance for a home

$1,736a year

Half of insured homes paid between $1,132 and $2,752. That is 61% more than the California median ($1,079). Most insured homes here are rated in zone AE (66%).

$0$1,132 · $1,736 · $2,752$3,440

+17.5% vs Aug 31, 2025 (median $1,477)

858home policies in force

$2,053average cost (mean)

92%of insured homes in high-risk zones (A, V)

$250,000median building coverage

This is what policyholders paid, not a quote. Two neighbors can pay very different prices: NFIP prices depend on the building (elevation, foundation, number of floors, replacement cost), the coverage and deductible chosen and the distance to water (FEMA FloodSmart: premium factors). For a price for your building, ask an insurance agent. Private flood insurance is not included in these figures.

Cost by flood zone in Lake County

The flood zone on FEMA's map is one of the main price factors. Median and middle half of what insured homes paid, by the zone used to rate the policy.

Flood zone	Median	Middle half (25th–75th percentile)	Average	Policies	vs last year
Zone AE High risk	$1,941	$1,221–$3,028	$2,236	569 (66%)	+14.6%
Zone A High risk	$2,330	$1,667–$2,674	$2,267	18 (2%)	+17.7%
Zone AO High risk, shallow	$1,400	$878–$2,465	$1,689	204 (24%)	+18.4%
Zone X Moderate to low risk	$1,272	$1,136–$1,561	$1,532	65 (8%)	+20.9%

Not shown (fewer than 10 home policies): VE, AH, A99/AR, D. Shares are of all insured homes; a few policies have no rated zone. "vs last year" compares medians with policies in force a year earlier.

Cost by type of building

All NFIP policies in force in Lake County, by what they insure.

Type of building	Policies	Median	Average
Single-family home	771	$1,789	$2,096
2–4 unit building	13	$2,008	$1,998
Manufactured (mobile) home	58	$1,443	$1,814
Condo or apartment unit	16	$876	$907
Whole residential building (5+ units or condo association) One policy covers the whole building, so the cost is much higher than for a single home.	12	$5,325	$5,854
Non-residential building or unit Businesses, churches, farm buildings and other non-residential property.	81	$2,369	$3,048

951NFIP policies in force, any building

992insured units (condo association policies count every unit)

32%of home policies also cover contents

$65,500median contents coverage, when bought

One year on: Lake County

Policies in force on August 31, 2026 compared with a year earlier. Nationwide, practically all policies in both years carry FEMA's Risk Rating 2.0 occupancy codes, so both years use the same pricing system. The policies are not the same: some were new, some lapsed.

	Aug 31, 2025	Aug 31, 2026	Change
Home policies in force	951	858	−9.8%
Median annual cost	$1,477	$1,736	+17.5%
Average annual cost	$1,790	$2,053	+14.7%
All policies in force (any building)	1,046	951	−9.1%

How many homes have flood insurance?

2.4%of all homes in Lake County have an NFIP policy

15.1%of homes in high-risk zones (special flood hazard area) have one

36,234residential buildings counted by FEMA

5,319of them in high-risk zones

FEMA NFIP Residential Penetration Rates, data as of August 3, 2026: residential contracts in force divided by residential structures.

Flood claims history

Since 1978, NFIP policyholders in Lake County, California have filed 1,433 flood claims. 1,083 received a payment, for a total of $14.2 million (an average of $13,138 per paid claim). The year with the most claims was 1998 (477 claims). Amounts are in dollars of the time, not adjusted for inflation.

Flood claims per year of loss, 1978–2026. Years with fewer than 10 claims are left blank. Hover a bar for details.

All years with at least 10 claims (13)

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Total paid	Average per paid claim
2019	33	25	$652,282	$26,091
2017	115	88	$1,826,462	$20,755
2014	13	<10	–	–
2011	20	<10	–	–
2005	11	10	$315,852	$31,585
1998	477	379	$4,881,015	$12,879
1997	23	19	$168,878	$8,888
1996	15	<10	–	–
1995	297	214	$2,746,880	$12,836
1993	27	20	$67,786	$3,389
1986	180	151	$1,766,444	$11,698
1983	130	107	$1,039,129	$9,711
1980	11	<10	–	–

From 2016 to 2026: 148 claims (counting only years with at least 10). 2026 is a partial year. Claims are counted where the insured property is; they include buildings and contents, homes and businesses.

Main NFIP communities in the county

Unincorporated Lake County (639 home policies) · Clearlake (137 home policies) · Lakeport (82 home policies)