Flood insurance cost · Santa Barbara County, CA

Flood insurance cost in Santa Barbara County, California

What homeowners with a National Flood Insurance Program policy actually pay, from FEMA's records of 2,138 home policies in force on August 31, 2026.

Santa Barbara County, CaliforniaPolicies in force on Aug 31, 2026

Median annual cost of NFIP flood insurance for a home

$1,264a year

Half of insured homes paid between $1,065 and $1,834. That is 17% more than the California median ($1,079). Most insured homes here are rated in zone X (51%).

$0$1,065 · $1,264 · $1,834$2,292

+13.3% vs Aug 31, 2025 (median $1,116)

2,138home policies in force

$1,621average cost (mean)

49%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 Santa Barbara 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 VE / V High risk, coastal	$2,590	$1,455–$3,612	$2,674	38 (2%)	+6.4%
Zone AE High risk	$1,496	$1,066–$2,424	$1,919	662 (31%)	+6.0%
Zone A High risk	$1,046	$785–$1,766	$1,420	80 (4%)	−1.3%
Zone AO High risk, shallow	$1,308	$948–$2,521	$1,709	64 (3%)	+1.2%
Zone AH High risk, shallow	$2,380	$1,281–$2,992	$2,265	200 (9%)	+13.2%
Zone X Moderate to low risk	$1,226	$1,064–$1,363	$1,285	1,087 (51%)	+16.7%

Not shown (fewer than 10 home policies): 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 Santa Barbara County, by what they insure.

Type of building	Policies	Median	Average
Single-family home	1,738	$1,266	$1,633
2–4 unit building	155	$2,163	$2,345
Manufactured (mobile) home	46	$1,076	$1,085
Condo or apartment unit	199	$1,060	$1,075
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.	253	$3,366	$4,504
Non-residential building or unit Businesses, churches, farm buildings and other non-residential property.	373	$3,202	$4,017

2,764NFIP policies in force, any building

3,739insured units (condo association policies count every unit)

68%of home policies also cover contents

$100,000median contents coverage, when bought

One year on: Santa Barbara 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	2,300	2,138	−7.0%
Median annual cost	$1,116	$1,264	+13.3%
Average annual cost	$1,484	$1,621	+9.2%
All policies in force (any building)	2,984	2,764	−7.4%

How many homes have flood insurance?

1.9%of all homes in Santa Barbara County have an NFIP policy

27.4%of homes in high-risk zones (special flood hazard area) have one

123,022residential buildings counted by FEMA

4,422of 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 Santa Barbara County, California have filed 1,315 flood claims. 803 received a payment, for a total of $31.8 million (an average of $39,564 per paid claim). The year with the most claims was 1995 (339 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 (19)

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Total paid	Average per paid claim
2024	20	16	$1,508,041	$94,253
2023	128	90	$3,984,221	$44,269
2022	10	<10	–	–
2019	22	12	$382,423	$31,869
2018	185	118	$16,889,549	$143,132
2017	20	15	$687,957	$45,864
2016	10	<10	–	–
2005	40	26	$668,548	$25,713
2001	16	10	$122,890	$12,289
2000	13	<10	–	–
1998	182	106	$1,245,126	$11,746
1995	339	210	$3,786,984	$18,033
1993	12	<10	–	–
1992	19	<10	–	–
1991	15	<10	–	–
1983	123	86	$1,680,209	$19,537
1981	16	10	$49,857	$4,986
1980	32	21	$97,031	$4,621
1978	42	19	$37,227	$1,959

From 2016 to 2026: 395 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.

ZIP codes in Santa Barbara County

ZIP codes with at least 300 NFIP home policies in force have their own page.

Main NFIP communities in the county

Unincorporated Santa Barbara County (1,050 home policies) · Santa Barbara (594 home policies) · Carpinteria (179 home policies) · Goleta (136 home policies) · Santa Maria (106 home policies) · Lompoc (36 home policies)