Flood insurance for Texas homeowners and business owners, written from League City.

Flood Insurance in Texas

We write NFIP and private flood policies side by side so you can see both, because the rising water a standard Texas homeowners policy excludes is exactly what a flood policy is built to cover.

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A black and white drawing of a house in the water.

Wind Is One Policy. Water Is Another.

After a Gulf storm, two different policies decide who pays for what. Water that rises off the ground, comes up a bayou, or pushes in as storm surge is a flood claim. Wind and hail that tear the roof open are handled somewhere else entirely, and on much of the Texas coast that means a separate windstorm policy. It is common for two adjusters to walk the same house after the same hurricane.


Flooding is also not only a coastal event. A few inches of standing water from a stalled rain band will run into five figures of damage in a slab home, and no standard homeowners policy in Texas pays for a dollar of it.

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Buy It in March, Not When the Cone Is Pointed at Us

An NFIP flood policy does not take effect the day you buy it. Most carry a 30-day waiting period, which means a policy bought while a storm is in the Gulf will not be in force when that storm arrives. Two things change that math, and both are worth knowing.

  • The waiting period is waived when flood coverage is required as a condition of closing a loan, so a purchase or refinance can bind at closing.
  • Many private flood carriers write shorter waiting periods than NFIP, which is often the difference between covered and not for someone acting late in the season.
  • Coverage added mid-policy, such as raising a contents limit, can start its own waiting period.



Hurricane season opens June 1. The calls we would rather take are the ones in February.

What a Flood Policy Actually Pays For

Flood coverage is written in parts, and under the NFIP you buy those parts separately. That single detail is the most common gap we find on policies people bring us.

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Building Coverage

The structure itself, including the foundation, walls, flooring, electrical, plumbing, water heater, furnace and built-in appliances. NFIP residential building coverage tops out at $250,000.

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Contents Coverage

Furniture, clothing, electronics, rugs, portable appliances and personal belongings. Under NFIP this is a separate purchase from building coverage, capped at $100,000, and a policy written without it leaves everything inside the house uncovered.

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Commercial Flood Coverage

Buildings, equipment, fixtures and inventory for a business, with NFIP limits of $500,000 for the building and $500,000 for contents. Higher limits and business income coverage come from the private market. We quote commercial flood alongside the rest of a small business insurance program.

Where the Coverage Stops

Knowing the edges of a flood policy before a loss is what keeps a claim from turning into a surprise. Under a standard NFIP policy, these are the limits that come up most often.


  • A pipe that bursts inside the house is not flood. That is a homeowners claim, and the two are settled under different policies.
  • Below-grade areas are sharply limited. Finished walls, flooring and personal property in a basement or sunken room generally are not paid.
  • Landscaping, fences, decks, patios, seawalls and swimming pools sit outside the policy.
  • A detached garage picks up limited building coverage. A shed, workshop or pool equipment building usually needs its own policy.
  • A car damaged by rising water is a comprehensive auto claim, not a flood claim.
  • Loss of use is not part of an NFIP policy, so hotel and meal costs while the house dries out are not reimbursed. Some private flood policies do include it.

Two Flood Markets in Texas, and We Quote Both

The National Flood Insurance Program is the policy most Texans know. It is federally backed, but it is written and serviced through an agency like ours rather than bought from the government directly, and its limits are fixed by statute at $250,000 on a residential building and $100,000 on contents.


Private flood carriers write in Texas alongside the NFIP, and they answer questions the federal program cannot. Where a private policy fits, it often brings:

  • Building limits above the NFIP cap, which matters on a home that costs more than $250,000 to rebuild.
  • Loss of use coverage for temporary housing while repairs are underway.
  • Replacement cost on contents rather than actual cash value.
  • Waiting periods measured in days rather than a month.



Neither market wins every time. Rating, elevation, zone and claims history all move the answer, so we run both and show you what each one costs and covers before you decide.

What Your Flood Zone Letter Means

FEMA maps every property in Texas into a flood zone, and that letter drives both whether coverage is required and what it costs.


  • A and AE zones are the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area. A federally backed mortgage on a home here requires flood insurance.
  • V and VE zones are coastal high-hazard zones exposed to wave action on top of rising water. These carry the highest rates on the Gulf.
  • X, sometimes shown as B or C on older maps, is the moderate-to-low-risk zone. Coverage is optional here and prices well below a high-risk policy.


Here is the part people miss. A large share of paid flood claims come from properties outside the high-risk zones, and Harvey put water in thousands of Houston-area homes that had never been mapped into one. Maps get redrawn, drainage changes as land upstream develops, and rainfall does not consult the map. Sitting in an X zone is a reason to price a policy, not a reason to skip one.

We Know the Water Around Here

Our office is in League City, which puts flood questions in front of us daily rather than seasonally. We write flood coverage for homes along Clear Creek and Dickinson Bayou, in Clear Lake and Friendswood neighborhoods where AE and X zones sit on opposite sides of the same street, on the Chambers County side of the bay, and throughout the Houston to Galveston corridor where surge and rainfall both matter. Elevation certificates, zone determinations and lender flood requirements are everyday paperwork here.


That said, we are not a coastal-only agency. We write flood coverage in all 254 Texas counties from this office, from Montgomery County homes near the West Fork of the San Jacinto to inland properties nowhere near a bay, and clients outside the immediate area work with us by phone, email and video.

Coverage Explained Before It Is Quoted

Amber Pillsbury has been writing insurance in Texas since 2009, in the Montgomery County area first and from this League City office since 2016, and brings 18 years in finance and insurance to it. Three licensed agents work here, all writing across the entire state, and storm surge, flood zones and coastal exposure are ordinary daily questions rather than unusual ones. As an independent agency we compare carriers instead of selling one company's product, and we walk through what a policy does and does not cover before anyone talks about price.

Flood Insurance Questions Texans Ask Us

  • How much does flood insurance cost in Texas?

    Price depends on the flood zone, the elevation of the structure, the age and construction of the building, the coverage limits and the deductible chosen. A policy in a low-to-moderate risk X zone commonly costs a fraction of one in a high-risk AE or VE zone. We quote NFIP and private flood together so you can see real numbers for your address rather than a range.

  • Do I need flood insurance if I am not in a flood zone?

    Every property is in a flood zone. The question is which one, and a moderate-to-low-risk X zone is not a no-risk zone. A large share of paid flood claims come from outside the high-risk mapped areas, and because X-zone coverage prices low, it is usually worth seeing the number before deciding.

  • Is flood insurance required in Texas?

    Texas law does not require it, but lenders do. If your home or business sits in a high-risk A, AE, V or VE zone and you have a federally backed mortgage, your lender will require flood coverage. Outside those zones it is optional, and many owners in League City and southeast Houston carry it anyway.

  • Does my homeowners policy cover any flooding?

    No. Rising water is excluded from every standard Texas homeowners policy, and a separate flood policy is the only way to cover it. Water damage that starts inside the house, such as a burst supply line, is a different matter and is generally handled under your Texas homeowners coverage.

  • Does flood insurance cover storm surge?

    Yes. Storm surge is rising water pushed inland by a storm, and it is covered under both NFIP and private flood policies. The wind damage from that same hurricane falls under a separate windstorm policy, which is why both adjusters may end up at your house.

  • What is the difference between NFIP and private flood insurance?

    NFIP is the federal program, written through agencies like ours, with building coverage capped at $250,000 and contents at $100,000 on a home. Private flood carriers can write above those caps, may include loss of use, and often bind faster. Which one fits comes down to your property, so we price both.

  • How long does it take for a flood insurance policy to go into effect?

    Most NFIP policies carry a 30-day waiting period from the date of purchase. The wait is waived when flood coverage is required as a condition of closing a loan, and several private carriers write shorter waiting periods. Either way, buying before a storm is in the Gulf is the only version that works.

  • Can I get flood insurance for my business?

    Yes. Commercial flood covers the building, equipment, fixtures and inventory, with NFIP limits of $500,000 for the structure and $500,000 for contents. Private carriers write higher limits and can add business income coverage for the time you are closed.

Price a Flood Policy Before the Season Turns

Tell us the address and we will pull the flood zone, quote NFIP and private options side by side, and explain what each one covers before you decide anything. It takes one conversation, and the waiting period starts the day you bind, not the day you need it.


100 Perkins Ave Suite C, League City, TX 77573 · (936) 445-6701 · apillsbury@twfg.com

Monday through Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm. Closed Saturday and Sunday.