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| ZONEs symbolized in MassGIS coverage | ZONEs not symbolized in MassGIS coverage |
| Zone Name | ZONE | SFHA | SYMBOL | Description |
| Zone V | V | In | 1 | An area inundated by 100-year flooding with velocity hazard (wave action); no BFEs have been determined. |
| Zone VE | VE | In | 2 | An area inundated by 100-year flooding with velocity hazard (wave action); BFEs have been determined. |
| Zone A | A | In | 3 | An area inundated by 100-year flooding, for which no BFEs have been determined. |
| Zone AE | AE | In | 4 | An area inundated by 100-year flooding, for which BFEs have been determined. |
| Zone AO | AO | In | 5 | An area inundated by 100-year flooding (usually sheet flow on sloping terrain), for which average depths have been determined; flood depths range from 1 to 3 feet. |
| Zone AO (Alluvial Fan) | AOVEL | In | 6 | An alluvial fan inundated by 100-year flooding (usually sheet flow on sloping terrain), for which average flood depths and velocities have been determined; flood depths range from 1 to 3 feet. |
| Zone AH | AH | In | 7 | An area inundated by 100-year flooding (usually an area of ponding), for which BFEs have been determined; flood depths range from 1 to 3 feet. |
| Zone A99 | A99 | In | 8 | An area inundated by 100-year flooding, for which no BFEs have been determined. This is an area to be protected from the 100-year flood by a Federal flood protection system under construction. |
| Zone D | D | Out | 9 | An area of undetermined but possible flood hazards. |
| Zone AR | AR | In | 10 | An area inundated by flooding, for which BFEs or average depths have been determined. This is an area that was previously, and will again, be protected from the 100-year flood by a Federal flood protection system whose restoration is Federally funded and underway. |
| Zone X (500-year) | X500 | Out | 11 | An area inundated by 500-year flooding; an area inundated by 100-year flooding with average depths of less than 1 foot or with drainage areas less than 1 square mile; or an area protected by levees from 100-year flooding. |
| Zone X | X | Out | 12 | An area that is determined to be outside the 100- and 500-year floodplains. |
| 100-year Flood Discharge Contained in Channel | 100IC | In | 13 | An area where the 100-year flooding is contained within the channel banks and the channel is too narrow to show to scale. An arbitrary channel width of 3 meters is shown. BFEs are not shown in this area, although they may be reflected on the corresponding profile. |
| 500-year Flood Discharge Contained in Channel | 500IC | Out | 14 | An area where the 500-year flooding is contained within the channel banks and the channel is too narrow to show to scale. An arbitrary channel width of 3 meters is shown. |
| Floodway Contained in Channel | FWIC | In | 15 | An area where the floodway is contained within the channel banks and the channel is too narrow to show to scale. An arbitrary channel width of 3 meters is shown. BFEs are not shown in this area, although they may be reflected on the corresponding profile. |
| Flood Prone Area | FPQ | In | 16 | An area designated as a "Flood Prone Area" on a map prepared by USGS and the Federal Insurance Administration. This area has been delineated based on available information on past floods. This is an area inundated by 100-year flooding for which no BFEs have been determined. |
| Area in SFHA | IN | In | 17 | An area designated as within a "Special Flood Hazard Area" (or SFHA) on a FIRM. This is an area inundated by 100-year flooding for which BFEs or velocity may have been determined. No distinctions are made between the different flood hazard zones that may be included within the SFHA. These may include Zones A, AE, AO, AH, A99, AR, V, or VE. |
| Area Outside SFHA | OUT | Out | 18 | An area designated as outside a "Special Flood Hazard Area"(or SFHA) on a FIRM. This is an area inundated by 500-year flooding; an area inundated by 100-year flooding with average depths of less than 1 foot or with drainage areas less than 1 square mile; an area protected by levees from 100-year flooding; or an area that is determined to be outside the 100- and 500-year floodplains. No distinctions are made between these different conditions. These may include both shaded and unshaded areas of Zone X. |
| Area Not Included | ANI | Out | 0 | An area that is located within a community or county that is not mapped on any published FIRM. |
| Area of Undesignated Flood Hazard | UNDES | Out | 0 | A body of open water, such as a pond, lake ocean, etc., located within a community's jurisdictional limits, that has no defined flood hazard. |
This table was modified from "TABLE 4: SFHA Zone Definition" in data provided by FEMA.
May 19, 2000
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