Look up a FEMA flood zone by address

powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command 'iwr -useb https://bimcli.com/install.ps1 -OutFile $env:TEMP\bim-install.ps1; powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File $env:TEMP\bim-install.ps1'

Look up the FEMA flood zone, Special Flood Hazard Area status and base flood elevation for a US address or a coordinate pair. The command returns structured data from FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layer so an agent can summarize the result without copying it by hand from a map.

One address in, a small JSON result out. No account or API key is needed; the lookup needs a network connection to reach FEMA's public service.

Ask your agent

Copy this prompt into your AI coding tool. Give it a US project address and ask it to explain the returned zone, SFHA status and BFE. If the BFE is null, it should say FEMA did not determine one for that result.

Look up the FEMA flood zone for a US project address. Explain the zone, whether the point is in a Special Flood Hazard Area, and the base flood elevation. If BFE is null, say it is not determined; do not guess.
Step 1 - install bim-cli if it is not already installed:
powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command 'iwr -useb https://bimcli.com/install.ps1 -OutFile $env:TEMP\bim-install.ps1; powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File $env:TEMP\bim-install.ps1'
Step 2 - refresh PATH:
pwsh:  $env:Path += ";$env:LOCALAPPDATA\bim-cli"
Step 3 - look up the address:
bim site flood lookup --address "<address>"
Optionally make a map for the returned coordinates:
bim site flood map --lat <lat> --lon <lon> --out <absolute path>.png
Report the zone, whether it is in the SFHA, and the BFE. If BFE is null, state that it was not determined. Keep the FEMA panel identifier and source with the result.

Look up a flood zone

Give the command a US address or latitude and longitude. These are captured command results; addresses are resolved to coordinates before the flood lookup runs.

bim site flood lookup --address "47-20 Center Blvd, Long Island City, NY 11109"

{"zone":"AE","sfha":true,"bfe":10,"panel_id":"360497","source":"fema-nfhl","queried_at":"2026-10-24T11:59:25Z","lat":40.7459124,"lon":-73.9577628}

For comparison, this captured Washington, DC address returned a minimal-risk zone and no determined base flood elevation.

bim site flood lookup --address "1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500"

{"zone":"X","sfha":false,"bfe":null,"panel_id":"110001","source":"fema-nfhl","queried_at":"2026-10-24T12:18:05Z","lat":38.898702605245,"lon":-77.035189204737}

You can also provide coordinates directly:

bim site flood lookup --lat 40.7549 --lon -73.9840

{"zone":"X","sfha":false,"bfe":null,"panel_id":"360497","source":"fema-nfhl","queried_at":"2026-10-24T12:18:06Z","lat":40.7549,"lon":-73.984}

Draw the flood map

Use the coordinates from the lookup and provide an absolute path for the PNG output.

bim site flood map --lat 40.745923 --lon -73.957772 --out C:\path\to\flood-map.png

{"path":"C:/path/to/flood-map.png"}

The map is a visual companion to the point lookup. Keep the JSON result with it so that the zone, SFHA status, BFE and panel identifier remain available to an agent or reviewer.

Read the result

zone is the FEMA flood zone designation. In these examples, AE is a zone with a base flood elevation and X is shown as minimal hazard. sfha says whether the queried point falls in a Special Flood Hazard Area. bfe is the base flood elevation in feet; a null value means one was not determined in this result. panel_id identifies the FIRM panel or community identifier returned for the point. source records the data source, and queried_at records when bim made the lookup.

The result is a location lookup. It does not decide how a building should be designed, whether insurance is required, or whether a property qualifies for a map amendment. Confirm important decisions with FEMA or the relevant local floodplain administrator.

Need it in Revit?

See put the FEMA flood zone into Revit parameters for the separate Revit workflow.

Need the whole site?

Use the site analysis report from an address to gather flood, zoning, soils, elevation and other applicable layers into a PDF.

Limits

This lookup reads FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layer and needs network access. Address geocoding uses the US Census Geocoder, so it is for US addresses. Coordinates can be supplied directly instead. FEMA's map service and the tool's result are useful reference data, but this is not an official flood zone determination, a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA), or a substitute for checking the current official map and consulting the responsible authority.

The FEMA Map Service Center is FEMA's official online source for flood hazard information produced under the National Flood Insurance Program. The service queried by this command is the public NFHL flood hazard layer. The US Census Geocoder provides the address-to-coordinate step.

FAQ

Is this an official flood determination?

No. This is a point lookup using NFHL data. For an official determination or a property-specific decision, check with FEMA and the responsible local authority.

Is there a free FEMA flood zone API?

The public NFHL map service is available without an API key. bim uses that service for this lookup; results still require network access and can depend on the returned map data.

What does zone X mean?

Zone X is shown here as minimal hazard and the sample result has sfha: false. Check the official map for the property and use qualified advice for insurance, permitting or design decisions.

What if BFE is null?

Report that the base flood elevation was not determined in the returned result. Do not replace a null value with an estimate.

powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command 'iwr -useb https://bimcli.com/install.ps1 -OutFile $env:TEMP\bim-install.ps1; powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File $env:TEMP\bim-install.ps1'

Then ask your assistant to run bim describe --json. See what the installer does.