When do we use Selective for flood coverage versus NFIP?

Selective private flood wins for Zone X and moderate AE properties where it beats NFIP on price and offers higher limits with ALE coverage.

Does my homeowners policy cover flood damage?

No. Every homeowners, condo, renters, and landlord policy in Georgia excludes flood damage.

What to compare when choosing between NFIP and private flood in Georgia

Compare five factors: coverage limits, contents-settlement basis, waiting period, guaranty-fund backing, and what drives the cost -- each is a fact to check on a specific property, not a universal rule.

Why do we use Selective Insurance for Georgia flood coverage?

Selective Insurance writes primarily through independent agents and specializes in private flood coverage.

How widespread is flood risk across Georgia?

Flood is the most underinsured risk in Georgia. Standard homeowners, renters, and landlord policies exclude flood with no exceptions.

Flood FAQs

Is private flood insurance available in Georgia?

All FAQs

Quick answer: Yes -- through NFIP or a Georgia-licensed insurer. Surplus lines is restricted for homes: Georgia law only allows it when admitted coverage cannot be obtained, and it carries no guaranty-fund backing.

Yes, in two forms. Georgia homeowners can get flood coverage through NFIP, the federally backed program, or through private flood insurance from a Georgia-licensed insurer. A third route, surplus lines, exists but Georgia law only opens it for a home when coverage cannot be obtained from a licensed Georgia insurer - surplus lines is not the default private-flood route for a residential property the way it is often assumed to be.

How widely does NFIP participate in Georgia?

Per FEMA's own OpenFEMA system of record (NFIP Community Status Book, refreshed 2026-06-30), 588 of Georgia's 658 listed communities participate in NFIP; 70 do not. Participation is the precondition for NFIP coverage to be available in a given community at all - a property in a non-participating community cannot get an NFIP policy regardless of its flood zone.

What does Georgia law say about private flood insurance?

Georgia law does not carve flood out of ordinary property insurance. O.C.G.A. Sec. 33-7-6(a) defines property insurance as covering "loss or damage from any or all hazards or causes" - no flood exception. A Georgia-licensed (admitted) property insurer's authority already covers the flood peril, which is why an admitted private flood policy is possible in Georgia at all.

The surplus lines route is more restricted than many readers expect. O.C.G.A. Sec. 33-5-21(a)(4) states plainly: "The insurance shall not be procured under this chapter for personal private passenger motor vehicle coverage or residential dwelling property coverage unless such insurance cannot be obtained from an authorized insurer." In plain terms, for a home, the surplus lines market only opens up once admitted coverage has been tried and cannot be obtained - it is not an equal, parallel option to admitted coverage for a residential property.

Why does the admitted-versus-surplus-lines distinction matter?

Because the two carry different consumer protection if the insurer fails. The Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire says plainly, in its own Georgia Business Guide to Insurance, that insurance purchased through surplus lines insurers "does not have the protection of the Georgia Insurers Insolvency Pool." The Commissioner's own mandated consumer disclosure (Rule 120-2-89, Appendix A) is even more direct: "No. There is no guaranty fund for coverage for surplus lines policies," and adds that "policies of surplus lines insurers are not reviewed or approved by the Georgia Department of Insurance."

The statutory basis for that gap traces through O.C.G.A. Sec. 33-36-3: a "covered claim" under the insolvency pool requires an insurer "authorized to do an insurance business in this state," and an "insolvent insurer" must have been licensed to issue property or casualty policies in Georgia. Surplus lines insurers are, by definition, unauthorized and unlicensed in Georgia (Sec. 33-5-21(a)), so a surplus lines policy cannot generate a covered claim under the pool. In plain terms: if a Georgia-admitted flood insurer fails, the state insolvency pool stands behind the claim. If a surplus lines flood insurer fails, it does not.

How can a homeowner tell which market their own policy came from?

Georgia requires a specific disclosure on every surplus lines policy. O.C.G.A. Sec. 33-5-26(a) requires every surplus line contract to carry, printed or stamped on it: "This contract is registered and delivered as a surplus line coverage under the Surplus Line Insurance Law, O.C.G.A. Chapter 33-5." Where the annual premium is $5,000 or less - which covers most residential flood premiums - Sec. 33-5-26(b) also requires a standard disclosure brochure to be attached, delivered by the licensed surplus lines broker. A homeowner can look at their own policy documents for that stamp and brochure and know directly which market the coverage came from, without having to ask.

Whether specific admitted carriers currently write private flood coverage in Georgia is not something this page can confirm - that requires a carrier-by-carrier regulatory filing check, and any such list ages quickly as carrier appetite changes. What matters for a homeowner deciding between markets is the guaranty-pool distinction above and the disclosure that identifies which market a given policy sits in.

See Georgia flood insurance for an overview of how flood coverage works, and the national NFIP-versus-private comparison for how the two compare on limits, waiting periods, and settlement basis. A coverage review can confirm which market fits a specific Georgia property.