Is Chatham County, GA in a flood zone?
FEMA's National Risk Index puts Chatham County's flood hazard at the 96th percentile nationally — among the highest flood hazard in the country — split between inland river flooding (about 1.3 times a year) and coastal storm surge (about 3.7 times a year). This describes the county, not any one street — FEMA only publishes exact parcel zones through a live map service.
Chatham County's flood-insurance compliance gap
81.5% of the homes FEMA requires to carry flood insurance in Chatham County — those inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area — actually have a policy in force: 10,556 policies against 12,957 mandated structures, which means a meaningful share of legally-required coverage simply isn't there. Across all residential structures in Chatham County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 20.6% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Where Chatham County ranks
Chatham County sits at rank 138 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 239 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). About 307,336 people live in Chatham County, Georgia, spread over 432.796 square miles.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Chatham County
Across all of Chatham County's 95,823 residential structures, 19,764 carry an NFIP policy today — a county-wide count that still can't tell you one address's own mapped zone.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly which FEMA and Census tables feed Chatham County's numbers. Because storm surge plays a real role here, the guide to coastal vs. inland flood hazard is worth reading alongside this page.