Is Fentress County, TN in a flood zone?
FEMA's National Risk Index puts Fentress County's flood hazard at the 21.3th percentile nationally — among the lowest flood hazard in the country — driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about 1.3 times a year. That's a county-wide figure, not a per-address one — FEMA's parcel maps are a live lookup, not a bulk file.
Mandatory flood insurance compliance in Fentress County
4% of the homes FEMA requires to carry flood insurance in Fentress County — those inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area — actually have a policy in force: 1 policies against 25 mandated structures, which means a meaningful share of legally-required coverage simply isn't there. Across all residential structures in Fentress County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 0% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Fentress County against the rest of the country
Fentress County sits at rank 2514 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 1822 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Fentress County, Tennessee covers 498.607 square miles and counts roughly 20,129 residents.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Fentress County
Across all of Fentress County's 9,823 residential structures, 4 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 Fentress County's numbers. The guide to what the Special Flood Hazard Area actually means explains why the mandatory-insurance rule exists and who it applies to.