Is Grayson County, VA in a flood zone?
FEMA's National Risk Index puts Grayson County's flood hazard at the 28.4th 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 Grayson County
Homes with a federally backed mortgage inside Grayson County's mapped high-risk flood zone (the Special Flood Hazard Area, or SFHA) are legally required to carry an NFIP flood policy. In practice, 6.2% of them do — 12 active policies against 194 structures FEMA counts in that zone, leaving a real compliance gap. Across all residential structures in Grayson County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 0.2% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Where Grayson County ranks
Grayson County sits at rank 2301 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 2076 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Grayson County, Virginia is home to about 15,265 people across 441.785 square miles of land.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Grayson County
17 of Grayson County's 8,540 residential structures carry flood coverage of some kind, per FEMA's latest count — useful context, not a substitute for checking one parcel.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly which FEMA and Census tables feed Grayson 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.