Is Kings County, CA in a flood zone?
FEMA's National Risk Index puts Kings County's flood hazard at the 87.7th percentile nationally — a middling flood hazard by national standards — driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about 1.2 times a year. County-wide, not parcel-specific: FEMA's real flood-zone map is queried live, never shipped as a download.
Who actually carries the flood insurance FEMA requires
Out of 1,364 homes FEMA counts inside Kings County's mapped flood zone, 159 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 11.7% compliance, short of full coverage. Across all residential structures in Kings County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 0.5% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Where Kings County ranks
Kings County sits at rank 406 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 453 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Kings County, California is home to about 154,913 people across 1,390.972 square miles of land.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Kings County
FEMA counts 40,586 residential structures in Kings County overall, 218 of them carrying some form of NFIP coverage — but a lender or insurer cares about one parcel, not that county total.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly which FEMA and Census tables feed Kings 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.