Is Lamar County, AL in a flood zone?
FEMA's National Risk Index puts Lamar County's flood hazard at the 31.6th 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 1.8 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.
Lamar County's flood-insurance compliance gap
5.2% of the homes FEMA requires to carry flood insurance in Lamar County — those inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area — actually have a policy in force: 11 policies against 211 mandated structures, which means a meaningful share of legally-required coverage simply isn't there. Across all residential structures in Lamar 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.
How Lamar County compares nationally
Lamar County sits at rank 2209 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 2183 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Lamar County, Alabama is home to about 13,543 people across 604.783 square miles of land.
What to do next if you own or are buying in Lamar County
14 of Lamar County's 6,068 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 Lamar 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.