How much flood risk does Modoc County actually carry?
Modoc County lands at the 44.8th percentile of FEMA's National Risk Index for flooding, "Relatively Low" territory — below the national norm for flood hazard — with the hazard driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about once every 2 years. This describes the county, not any one street — FEMA only publishes exact parcel zones through a live map service.
Mandatory flood insurance compliance in Modoc County
Homes with a federally backed mortgage inside Modoc 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, 13.6% of them do — 56 active policies against 413 structures FEMA counts in that zone, leaving a real compliance gap. Across all residential structures in Modoc County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 1% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Where Modoc County ranks
Modoc County sits at rank 1798 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 2539 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). About 8,491 people live in Modoc County, California, spread over 3,948.233 square miles.
Checking a specific address in Modoc County
58 of Modoc County's 5,734 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 Modoc 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.