Flood history · Chapel Hill, NC 27517
Flood insurance claims in Chapel Hill, NC 27517
143 claims since 1978 and $4.7 million paid. Here's what the public record shows, and how to check a specific address.
Claims by year
Every NFIP flood insurance claim reported in ZIP 27517 since 1978.
What the record says
72% of claims were on properties in high-risk zones and 28% outside them.
Losses are spread across many events; the largest, 2025 July TS Chantal, accounts for 37% of claims.
Flooding here is recent: 76 claims (53%) were in the last 10 years.
The most commonly recorded cause is heavy rain or snowmelt collecting faster than it drains, which can happen far from any river or coast.
Orange County * takes part in FEMA's Community Rating System (class 6), which can lower flood insurance premiums by up to 20% in high-risk zones.
Biggest flood events
| Event | Year | Claims | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 July TS Chantal | 2025 | 53 | 37% |
| Hurricane Florence | 2018 | 21 | 15% |
| Hurricane Fran | 1996 | 10 | 7% |
| Hurricane Isabel | 2003 | 1 | 1% |
| Hurricane Floyd | 1999 | 1 | 1% |
| Hurricane Matthew | 2016 | 1 | 1% |
Flood zone at time of claim
NFIP communities
Federal disaster declarations in Orange County
Flood, hurricane and storm declarations since 2000.
12 flood, storm or hurricane declarations for Orange County since 2000.
Check a specific address in Chapel Hill.
ZIP-level history is the backdrop. See the official FEMA flood zone, ground elevation and next steps for one property, free.
Sources: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims (v3) and Disaster Declarations Summaries, FEMA NFIP Community Status Book; place names from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Data as of 2026-10-09. Payments are net building + contents payments in dollars at the time paid, not adjusted for inflation. Claims are grouped by the ZIP code reported on the claim. This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA. Information only; not an official flood zone determination or insurance advice.
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