Data as of October 27, 2026. Flood zones from FEMA’s National Flood Hazard Layer for Marion County (latest map revision in the data: September 16, 2026); parcels from the Florida Department of Revenue’s 2026 tax roll.
McGriff-Williams Insurance is an independent insurance agency in Gainesville, in business since 1983 and licensed in Florida. Clients in Ocala and around Marion County often ask us whether their part of the county is “in a flood zone.” To give a county-wide picture, we matched residential parcels in Marion County to FEMA’s flood maps and counted how many fall in each zone, by city, by ZIP code, by community and subdivision, and by type of home.
The short version:
- Homes other than condo units: of 171,598 single-family, mobile home and small multifamily parcels, 5,912 (3.4%) have their main building in a FEMA high-risk flood zone (Zone A or AE).
- Condo units: 356 of 2,542 (14.0%) are in a high-risk zone. Most condo units had no building outline of their own in FEMA’s data, so the condo figure is the roughest number on this page.
- Residential parcels combined: 6,268 of 174,140 (3.6%) are in a high-risk zone, 1,175 (0.7%) are in moderate-risk shaded Zone X, and 166,697 (95.7%) are in Zone X, FEMA’s minimal-hazard zone.
Share of parcels in mapped flood zones. This is not a flood zone determination for any property and not an insurance requirement.
Lower risk isn’t no risk, though: nearly half of the NFIP flood claims filed in Marion County communities since 1979 came from buildings rated outside the high-risk zones.
How we counted
- Which homes: parcels the Florida Department of Revenue codes as single family (01), mobile home (02), condominium (04) or multifamily with fewer than 10 units (08). Each condominium unit is its own parcel. Where the state’s map stores one parcel as several pieces, we counted it once.
- Where we checked the zone: at the main building on each parcel, using the center point of the largest building outline from the USA Structures data from FEMA and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. We did not count a parcel as high-risk just because a flood zone touches some part of the lot.
- When there was no building outline: about 26% of parcels had no building outline from FEMA’s data inside the parcel (the outlines come from aerial imagery taken between 2016 and 2022, so newer homes are often missing). That share is much higher for condo units (84%). For those parcels, we checked a point inside the parcel instead. Where an area relies heavily on that fallback, we say so.
- Which maps: FEMA’s effective flood maps only. Preliminary or proposed maps aren’t included.
Our methods note at the end of this page has more detail.
Flood zones by city
Cities are based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s current city limits. “Unincorporated” covers everything outside the five cities and towns, including areas with an Ocala mailing address.
| Area | Residential parcels | High-risk zones (A, AE) | Share high-risk | Share high-risk, excluding condo units | Shaded X (moderate) | Zone X (minimal) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ocala | 17,717 | 1,079 | 6.1% | 6.0% | 544 | 16,094 |
| Belleview | 2,151 | 250 | 11.6% | 11.6% | 61 | 1,840 |
| Dunnellon | 861 | 150 | 17.4% | 17.0% | 8 | 703 |
| McIntosh | 207 | 9 | 4.3% | 4.3% | 0 | 198 |
| Reddick | 205 | 0 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0 | 205 |
| Unincorporated Marion County | 152,999 | 4,780 | 3.1% | 3.0% | 562 | 147,657 |
| Marion County total | 174,140 | 6,268 | 3.6% | 3.4% | 1,175 | 166,697 |
A few things stand out:
- Ocala has about 1,080 residential parcels in high-risk zones (6.1%), and 544 of the county’s 1,175 shaded Zone X parcels. Ocala’s high-risk parcels don’t follow a river; they sit in low spots and ponding areas scattered through the city (see “Why the map reads the way it does” below).
- Unincorporated Marion County has about 4,780 residential parcels in high-risk zones, a 3.1% share spread across a much larger area.
- Dunnellon (17.4%) sits where the Rainbow River meets the Withlacoochee River. Belleview‘s 250 high-risk parcels sit mostly in a few lakeside and low-lying subdivisions.
- McIntosh had 9 residential parcels in high-risk zones. Reddick had none with the main building in a mapped high-risk zone; FEMA’s 2017 flood study for Marion County lists the Town of Reddick with no special flood hazard areas identified.
Flood zones by ZIP code
ZIP codes are the ZIP of each parcel’s street address, so an “Ocala” ZIP can include homes outside the city limits. ZIP 32162 (The Villages) is mostly in Sumter County; its row counts only Marion County parcels with that ZIP, and The Villages’ Sumter and Lake county parts aren’t counted here. Micanopy, Williston, Altoona and Umatilla are towns outside Marion County; those rows are Marion County parcels with that town’s mailing address. ZIPs with fewer than 100 residential parcels in Marion County are grouped as “Other ZIPs.”
| ZIP | Postal city | Residential parcels | High-risk zones (A, AE) | Share high-risk | Shaded X | NFIP policy records in force* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32113 | Citra | 2,434 | 466 | 19.1% | 0 | 87 |
| 32134 | Fort McCoy | 5,148 | 821 | 15.9% | 0 | 166 |
| 32162 | Marion parcels with The Villages mailing address | 5,133 | 10 | 0.2% | 0 | 135 |
| 32179 | Ocklawaha | 5,103 | 560 | 11.0% | 3 | 137 |
| 32195 | Weirsdale | 1,253 | 56 | 4.5% | 0 | 23 |
| 32617 | Anthony | 1,396 | 123 | 8.8% | 0 | 49 |
| 32664 | McIntosh | 207 | 9 | 4.3% | 0 | 3 |
| 32667 | Marion parcels with a Micanopy mailing address | 599 | 39 | 6.5% | 0 | 0 |
| 32668 | Morriston | 181 | 21 | 11.6% | 1 | 15 |
| 32686 | Reddick | 1,529 | 46 | 3.0% | 0 | 42 |
| 32696 | Marion parcels with a Williston mailing address | 280 | 21 | 7.5% | 0 | 14 |
| 32702 | Marion parcels with an Altoona mailing address | 140 | 5 | 3.6% | 0 | 1 |
| 32784 | Marion parcels with an Umatilla mailing address | 1,372 | 109 | 7.9% | 0 | 21 |
| 34420 | Belleview | 7,190 | 369 | 5.1% | 106 | 188 |
| 34431 | Dunnellon | 4,293 | 74 | 1.7% | 6 | 66 |
| 34432 | Dunnellon | 7,713 | 742 | 9.6% | 77 | 176 |
| 34470 | Ocala | 7,631 | 384 | 5.0% | 109 | 283 |
| 34471 | Ocala | 8,323 | 522 | 6.3% | 413 | 412 |
| 34472 | Ocala | 14,475 | 453 | 3.1% | 0 | 204 |
| 34473 | Ocala | 14,947 | 18 | 0.1% | 0 | 90 |
| 34474 | Ocala | 4,939 | 40 | 0.8% | 18 | 99 |
| 34475 | Ocala | 3,508 | 236 | 6.7% | 77 | 123 |
| 34476 | Ocala | 14,076 | 66 | 0.5% | 51 | 192 |
| 34479 | Ocala | 4,884 | 37 | 0.8% | 0 | 33 |
| 34480 | Ocala | 8,860 | 109 | 1.2% | 54 | 146 |
| 34481 | Ocala | 18,364 | 62 | 0.3% | 56 | 379 |
| 34482 | Ocala | 9,084 | 276 | 3.0% | 159 | 253 |
| 34488 | Silver Springs | 4,400 | 474 | 10.8% | 0 | 94 |
| 34491 | Summerfield | 16,630 | 103 | 0.6% | 45 | 202 |
| Other ZIPs | 48 | 17 | 0 | 3 |
*Approximate count of NFIP policy records in force as of September 8, 2026 (OpenFEMA), by the ZIP the policyholder reported, limited to Marion County census tracts. Includes every building type.
By count, ZIP codes 32134 (Fort McCoy, 821 parcels), 34432 (Dunnellon, 742) and 32179 (Ocklawaha, 560) have the most residential parcels in high-risk zones, followed by 34471 (Ocala, 522), 34488 (Silver Springs, 474), 32113 (Citra, 466) and 34472 (Ocala, 453). Several rural ZIPs in the north and east of the county, including Citra (32113), Fort McCoy (32134), Ocklawaha (32179) and Silver Springs (34488), are well above the county’s 3.6%. Ocala’s 34471 also has the county’s largest group of shaded Zone X parcels (413). In two Ocala ZIPs, FEMA letters cover a larger share of the high-risk parcels than elsewhere: 34481 (19 of 62) and 34482 (51 of 276).
Flood zones by type of home
| Home type (DOR land-use code) | Residential parcels | High-risk zones (A, AE) | Share high-risk | Shaded X | Checked at a point inside the parcel (no building outline) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single family (01) | 143,155 | 3,803 | 2.7% | 991 | 26% |
| Mobile home (02) | 24,632 | 1,878 | 7.6% | 123 | 22% |
| Multifamily (2-9 units) (08) | 3,811 | 231 | 6.1% | 35 | 11% |
| Condominium unit (04) | 2,542 | 356 | 14.0% | 26 | 84% |
Mobile homes, small multifamily buildings and condo units have a higher share in high-risk zones than single-family homes. Most condo units (84%) had no building outline of their own in FEMA’s data, so they were checked at a point inside the unit’s parcel, and one complex in a low area can add dozens of units. Treat the condo figure as a rough guide.
Flood zones community by community
These are the same parcels and the same building-point rule, grouped into named areas. We used two kinds of names:
- Census communities: the U.S. Census Bureau’s census designated places (CDPs) in unincorporated Marion County, such as Silver Springs Shores, Marion Oaks and On Top of the World. CDPs are statistical areas, not cities. For CDPs that cross the county line, we counted only the Marion County part.
- Subdivisions: the subdivision names recorded by the Marion County Property Appraiser, with a development’s numbered units, phases and replats combined under one name (every “Silver Springs Shores” unit counts as Silver Springs Shores, for example). A subdivision can be larger or smaller than the Census community with the same name: the Silver Springs Shores subdivision takes in 14,799 residential parcels, while the Census community of that name has 12,034.
We show only areas with 20 or more residential parcels. “High-risk” means FEMA Zones A and AE, including the floodway; shaded X is FEMA’s moderate-risk zone. An area’s figures describe the mapped zones across its parcels; they don’t tell you the zone of any single property. For a specific home, check FEMA’s map at its address.
† marks areas where 40% or more of residential parcels had no building outline in FEMA’s data and were checked at a point inside the parcel. Those areas are mostly newer or still building out, and their counts are less certain. Counting only the parcels checked at a building:
- Marion Oaks (Census community): 6 of 6,293 parcels checked at a building were high-risk (20 using both methods).
- On Top of the World (Census community): none of the 3,769 parcels checked at a building were high-risk (17 using both methods).
- Rainbow Park (Census community): 3 of 506 (5 using both methods).
- Ocala Estates (Census community): 24 of 421 (40 using both methods).
- Rolling Hills: 13 of 790 (18 using both methods). Rainbow Park subdivision: 7 of 661 (16). Marion Oaks subdivision: 1 of 6,233 (14).
- Oak Hill Plantation, Autumn Glen, Dunnellon Heights and the On Top of the World subdivision had no residential parcels mapped in a high-risk zone in our count, by either method. That’s a reading of FEMA’s map, not a finding that homes there can’t flood: nearly half of Marion County’s past NFIP claims came from buildings rated outside high-risk zones.
Census communities (CDPs) in unincorporated Marion County
| Community | Residential parcels | Zone X (minimal) | Shaded X (moderate) | High-risk (A, AE) | Share high-risk | No building outline (checked at a point inside the parcel) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty Triangle | 14,686 | 14,569 | 54 | 63 | 0.4% | 26% |
| Marion Oaks † | 13,673 | 13,653 | 0 | 20 | 0.1% | 54% |
| Silver Springs Shores (Census community) | 12,034 | 11,592 | 0 | 442 | 3.7% | 21% |
| On Top of the World † | 11,950 | 11,896 | 37 | 17 | 0.1% | 68% |
| The Villages (Marion County portion only) | 6,030 | 6,020 | 0 | 10 | 0.2% | 11% |
| Rainbow Springs | 3,258 | 3,175 | 55 | 28 | 0.9% | 21% |
| Rainbow Lakes Estates | 2,087 | 2,066 | 0 | 21 | 1.0% | 29% |
| Lake Kerr | 1,527 | 1,187 | 0 | 340 | 22.3% | 29% |
| Silver Springs Shores East | 1,320 | 1,245 | 0 | 75 | 5.7% | 35% |
| Rainbow Park † | 1,169 | 1,160 | 4 | 5 | 0.4% | 57% |
| Ocala Estates † | 792 | 704 | 48 | 40 | 5.1% | 47% |
| Ocklawaha | 667 | 620 | 0 | 47 | 7.0% | 13% |
| Silver Springs | 468 | 436 | 0 | 32 | 6.8% | 31% |
“The Villages” here is only the part of that Census community inside Marion County, about 12% of its land area. The Villages’ Sumter County and Lake County parts are on other counties’ flood maps and aren’t counted on this page. In the Silver Springs Shores Census community, 266 of the 442 high-risk parcels are condo units, most of them checked at a point inside the parcel; excluding condo units, the community’s share is 1.6% (176 of 10,925).
Ocala subdivisions (among the 15 largest by residential parcels)
| Subdivision | Residential parcels | Zone X (minimal) | Shaded X (moderate) | High-risk (A, AE) | Share high-risk | No building outline (checked at a point inside the parcel) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ocala Highlands | 628 | 628 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 10% |
| West Ocala | 451 | 422 | 0 | 29 | 6.4% | 13% |
| Saddle Creek | 383 | 383 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0% |
| Oak Hill Plantation † | 310 | 310 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 69% |
| Heritage Hills | 279 | 212 | 5 | 62 | 22.2% | 3% |
| Woodfields | 274 | 269 | 3 | 2 | 0.7% | 2% |
| Silver Springs Forest | 236 | 226 | 1 | 9 | 3.8% | 7% |
| Raven Glen | 232 | 224 | 0 | 8 | 3.4% | 0% |
| Preserve at Heath Brook | 213 | 210 | 3 | 0 | 0.0% | 27% |
| College Park | 171 | 150 | 0 | 21 | 12.3% | 2% |
Five recorded plat names among the city’s 15 largest are left out of this table; their parcels are still counted in the Ocala and county totals. About 95% of Ocala’s residential parcels (16,810 of 17,717) are in a recorded subdivision, and those subdivisions hold 1,006 of the city’s 1,079 high-risk parcels.
Unincorporated Marion County subdivisions (among the 15 largest by residential parcels)
| Subdivision | Residential parcels | Zone X (minimal) | Shaded X (moderate) | High-risk (A, AE) | Share high-risk | No building outline (checked at a point inside the parcel) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Springs Shores (subdivision) | 14,799 | 14,452 | 6 | 341 | 2.3% | 19% |
| Marion Oaks † | 13,561 | 13,547 | 0 | 14 | 0.1% | 54% |
| The Villages (Marion County part; recorded as Villages of Marion) | 3,627 | 3,617 | 0 | 10 | 0.3% | 8% |
| On Top of the World † | 2,804 | 2,804 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 70% |
| Rainbow Lakes Estates | 2,094 | 2,072 | 0 | 22 | 1.1% | 29% |
| Belleview Heights Estates | 2,093 | 2,087 | 0 | 6 | 0.3% | 22% |
| Orange Blossom Hills | 1,956 | 1,956 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 12% |
| Ocala Park Estates | 1,775 | 1,727 | 39 | 9 | 0.5% | 22% |
| Oak Run | 1,629 | 1,629 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 2% |
| Rainbow Springs | 1,501 | 1,495 | 0 | 6 | 0.4% | 9% |
| Rolling Hills † | 1,491 | 1,471 | 2 | 18 | 1.2% | 47% |
| Rainbow Park † | 1,442 | 1,416 | 10 | 16 | 1.1% | 54% |
| Spruce Creek South | 1,400 | 1,400 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0% |
| Ocala Palms | 1,051 | 1,051 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0% |
One recorded plat name among the 15 largest is left out of this table; its parcels are still counted in the unincorporated and county totals.
About 92% of unincorporated residential parcels (140,806 of 152,999) are in a recorded subdivision. Rural parcels without a subdivision name hold about 740 of the 4,780 unincorporated high-risk parcels. The Villages row covers the subdivisions the Property Appraiser records as Villages of Marion, in the Marion County part of The Villages only.
Belleview subdivisions (among the 5 largest by residential parcels)
| Subdivision | Residential parcels | Zone X (minimal) | Shaded X (moderate) | High-risk (A, AE) | Share high-risk | No building outline (checked at a point inside the parcel) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coral Ridge | 254 | 167 | 20 | 67 | 26.4% | 1% |
| Autumn Glen † | 228 | 228 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 90% |
| Diamond Ridge | 181 | 181 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 9% |
| Cobblestone | 135 | 135 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 1% |
One recorded plat name among Belleview’s 5 largest is left out of this table; its parcels are still counted in the Belleview and county totals.
Dunnellon subdivisions (the 5 largest by residential parcels)
| Subdivision | Residential parcels | Zone X (minimal) | Shaded X (moderate) | High-risk (A, AE) | Share high-risk | No building outline (checked at a point inside the parcel) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dunnellon | 251 | 221 | 2 | 28 | 11.2% | 34% |
| Blue Cove | 129 | 102 | 0 | 27 | 20.9% | 10% |
| Dunnellon Heights † | 116 | 116 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 51% |
| Rainbow River Acres | 78 | 39 | 1 | 38 | 48.7% | 32% |
| Vogt Springs | 75 | 61 | 0 | 14 | 18.7% | 8% |
“Dunnellon” in this table is a subdivision plat recorded under that name, not the whole city.
Across the 585 named subdivisions with at least 50 residential parcels, 184 have any residential parcels in a high-risk zone.
Area figures summarize FEMA’s effective flood map across each area’s residential parcels, using the same building-point rule as the rest of this page. They aren’t a flood zone determination for any property and may not reflect Letters of Map Amendment (LOMAs) FEMA has issued for individual buildings or lots. In a few areas, such as Liberty Triangle (13 of 63), Belleview Heights Estates (3 of 6) and the Silver Springs Shores East Census community (13 of 75), FEMA letters cover a notable share of the high-risk parcels. Census communities are U.S. Census Bureau census designated places (TIGERweb, current vintage), counted for their Marion County part only. Subdivision names are from the Marion County Property Appraiser’s subdivision map, published by Marion County GIS (downloaded Oct. 27, 2026; the service doesn’t publish an edit date). A Zone X count shows where FEMA’s map doesn’t show a high-risk zone. It doesn’t mean an area can’t flood.
Why the map reads the way it does
Much of Marion County sits on limestone, and its land drains differently from river country. FEMA’s 2017 flood study for the county describes two general kinds of drainage areas: depression basins, closed low areas with no surface outlet, where water leaves only by soaking into the ground or evaporating, and stream basins, whose streams drain into sinkholes, lakes, other depressions or larger streams. That’s why Marion’s high-risk zones look like scattered pockets on the map rather than long bands along rivers.
In our count:
- 3,725 high-risk parcels are in Zone A, mapped without a base flood elevation.
- 2,412 are in AE areas with a single flood elevation for the whole area. FEMA uses that kind of zone for lakes, ponds and ponding areas.
- Only about 130 are in AE zones along a river with a sloping flood profile, almost entirely along the Rainbow River and the Withlacoochee River near Dunnellon, and 4 are in the floodway.
- About 2,480 high-risk parcels sit in pockets that don’t touch any named lake, river or stream: low spots and closed basins, some smaller than two acres.
Ocala. FEMA’s study maps the city’s flood areas as ponding areas and unnamed ponds, plus a Zone A area it calls the City of Ocala Drainage Area, rather than streams. It names unnamed ponding areas by watershed, including NW Ocala, West Ocala, SR 200, Florida Ridge, Blichton, Martel and Cotton Plant. In our count, none of Ocala’s high-risk parcels sit along a named lake, river or stream; they’re in these separate pockets. The largest groups are in the Heritage Hills subdivision (62), Richmond Heights (50), Marimere (47) and Crestwood North Village Patio Homes (42, 30 of them checked at a point inside the parcel), plus condo units in a few complexes, most of them checked at a point inside the parcel.
Southwest: Dunnellon, Rainbow River and the Withlacoochee. FEMA’s study maps the Rainbow River and the Withlacoochee River with detailed flood elevations. High-risk parcels in Rainbow River Acres (38, 15 of them checked at a point inside the parcel) and Blue Cove (27) sit along the lower Rainbow River, the stretch the Census Bureau’s map labels Blue Run*, and Vogt Springs (14) is near the Withlacoochee River. Nearby in ZIP 34432, Spruce Creek Preserve has 343 residential parcels in a mapped Zone A area, and Florida Highlands has 177; neither sits on a river.
Northeast lakes: Lake Kerr and Fort McCoy. The Lake Kerr Census community has 340 high-risk parcels (22.3%), nearly every one in AE zones with a single flood elevation around Lake Kerr and Little Lake Kerr, both studied in FEMA’s flood study. They’re in subdivisions such as Kershores (49) and Kerrs Breezy Shores (33, 15 of them checked at a point inside the parcel). Elsewhere in ZIP 32134, Ponderosa Tall Pines (49) sits near the west shore of Lake George*, in far eastern Marion County in the Ocala National Forest, and Lake View Manor (39) is near Deer Back Lake*.
Southeast: Lake Weir, Halfmoon Lake and Ocklawaha. FEMA’s study covers Lake Weir, Little Lake Weir, Halfmoon Lake and Lake Bryant. High-risk parcels in Winding Waters (75) and Half Moon Homesites (26, 11 of them checked at a point inside the parcel) sit near Halfmoon Lake, and the Ocklawaha Census community’s 47 include homes near Lake Weir. Woods and Lakes (120 high-risk parcels, Zone A; 48 of them checked at a point inside the parcel) is near Halford Lake* and Wash Pond*. FEMA has issued letters removing some individual homes or lots in Woods and Lakes and in Meadowbrook Ranches from the high-risk area, which these counts may not reflect (see LOMAs below).
North: Citra, Anthony and Orange Lake. In the Citra area (ZIP 32113), one subdivision has 209 high-risk parcels in Zone A (about half of its parcels checked at a parcel point), and Bass Lake Ranches (24) is near Orange Lake*. In Anthony (32617), Meadowbrook Ranches has 54 in Zone A.
Silver Springs Shores and Belleview. In the Silver Springs Shores Census community, high-risk parcels are in Zone A areas around small lakes and low ground through the community, and they include condo complexes counted at parcel points (see the note under the Census table). In Belleview, Coral Ridge (67), Wooded Acres (33) and Brownstone Commons (33, 25 of them checked at a point inside the parcel) sit in AE pockets with a single flood elevation that don’t touch a named lake.
Larger planned communities. Away from lakes and basins, most of the map reads Zone X. In our count, 5 of the 15 largest unincorporated subdivisions, including Orange Blossom Hills, Oak Run, Spruce Creek South and Ocala Palms, had no residential parcels mapped in a high-risk zone, and Marion Oaks, the Marion County part of The Villages, Ocala Park Estates and Belleview Heights Estates each had fewer than 1%. Zone X isn’t no risk: nearly half of the county’s past NFIP claims came from outside high-risk zones.
*Lake and river names marked with an asterisk are from the U.S. Census Bureau’s map (TIGER/Line water features) and aren’t named as flooding sources in FEMA’s flood study. Unmarked names are as FEMA’s flood study or flood map uses them. Subdivision names are as recorded by the Marion County Property Appraiser.
What the flood zones mean
- Zone A: a high-risk area (1% annual chance of flooding, sometimes called the 100-year floodplain) where FEMA hasn’t set a base flood elevation. Most of Marion County’s high-risk parcels, 3,725 of 6,268, are in Zone A. Without a base flood elevation on the map, an elevation certificate or a local floodplain office may be needed to show how a home sits relative to flood levels.
- Zone AE: a high-risk area with a base flood elevation set by a detailed study. In Marion County, most AE areas carry one flood elevation for an entire lake or ponding area. Some AE areas along rivers are also marked as floodway, the channel and nearby land that carry floodwater; 4 residential parcels have their main building there.
- Zone AH: shallow ponding. It appears once on Marion’s map, but no residential parcel’s main building fell in it.
- Shaded Zone X: moderate risk. Marion’s map uses two kinds: areas with a 0.2% annual chance of flooding (sometimes called the 500-year floodplain), with 1,052 residential parcels, and areas with a 1% annual chance of flooding less than one foot deep, with 123. We count both as shaded X.
- Zone X (unshaded): minimal flood hazard on FEMA’s map. Minimal isn’t none: as FEMA puts it, anywhere it can rain, it can flood.
Marion County has no coastal V or VE zones.
Is flood insurance required?
If a building, including a mobile home, is in a high-risk flood zone (an A or V zone) on FEMA’s effective flood map in a community that participates in the NFIP, and it secures a loan from a federally regulated or federally insured lender, or a loan made, insured or guaranteed by a federal agency, federal law requires flood insurance on that building for the term of the loan (42 U.S.C. 4012a). The required amount is at least the lesser of the loan balance or the most coverage the NFIP offers for that type of building, and private flood insurance that meets the federal standards can also satisfy the requirement. Unincorporated Marion County, Ocala, Belleview, Dunnellon and McIntosh participate in the NFIP, according to FEMA’s Florida community status list. The lender determines whether the building is in a high-risk zone, usually with a Standard Flood Hazard Determination Form. In shaded or unshaded Zone X, flood insurance isn’t federally required, but a lender can still require it.
FEMA estimates that about 22% of residential buildings in Marion County’s high-risk zones (1,728 of about 7,900) had an NFIP policy as of August 2026, and about 2.0% of residential buildings county-wide (3,398 of about 171,500). FEMA counts buildings, not parcels, with its own method, so its totals differ from ours. County-wide, OpenFEMA lists about 3,600 NFIP policy records in force as of September 8, 2026.
Your lot’s zone and your house’s zone can differ
Many Marion County parcels, especially larger rural lots, have a pond, sinkhole or low area on part of the land. On those lots, part of the land may be mapped high-risk while the house sits on higher ground. In our data:
- About 13,800 residential parcels (7.9%) have some high-risk zone somewhere on the lot.
- Only 6,268 (3.6%) have the main building in it.
That gap matters. Lenders look at where the building sits on FEMA’s effective map, not the whole lot. If your lot touches a flood zone, it’s worth finding out exactly where your house sits.
LOMAs and elevation certificates
- Letters of Map Amendment (LOMAs). A homeowner can ask FEMA to formally remove a building or lot from the high-risk area if it sits on naturally high ground. FEMA’s map data lists about 1,000 LOMA and LOMR-F cases for Marion County communities since 1998 (a case can cover more than one lot or building); about 150 were denied in whole or in part. FEMA’s flood zone map layer doesn’t redraw zones for these letters, so a home with a LOMA can still look high-risk on the map. FEMA letters have removed the building or lot on about 350 of the 6,268 parcels we count as high-risk (about 6%). Our counts follow FEMA’s map and still include them. A letter applies only to the building or lot it names. It doesn’t mean the home can’t flood, and a lender can still require flood insurance.
- Elevation certificates. An elevation certificate, completed by a licensed surveyor, records a building’s elevation compared with the flood level. It’s used for NFIP policies and for LOMA requests. If you’re buying, ask the seller whether one exists, or ask the floodplain management office for your city or the county.
Map dates and community discounts
Marion County’s current flood maps took effect August 28, 2008. A revision on April 19, 2017 replaced many of the county’s map panels. FEMA’s flood map data includes 17 Letters of Map Revision (LOMRs) that took effect between 2009 and September 16, 2026. (FEMA NFHL data)
As of October 27, 2026, FEMA’s map services showed no pending flood maps for Marion County, and the only preliminary map record for the county dates from June 2016, before the 2017 revision took effect. You can check for updates on FEMA’s Map Service Center.
Two Marion County communities take part in FEMA’s Community Rating System (CRS), a voluntary program that recognizes local floodplain management that goes beyond the NFIP’s minimum standards. In a CRS community, eligible NFIP policies receive a premium discount set by the community’s CRS class. According to FEMA’s Florida community status list (checked October 27, 2026):
- Unincorporated Marion County: CRS Class 7, a 15% discount for eligible NFIP policies (class effective October 1, 2009).
- City of Ocala: CRS Class 3, a 35% discount for eligible NFIP policies (class effective October 1, 2015).
Under FEMA’s current rating method, the discount generally applies to eligible NFIP policies throughout the community, inside or outside high-risk zones. FEMA doesn’t apply it in some cases, such as buildings with floodplain management violations or group and provisionally rated policies, and a policy already at a premium cap may get only part of it or none. The discount applies to NFIP policies only, not private flood insurance, and FEMA can change a community’s class. Belleview, Dunnellon and McIntosh participate in the NFIP but aren’t in the CRS. The Town of Reddick doesn’t appear on FEMA’s Florida community status list.
NFIP claims in Marion County
FEMA’s OpenFEMA data, as of September 8, 2026, shows 237 NFIP claims from Marion County communities since 1979. 115 of them (49%) came from buildings rated outside a high-risk zone (Zone X or the older B and C zones). The ZIP codes with the most claims were 34471 (50), 34470 (23) and 34482 (18). Claims are concentrated in a few years, led by 2017.
How we can help
These counts describe areas, not individual homes. If you’re buying a home, renewing, or just wondering about your own address, a licensed member of our team can look at FEMA’s flood map for the property with you, explain how lenders generally use flood zones, review your current flood coverage, and may be able to compare options from the insurance companies we represent. For a loan, the lender’s flood determination is the one that counts.
Frequently asked questions
What share of Marion County homes are in a high-risk flood zone?
Excluding condo units, about 3.4% of residential parcels (5,912 of 171,598) have their main building in Zone A or AE on FEMA’s effective maps. For condo units it’s 14.0% (356 of 2,542), a rougher figure because most units lack their own building outline. Combined it’s 3.6% (6,268 of 174,140), and another 0.7% are in moderate-risk shaded Zone X.
Which parts of Marion County have the most residential parcels in high-risk flood zones?
By count, ZIP codes 32134 (Fort McCoy), 34432 (Dunnellon) and 32179 (Ocklawaha). Several rural ZIPs in the north and east, including Citra (32113), Fort McCoy (32134), Ocklawaha (32179) and Silver Springs (34488), are well above the county figure.
Is Ocala in a flood zone?
Most of it isn’t: about 6.1% of the city’s residential parcels (1,079 of 17,717) have the main building in a high-risk zone, and another 544 are in shaded Zone X. Ocala’s high-risk areas are scattered ponding areas and low spots rather than river floodplain, so two nearby streets can map differently. A city figure doesn’t tell you the zone of any single home.
Are large communities like Marion Oaks, On Top of the World and the Marion County part of The Villages in flood zones?
Mostly not, on FEMA’s map. In the Marion County part of The Villages, 10 of 6,030 residential parcels are in a high-risk zone. Marion Oaks and On Top of the World each had under 0.2%, though many newer homes there had no building outline and were checked at a parcel point. In the On Top of the World Census community, that’s 17 parcels, and FEMA has issued letters removing buildings or lots there from the high-risk area; a letter applies only to the building or lot it names. These figures don’t apply to The Villages’ Sumter or Lake County areas. Lower risk on the map isn’t no risk.
What are the sinkhole and closed-basin flood zones?
Much of Marion County drains into low basins with no stream outlet, where water leaves by soaking into the ground or evaporating. FEMA maps many of those basins as Zone A or as AE with one flood elevation for the whole basin. About 2,480 of the county’s high-risk parcels sit in pockets like these that don’t touch a named lake or river. Flood zones are about flooding from rising water; they aren’t a sinkhole map.
My lot shows a flood zone on the map, but my house doesn’t. Which one counts?
Lenders look at where the building sits on FEMA’s effective map, not the whole lot. About 7.9% of Marion residential parcels have a high-risk zone somewhere on the lot, but only 3.6% have the main building in it. A surveyor’s elevation certificate, or a LOMA from FEMA, can document where your home sits.
Do I need flood insurance in Zone X?
It’s not federally required, but a lender may still ask for it. In Marion County, nearly half of past NFIP claims came from buildings rated outside high-risk zones.
How current are Marion County’s flood maps?
The current maps took effect in 2008, with a revision in 2017 and smaller changes through September 2026. As of October 27, 2026, FEMA’s map services showed no pending maps for the county. You can check FEMA’s Map Service Center for updates.
Talk with us
Want to know what your flood zone means for your home or mortgage? A licensed member of our team can review the flood map and your coverage with you and may be able to compare flood insurance options from the insurance companies we represent. Call (352) 371-7977 or contact us.
Share of parcels in mapped flood zones. This is not a flood zone determination for any property and not an insurance requirement.
General information, not legal, surveying or coverage advice. Counts are a summary of mapped areas from public data provided “as is” by FEMA, the Florida Department of Revenue, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Marion County Property Appraiser and Marion County, and may not reflect LOMAs, recent construction or map changes after the data dates shown. Coverage depends on the policy issued, its terms and underwriting. McGriff-Williams Insurance is an independent insurance agency in Gainesville, licensed in Florida and in business since 1983. We are not affiliated with FEMA, the National Flood Insurance Program or any government agency, and this page is not endorsed by them.
How the numbers were built
We started with the parcels coded residential (01, 02, 04, 08) in the Florida Department of Revenue’s 2026 statewide parcel data for Marion County: 174,152 map records, which combine into 174,140 parcels once parcels stored as several pieces are merged. Each parcel was assigned the FEMA flood zone at the center of its largest building outline in the USA Structures data from FEMA and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (128,366 parcels) or, if no outline was found inside the parcel, at a point inside the parcel (45,774 parcels, or 26%). Parcels checked at a point inside the parcel came out high-risk slightly more often (3.8%) than parcels checked at a building (3.5%). Where zones overlap, the higher-risk zone was used. Both kinds of shaded Zone X on Marion’s map were counted as shaded X. Cities and Census communities come from the Census Bureau’s current boundaries; ZIP codes from the parcel’s street address ZIP; subdivisions from the Marion County Property Appraiser, assigned at the same point used for the zone. Owner names, addresses and parcel numbers were not used or shown. Using a point inside every parcel instead of the building would put 6,944 parcels (4.0%) in high-risk zones; counting any overlap with the lot would put 13,765 (7.9%). LOMA and LOMR-F cases (998) were counted by the NFIP community numbers of Marion County’s participating communities. Removal letters were matched to high-risk parcels by the street address and lot list in each FEMA determination, then by letter location: 351 of 6,268 (243 building, 107 whole lot, 1 part); about 30 more possible.
Sources
- FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer map service (effective flood hazard zones, layer 28; LOMAs, layer 34; preliminary and pending map availability), queried Oct. 27, 2026: https://hazards.fema.gov/arcgis/rest/services/public/NFHL/MapServer
- FEMA Map Service Center: https://msc.fema.gov/portal/advanceSearch
- FEMA Flood Insurance Study, Marion County, Florida and Incorporated Areas, Volume 1 (12083CV001B, revised April 19, 2017), via FEMA Map Service Center
- Florida Department of Revenue, statewide cadastral (parcel) data, 2026 roll: https://services9.arcgis.com/Gh9awoU677aKree0/ArcGIS/rest/services/Florida_Statewide_Cadastral/FeatureServer
- Florida Department of Revenue, property data portal: https://floridarevenue.com/property/Pages/DataPortal_RequestAssessmentRollGISData.aspx
- USA Structures, FEMA and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (data service queried Oct. 27, 2026): https://services2.arcgis.com/FiaPA4ga0iQKduv3/arcgis/rest/services/USA_Structures_View/FeatureServer/0
- U.S. Census Bureau, TIGERweb incorporated places and census designated places: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer
- U.S. Census Bureau, TIGERweb hydrography (lake and river names marked with an asterisk): https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Hydro/MapServer
- Marion County Property Appraiser subdivisions, via Marion County GIS (downloaded Oct. 27, 2026): https://gis.marionfl.org/public/rest/services/General/ParcelsAndSubdivisions/MapServer/2
- OpenFEMA, NFIP Redacted Policies (v3) and NFIP Redacted Claims (v3), data as of Sept. 8, 2026: https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v3/NfipPolicies and https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v3/NfipClaims
- OpenFEMA, NFIP Residential Penetration Rates (as of Aug. 3, 2026) and NFIP Community Status Book: https://www.fema.gov/about/openfema/data-sets (dataset index)
- This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency’s website(s). (OpenFEMA data retrieved October 27, 2026.)
- FEMA Community Information System, Florida community status and CRS list (fetched Oct. 27, 2026): https://www.fema.gov/cis/FL.csv
- FEMA, Community Rating System: https://www.fema.gov/floodplain-management/community-rating-system
- FEMA, Community Rating System Discount FAQ (September 2024): https://www.fema.gov/crs-discount-faq
- 42 U.S.C. 4012a, flood insurance purchase requirements: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/4012a
- FEMA, Standard Flood Hazard Determination Form: https://www.fema.gov/flood-insurance/find-form/underwriting
