Norman staff review FEMA Community Rating System as local flood-insurance participation drops by half

Norman public works staff briefed the City Council at a study session Tuesday on the city's standing in the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Community Rating System (CRS) and on a sharp drop in National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policies held by local property owners.

Scott, the city's floodplain administrator in public works, said Norman remains a CRS Class 6 community and that participation in NFIP policies within the city fell from 489 policies in 2020 to 251 policies in 2025. "We're a class 6 community," Scott said during the Aug. 5 presentation. He added, "7% of all of the buildings in a flood hazard area ... have flood insurance," and highlighted the city's 17 repetitive-loss properties and 167 paid claims tied to those properties.

The CRS is a voluntary program within the NFIP that rewards communities for floodplain-management activities with reduced flood-insurance premiums for policyholders. Scott explained that a Class 6 rating yields a 20% premium discount for NFIP policies inside mapped floodplains and a 10% discount for participating property owners outside the mapped floodplain. By comparison, Scott noted, a Class 1 community can receive up to a 45% reduction in premiums.

Why it matters: a lower CRS class means smaller community discounts on NFIP premiums for property owners and signals possible gaps in outreach or mitigation. Scott warned…