Some Howard County homeowners are opening letters in their mailboxes with unwelcome news: a portion of their property has landed inside a newly designated high-risk flood zone, and a flood insurance bill could follow. The warnings trace back to preliminary updates FEMA made to the county's flood maps, changes that are already reshaping what some residents owe their lenders and worry about at night.
According to WMAR 2 News Baltimore, the Howard County Department of Public Works has sent letters to potentially impacted property owners and invited them to a public information session. One of those letters went to Lisa Pellegrino, who learned that a portion of her property had been upgraded to a special flood hazard area. She told the station the potential insurance requirement would be another financial burden, and said that if it ultimately applies to her, she plans to pay off her mortgage using savings rather than take on the added cost. As of now, whether she will actually be required to carry the coverage remains undetermined, per the station's reporting.
The shift stems from FEMA's Region 3 team, which issued preliminary updates to Howard County's November 2013 Flood Insurance Rate Maps in August 2025, according to Patch. That outlet reports some properties in the county that were once outside a high-risk flood zone, also known as a special flood hazard area, may now fall within one — a change that can carry real financial consequences for anyone with a federally backed mortgage.
Why a Backyard Puddle Could Mean a New Bill
Federal rules leave little wiggle room once a property lands in a mapped high-risk zone. FEMA states that federally regulated or insured lenders are required to mandate flood insurance for buildings in a special flood hazard area when the loan is federally backed, a rule described on the agency's flood risk guidance page. WMAR 2 News reports that Mark Richmond said flood insurance is typically required when a residence itself sits within the floodplain, but that lenders typically do not require it when only a small portion of a backyard falls inside the zone.
Richmond also said the mapping changes are not confined to one corner of the county — they are affecting areas countywide, sometimes touching several houses in a neighborhood and sometimes just one. Still, he told the station residents should consider carrying flood insurance even in cases where it is not strictly required, a point underscored by FEMA's own messaging that most standard homeowners policies do not cover flood damage regardless of zone.
The scale of the remapping shows up in the numbers the station reported: preliminary Howard County floodplain maps moved an estimated 100 buildings into floodplains, while an estimated 110 buildings moved out. The county also released additional floodplain maps covering drainage areas between 30 acres and one square mile in the Little Patuxent Watershed and the Patapsco River Lower North Branch Watershed, Patch reported.
County Required to Adopt Maps to Stay in Federal Flood Program
Howard County is required to adopt the updated maps to continue participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, according to the same Patch report. Residents do have some cushion: Howard County holds Category 5 status through FEMA's Community Rating System, per WMAR 2 News, and the station reports residents qualify for a 25 percent reduction in flood insurance premiums as a result. FEMA's community rating system page separately notes that premium discounts in participating communities can range from 5 percent to 45 percent, depending on a community's standing.
Homeowners with concerns about where the lines were drawn are not without recourse. An appeals process allows residents to submit technical merit concerns through December, the station reported, and the preliminary maps are expected to be finalized sometime next year.
Public Information Session Set for This Week
Howard County held a public information session Wednesday, October 7, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Capitoline Center, the old circuit courthouse, to walk residents through the changes. According to the Howard County Department of Public Works, the Stormwater Management Division organized the session to cover the updated FEMA floodplain maps. A separate notice distributed through EIN Presswire described a PowerPoint presentation on the map updates followed by a question-and-answer period, with representatives from the county's Departments of Planning and Zoning and Inspections, Licenses and Permits, along with the Maryland Department of the Environment, on hand to answer flood risk and insurance questions and review the preliminary maps one-on-one with residents and property owners.
Residents who missed the session can still get help. The county's public works department has said those who could not attend and want to view the meeting materials or ask questions should contact the Stormwater Management Division at 410-313-0522.
