FEMA has issued an updated flood insurance manual, which took effect on October 1, 2025. The new manual includes several updates and clarifications relevant to insurance agents and policyholders.
Among the changes, a notice has been added to policies instructing policyholders to contact their agent if any information is not current. Homes larger than 15,000 square feet now require documentation supporting their square footage. Additional documentation is also required for specific building types, including one-to-four family buildings with five or more floors; residential manufactured or mobile homes and non-residential manufactured or mobile buildings with more than three floors; as well as other residential buildings, residential condo associations, residential units, non-residential buildings, and non-residential units with more than 100 floors.
The manual clarifies that if a community’s Community Rating System (CRS) class changes during a policy term or if a policy’s eligibility for a CRS discount changes, any adjustment to the CRS discount will be applied at the next policy renewal. This adjustment is not subject to the statutory annual increase cap.
Additionally, FEMA specifies that a manufactured home or mobile home is not considered a “modular” building. Modular building construction is regulated by local and state rules similar to those for site-built buildings. The use of “99999” is no longer accepted as a valid value for building occupancies or number of floors.
Insurance agents are encouraged to review the full manual to understand all comprehensive changes.
“Agents can find the full manual with all of its changes here,” said Corey Weeks, Manager of Government Relations at PIA National.
