A Snapshot of Floodplain Management Across the Nation
The 2025 State and Territory Floodplain Management Assessment builds on more than three decades of research into how states manage flood risk, continuing ASFPM’s effort to define and promote the key components of effective floodplain management. Using the 10 guiding principles first introduced in ASFPM’s 2003 landmark report, this updated assessment captures how states and territories are addressing today’s challenges, from evolving flood hazards to new data-sharing and privacy considerations.
The report summarizes responses from 42 states and territories, offering a national snapshot of progress, gaps, and emerging trends in floodplain management programs. Using the links below, you can explore the assessment highlights from each of the 10 principles.
For those seeking a deeper look into how states are advancing resilient floodplain management nationwide, the full 2025 FPM Assessment report [.pdf] provides additional detail, including summarized questions and responses, and the additional materials section of the About page provides all assessment questions and results.
Introduction to the 2025 State and Territory FPM Assessment and the Principles for Effective State Floodplain Management.
State floodplain management programs should be comprehensive and integrated with other state functions.
Flood hazards within the state must be identified and the flood risks assessed.
Natural floodplain functions and resources throughout the state need to be respected.
Development within the state must be guided away from flood-prone areas; adverse impacts of development inside and outside the floodplain must be minimized.
Flood mitigation and recovery strategies should be in place throughout the state.
The state’s people need to be informed about flood hazards and mitigation options.
Training and technical assistance in floodplain management need to be available to the state’s communities.
The levels of funding and staffing for floodplain management should meet the demand within each state.
Evaluation of the effectiveness of state floodplain management programs is essential and successes should be documented.
About the 2025 State and Territory FPM Assessment, including citation, disclaimers, acknowledgements and additional materials.