City’s Flood Rating Results in Insurance Savings

For people living in areas that are prone to floods, purchasing flood insurance can be a huge burden.  The Community Rating System (CRS) provides a discount in flood insurance premiums to participating communities based on credit points given for a wide range of floodplain management activities.  The total amount of points determines a class rating and the amount of the discount.

The City of Arvada has been recognized as a Class 6 Community in the CRS, resulting in a 20% discount on flood insurance premiums for our citizens.  Currently, there are 542 flood insurance policies in Arvada.  Participation in the CRS program saves these policy holders $91,374 each year.

Only two other Colorado cities hold a Class 6 rating:  Lakewood and Westminster.  The City of Fort Collins, Colorado is the only Colorado city that ranks higher than 6.  Nationwide, less than 4% of participating CRS communities rank higher than Arvada.

Arvada realizes additional benefits by participating in the Community Rating System, including:
• CRS floodplain management activities provide enhanced public safety, a reduction in damage to property and public infrastructure, avoidance of economic disruption and losses, and protection of the environment.
• Arvada can evaluate the effectiveness of its flood program against a nationally recognized benchmark.
• Arvada benefits by having an added incentive to maintain its floodplain management program over the years.  Weakening of regulatory requirements could result in a lower class rating and lower discount.

You can be sure that the City of Arvada will do all it can to maintain or improve our CRS status!