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Flood zones: Puerto Rico’s two maps and which one governs

Last reviewed: August 15, 2026 — VerifiedJunta de Planificación

In short

The Junta de Planificación is the entity the Government of Puerto Rico designated to coordinate the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) at the state level, a programme Puerto Rico has been part of since 1975. Within the Junta, the Office of Geology and Hydrogeology — created in 2016 — serves as the Program’s State Coordinator through its Flood Unit, and is the expert body on flood-prone areas. That Office is responsible for Planning Regulation No. 13, which governs the management of Special Flood Hazard Areas in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico adopted the federal provisions of Title 44 of the Code of Federal Regulations (44 CFR §60.3), which set the minimum criteria for managing flood-prone areas. In 2005 the official Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) were incorporated, updated in 2009. And in 2018, after Hurricane María, the Recommended Base Flood Elevation maps (ABFE) were integrated. This is the point almost nobody knows: the Junta says the ABFE maps are a fundamental requirement for all new construction and substantial improvements, and that the more restrictive criterion between the two sets of maps always applies. The Junta links a Flood Portal and provides ongoing technical support to municipalities, agencies and professionals.

External link

Go to the official site

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www.jp.pr.gov

What is it?

The Junta de Planificación’s Office of Geology and Hydrogeology was created in 2016 to strengthen the technical analysis of projects related to natural hazards in Puerto Rico. It runs two main units: the Flood Unit, responsible for coordinating and administering the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), and the Coastal Zone Unit, in charge of the Puerto Rico Coastal Zone Management Program. The Junta describes this Office as the expert body on flood-prone areas, which ensures land development and use follow the FIRM and ABFE maps in force, and which provides ongoing technical support to municipalities, agencies and professionals. The stated purpose of the whole is that Puerto Rico stays compliant with federal and state regulations, promotes access to flood insurance and fosters responsible risk management, to protect lives and safeguard property.

Who can do it?

This is not a benefit you apply for, so there are no eligibility requirements; it is the regulatory framework that applies to a piece of land depending on where it is. It matters to anyone about to build, anyone making a substantial improvement to an existing structure, anyone buying property and anyone who has or needs flood insurance. Planning Regulation No. 13 governs the management of Special Flood Hazard Areas in Puerto Rico. The Junta notes expressly that the ABFE maps, integrated in 2018 after Hurricane María, are a fundamental requirement for all new construction and substantial improvements. Municipalities and agencies are covered too: the Office of Geology and Hydrogeology provides them technical support and oversight as NFIP State Coordinator.

Requirements

Documents you need

Information pending verification.

Cost

Check the current cost with the official agency.

Step by step

  1. Step 1: Understand that there are two maps, not one

    Puerto Rico works with two sets of official maps. The FIRM are the Flood Insurance Rate Maps, incorporated in 2005 and updated in 2009. The ABFE are the Recommended Base Flood Elevation maps, integrated in 2018 after Hurricane María. The Junta describes both as the official maps in force, and says land development and use must follow both.

  2. Step 2: And that the more restrictive one governs

    This is the sentence that changes projects. The Junta says the ABFE maps are a fundamental requirement for all new construction and substantial improvements, always applying the more restrictive criterion, to ensure greater safety. If the FIRM says one thing and the ABFE says something stricter, the ABFE governs. Checking only the FIRM because it is the familiar one is the most common way to build to the wrong elevation.

  3. Step 3: Know who the authority is

    The Junta de Planificación is the entity designated by the Government of Puerto Rico to coordinate the National Flood Insurance Program at the state level, and Puerto Rico has been part of the programme since 1975. Within the Junta, the Office of Geology and Hydrogeology serves as State Coordinator, providing technical support, guidance and oversight to municipalities and agencies. If the matter is about flood zones, that Office is the one that knows, even if another body issues the permit. The Junta’s switchboard is 787-723-6200 and the general email is comentariosjp@jp.pr.gov.

  4. Step 4: Check the Junta’s Flood Portal

    The Junta links a Flood Portal from its Geology and Hydrogeology page. This guide tells you it exists and how to reach it, but does not describe how it is used: the portal is a map viewer that runs entirely in the browser and its content is not published as text, so nothing is asserted here about what you type, what it returns or whether it prints. If you need a formal determination for a bank, an insurer or a permit, ask the Office of Geology and Hydrogeology which document each of them accepts.

  5. Step 5: If you are building or improving, factor in the regulation

    The management of Special Flood Hazard Areas in Puerto Rico is governed by Planning Regulation No. 13, which is the responsibility of the Office of Geology and Hydrogeology. Above it run the federal minimum criteria of 44 CFR §60.3, which Puerto Rico adopted as part of its participation in the NFIP. A "substantial improvement" is not just any repair: it is a defined concept in flood regulation, and if your project might fall under it, confirm before starting, not after.

  6. Step 6: And understand what the NFIP is for

    The purpose the Junta states for all of this is that Puerto Rico stays compliant with federal and state regulations, promotes access to flood insurance and fosters responsible risk management. Puerto Rico’s participation in the NFIP since 1975 is what makes flood insurance available here. A municipality’s compliance with the minimum criteria is part of what sustains that access, which is why the Junta oversees municipalities as well as projects.

Where to do it

Junta de Planificación de Puerto Rico, Centro Gubernamental Roberto Sánchez Vilella (Minillas), North Tower, Ave. De Diego, Stop 22, Santurce, PR 00912. Switchboard: 787-723-6200. General email: comentariosjp@jp.pr.gov. The Office of Geology and Hydrogeology answers at that same switchboard. The Flood Portal is linked from the Junta’s Geology and Hydrogeology page.

How long it takes

Check the current processing time with the official agency.

What to do if something goes wrong

Be clear about what this guide does not give you. It does not tell you whether your specific property is in a flood zone: that depends on the exact location and has to be checked on the maps. It does not tell you what any consultation or determination costs, because the Junta publishes no costs on this page. It does not tell you how long anything takes, for the same reason. It does not describe how the Flood Portal is used, because it is a viewer that runs in the browser and its content is not published as text. And it does not reproduce Planning Regulation No. 13, which the Junta names but does not link from its regulations list. What it does give you, and what most people do not know, is that there are two sets of maps and the more restrictive one governs. If a bank, an insurer or a municipality asks you for a determination, first ask exactly which document they accept, because they do not all accept the same thing. And if the project is on the coast, there is also a separate consistency requirement with the Coastal Zone Management Program.

Common mistakes

  • Looking only at the FIRM map: since 2018 the ABFE also apply, and the more restrictive criterion governs.
  • Assuming a 2009 map is the last word on the elevation you must build to.
  • Starting a substantial improvement without confirming whether the project falls under flood regulation.
  • Asking only at the municipality: the Junta de Planificación is the NFIP State Coordinator.
  • Asking for "the map" without asking the bank or insurer which document they actually accept.
  • Forgetting that a coastal project also carries the coastal zone consistency requirement.

Frequently asked questions

Which map applies, the FIRM or the ABFE?

Both, and the more restrictive one governs. The Junta says the ABFE maps, integrated in 2018 after Hurricane María, are a fundamental requirement for all new construction and substantial improvements, always applying the more restrictive criterion to ensure greater safety.

What is an ABFE map?

ABFE stands for Recommended Base Flood Elevation maps. They were integrated in Puerto Rico in 2018, after Hurricane María, and are additional to the FIRM maps incorporated in 2005 and updated in 2009.

Who decides whether my land is in a flood zone?

The Junta de Planificación’s Office of Geology and Hydrogeology is the expert body on flood-prone areas and the State Coordinator of the National Flood Insurance Program. The determination comes from the official FIRM and ABFE maps in force.

What does a flood zone determination cost?

The Junta publishes no cost on its Geology and Hydrogeology page, and this guide does not invent a figure. Ask the Office of Geology and Hydrogeology directly, at 787-723-6200.

Official sources

These are the government pages this guide is based on.

Last verified

August 15, 2026

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