The Flood Insurance Transparency Act of 2025 would amend the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to require the Federal NFIP administrator to publicly disclose data used to assess flood risk and set premiums. It would make available a broad set of information about risks, policies, claims, and mitigation activities that the program relies on.
The bill also requires the administrator to establish an open source data system and a publicly searchable database for each NFIP community within one year of enactment, along with strong protections for personally identifiable information.
The goal is to accelerate research, planning, and oversight by putting flood risk information into the public domain while preserving privacy and managing the data’s quality. The measure would affect NFIP participants, local governments, researchers, and insurers by expanding access to information that currently sits inside a federal program.
It also raises questions about data governance, implementation costs, and how data will be interpreted in the market for flood insurance.
At a Glance
What It Does
The Administrator shall publicly disclose data used to assess NFIP flood risk and premiums, create an open source data system, and establish a publicly searchable community database within one year.
Who It Affects
NFIP communities, researchers, insurers, policyholders, and state/federal agencies that rely on flood risk data for planning and oversight.
Why It Matters
Public access to risk data can improve modeling, accountability, and community resilience, while also enabling better decision-making by policymakers, insurers, and researchers.
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What This Bill Actually Does
The bill creates a formal requirement that data used to run the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) be shared publicly. It defines what counts as flood risk data, including per-property risk, policy information (amount and term), historical and current claims, and records of mitigation actions.
It also requires the NFIP Administrator to build an open source data system so this information can be accessed openly and immediately.
In addition, the bill mandates a publicly searchable database for every NFIP-participating community within one year. This database would include the community’s compliance status, findings of noncompliance, enforcement actions, and the number of days of any ongoing noncompliance.
It would also track the number of properties in special flood hazard areas (SFHAs) before and after the first flood maps, total claims outside SFHAs, and the share of the community within SFHAs. All data must be mapped at ZIP Code or census block levels and must avoid disclosing owners’ identities.
Overall, the measure aims to improve transparency and enable research and planning, while raising practical questions about data quality, privacy, and the resources needed to implement and maintain these public data systems.
The Five Things You Need to Know
The bill adds a new Sec. 1349 to publicly disclose NFIP data used for risk assessment and premium setting.
An open source data system must be established to host all required information.
Within 1 year, a publicly searchable database for each NFIP community must be created, including compliance status and enforcement actions.
Data must be available at ZIP Code or census block level and include risk, policy details, claims, and mitigation data.
Data must be disclosed in a way that protects personally identifiable information.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
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Definitions
Defines key terms used in the new section, including ‘loss ratio’ (claims paid divided by premiums paid in a given fiscal year) and ‘multiple-loss property’ (repetitive loss or severe repetitive loss structures). These definitions ensure consistent interpretation of risk and loss data across the NFIP.
Flood risk information
Requires the Administrator to make publicly available data, models, assessments, and tools used to assess flood risk and establish elevations and premiums. The data categories include per-property risk, loss ratio information, policy details (amount and term), and claims data for both current and previously insured properties, as well as mitigations and the status of multiple-loss properties.
Data categories (A–F)
Subsection (A) covers risk data at the property level and loss ratio metrics; (B) and (C) define policy and claims information to be disclosed with date and amount where applicable; (D) notes whether a property was built before or after the community’s first flood map; (E) records mitigation actions; (F) identifies multiple‑loss properties where mitigation has not occurred. Together, these categories create a comprehensive picture of flood risk and history.
Open source data system
Mandates the creation of an open source data system so all information required under subsection (b) can be accessed by the public immediately by electronic means. This unit is the technical core that enables real-time, wide-scale access to NFIP data.
Community information database
Within one year, the Administrator must establish a publicly searchable database for each NFIP community. It includes compliance status, noncompliance findings, enforcement actions, and the number of days of continuing noncompliance, as well as counts of SFHA properties built before and after the first map, total claims outside SFHAs, and the portion of the community inside SFHAs.
Identification of properties
Ensures data are keyed to ZIP Codes or census blocks and include the community and state in which each property is located, enabling precise, location-based analysis while supporting privacy safeguards.
Protection of PII
Requires that disclosed information be presented in a format that does not reveal individually identifiable information about property owners in accordance with the applicable privacy statute, balancing transparency with privacy protections.
This bill is one of many.
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Who Benefits
- NFIP policyholders in flood-prone areas who gain clearer, more accessible risk information and a basis for informed decisions
- Local floodplain administrators and community planners who can leverage standardized data for compliance and planning
- Flood risk researchers and technology providers who gain access to richer datasets for modeling and analysis
- Insurance underwriters and NFIP partners who can improve pricing models with transparent historical data
- Federal and state agencies that rely on transparent data for oversight and policy design
Who Bears the Cost
- FEMA and the NFIP who must implement and maintain the open data systems
- Local governments and communities that must provide data and maintain compliance information
- Data management vendors and IT staff who build and sustain the data infrastructure and ensure privacy safeguards
- Taxpayers who might bear indirect costs associated with program administration and data governance
- Private sector partners who may incur costs to access, analyze, and translate the data for business use
Key Issues
The Core Tension
Balancing the public interest in full transparency of NFIP risk and claims data with the privacy rights of property owners and the need for data quality and usable, interpretable risk information.
The bill’s transparency goals hinge on reliable, timely data and robust data governance. Real-world implementation will require standardized data formats, regular updates, and clear responsibilities for data submission and validation.
There is a risk that complex risk data could be misinterpreted by non-experts or used in ways that undermine privacy or market stability if not properly contextualized. The open data system must also be resilient to errors and cyber threats, and there is an ongoing question of funding and resource allocation to sustain the data infrastructure over time.
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