Is Deltona included in the new flood maps?

No. Deltona is not among the communities FEMA listed with proposed changes (City of Daytona Beach, City of DeLand, Town of Pierson, and unincorporated Volusia County), and the preliminary study's flood-zone data ends north of Deltona — its footprint covers the northwest, St. Johns River portion of the county. Deltona, DeBary, Orange City and Lake Helen keep their current effective maps in this round.

When do the new west Volusia flood maps take effect?

No effective date is set. FEMA's proposed flood hazard determinations were published in the Federal Register on January 21, 2026 (Docket FEMA-B-2578), and the statutory 90-day appeal and comment period opened August 20, 2026, closing approximately November 18, 2026. After it closes FEMA resolves appeals, issues a Letter of Final Determination, and communities get roughly six months to adopt the maps — realistically a 2027 effective date. Until then, the 2014/2017/2018 maps remain the legal maps.

Will my flood insurance go up when the maps change?

Not automatically. Under NFIP Risk Rating 2.0, premiums are priced on property-specific risk, not the zone letter alone. What a zone change does control is the lender mandatory-purchase requirement: moving into Zone A or AE means a federally backed mortgage will require flood insurance. If a future map moves your property into a high-risk zone for the first time, buying coverage before — or within 12 months of — the map change preserves access to NFIP's newly-mapped phase-in pricing, and in unincorporated areas like DeLeon Springs the county's CRS Class 5 standing already gives NFIP policies a 25% discount in high-risk zones.

Where can I see the preliminary maps for my address?

FEMA's preliminary map portal at hazards.fema.gov (select Florida, then Volusia County — the May 29, 2025 panels and FIRM database), the FEMA Flood Map Service Center at msc.fema.gov for the current effective map to compare against, and Volusia County's Flood Map Viewer. City of DeLand properties can also contact the city's floodplain administrator.

Home › Coastal Assessment › West Volusia FEMA Flood Map Update

DeLand & West Volusia FEMA Flood Map Update (2025–2026)

Name: Effective versus preliminary FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area shares, DeLand and Pierson, Florida (August 2026)
Creator: Robert Kirkland
Published: 2026-08-03
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Updated September 1, 2026 · by Robert Kirkland, Volusia County REALTOR®

The coast gets the flood headlines, but here's the fact almost nobody has reported: FEMA's new preliminary flood maps for Volusia County don't remap the beach — they remap west Volusia. The May 29, 2025 preliminary maps are a St. Johns River watershed restudy, and the communities with proposed changes are DeLand, Pierson, and unincorporated northwest Volusia (DeLeon Springs, the Lake George corridor), plus the western fringe of Daytona Beach. I pulled FEMA's preliminary map database and measured what actually changes — dates, numbers and sources below. And the 90-day window to appeal those changes is open right now: it started August 20, 2026 and closes around November 18.

The appeal window is open — until about November 18, 2026

On August 20, 2026, FEMA opened the 90-day appeal and comment period on these proposed maps, per Volusia County's own announcement. If you own property in DeLand, Pierson, DeLeon Springs or the Lake George/Astor corridor, this is your one formal chance to challenge a proposed zone or elevation change before FEMA finalizes it. How to file →

This page previously said the window closed April 21, 2026. That was wrong, and here's why. April 21 is 90 days after the Federal Register notice — but that isn't FEMA's clock. Under 44 CFR Part 67 the statutory 90-day appeal period begins upon the second publication of the notice in a local newspaper, which happened in August 2026. I have corrected the timeline below.

It is the same study, not a new one. I retrieved every "Proposed Flood Hazard Determinations" notice published in the Federal Register between July 1 and September 1, 2026 (documents 2026-13901, 2026-15938, 2026-15939, 2026-15943, 2026-17074, 2026-17075, 2026-17076) — none lists Volusia County. The governing notice remains January 21, 2026, Docket FEMA-B-2578, and the measured changes below still stand.

The short version

May 29, 2025 — FEMA issued preliminary maps for the county (Project 20-04-0049S, a six-county St. Johns River watershed restudy), with proposed determinations published in the Federal Register on Jan 21, 2026 (Docket FEMA-B-2578). New maps realistically take effect in 2027.
August 20, 2026 — the 90-day appeal and comment period opened and is open now, closing about November 18, 2026. Submit through your community, not to FEMA: unincorporated Volusia to the county ([email protected]), DeLand and Pierson properties to their own city or town hall.
In the study: northern DeLand (~60% of the city's land), Pierson, DeLeon Springs, the Lake George/Astor corridor, unincorporated northwest Volusia, and Daytona Beach's western fringe.
NOT in this round: Deltona, DeBary, Orange City, Lake Helen — and nothing on the coast.
Measured (details below): the totals barely move — DeLand's restudied area goes ~5.8% → ~5.4% Special Flood Hazard Area; Pierson ~11.1% → ~11.8% — but zone boundaries shift parcel by parcel, so individual properties flip both directions even while the totals hold still.
A zone change doesn't reset your premium (Risk Rating 2.0) — it switches the lender mandatory-purchase requirement on or off, and moving into a zone for the first time unlocks newly-mapped phase-in pricing if you act within the window.

The timeline, with sources

Volusia County FEMA flood map update — where it stands (September 1, 2026)
Date	What happened	Status
Feb 19, 2014 / Sep 29, 2017 / Aug 7, 2018	Current effective FIRMs (countywide base + major revision + panel updates)	In effect today
May 29, 2025	FEMA issues preliminary FIRMs + FIRM database for Volusia County (Project 20-04-0049S, St. Johns River watershed restudy: Bradford, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Putnam, Volusia)	Review only — can't be used to rate insurance or trigger lender rules
Jan 21, 2026	Federal Register "Proposed Flood Hazard Determinations" (Docket FEMA-B-2578) — lists City of Daytona Beach, City of DeLand, Town of Pierson, unincorporated Volusia County	Published
Aug 20, 2026	90-day appeal & comment period opens. The clock runs from second local newspaper publication under 44 CFR Part 67 — not from the Federal Register date, which is why this is months after the January notice	Open now
~Nov 18, 2026	Appeal & comment period closes — 90 days from Aug 20. The county has not published an exact closing date; confirm with your community	Deadline
Next	FEMA resolves appeals → Letter of Final Determination → ~6-month community adoption → new maps effective	Realistically 2027 — no date set

What actually changes — measured, not guessed

I downloaded FEMA's preliminary FIRM database for the study (dataset 12127C, issued May 29, 2025) and compared it against the current effective flood maps, using official Census boundaries with water areas removed. Two headline results:

DeLand: today about 4% of the city's land is in a Special Flood Hazard Area — DeLand is overwhelmingly Zone X. The preliminary study covers roughly the northern 60% of the city's land; within that area, the SFHA share goes from about 5.8% today to about 5.4% on the preliminary map. Slightly less mapped high-risk land, not more — with some areas trading modeled-elevation Zone AE for approximate Zone A as the hydrology was re-run.

Pierson: the SFHA share ticks up, from about 11.1% to 11.8% of the town's land — roughly 45 acres newly mapped into Zone A along the low-lying areas.

The number that matters isn't the total — it's the boundary. A restudy redraws lines street by street: some parcels come out of the floodplain, others go in, and the citywide percentage can hold nearly still while your lot flips. That's why the only check that matters is your address against both maps — the current one (what your lender and insurer use today) and the preliminary one (what you'll own in 2027).

Who's in the study — and who isn't

In scope: the St. Johns River side of the county — DeLand (northern portion), Pierson, DeLeon Springs, the Lake George and Astor corridor, unincorporated northwest Volusia, and the undeveloped western fringe of Daytona Beach. The preliminary flood-zone data ends near the I-95/SR-415 corridor.

Not in this round: Deltona, DeBary, Orange City and Lake Helen sit south of the study footprint and keep their current maps — despite what some marketing articles imply, there is no proposed change there. And the coast isn't touched at all: I verified the barrier island's zones carry forward unchanged, address by address.

What it means if you own (or are buying) in west Volusia

Check your address on the preliminary map now (links below). If it moves you into Zone A or AE: your premium doesn't automatically jump (Risk Rating 2.0 prices the property, not the letter), but once the maps go effective a federally backed mortgage will require flood insurance. Buying coverage before — or within 12 months of — the change preserves NFIP's newly-mapped phase-in pricing, and buying while you're officially still Zone X is the cheap way in. In unincorporated areas (DeLeon Springs, Lake George corridor), Volusia County's CRS Class 5 standing already takes 25% off NFIP premiums in high-risk zones.

If it moves you out: your lender requirement could disappear when the maps go final — a calendar note for 2027, not a cancellation today. And remember what west Volusia's own recent history teaches: the St. Johns basin flooded hard after Ian's rainfall in 2022, including areas outside every mapped zone. The map is a lender trigger, not a promise.

Buyers: between now and the effective date, every DeLand-area purchase should be checked against both maps. A house that's Zone X today but Zone A on the preliminary map is priced like low-risk land carrying a 2027 obligation — and the reverse is a quiet discount opportunity.

How to appeal or comment before the deadline (~November 18, 2026)

This is the part that actually has a clock on it. The window that opened August 20, 2026 is the one formal opportunity to challenge these proposed maps before FEMA issues its Letter of Final Determination. After that, changing your zone means a property-specific map amendment, not a study revision.

Appeal or comment — they are different filings:

An appeal challenges the proposed flood-hazard information itself: a base flood elevation, a zone boundary, a floodway limit. FEMA requires technical or scientific data to support it — realistically an elevation certificate, a surveyor's topographic data, or an engineer's hydrologic analysis. Believing the map is wrong is not enough on its own.
A comment covers non-hazard errors — a misspelled road name, a wrong municipal boundary, a base-map mistake. No technical data needed.

File through your community, not with FEMA directly. If your property is in unincorporated Volusia County — DeLeon Springs, the Lake George/Astor corridor, and the unincorporated land around DeLand and Pierson — submissions go to the county, by email to [email protected] or by mail to the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Center, and must include the property owner's name, the full property address, and your specific feedback. If your property sits inside the City of DeLand or the Town of Pierson, file with that municipality instead — the county only forwards submissions for unincorporated parcels.

Worth doing even if the totals barely moved. DeLand's restudied area goes from about 5.8% to about 5.4% Special Flood Hazard Area, so the citywide picture is close to unchanged — but as measured above, that stability hides parcels moving in both directions. If the preliminary map moves your lot into Zone A or AE, the deadline is the difference between contesting it with an elevation certificate now and living with it in 2027. Pull your address against both maps first (links below); if it changed, you have until roughly November 18 to do something about it.

Separately and regardless of the deadline: a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) can remove an individual structure from the Special Flood Hazard Area at any time, including after the new maps go effective, if an elevation certificate shows the building sits above the base flood elevation.

Check your address — official sources, free

• FEMA preliminary map portal — Florida → Volusia County: the May 29, 2025 preliminary panels and FIRM database.
• FEMA Flood Map Service Center — the current effective map, for comparison.
• Volusia County flood maps & Flood Map Viewer — county GIS with parcels overlaid.

Want the two-map check done for you — free?

Send me any DeLand, Pierson, DeLeon Springs or west Volusia address. I'll pull its current FEMA zone, its status on the May 2025 preliminary map, and what that means for insurance and lender requirements — before you're under contract, not after.

Get my free flood report →

West Volusia FEMA flood map FAQ

Did FEMA change the DeLand flood maps?

New maps are in the pipeline, not in effect. DeLand is one of the four Volusia communities with proposed changes in the Jan 21, 2026 Federal Register notice. Measured: the restudied ~60% of the city goes from ~5.8% to ~5.4% SFHA — totals barely move, but boundaries shift parcel by parcel.

Is Deltona included?

No. Deltona isn't on FEMA's proposed-changes list and the study's data ends north of it. Deltona, DeBary, Orange City and Lake Helen keep their current maps this round.

When do the new maps take effect?

No date set. The 90-day appeal and comment period opened August 20, 2026 and closes around November 18, 2026; after FEMA's Letter of Final Determination there's a ~6-month adoption period — realistically 2027.

Is the FEMA flood map appeal period still open for DeLand?

Yes. FEMA opened the 90-day appeal and comment period on August 20, 2026; it closes around November 18, 2026. An earlier version of this page said the window closed April 21, 2026 — that was 90 days after the Federal Register notice, but under 44 CFR Part 67 the clock starts at the second local newspaper publication, which happened in August 2026. No new Federal Register notice covering Volusia has published since January 21, 2026, so this is the same study on its statutory appeal clock.

Will my flood insurance go up?

Not automatically — Risk Rating 2.0 prices the property, not the zone letter. But moving into A/AE switches on the lender requirement, and buying before or within 12 months of the change preserves newly-mapped phase-in pricing. Unincorporated Volusia's CRS Class 5 gives 25% off NFIP in high-risk zones.

How do I appeal the new DeLand or Pierson flood maps?

File through your community before the deadline (~November 18, 2026), not with FEMA directly. Unincorporated Volusia property goes to the county at [email protected]; property inside DeLand or Pierson goes to that municipality. Include the owner's name, full property address, and your specific feedback. An appeal challenges a proposed zone, elevation or floodway and needs technical or scientific data — typically an elevation certificate or a surveyor's or engineer's analysis. Anything else (road names, boundary errors) is a comment. A property-specific Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) also remains available any time, deadline or not.

Where do I see the preliminary maps?

hazards.fema.gov (preliminary portal, Florida → Volusia County), msc.fema.gov (current effective maps), or Volusia County's Flood Map Viewer.

Sources & methodology

Correction, September 1, 2026: this page previously stated the appeal window closed April 21, 2026 — 90 days after the January 21, 2026 Federal Register notice. That was the wrong clock. Under 44 CFR Part 67 the statutory 90-day appeal period begins upon the second publication of the notice in a local newspaper, and Volusia County announced that period opened August 20, 2026, running to approximately November 18, 2026. Before publishing this correction I verified that no new Federal Register "Proposed Flood Hazard Determinations" notice covering Volusia County has been published since January 21, 2026, by retrieving the full text of every such notice published between July 1 and September 1, 2026 (documents 2026-13901, 2026-15938, 2026-15939, 2026-15943, 2026-17074, 2026-17075, 2026-17076) and confirming none contains "Volusia" — so this is the same study (Docket FEMA-B-2578, Project 20-04-0049S) on its statutory appeal clock, and the measured comparisons below are unaffected. The closing date is derived by adding 90 days to the county's announced August 20 start; the county has not published an exact closing date, so confirm it with your community before relying on it.

How the measured numbers were produced (August 2026): I compared FEMA's current effective flood-zone polygons (National Flood Hazard Layer) against the preliminary FIRM database's flood-zone shapefile (12127C, May 29, 2025) inside official Census boundaries for DeLand and Pierson, with Census water areas removed, computing each zone's share of land area. The preliminary study covers ~60% of DeLand's land (the city extends south of the study footprint) and 100% of Pierson's; the effective-vs-preliminary comparison is restricted to the covered area so it's apples-to-apples. Land-area computation for DeLand runs ~15% above the Census land figure because of wetland classification differences — treat the percentages as close approximations, not survey values. Shares describe land area, not addresses or structures. I update this page when FEMA issues the Letter of Final Determination.

This page is educational information from a licensed real estate professional, not insurance, legal, or engineering advice. Flood zone determinations are made by FEMA and administered by the City of DeLand, Town of Pierson, or Volusia County (unincorporated areas). Verify any property's current and preliminary flood zone with the official sources above before making decisions. Simply Real Estate is an Equal Housing Opportunity broker.