Usually only your mortgage lender can require it, but most Wilmington homeowners should think hard about buying it. A homeowners policy does not cover flood or rising water, Hurricane Florence dropped 23.02 inches of rain at Wilmington's airport, and an NFIP policy usually takes 30 days to start.
Pick your town or county to see the typical yearly home insurance premium our own clients pay, from the policies we write and service.
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Typical means the median: half of policyholders pay less, half pay more. The headline number is for a home insured for $250,000 to $400,000; the table shows every size of home. Source: Sizemore Insurance clients' in-force policies as of October 9, 2026, not a survey or national average (how we got these numbers). Not a quote.
Most Wilmington homes sit inland from the beaches, but they still get coastal weather. Hurricane Florence came ashore at Wrightsville Beach on the morning of September 14, 2018, and stalled. The National Weather Service measured 23.02 inches of rain at Wilmington International Airport. Water like that doesn't check a flood map before it goes into a house.
New Hanover County has said as much. In 2022 the county began mapping areas that aren't shown as flood zones on FEMA's maps but likely carry a similar level of risk. Those advisory areas are not regulatory, so they don't force anyone to buy flood insurance. They do show where water is likely to go.
The North Carolina Department of Insurance puts it plainly: homeowners policies do not cover flood or rising water damage. Wind that tears off shingles is a homeowners claim, unless your policy excludes wind. Storm surge, a creek out of its banks or rain that rises through the floor is flood, and only a flood policy pays for it.
Through the National Flood Insurance Program, a home can be covered up to $250,000 for the building and $100,000 for its contents. Private flood policies can go higher. Either way, the key fact is timing. An NFIP policy typically takes effect 30 days after you buy it. The exceptions are narrow, such as coverage required by a lender when you close a loan or a change to your community's flood map.
That means the time to decide is in the spring, not when a storm has a name and is on the way.
If your lender requires flood insurance, you'll know at closing. If it doesn't, ask yourself three things. Is the house near a creek, a marsh or a low spot where water collects? Is it in one of the county's advisory flood areas? Could you pay to dry out and rebuild the first floor yourself? If any answer worries you, get a price. A policy outside a high-risk zone often costs less than people expect, and we can quote the NFIP and private options side by side.
Every situation is a little different. If you want someone to look at your own policy, call us at (910) 791-1011 or start a quote online. We're an independent, family-owned company founded in 1977, with eight offices in North Carolina, and we're licensed in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Maryland.
This page is general information, not a coverage determination or legal advice. Policies, rules and availability vary and change. Review your own policy or talk to your advisor.