The National Flood Insurance Program's (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS) was implemented in 1990 as a program for recognizing and encouraging community floodplain management activities that exceed the minimum NFIP standards. The National Flood Insurance Reform Act of 1994 codified the Community Rating System in the NFIP. Under the CRS, flood insurance premium rates are adjusted to reflect the reduced flood risk resulting from community activities that meet the three goals of the CRS:
- Reduce flood losses
- Facilitate accurate insurance rating
- Promote the awareness of flood insurance
There are ten CRS classes: class 1 requires the most credit points and gives the largest premium reduction; class 10 receives no premium reduction. The CRS recognizes 18 creditable activities, organized under four categories numbered 300 through 600: Public Information, Mapping and Regulations, Flood Damage Reduction, and Flood Preparedness.
CRS Classification
Blaine County is currently a Class 8 community, which provides a 10% discount on flood insurance to properties located in the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA).