The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) defines Hazard Mitigation as "any action taken to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to human life and property from natural hazards". Another way to understand hazard mitigation is as the prevention component of the emergency management process.
Sacramento County is partnering with the Cities of Sacramento, Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Folsom, Galt, Isleton, Rancho Cordova and numerous special districts to update their countywide 2021 Multi-Jurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP). Flood, drought, earthquake, and severe weather are just a few of the hazards of concern to Sacramento communities. While natural hazards such as these cannot be prevented, a Hazard Mitigation Plan forms the foundation for a community's long-term strategy to reduce disaster losses by breaking the repeated cycle of disaster damage and reconstruction. Communities with a FEMA-approved LHMP are eligible for FEMA pre- and post-disaster grant funding and for lower costs of flood insurance to residents through the National Flood Insurance Program's (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS).
Sacramento County has earned a Class 2 rating from FEMA CRS program. The rating is a voluntary incentive-based program that recognizes and encourages communities to exceed the FEMA minimum floodplain management standards and rewards communities with discounted flood insurance premiums.
Nationwide there are 1,504 CRS communities:
Within California there are 97 CRS Communities:
The reward for this work is that Class 2 communities recieve a 40% discount on flood insurance premiums.
You can learn more about the CRS program on the FEMA website.
View Sacramento County’s current Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP)
Get answers to frequently asked questions about the LHMP.
Members of the community have a very important role in this process. Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee (HMPC) and Public meetings will be held as part of the Plan development process. In addition to Plan participation by Sacramento County; Cities and Districts; and other local, state, and federal agencies and other stakeholders, the public is encouraged to attend and participate in our HMPC and Public meetings.
Information on specific meeting times and locations are detailed below.
HMPC Risk Assement Meeting #2:
April 22, 2026 (Wednesday)
1:00 - 4:00 pm
Location To Be Announced
Public Meeting #2:
April 22, 2026 (Wednesday)
5:30 - 7:00 pm
Location To Be Announced
If you are interested in volunteering as a Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee member, please contact Kevin Siu at siuk@sacounty.gov. If you have questions, feel free to call Kevin at (916) 874-2983.
A draft of the 2026 LHMP Update will also be available on this website in Fall, 2026 for review and comment by the public and all interested stakeholders.
The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has been available in Sacramento County since 1979, allowing access to flood insurance for property owners, tenants, and businesses. In 1992, the County joined the NFIP's Community Rating System (CRS) (Resolution 92-0250). The CRS is a voluntary incentive-based program that recognizes and encourages communities to exceed the FEMA minimum floodplain management standards and rewards communities with discounted flood insurance premiums.
The CRS uses a ranking system from ten to one. Nationally, there are 1444 communities participating in CRS, the 2017 FEMA Fact Sheet describes the significance of Sacramento County's participation (Attachment 1). Since 1992, Sacramento County has steadily improved its rating and is now a Class 2 which provides property owners, tenants, and businesses up to a 40% discount on flood insurance premiums.
In order to maintain this Class 2 rating, Sacramento County is required to provide annual reporting on: