- Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed House Bill 1704, requiring property sellers to disclose flood history, insurance coverage and flood risk information beginning in July 2028.
- Only about 1% of Pennsylvania households carry flood insurance, although standard homeowners insurance generally excludes flood damage.
- The legislation also requires property and casualty insurance agents and brokers to complete at least two hours of flood insurance training within their 24-hour continuing education requirement.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has signed legislation expanding flood risk disclosure requirements for residential property sales, giving homebuyers more information about potential flooding and insurance costs before purchasing a property.
House Bill 1704, which takes effect in July 2028, requires sellers to disclose previous flood damage, whether a property is located in a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) designated 100-year or 500-year flood zone, and whether flood insurance is required or has previously been maintained.
Sellers must also disclose any government assistance received for flood damage and whether they have filed flood insurance claims.
The legislation addresses gaps in flood risk awareness among homebuyers. According to state figures, approximately 1% of Pennsylvania households currently have flood insurance, while standard homeowners insurance policies generally exclude flood-related losses.
Pennsylvania expands flood insurance disclosure and consumer education
Sponsored by Democratic state Representative Perry Warren of Bucks County, the legislation implements a recommendation from the 2024 Flood Insurance Premium Assistance Task Force Final Report.
The report identified four priorities: affordability, risk mitigation, incentives, and education and outreach. Its recommendations included stronger flood disclosures during property transactions, expanded access to coverage, improved consumer education and measures to increase flood insurance participation.
The new law directs consumers to the Pennsylvania Insurance Department (PID) website for information about flood zones, available insurance coverage and property-level mitigation measures.
Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Michael Humphreys warned that flood exposure is not limited to properties classified as high risk.
PID has updated its flood insurance resources to make this information easier to access, including a link to an interactive tool that helps homeowners and prospective buyers assess their individual flood exposure.
Flood insurance training and access requirements
Pennsylvania has also introduced measures to improve flood insurance education and access to coverage.
Since 2024, PID has established a flood insurance ombudsman responsible for coordinating education and outreach with FEMA, state emergency management agencies and other stakeholders.
The ombudsman also works on proposals intended to expand access to flood insurance.
House Bill 1704 strengthens professional education requirements by ensuring that insurance agents and brokers selling property and casualty coverage devote at least two of their 24 required continuing education hours to flood insurance.
Together, the disclosure requirements and professional training provisions implement elements of Pennsylvania’s broader effort to improve flood risk awareness and increase participation in flood insurance.
