fldzone = 'AR'

Risk tier: High — inside the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), but temporary.

Zone AR is a special designation for an area that was protected from the 1%-annual-chance flood by a flood-control system (typically a levee), where that system has been decertified and is being restored to once again provide base-flood protection. During restoration the area carries elevated risk, so FEMA maps it as AR rather than leaving it in a moderate-risk zone.

Why it exists

AR was created to avoid penalizing established communities during the years it takes to restore a levee. It acknowledges the temporarily increased risk while applying reduced elevation and insurance requirements compared to a full AE designation — a middle ground meant to keep the community insurable and buildable while the levee is brought back up to standard.

Combined designations

AR is often paired with the underlying zone that would apply once protection is restored, written as AR/AE, AR/AH, AR/AO, AR/A, or AR/X. These dual labels indicate the interim (AR) requirements alongside the post-restoration base zone.

Building and insurance implications

• Flood insurance is required for mortgaged structures, but AR-specific rating can be more favorable than standard SFHA rating.
• Building requirements are reduced relative to a standard A-zone, reflecting the near-complete protection system.

zonesubty values

May reference the levee/flood-protection restoration context.

In the data

SELECT lrid, parceladdr, fldzone
FROM   lr_parcel_us
WHERE  fldzone LIKE 'AR%';

See also: Zone A99 (protection system under construction), the overview.