Total flood insurance coverage has increased nearly 40 percent in the last 20 years, according to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) statistics. Agents are not automatically eligible to write flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program. An agent must first meet minimum flood insurance training requirements established by FEMA and state departments of insurance.

Completion of a 3-hour course that meets educational thresholds of the Flood Insurance Reform Act (FIRA) is required. Agents must complete training before submitting a flood insurance application through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). In addition to training, agents must be ready to demonstrate compliance by providing their certificate of completion.

There are various sources of state-specific, online insurance training, such as WebCE. Agents can visit FEMA’s website to see a summary of insurance CE requirements by state.