Flood Zones on Deer Isle / Stonington, ME
This page explains how FEMA flood zone designations generally work for coastal Maine property, and gives the real, dated local storm context that makes flood-zone awareness genuinely relevant here — but it does not state a specific flood zone for any individual Deer Isle or Stonington parcel, since that varies block by block and was not independently confirmed this research pass for any specific address. Both towns sit on a low-lying, harbor-and-causeway-dependent island, and flood-zone status should be confirmed directly with FEMA before any purchase decision.
How FEMA Flood Zones Work Here, Generally
As on any U.S. coastal community, FEMA maintains flood insurance rate maps (FIRMs) that assign each parcel to a flood zone — designations like AE (high-risk coastal or riverine flood zones with a base flood elevation) or X (moderate-to-low risk) — which determine whether federally backed flood insurance is required as a condition of a mortgage and how that insurance is priced. Flood zone status is parcel-specific, not town-wide: a property directly on Stonington's working harbor and a property well inland in the Town of Deer Isle can carry very different designations even though both towns share the same island and the same general storm exposure. This page does not state a current flood zone for any specific address; pull that directly from FEMA's Flood Map Service Center for the exact parcel in question.
Why Low-Lying Causeway and Harbor Infrastructure Matters Here
The island's flood exposure is not hypothetical. The January 10, 2024 storm submerged the Little Deer Isle causeway under roughly 18 inches of water and separately washed out Stonington's own Moose Island causeway along with sections of Oceanville Road, Allen Street, and Ocean Street — real, documented flooding of low-lying road infrastructure connecting and running through both towns. Stonington's working harbor itself, where the January 2024 storm caused a roughly 4-foot storm surge and direct damage to waterfront businesses, sits at the kind of low elevation (the town's own general elevation is reported at roughly 20 feet) that is typical of a working Maine harbor town and is exactly the kind of area where FEMA flood zone designations carry real, practical weight for a buyer.
The Causeway Rebuild Is Itself a Flood-Risk Response
The Maine Department of Transportation's roughly $20 million plan to rebuild the Little Deer Isle causeway to a higher elevation — roughly 13 feet, described as about 2 feet above the most severe current sea-level-rise projections for 2100 — is itself direct, official confirmation that flood and sea-level risk on this island's connecting infrastructure is being taken seriously at the state level, not just as an individual-parcel insurance question. That project does not change any individual property's own FEMA flood zone designation, but it is useful, sourced context for understanding how seriously the state treats this island's flood exposure.
Shoreland Zoning Adds a Separate, Statewide Setback Layer
Distinct from FEMA's flood-zone maps, Maine's Mandatory Shoreland Zoning Act imposes its own statewide setback rule that both towns' local ordinances must incorporate: new principal and accessory structures generally must sit at least 75 feet, horizontal distance, back from the normal high-water line of most water bodies, tributary streams, or the upland edge of a wetland (100 feet for great ponds and rivers), and new septic systems face a similar 75-to-100-foot setback. The Act also restricts clearing vegetation within that same 75-foot strip except for limited, approved uses. This setback rule applies regardless of a parcel's specific FEMA flood zone designation — a property could sit in a lower-risk FEMA zone and still face this separate shoreland setback, or vice versa — so a buyer evaluating any waterfront or near-waterfront lot here should ask about both the FEMA flood zone and the shoreland zoning setback, not treat them as the same question.
What to Confirm Before You Buy
Because flood zone status is parcel-specific and this page does not have access to individual property records, anyone considering a purchase on Deer Isle or in Stonington should pull the specific parcel's current FEMA flood zone directly from FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, ask whichever town's assessing or code-enforcement office covers the parcel (Deer Isle or Stonington) whether any local flood-zone building requirements or shoreland zoning setbacks apply, and get a flood-insurance quote specific to that zone and structure from a Maine-licensed agent or the National Flood Insurance Program before finalizing a purchase decision. Because Maine does not operate a FAIR Plan (the insurer-of-last-resort program some other coastal states maintain), a hard-to-place flood or wind risk here is worked out through the standard private market and the NFIP rather than a state-backed last-resort insurer — worth knowing as you shop for coverage. Nothing on this page is legal, engineering, or insurance advice.
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Get a Free Agent Referral →Independent research. No ads. No sponsored listings. Facts used: Portland Press Herald reporting on the January 10, 2024 storm's flooding of the Little Deer Isle causeway (roughly 18 inches of water) and Stonington's own Moose Island causeway and several town roads, plus the roughly 4-foot storm surge and direct waterfront damage in Stonington's harbor that same storm; the Town of Stonington's own reported general elevation (roughly 20 feet); Island Institute Working Waterfront coverage of the Maine Department of Transportation's roughly $20 million causeway replacement project, designed to roughly 13 feet in elevation, about 2 feet above the most severe current 2100 sea-level-rise projections; the Maine Department of Environmental Protection's own published guidance on the Mandatory Shoreland Zoning Act, confirming the statewide 75-foot (100-foot for great ponds and rivers) structure and septic-system setback from the normal high-water line; and current insurance-industry sources confirming Maine does not operate a FAIR Plan insurer-of-last-resort program. This page does not state a specific FEMA flood zone designation for any individual Deer Isle or Stonington parcel, since flood zones are parcel-specific and none was independently confirmed this research pass for any specific address. Confirm current flood zone status directly with FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, confirm current shoreland zoning setbacks with whichever town's code enforcement office applies, and confirm current insurance requirements and pricing with a Maine-licensed insurance agent or the National Flood Insurance Program, before making a purchase decision. Nothing on this page is legal, engineering, or insurance advice.