Alameda, CA— fire, flood & earthquake hazard information
Alameda is a city in Alameda County in the San Francisco Bay Area, covering about 10.4 square miles. This page summarizes what official government maps show for Alameda: CAL FIRE fire hazard severity zones, FEMA flood zones, state seismic hazard zones, dam inundation areas, airport noise contours, and air-quality indicators. Figures are the share of Alameda’s area that falls inside each mapped zone.
View Alameda on the interactive map → to check any specific address, free.
Wildfire hazard severity zones
CAL FIRE's current Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps do not designate any zones within Alameda. Individual properties near the boundary can still fall inside a neighboring zone — check the exact address on the map.
FEMA flood zones
17% of Alameda lies within a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area (1% annual chance, zones A/AE/AH/AO); 8% is in a coastal high hazard zone (V/VE); 8% is in the 0.2% annual chance (500-year) area. Federally backed mortgages in a Special Flood Hazard Area generally require flood insurance.
| Special Flood Hazard Area (100-yr) | 17% |
| Coastal high hazard (V/VE) | 8% |
| 0.2% annual chance (500-yr) | 8% |
Earthquake faults & seismic zones
The nearest mapped fault, the Hayward fault zone, is about 4.9 mi (7.9 km) from the center of Alameda. 46% of its area is in a state-designated liquefaction zone of required investigation.
| Nearest mapped fault | Hayward fault zone — 4.9 mi (7.9 km) |
| Liquefaction zone | 46% |
Dam inundation, aircraft noise & air quality
4% of Alameda lies within a state-reviewed dam-failure inundation area; 9% is inside an airport noise contour of 65 dB CNEL or louder; annual average fine-particle (PM2.5) concentration across its census tracts is 9.2 μg/m³, and its composite pollution burden ranks around the 55th percentile statewide.
| Dam-failure inundation area | 4% |
| Airport noise ≥65 dB CNEL | 9% |
| Annual PM2.5 (tract average) | 9.2 μg/m³ |
| Pollution burden percentile (statewide) | ~55 |
Frequently asked questions
- Is Alameda in a wildfire hazard severity zone?
- CAL FIRE's current Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps do not designate any zones within Alameda. Individual properties near the boundary can still fall inside a neighboring zone — check the exact address on the map.
- Is Alameda in a FEMA flood zone?
- 17% of Alameda lies within a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area (1% annual chance, zones A/AE/AH/AO); 8% is in a coastal high hazard zone (V/VE); 8% is in the 0.2% annual chance (500-year) area. Federally backed mortgages in a Special Flood Hazard Area generally require flood insurance.
- What earthquake faults and seismic zones affect Alameda?
- The nearest mapped fault, the Hayward fault zone, is about 4.9 mi (7.9 km) from the center of Alameda. 46% of its area is in a state-designated liquefaction zone of required investigation.
- How do I check a specific address in Alameda?
- Use the free sitelume interactive map at https://sitelume.com — search any Alameda address to see which mapped zones it falls in, layer by layer.
Nearby in Alameda County
Sources: CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zones; FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer; USGS Quaternary Faults; CGS Seismic Hazard Zones & Alquist-Priolo zones; Cal OES dam inundation maps; county ALUC noise contours; CalEnviroScreen 4.0. Area shares are computed against each place’s Census TIGER boundary (last computed 2026-07-24). Boundaries and zone designations change; always verify with the issuing agency.