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Bolinas, CA 3422Photo: Stepheng3 · Public domain
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Bolinas · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Bolinas faces more hazard damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns, led by earthquakes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bolinas gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (50%), then river and rain flooding (24%). Flood insurance has paid 117 claims here since 1978.

Earthquakes 50%River and rain flooding 24%Tsunamis 21%

Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded

more than 98%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D−
in California · higher than 98% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Earthquakes
50% of expected building damage
Flood claims
117
paid since 1978 · $2.5M
Disasters paid out here
1
of 22 declared for Marin County

What stands out about Bolinas’ natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

117 paid flood claims since 1978$2.5M in all. More per home than 97% of U.S. towns.Coastal flooding: the top 2% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for coastal flooding here ranks in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts; it is 3.0% of the damage it expects.Remembers 198350 flood claims were paid for 1983 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Bolinas faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

Earthquakes

50%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

24%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Tsunamis

21%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Smaller shares here
 Coastal flooding top 2% Wildfire Landslides top 1% Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Winter storms Heat waves Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
HurricanesIce stormsCold wavesAvalanchesVolcanic activity

Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Bolinas’ grade

Earthquakes are 50% of the building damage FEMA expects in Bolinas, and Bolinas’ rate of earthquakes damage is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts. Tsunamis add 21%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Bolinas sits
Bolinas
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Bolinas’ residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
Earthquakes50%River and rain flooding24%Tsunamis21%Everything else6%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.8M a year in losses across Bolinas: $2.4M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Shared tract.All of Bolinas’ 1,483 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract, which it shares with Stinson Beach CDP (541 residents). FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s, the same for all of them. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Bolinas flood? Yes: 117 flood claims since 1978

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Bolinas, from FEMA’s records: 110.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1978: 5 claims1979: 0 claims1980: 0 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 2 claims1983: 50 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 1 claim1986: 0 claims1987: 0 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 1 claim1994: 0 claims1995: 4 claims1996: 0 claims1997: 4 claims1998: 15 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 1 claim2002: 2 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 1 claim2005: 10 claims2006: 1 claim2007: 0 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 0 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 10 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 0 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 1 claim2022: 0 claims2023: 9 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198319982005
19782026
Biggest named events
  • The Pineapple Express - Southern15 claims · $341K
  • The California Atmospheric River9 claims · $447K
117
paid claims since 1978
$2.5M
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$22K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Bolinas isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Marin County.
Disasters

1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to Bolinas

Disasters that paid out in Bolinas itself (aid to households or repair grants to Bolinas), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2005Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides4 households applied for aid$5K aid approved10 flood claims paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BolinasMarin County only

Marin County has had 22 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then floods. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.

Were you here?

Old photos of Bolinas after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Bolinas archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Bolinas faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
When the river rises
  • Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
  • Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
  • Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tsunamis
  • Strong shaking or a sudden drop in the sea means head for high ground now.
  • Learn the tsunami route signs near the shore.
  • Stay away until officials say it’s safe.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
  • Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
  • Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Bolinas

Is Bolinas at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Bolinas has higher expected damage per building than 98% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (50%) and river and rain flooding (24%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Bolinas flood?

Flood insurance has paid 117 claims in Bolinas since 1978, $2.5M in all, or 110.8 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Pineapple Express - Southern (15).

Is Bolinas in a flood zone?

Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Marin County, 38% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 5.4% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Bolinas?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Bolinas’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Bolinas?

By FEMA money that reached Bolinas, Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides (2005): 4 households applied for aid, $5K approved. By flood claims, Pineapple Express - Southern: 15 paid, $341K.

Is Bolinas at risk from earthquakes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (50%), and Bolinas’ rate for it is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Bolinas.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Bolinas’ residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.