Photo: Jguy10218 · CC BY-SA 4.0Less hazard damage per building is expected in Highlands Ranch than in 78% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Highlands Ranch gets an A− for hazard risk: lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns, #15 of 159 in Colorado. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (51%), then hail (20%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
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
What Highlands Ranch faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Hail
Tornadoes
Wildfire
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.
What’s behind Highlands Ranch’s grade
River and rain flooding is 51% of the building damage FEMA expects in Highlands Ranch, and Highlands Ranch’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is lower than 85% of U.S. census tracts. Hail adds 20%, at a rate in the top 5% of U.S. census tracts.
A− #15 of 159 in Colorado; lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Highlands Ranch’s residents live in 23 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Colorado town has higher expected damage than 56% of U.S. towns; within the state, Highlands Ranch has less expected damage per building than 91% of Colorado towns.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Highlands Ranch has lower expected damage per building than 88% (#48 of 400). Because it is so big, its total expected yearly loss, $22.9M, is the 379th largest of those 400.
Does Highlands Ranch flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in Highlands Ranch. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
Highlands Ranch isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Douglas County.The storms Highlands Ranch remembers
None of the 8 disasters declared for Douglas County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Highlands Ranch itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Douglas County has had 8 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Douglas County, 2002–2003.
Highlands Ranch and its neighbors
Highlands Ranch is 3rd of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acres Green | Aless damage than 87% | river and rain flooding | — |
| Lone Tree | A−less damage than 82% | river and rain flooding | 2 |
| Highlands Ranch | A−less damage than 78% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
| Centennial | B−more damage than 51% | hail | 15 |
| Littleton | Cmore damage than 70% | river and rain flooding | 11 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Highlands Ranch faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- 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.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- 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.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Highlands Ranch
Is Highlands Ranch at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Highlands Ranch has lower expected damage per building than 78% of U.S. towns: A− for hazard risk, #15 of 159 in Colorado. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (51%) and hail (20%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is Highlands Ranch 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 Douglas County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Highlands Ranch?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Highlands Ranch’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is Highlands Ranch at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (51%), and Highlands Ranch’s rate for it is lower than 85% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Highlands Ranch.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Highlands Ranch’s 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.