Photo: Stanporter · CC BY-SA 4.0FEMA expects about as much hazard damage per building in North Salt Lake as in the typical U.S. town, mostly from earthquakes
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, North Salt Lake gets a C+ for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns, #62 of 119 in Utah. Most of that expected damage is earthquakes (68%), then river and rain flooding (22%). 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 North Salt Lake faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Earthquakes
River and rain flooding
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 North Salt Lake’s grade
Earthquakes are 68% of the building damage FEMA expects in North Salt Lake, and North Salt Lake’s rate of earthquakes damage is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 7%, at a rate in the top 6% of U.S. census tracts.
C+ #62 of 119 in Utah; higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns (21,298).
North Salt Lake’s residents live in 6 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Utah town has higher expected damage than 56% of U.S. towns; within the state, North Salt Lake has more expected damage per building than 52% of Utah towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $12.8M a year in losses across North Salt Lake: $5.8M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does North Salt Lake flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in North Salt Lake. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
North Salt Lake isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Davis County.1 federal disaster brought FEMA money to North Salt Lake
Disasters that paid out in North Salt Lake itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of North Salt Lake), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2020Earthquake and Aftershocks9 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
Davis County has had 6 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.
Also 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Davis County, 2017–2019.
Old photos of North Salt Lake after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the North Salt Lake archive →North Salt Lake and its neighbors
North Salt Lake has the lowest expected damage per building of the 4 graded towns here. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Salt Lake | C+more damage than 57% | earthquakes | 0 |
| Woods Cross | Cmore damage than 66% | earthquakes | 27 |
| Bountiful | Cmore damage than 67% | earthquakes | 20 |
| Salt Lake City | Dmore damage than 87% | earthquakes | 98 |
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 North Salt Lake faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Drop, cover and hold on.
- Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
- Know how to shut off the gas.
- 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.
- 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 North Salt Lake
Is North Salt Lake at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, North Salt Lake has higher expected damage per building than 57% of U.S. towns: C+ for hazard risk, #62 of 119 in Utah. Most of the expected damage is earthquakes (68%) and river and rain flooding (22%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is North Salt Lake 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 Davis County, 11% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in North Salt Lake?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for North Salt Lake’s 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 North Salt Lake?
By FEMA money that reached North Salt Lake, Earthquake and Aftershocks (2020): 9 households applied for aid, $2K approved.
Is North Salt Lake at risk from earthquakes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (68%), and North Salt Lake’s rate for it is higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in North Salt Lake.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where North Salt Lake’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.