Pennsylvania's New Disclosure Law Will Require Sellers to Reveal Flood History and Insurance Details

Sellers will have to comply by summer 2028.

A home that has only taken on a few inches of water on the lower level can still suffer damage worth tens of thousands of dollars.

Until now, Pennsylvania homeowners were not required to share much about a property’s flood history or its possible flood risk with prospective buyers.

That is about to change under a new law requiring sellers to disclose details about a property’s flood zone status and any previous flooding, including the approximate timing of those incidents.

What to know

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed legislation that expands flood-related disclosure requirements for home sellers, WHYY News reported. Sellers must start following the rules by summer 2028, when the state Real Estate Commission is due to update the property disclosure form.

Buyers will need to be told whether flood insurance is required and whether the property lies in a FEMA high- or moderate-risk flood zone. The disclosure will also need to include the approximate dates of earlier floods and the number of times the home has flooded.

Sellers must also report any government assistance received for flood damage, along with any flood insurance claims they filed. WHYY News, citing a 2025 Natural Resources Defense Council analysis, reported that nearly three-quarters of states have some kind of flood-risk disclosure law.

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More context

Flood insurance is usually not part of a standard homeowners policy, so buying separate coverage can add to a household’s costs.

Homeowners and renters outside high-risk flood areas may choose to buy flood insurance. But for homes in a high-risk zone with a federally backed mortgage, coverage is required, according to WHYY.

Steven Koller, a research fellow at Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, said flood policies can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year.

Koller also noted that more disclosure does not necessarily mean more choices for buyers. In places with limited affordable housing, people may still end up buying flood-prone homes because they have few other options.

What is being done?

Mark Kibbe, who chairs the legislative committee for the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors, said many realtors in the state already use a disclosure form with seven flood-risk questions, according to WHYY. The new law extends similar requirements to other real estate professionals and to homeowners selling without an agent.

Dakota Fisher of the Natural Resources Defense Council told the publication that buyers who can afford it may be able to reduce risk by elevating homes or using water-resistant building materials. Those measures can also help limit taxpayer costs tied to National Flood Insurance Program payouts.

Renters are not covered by the new law. A separate bill from Pennsylvania state Rep. Perry Warren would require landlords to disclose a property’s flood history, flood-zone status, and whether flood insurance covers tenants’ belongings, WHYY News reported. That bill has not moved forward since being sent to a House committee in July 2025.

Where to learn more

People outside Pennsylvania have also been confronting questions about flood risk and insurance coverage.

• In Philadelphia’s Eastwick neighborhood, residents were weighing buyouts as flooding worsened.

• In North Carolina, a gap in federal flood policy sent mobile home residents back to lots that had been washed away.

• In Ireland, 13,000 flood-risk homes received insurance as weather concerns increased.

• In Florida, most homeowners policies still excluded flood damage, leaving households vulnerable during hurricane season.

• In California’s Riverside County, eligible residents could receive 25% off flood insurance as El Niño approached.