Buying in a French flood zone: PPRI, insurance, Géorisques

What is a PPRI?

PPRI is the everyday name for the plan de prévention des risques naturels (PPRN, natural risk prevention plan) as applied to flooding. It is drawn up under the authority of the préfet (the State’s representative in the département), with the involvement of the communes (municipalities), and comprises three documents (Ministry of Ecological Transition):

• a presentation report justifying the zoning;
• a zoning map, produced by cross-referencing hazards and what is at stake, which distinguishes unbuildable zones, zones buildable subject to specific arrangements and buildable zones;
• a set of regulations laying down the building and planning constraints for each zone.

Once approved after a public inquiry, it is annexed to the plan local d’urbanisme (local development plan) as a public-interest easement, and “its provisions take precedence over any other consideration”. Its rules apply to future and existing buildings alike. It may require, for example, the height of the ground floor above the highest known water level, make certain areas unbuildable or require tanks to be anchored (Ministry of Ecological Transition, “Prévention des inondations” page).

For the hazards of rivers overflowing and coastal flooding, the rules for drawing up the plan are set by decree no. 2019-715 of 5 July 2019, codified in articles R562-11-1 et seq. of the code de l’environnement (Environment Code). The legislative framework is in articles L562-1 to L562-9 of the same code.

What the seller must tell you

The risk report is compulsory for a property located in a zone of an approved natural PPR, or in an area under study for a prescribed PPR (service-public.gouv.fr, checked on 28 September 2026). It applies to all properties, built or not, including unbuildable land (Ministry of Ecological Transition).

The seller must also disclose any compensation received for the property following a natural or technological disaster (Ministry of Ecological Transition). Failing this, the buyer may seek cancellation of the sale or a price reduction, with possible damages (service-public.gouv.fr). The details are in our guide on the état des risques (ERP) (risk report).

Checking for yourself on Géorisques and at the town hall

The Géorisques website provides, for each commune, the statement of major risks, the list of natural disaster orders, hazard maps and PPRNs. At the mairie (town hall), you can consult the département’s file on major risks, the DICRIM (municipal information document on major risks) and the prevention plan maps. Since February 2021, the online service Errial has generated a risk report from an address or a plot number; the owner must then check it and complete it with information from the préfecture (Ministry of Ecological Transition, page updated on 22 June 2026).

Since 2003, installing flood markers has been compulsory in communes subject to flooding: they show the height of past floods.

Insurance: natural disasters and limits

Cat nat (natural disaster) compensation requires two conditions (service-public.gouv.fr, checked on 10 April 2026): an insurance contract covering the damaged property, and an arrêté interministériel (interministerial order) recognising the state of natural disaster, published in the Journal officiel (the official gazette).

The cover is funded by an additional premium shown separately on the renewal notice (Insurance Code, art. L125-2). But on land classified as unbuildable by an approved PPR, the insurer is not obliged to provide cover, except for properties that existed before the plan was published. And if the owner fails to carry out within 5 years the measures the PPR imposes on them, the insurer may exceptionally depart from the cover; the bureau central de tarification (central pricing office) may then be asked to intervene (art. L125-6).

Works required by the PPRI: up to 80% funded

Works to reduce vulnerability required by a PPRI are limited to 10% of the market value of a home. The fonds Barnier (Barnier fund, the State’s natural risk prevention fund) finances them at 80%, up to €36,000 per property (Ministry of Ecological Transition, page updated on 1 August 2025). Above 10%, funding remains possible without exceeding €36,000 and 50% of the market value.

Official example. A house valued at €200,000, in a commune with a PPRI that sets requirements: the ceiling is €20,000 (10%). For €5,000 of works (raising floors and electrical circuits), the grant is €4,000 and the amount left to pay €1,000.

The fund always acts in addition to insurance payouts and within the limit of the property’s market value.

Which professional to consult

The notaire (notary) checks that the risk report is annexed to the preliminary contract and is less than 6 months old. The géomètre-expert (chartered surveyor) can locate the plot precisely in relation to the PPRI zoning. The agent immobilier (estate agent) must include the Géorisques statement in the listing. The courtier en crédit (mortgage broker) anticipates the lender’s insurance questions.