By Jonathan Merwin, Founder and CEO, Licensed Insurance Advisor
Exeter is not a beach town, but it is a tidal one. The Squamscott River rises and falls with the ocean through the middle of downtown, the Exeter River and Little River drain the west side of town, and brooks such as Wheelwright Creek, Norris Brook and Sloans Brook run through neighborhoods. Flooding is the most common hazard in Exeter, according to its 2025 hazard mitigation plan (Exeter hazard plan, 2025).
Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance is an independent, family-owned agency based on Islington Street in Portsmouth and we have insured Seacoast properties since 2005. We shop 40+ carriers for the home policy and build the flood policy around it. Reach us by phone at (603) 431-4020; email goes to insure@portsmouthatlanticins.com.
Key takeaways
- Exeter had 45 NFIP policies in force in July 2023, but 92 paid flood losses since 1978 and 17 repetitive loss buildings.
- Parts of the downtown historic district sit in the coastal floodplain along the tidal Squamscott.
- The town’s list of flood-prone streets includes many outside FEMA’s high-risk zone.
- About one home in eight in Exeter is a manufactured home. The town and NH Sea Grant are working with manufactured home co-ops on flood readiness.
- Exeter’s current FEMA maps date from January 29, 2021.
Two recent storms on the Squamscott
The hazard plan describes two events that show how Exeter floods:
- December 23, 2022: the storm’s timing did the damage. It hit as the tide crested, adding close to three feet of surge, and the reading at the Seavey Island gauge reached 12.5 feet, one foot past flood stage.
- January 13, 2024: four things stacked up at once. The tide ran to 9.6 feet, wind of about 30 mph drove two more feet of surge, and roughly an inch of rain fell on melting snow. Water spread over streets and lots downtown and in the lower neighborhoods.
The plan also mentions extensive flooding in March 2018 and July 2023. Tidal flooding, river flooding and rain on frozen ground can all arrive in the same storm, which planners call compound flooding.
Downtown and the historic district
A 2017 vulnerability assessment by the Rockingham Planning Commission, summarized in the plan, found the greatest flood impacts in the 100-year floodplain and along the upper tidal reaches of the Squamscott. Parts of the historic district are in the coastal floodplain. The areas at highest risk from sea-level rise and storm surge include Swasey Parkway west to the properties on Water Street and north along Route 85, the river side of the buildings in the Waterfront Commercial Historic District, and the Wheelwright Creek drainage up Portsmouth Avenue. The 2022 Seacoast Transportation Corridor Vulnerability Assessment also flagged Water Street near Swasey Parkway.
Older buildings bring their own questions. Census estimates for 2020–2024 put about 1,690 of Exeter’s 7,342 homes in buildings from before 1940, close to one in four (Census B25034). Fieldstone foundations, low basements and utilities on the basement floor all affect how a flood claim plays out.
Flood-prone streets away from the river
Exeter’s maps show Zones A and X, but the hazard committee listed many places with chronic flooding, including:
- The Franklin Street and River Street neighborhoods
- Court Street (Route 108) at Bell Avenue, at the Kensington line and at the Exeter River
- Kingston Road (Route 111) from Brickyard Pond to West Side Drive
- Lary Lane, Gary Lane and nearby Court Street neighborhoods
- Brentwood Road (Route 111A) near Greenleaf Drive and at Little River
- Exeter River Landing at Little John Drive, and the Exeter River Coop at Hilton Avenue
- Powder Mill Road at the railroad crossing, Drinkwater Road at Prentiss Way and Industrial Drive
If your street is on that list and your home is not in a mapped zone, a lender may never have asked for flood coverage. Rising water is still excluded from the standard home policy. Check your map on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center.
Manufactured home communities
About 891 of Exeter’s housing units are mobile or manufactured homes, about one in eight, against roughly one in nineteen statewide (Census B25024). Two of the flood-prone locations in the plan are manufactured home neighborhoods along the Exeter River. The plan says the town is working with manufactured home cooperatives and New Hampshire Sea Grant on the Flood Ready Neighborhoods project, which aims to help residents prepare for and respond to stormwater flooding and erosion.
For flood insurance, FEMA requires a manufactured home to sit on a permanent foundation and be anchored with ties or as local rules require. The fact sheet also says FEMA rates the home partly on how far its first floor sits above the surrounding ground (FEMA manufactured homes fact sheet).
The NFIP in Exeter
| Measure | Exeter figure |
|---|---|
| NFIP policies in force (July 2023) | 45: 27 single-family, 4 multi-family, 7 other residential, 7 non-residential |
| Buildings built before or after the first FIRM | 24 pre-FIRM, 21 post-FIRM |
| Paid losses since 1978 | 92 |
| Repetitive loss buildings | 17, including 2 severe repetitive loss |
| Joined the regular program | May 17, 1982 |
| Current FIRM and flood study | January 29, 2021 |
The plan also explains that Exeter’s code enforcement office decides whether work on a floodplain building is a substantial improvement, and that the test covers renovations, additions and repairs of damage from any cause. A large repair after a flood can bring a requirement to meet current floodplain standards. Increased Cost of Compliance, built into NFIP building coverage, can help pay for part of that work.
Setting up flood coverage in Exeter
Our new NFIP policies go to Selective. On the private side we quote CatCoverage, Neptune, Flow Flood, Beyond Floods, TFIA and Aon Edge. For Exeter homes we focus on:
- Basements. NFIP coverage below grade is limited mostly to utilities, the foundation and a short list of items. Finished rooms and stored belongings are largely outside it.
- Outside the high-risk zone. Homes in Zone X often qualify for lower-risk NFIP rating, and private carriers often write them too.
- Older and historic buildings. Replacement cost for an 1800s house downtown can be well above the NFIP’s $250,000 building limit.
- Temporary housing. NFIP home coverage does not pay for it (FloodSmart). Some private policies do.
- Timing. A new NFIP policy generally has a 30-day wait before it takes effect, with a few exceptions.
Related pages: Exeter homeowners insurance, Exeter car insurance, the Exeter insurance agency page, our Seacoast NH flood insurance guide and our flood insurance overview.
Get an Exeter flood quote
Tell us where the property is and how it is built. We put the NFIP and private choices next to each other and explain what each one leaves out. About 90% of our quotes go out within 24 hours, we don’t charge any fees, and Exeter neighbors are among the clients behind our 1,000+ Google reviews and over 2,000 testimonials. Our Better Business Bureau rating is A+.
Request a quote. There’s no obligation to buy. The form sits just below. Phone lines ((603) 431-4020) are staffed 9 to 5 Monday through Thursday and 8 to 4 on Fridays, Eastern time, and insure@portsmouthatlanticins.com works any time.
Frequently asked questions
Exeter is inland. Can it really get tidal flooding?
Yes. The Squamscott River is tidal through downtown, and the town’s 2025 hazard plan calls flooding Exeter’s most common hazard. In mid-January 2024, a very high tide arrived together with surge, rain, snowmelt and wind, and water covered streets and lots downtown and in lower neighborhoods (Exeter Hazard Mitigation Plan Update 2025).
How many Exeter properties carry flood insurance?
Not many. State figures in the plan, current to July 2023, show 45 NFIP policies in force, against 92 paid flood losses since 1978 and 17 repetitive loss buildings. Many Exeter owners outside the mapped zones have never been required to buy a policy.
Which Exeter neighborhoods flood most often?
The plan lists the Franklin and River Street neighborhoods, Swasey Parkway and Water Street, Court Street near Bell Avenue, Kingston Road at Brickyard Pond, Lary Lane and Gary Lane, Powder Mill Road, Drinkwater Road and Brentwood Road at Little River, among others. Several are outside FEMA’s high-risk zone.
Can I get flood insurance for my home in a manufactured home co-op?
Yes, if the home sits on a permanent foundation and is anchored. Federal flood limits for a manufactured home match a house: a quarter million dollars on the structure and a hundred thousand on belongings (FEMA fact sheet). Ask your co-op what its own policy covers on roads, utilities and common buildings.
Did removing the Great Dam end Exeter’s flood risk?
No. The town removed the Great Dam on the Exeter River in 2016 partly to reduce flood risk, but tidal flooding on the Squamscott, heavy rain on the Exeter and Little rivers, and brooks such as Wheelwright Creek still flood homes and roads, according to the plan.
What information do you need for an Exeter flood quote?
The address, building type, foundation and basement details, any elevation certificate, when it was built and its flood claim history. The quote form is below, or phone (603) 431-4020.
Sources
- Town of Exeter, Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan Update 2025 (approved by the Select Board February 3, 2025)
- FEMA fact sheet on NFIP coverage for manufactured homes (2025)
- Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024: Exeter housing by units in structure (B25024)
- Exeter year structure built (B25034)
- FloodSmart: buying a policy and what it covers
- Flood maps: FEMA Map Service Center
This page is general background for people who own property in Exeter. It is neither a quote nor legal advice, and your actual policy wording controls coverage. Flood maps, hazard plan data and local regulations are updated from time to time, so phone (603) 431-4020 to talk through a specific building.