As part of the City’s Flood Action Alexandria initiative, the City of Alexandria launched the Flood Mitigation Grant Program application online via APEX  on August 30, 2021. The Program was updated in October 2023 and is open to all property owners in the City. The Program offers up to 50% of the total costs of the measure(s) and associated costs, up to a maximum amount of $5,000 for private properties and $25,000 for common areas for condo and homeowner associations.

• Frequently asked questions about the program
• View a quick start guide to help you with applying
• Updated!! View a submission guide to help guide you through the application process in APEX
• New!!  View a submission guide for condominium and homeowner associations
• Policies and Procedures Manual 

On October 24, 2023, based on staff recommendations, City Council updated the program as follows:

1. Remove the requirement to provide documentation of past flooding back to July 8, 2019, and allow all properties at risk of flooding to be eligible to apply for the grant regardless of whether the property flooded in the past; and
2. Approve the framework that increases the maximum allowable grant match for eligible flood mitigation measures on common areas from $5,000 to $25,000.

Qualifications for reimbursement include the following: 

• Work must be completed prior to submitting an application.
• The program is open to both residential and commercial properties, as well as, Condominium Associations and Homeowner Associations, applying on behalf of more than one property. 
• Applicant is the property owner of the property that experienced flooding. If the Applicant is applying on behalf of a Condominium Association or Homeowner Association, the application shall be submitted using the common land address and include a letter of support from the Association on behalf of the owners. Funds may only be dispersed directly to the Association, not an individual in the community. The maximum allowable grant match for eligible flood mitigation measures on common areas is $25,000; individual properties within an Association are ineligible for funding for the same project affecting common areas.
• Applicant can provide itemized receipts for purchase and/or installation for eligible expenses incurred on or after July 2019.  
• All applicable permits and/or application reviews have been completed through Department of Code Administration, Department of Planning & Zoning, or Transportation & Environmental Services, as applicable. Practices requiring permits and/or reviews that were not secured prior to installation are ineligible for reimbursement unless later remedied by the representative department.
• Photographic evidence that measures have already been installed and can be confirmed by the City or its contractor(s) if requested. 

The Program will provide up to 50% of the total costs of the measure(s) and associated costs, up to a maximum amount of $5,000 for property owners and $25,000 for common areas. 

View a list of eligible practices and City Permit Review criteria and photos of eligible practices

• Floodproofing windows – Glass protection materials; fixed, translucent, water-tight covers; custom window wells and associated drains
• Floodproofing doorways – Flood gates or panels; flood socks: temporary quick dams and sandless sandbags; traditional sandbags 
• Floodproofing basements – Battery-powered sump pumps; drain tiles below a basement floor; flood vents 
• Floodproofing utilities – Elevating electrical outlets and switches, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, and other appliances (indoors and outdoors); floodwalls, covers and shields for appliances 
• Modifying topography – Surface grading; protective walls; impermeable soil materials 
• Other preventative measures include a flood alert system; portable submersible water pumps and hoses; installing flood-damage resistant thermal insulation and flood-resistant building materials; applying polyurethane concrete sealer to decrease concrete wall water absorbency

Please note that the work must be completed prior to submitting an application. To get started, you will first need to register for an account in APEX (Alexandria Permitting & Land Use System). 

• How to register for an APEX account
• APEX homepage
• Quick start guide
• Submission guide to help guide you through the application process in APEX
• Submission guide for condominium and homeowner associations

Once you have registered, click on "Apply", then search for "Flood Mitigation Grant". After your application is submitted, you may track its progress in APEX. Please note that applications will be processed in the order they are received in an ongoing basis. 

If you have questions, please send them via email to floodgrant@alexandriava.gov.

• City’s Department of Code Administration (Code) review may be required to ensure mitigation projects maintain compliance with Virginia's Uniform Statewide Building and Maintenance Codes (USBC) and the City Code nuisance and development provisions. 
• The City’s Historic Preservation Division of the Department of Planning & Zoning which supports the Board of Architectural Review (BAR) review maybe required if you make a permanent change to your property, visible from the public right-of-way ONLY for properties which are located within the local historic district and/or (b) is a City Council-designated 100 year-old building. If you are unsure if this applies to your property, you may check the property’s status using the Historic Preservation Viewer. 
• Transportation & Environmental Services (T&ES) requires a Grading Plan for exterior private land disturbance greater than 2,500 square feet and/or changes to grade of one (1) foot or greater. Any disturbance within the public right-of-way requires a T&ES permit.

The City's Legislative Package included updates to the Code of Virginia to explicitly allow municipalities, such as Alexandria, to provide grant funding for flood mitigation efforts. The City's work with State leadership and constituents ushered in this legislative change, effective July 2021, which enabled the City to move forward with developing the Flood Mitigation Pilot Grant Program. 

The pilot program allows for gathering of data and lessons learned to shape the future of the program. After which time, staff may adjust eligibility requirements to expand the program to more properties and more practices to receive funding. For the first two years, the program has had over 250 applications approved and $770,000 granted to property owners. On October 24, 2023, based on staff recommendations, City Council amended the program with the following updates:

1. Remove the requirement to provide documentation of past flooding back to July 8, 2019, and allow all properties at risk of flooding to be eligible to apply for the grant regardless of whether the property flooded in the past; and
2. Approve the framework that increases the maximum allowable grant match for eligible flood mitigation measures on common areas from $5,000 to $25,000.

In summary, the Flood Mitigation Grant Program offers up to 50% reimbursement of the completed project costs, up to $5,000 (or $25,000 for common areas), for implementing eligible floodproofing measures on private property following staff review. Floodproofing and mitigation techniques provide a quick, short-term mitigation effort to protect properties while larger capital projects are considered. During the pilot phase, priority was given to property owners who have documented flood issues from storms dating back to July 2019, and the reimbursement will be retroactive back to practices installed after the July 2019 flooding event. The Program is be similar to the City’s backflow preventer grant program which offers reimbursement to residents who install backflow preventers.  

Virtual Information Session | Tuesday, August 10, 2021 from 7 – 8:00 p.m. (Presentation and Webinar Recording) 

Virtual Information Session | Tuesday, August 15, 2023 from 7 – 8:00 p.m. (Presentation  and Webinar Recording) 

Virtual Information Session on Program Updates | Tuesday, August 15, 2023 from 7 – 8:00 p.m. (Webinar Recording)

Virtual Information Session on Program Updates | Monday, September 25, 2023 from 7 – 8:00 p.m. (Webinar Recording)

• How to register with the APEX system
• Flood Mitigation Grant Program Waiver Language
• Building Codes
• Permit Center
• Hiring a Contractor

Please contact FloodGrant@alexandriava.gov with any questions or feedback.