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LA · Flood-disclosure law

Does a Louisiana seller have to disclose flooding?

Louisiana requires the seller of residential real property to deliver a Property Disclosure Document on the form prescribed by the Louisiana Real Estate Commission, and that form has a dedicated section ('Flood, Flood Assistance and Flood Insurance') asking about flooding/water intrusion history, FEMA/disaster assistance received, and flood insurance.

Louisiana at a glance

Flood-specific disclosure

The statute or the state-mandated form has dedicated flood questions — flood-zone status, flood history, prior claims, or flood-insurance history.

DisclosureRequired
Opt-outNone
Primary-source verified· verified June 16, 2026
La. R.S. 9:3196-9:3200 (Residential Property Disclosure); duties of seller La. R.S. 9:3198; form prescribed by the Louisiana Real Estate Commission

The 4-card answer

Louisiana flood-disclosure, decoded

Whether the seller must disclose, what triggers it, the penalties, and any opt-out gotcha — each card cites its source.

Does the seller have to disclose flooding?

Disclosure required

Flood-specific disclosure

Louisiana requires the seller of residential real property to deliver a Property Disclosure Document on the form prescribed by the Louisiana Real Estate Commission, and that form has a dedicated section ('Flood, Flood Assistance and Flood Insurance') asking about flooding/water intrusion history, FEMA/disaster assistance received, and flood insurance.

The statute or the state-mandated form has dedicated flood questions — flood-zone status, flood history, prior claims, or flood-insurance history.

La. R.S. 9:3196-9:3200 (Residential Property Disclosure); duties of seller La. R.S. 9:3198; form prescribed by the Louisiana Real Estate CommissionPrimary-source verified· verified June 16, 2026

What triggers the duty

  • Sale of residential real property (with statutory exclusions, e.g., certain transfers by court order, succession, or between co-owners)
  • Seller must complete and deliver the Property Disclosure Document to the purchaser on or before the purchaser makes a written offer
  • Disclosure of known defects, including flooding/water-intrusion history, FEMA disaster assistance, and flood insurance

Penalties & remedies

Not specified as a statutory fixed fine. La. R.S. 9:3198 limits seller liability to defects of which the seller had actual knowledge; remedies sound in contract/delict (fraud/misrepresentation) rather than a statutory penalty.

Buyer remedy: Varies — the disclosure document does not by itself create a warranty or affect Louisiana redhibition rights; a purchaser may pursue contract/delictual remedies (and redhibition) where a seller knowingly fails to disclose or misrepresents a known defect.

Opt-out gotchas

No statutory opt-out or waiver-for-credit mechanism identified. The disclosure duty (where it exists) cannot simply be bought out.

Research note ▾

La. R.S. 9:3198 confirmed via codified text (legislature/Justia, 2024-2025 codification): seller must complete the LREC-prescribed Property Disclosure Document disclosing known defects; document is not a warranty. The LREC form (lrec.gov mandatory forms) consolidates flooding questions into a 'Flood, Flood Assistance and Flood Insurance' section asking about flooding/water-intrusion/drainage history, FEMA or SBA disaster assistance received, and flood insurance — confirming specific-flood level. Liability tied to seller's actual knowledge per the statute. Justia/legislature pages 403'd to automated fetch; statute and form content corroborated through multiple WebSearch result quotations (LREC, Louisiana REALTORS, FEMA best-practices).

Buyer's rights

If you're buying in Louisiana

Your rights re-framed from the buyer's side, plus a pre-closing checklist that holds in every state.

What Louisiana law gives you as a buyer

Louisiana requires a seller disclosure (see the answer cards), so you have a statutory document to rely on — and a remedy if the seller knowingly withheld a material flood fact. Varies — the disclosure document does not by itself create a warranty or affect Louisiana redhibition rights; a purchaser may pursue contract/delictual remedies (and redhibition) where a seller knowingly fails to disclose or misrepresents a known defect.

La. R.S. 9:3196-9:3200 (Residential Property Disclosure); duties of seller La. R.S. 9:3198; form prescribed by the Louisiana Real Estate Commission

Your pre-closing checklist (works in every state)

  • Pull a free FEMA flood-zone lookup

    Enter the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center to see the property's flood-zone designation (Special Flood Hazard Area = Zone A/V). This is public and free, regardless of what the seller discloses.

    msc.fema.gov ↗

  • Request a CLUE / loss-history report

    A C.L.U.E. (Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange) report shows insurance claims filed on the property in the last ~7 years, including water and flood claims. The current owner can pull theirs free once a year from LexisNexis.

    LexisNexis consumer disclosure ↗

  • Get an independent inspection — ask about water

    Hire your own inspector and specifically flag drainage, grading, sump pumps, and signs of past water intrusion (staining, efflorescence, fresh paint in basements). An inspection contingency protects you if problems surface.

  • Get a flood-insurance quote before you waive contingencies

    Quote NFIP or private flood coverage early. Homeowners' insurance does NOT cover flood damage. A federally backed mortgage on a property in a Special Flood Hazard Area generally requires flood insurance — budget for it.

    floodsmart.gov ↗

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Step 2 — Your answer

Louisiana

Does the seller have to disclose flooding?

Disclosure required

Flood-specific disclosure

Louisiana requires the seller of residential real property to deliver a Property Disclosure Document on the form prescribed by the Louisiana Real Estate Commission, and that form has a dedicated section ('Flood, Flood Assistance and Flood Insurance') asking about flooding/water intrusion history, FEMA/disaster assistance received, and flood insurance.

The statute or the state-mandated form has dedicated flood questions — flood-zone status, flood history, prior claims, or flood-insurance history.

La. R.S. 9:3196-9:3200 (Residential Property Disclosure); duties of seller La. R.S. 9:3198; form prescribed by the Louisiana Real Estate CommissionPrimary-source verified· verified June 16, 2026

What triggers the duty

  • Sale of residential real property (with statutory exclusions, e.g., certain transfers by court order, succession, or between co-owners)
  • Seller must complete and deliver the Property Disclosure Document to the purchaser on or before the purchaser makes a written offer
  • Disclosure of known defects, including flooding/water-intrusion history, FEMA disaster assistance, and flood insurance

Penalties & remedies

Not specified as a statutory fixed fine. La. R.S. 9:3198 limits seller liability to defects of which the seller had actual knowledge; remedies sound in contract/delict (fraud/misrepresentation) rather than a statutory penalty.

Buyer remedy: Varies — the disclosure document does not by itself create a warranty or affect Louisiana redhibition rights; a purchaser may pursue contract/delictual remedies (and redhibition) where a seller knowingly fails to disclose or misrepresents a known defect.

Opt-out gotchas

No statutory opt-out or waiver-for-credit mechanism identified. The disclosure duty (where it exists) cannot simply be bought out.

Research note ▾

La. R.S. 9:3198 confirmed via codified text (legislature/Justia, 2024-2025 codification): seller must complete the LREC-prescribed Property Disclosure Document disclosing known defects; document is not a warranty. The LREC form (lrec.gov mandatory forms) consolidates flooding questions into a 'Flood, Flood Assistance and Flood Insurance' section asking about flooding/water-intrusion/drainage history, FEMA or SBA disaster assistance received, and flood insurance — confirming specific-flood level. Liability tied to seller's actual knowledge per the statute. Justia/legislature pages 403'd to automated fetch; statute and form content corroborated through multiple WebSearch result quotations (LREC, Louisiana REALTORS, FEMA best-practices).

Summary of Louisiana law as of June 2026. Not legal advice.

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