Flooding in Paterson, New Jersey: the record, the rivers, and what to do
Paterson has the longest flood claim record in Passaic County, and about three in four households here rent. This page sets out where the water comes from, which streets flood first, and who is responsible for what.
Paterson sits on a loop of the Passaic River around the Great Falls, with Molly Ann Brook and Slippery Rock Brook running into it. FEMA counts 1,337 National Flood Insurance Program claims in the city, with Hurricane Irene in 2011 the single worst event, and lists 196 properties as repetitive-loss. Because the US Census Bureau estimates that 73.1 per cent of Paterson households rent, the split between what a landlord insures and what a tenant must insure matters here more than almost anywhere else in the county.
The short version
- FEMA records 1,337 National Flood Insurance Program claims in Paterson, the most in Passaic County, with 304 from Hurricane Irene.
- FEMA lists 196 repetitive-loss properties in the city, 48 of them severe repetitive-loss, as of 2 August 2026.
- The National Weather Service ties named Paterson streets to set stages on the Little Falls gauge, from 5.5 feet up.
- The Little Falls gauge reached 14.19 feet after Irene in 2011 and 10.29 feet in December 2023; the 1903 record is 17.5 feet.
- The US Census Bureau estimates 73.1 per cent of households rent; FEMA says a landlord's flood policy does not cover a tenant's belongings.
- New Jersey requires most landlords to give tenants a written Flood Risk Notice before a lease is signed or renewed.
The claim record
According to FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program claims data for Passaic County, Paterson has 1,337 lifetime flood insurance claims, far more than any other municipality in the county. The worst year was 2011, with 454 claims, when the Little Falls gauge passed major flood stage in March, after Irene in August and after Tropical Storm Lee in September. By named event, FEMA attributes 304 claims to Irene, 180 to the April 2007 nor'easter, 129 to the March 2010 nor'easter and 120 to Hurricane Floyd. FEMA's multiple-loss records, as of 2 August 2026, class 196 Paterson properties as repetitive-loss, 48 of them severe. The US Census Bureau puts the median year built of the city's 52,519 homes at 1954.
The Passaic River and the Little Falls gauge
The Passaic reaches Paterson from Little Falls, drops over the Great Falls, which the National Park Service describes as 77 feet high, and loops around the city. The National Weather Service forecasts it at the Little Falls gauge, upstream of the city, where flood stage is 7 feet, moderate is 8 and major is 9. The NWS counts 63 floods there between 1903 and 2018. The record crest is 17.5 feet in October 1903; the highest modern crest is 14.19 feet on 30 August 2011 after Irene, followed by 12.91 feet in April 1984. The NWS impact list is unusually specific about Paterson. At 5.5 feet the lower end of East Holsman Street begins to flood, and at 6.5 feet the lower end of Bergen Street. At 9 feet parts of River Street, Presidential Boulevard, Bridge Street, Tyler Street, Totowa Avenue and McLean Boulevard flood. At 10 feet water flows over the Temple Street bridge, and at 11.5 feet Tyler, Shady, Arch, Lowe, Wood and Bleeker Streets close.
Molly Ann Brook, Slippery Rock Brook and the storm sewers
FEMA's Flood Insurance Study for Passaic County names Molly Ann Brook, which flows down through North Haledon and Haledon, as a flood source for Paterson and Prospect Park. The same FEMA study records that the city built the Hillcrest Flood Relief Project in 1957, an overflow intake and a 108-inch conduit that carries excess brook water to the Passaic below the Great Falls, and an Army Corps channel project of about 2.5 miles up to Haledon. FEMA adds that Slippery Rock Brook floods between Route 80 and the Passaic because of small bridge openings, channel constrictions and debris, and that storm sewers overwhelmed by heavy rain have caused extensive flooding on East 33rd Street between McLean Boulevard and Park Avenue, and on Graham Avenue between Twelfth Avenue and Broadway.
December 2023: what a moderate-to-major flood looks like
After a coastal storm on 18 December 2023, the Little Falls gauge crested at 10.29 feet on the 20th, the highest reading there since 2011. CBS New York reported a city state of emergency, rescues from homes along the river and at Bridge and Tyler Streets, and flooding on Bergen Street and Presidential Boulevard. Those are the streets the NWS impact list names, which is the practical lesson: in Paterson, the forecast crest at Little Falls is a fair guide to which blocks will be cut off.
Renters and landlords: who is responsible for what
With 73.1 per cent of households renting, according to the US Census Bureau, the commonest flood question in Paterson concerns an apartment, not a house. FEMA states that a landlord's flood policy covers the building, not the tenant's belongings, and that a standard renters policy typically does not cover flood. Tenants can buy a contents-only policy through the National Flood Insurance Program, but FEMA limits contents coverage in a basement or basement apartment to a short list of items such as a washer, dryer and freezer, so basement units are hardest to insure. Whether a particular loss is paid is decided by the policy and the insurer. Under P.L.2023, c.93, a landlord must give a written Flood Risk Notice before a lease is signed or renewed, saying whether the property is in a FEMA flood zone and whether it has flooded before. Buildings with two units or fewer, and owner-occupied buildings with three or fewer, are exempt. If a covered landlord fails to disclose a mapped flood zone, the law lets the tenant end the lease, and it lets tenants pursue legal remedies where flooding then damages their belongings or makes the home unliveable.
What this means if you own or rent here
If you own a building near the river or the low streets named above, check the address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center, keep utilities and valuables off the basement floor, and make sure tenants have the state Flood Risk Notice. If you rent, ask for that notice, photograph your belongings, and decide on a contents policy early, because FEMA applies a 30-day wait before a new policy takes effect. Either way, watch the Little Falls forecast before a big storm, move cars off the listed streets before the crest, never walk or drive through moving water, and treat a flooded basement as an electrical hazard until the power is off.
Common questions
Does my landlord's insurance cover my belongings in a flood?
FEMA states that a landlord's flood policy covers the building, not a tenant's possessions, and that standard renters insurance typically does not cover flood. Tenants can buy a contents-only policy through the National Flood Insurance Program. What any policy pays for a given loss is decided by the insurer under the policy terms.
Does my landlord have to tell me if the apartment floods?
In most cases, yes. New Jersey law requires landlords to give a written Flood Risk Notice before a lease is signed or renewed, covering FEMA flood zone status and known past flooding. Buildings with two or fewer units, and owner-occupied buildings with three or fewer, are exempt.
Is my Paterson address in a flood zone?
Check the address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center at msc.fema.gov. Storm sewer and brook flooding can also reach streets outside the mapped floodplain.
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