Is Portarlington in a flood zone?

Parts of Portarlington are. The OPW has mapped river flood extents within about 1.5 km of the town centre. A zone covers streets, not the whole town, so the answer for one house depends on where it stands. The report checks the exact Eircode against the 1 in 10, 1 in 100 and 1 in 1000 year extents.

Will a house in Portarlington be hard to insure against flooding?

Insurers price by postcode and by the OPW record. With 14 recorded events within 2 km, expect questions on the proposal form and possibly a flood exclusion on some streets. Ask the seller for their current policy schedule: if flood is excluded, you will inherit that problem.

What does the paid report add for a house in Portarlington, Co. Laois?

It puts the Eircode point against every OPW flood extent, lists recorded floods within 500 m with dates and OPW notes, checks GSI groundwater flood maps and coastal erosion, and ranks the result against the other twenty-eight checks (radon, BER, planning, knotweed, title, sewer and more) for that one address.

Flood risk · Portarlington, Co. Laois

Flood risk in Portarlington: 14 recorded floods and mapped flood zones

The OPW register holds 14 recorded floods within 2 km of the centre of Portarlington, and the OPW has mapped river flood extents nearby. What that means for a house here, and how to check the exact address.

recorded flood events within 2 km of the town centre (OPW)

Yes

river flood extent mapped nearby (1 in 100 year, OPW CFRAM)

coastal flood extent mapped nearby (1 in 200 year)

What the OPW record says about Portarlington

The Office of Public Works keeps a register of past floods. Within 2 km of the centre of Portarlington it holds 14 events, the latest in 2017. By source: river (11). A recorded event does not mean every street went under. It means an insurer’s model knows the town.

Most recent on file:

November 2017: Flooding at Killenard on 22/11/2017. Teirhogar - Intense rainfall event - One residential property (farm house) and sheds flooded damaging farm feed and environmental concerns regarding effluent. Road flooded and impassable.
November 2017: Flooding at Portarlington on 22/11/2017. Intense rainfall event. Flooding caused to Spa street due to high river flow preventing surface water discharging into the river Barrow. Large industrial unit on Lea Road flooded due to intense rainfall and possible under sized culvert.
August 2008: Barrow Portarlington 18th August 2008.
undated: Barrow Fire Station, Portarlington Recurring (river).
undated: Barrow Spa Street, Portarlington, Recurring (river).

Separately from past events, the OPW flood maps (CFRAM) draw modelled extents for river flooding near Portarlington. A house inside the 1 in 100 year river extent, or the 1 in 200 year coastal extent, will usually need a flood-specific conversation with the insurer before you can draw down a mortgage.

What to do before bidding on a house here

Look the exact address up on the OPW map, not the town. Two houses on the same road can sit on opposite sides of an extent line. Ask the seller in writing whether the house or garden has ever flooded and whether a flood claim was made. Ask for the current insurance schedule. If the house is inside an extent, get a quote before going sale agreed: some insurers decline outright, and the bank will not lend without cover.

The free snapshot on this site flags flood for one Eircode in about a minute. The paid report adds the distance to each recorded event, which extents the point falls in, and the GSI groundwater map, all with links to the source so a solicitor can rely on them.

Check one house in Portarlington

The area tells you the odds. The report tells you about the house.

Enter the Eircode. The free snapshot shows which of the twenty-nine checks flag up. The full report (€24.99, one house, no account) puts the exact Eircode point on the OPW extents, lists every recorded flood within 500 m with dates and notes, and checks groundwater and coastal erosion maps too.

Or read the sample report first: a real house, 16 pages.

Also for Portarlington

Radon in Portarlington · Planning applications in Portarlington · BER ratings in Portarlington · Flood risk across Co. Laois

Nearby: Monasterevin, Rathangan, Portlaoise, Kildare Town, Edenderry, Athy.

Questions people ask

Is Portarlington in a flood zone?: Parts of Portarlington are. The OPW has mapped river flood extents within about 1.5 km of the town centre. A zone covers streets, not the whole town, so the answer for one house depends on where it stands. The report checks the exact Eircode against the 1 in 10, 1 in 100 and 1 in 1000 year extents.
Will a house in Portarlington be hard to insure against flooding?: Insurers price by postcode and by the OPW record. With 14 recorded events within 2 km, expect questions on the proposal form and possibly a flood exclusion on some streets. Ask the seller for their current policy schedule: if flood is excluded, you will inherit that problem.
What does the paid report add for a house in Portarlington, Co. Laois?: It puts the Eircode point against every OPW flood extent, lists recorded floods within 500 m with dates and OPW notes, checks GSI groundwater flood maps and coastal erosion, and ranks the result against the other twenty-eight checks (radon, BER, planning, knotweed, title, sewer and more) for that one address.

Sources

Area figures, compiled from public records. They describe the town or county, not any one house. The paid report checks the exact Eircode.