Water damage restoration · Duluth, Georgia
Water damage restoration in Duluth, GA
Burst pipe, failed water heater, or storm water? Duluth-area ZIPs: 94 flood claims since 1990[1]; 12% of homes built before 1980[2]. Request help from local restoration crews. Duluth, in Gwinnett County — ZIPs 30096, 30097, counts 33,815 residents (2025 estimate)[3].
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Duluth at a glance for water damage
- Population (2025 est.)
- 33,815[3]+4.9% since 2020
- County
- Gwinnett[3]
- Land area
- 10.3 sq mi[4]
- Flood-insurance (NFIP) claims, local ZIPs
- 94 since 1990[1]$1,672,860 paid across 69 claims · ZIP 30096, 30097
- Flood & flash-flood reports within 10 mi
- 15[5]2016–2025 · latest Aug 29, 2023
- Winter-storm & freeze days, gwinnett zone
- 10[5]2016–2025; hard freezes burst pipes
- Federal disaster declarations incl. flooding, Gwinnett Co.
- 1[6]of 10 total declarations
- Homes built before 1980
- 12%[2]the 6th-lowest share of the 15 Atlanta-area suburbs we cover
- Households renting
- 43%[2]2020–2024
Reading the Duluth data for water damage
Duluth counts 33,815 residents (2025 estimate), growing at a middle-of-the-pack 4.9% since 2020[3]. It covers 10.3 square miles (3,281 residents per square mile, the 4th densest), sits entirely in Gwinnett County, in ZIP codes 30096, 30097[4].
Duluth mixes 14% of homes built since 2010 and 12% before 1980[2]: new supply lines and water heaters in one house, aging pipe and original valves in the next — so where a leak starts depends a lot on the address.
Duluth is split across 2 ZIP codes: 30096 (71% of the city's land), 30097 (26% of the city's land)[7].
Nearest of the other suburbs we track: Johns Creek (3.7 mi NW), Alpharetta (8.5 mi NW) and Lawrenceville (9.7 mi E)[4].
94 flood-insurance claims have come from Duluth-area ZIP codes (30096, 30097) since 1990, and $1,672,860 has been paid on them (about $24,244 per paid claim)[1]. 2009 was the worst year, with 30 claims. That is the 7th-fewest of the 15 Atlanta-area suburbs we cover; for comparison, Johns Creek (81), Alpharetta (97), and Lawrenceville (11). Of the 94 claims rated in a flood zone, 56 were in FEMA's high-risk areas (zones A or V) and 38 outside them (zones B, C or X)[1][8] — flooding here is not only a high-risk-zone problem.
By month of loss, Duluth-area flood claims cluster in May (15), August (12), and September (39) — 66 of 94 dated claims[1].
Within 10 miles of central Duluth, weather observers filed 15 flood, flash-flood or heavy-rain reports in 2016–2025 (15 flash floods)[5]. Countywide: 1 flood declaration since 2000, latest Severe Storms and Flooding (DR-1858, 2009)[6]. Nearby: Johns Creek (16), Alpharetta (18), and Lawrenceville (8).
12% of Duluth's 13,841 housing units predate 1980[2] — the 6th-lowest share of the 15 Atlanta-area suburbs we cover (Johns Creek (4%), Alpharetta (8%), and Lawrenceville (30%)). Expect a mix of original and replaced plumbing.
43% of Duluth households rent[2]: tenants should report leaks to the landlord in writing, with photos.
How a leak spreads inside a wall
Give a leak time and it travels — outward across the floor, upward into drywall by capillary action.
Duluth storm calendar
Within 10 miles of Duluth, 2016–2025: 15 flash-flood reports[5]. Peak: 67% in January, June, and August. Busiest year 2023 (6); 5 of 10 years had none. Busiest month August 2023 (4). Latest: flash-flood report, Aug 29, 2023, 8.7 mi out.
| Month | Flash flood | Flood | Heavy rain | All |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | – | – | 2 |
| Apr | 1 | – | – | 1 |
| Jun | 3 | – | – | 3 |
| Jul | 2 | – | – | 2 |
| Aug | 5 | – | – | 5 |
| Sep | 1 | – | – | 1 |
| Nov | 1 | – | – | 1 |
water damage help in Duluth: what to do next
Your request reaches Water damage restoration contractors who serve Duluth (ZIP codes 30096, 30097).
Before you call: what a restoration crew does first
Shared walls and ceilings: Duluth homes by building type
53%[2] of Duluth's homes share walls, floors or ceilings with a neighbour (multi-unit buildings alone: 36%, the 5th-highest multi-unit share of the 15 Atlanta-area suburbs we cover). Water crosses those lines: in an attached or stacked unit, tell the neighbour and the association or landlord right away, and check whose policy covers which part of the damage.
After detached houses, the biggest group is attached house (townhouse, rowhouse): 2,311 of 13,841 housing units[2].
| Building type | Units | Share | Margin of error |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached house | 6,498 | 46.9% | ±437 |
| Attached house (townhouse, rowhouse) | 2,311 | 16.7% | ±343 |
| Duplex (2 units) | 160 | 1.2% | ±127 |
| 3–4 units | 425 | 3.1% | ±206 |
| 5–9 units | 1,040 | 7.5% | ±280 |
| 10–19 units | 1,259 | 9.1% | ±337 |
| 20–49 units | 792 | 5.7% | ±356 |
| 50 or more units | 1,292 | 9.3% | ±350 |
| Mobile home | 64 | 0.5% | ±74 |
Margins of error are the Census Bureau’s 90% intervals; small categories in small cities are rough.
The Duluth numbers behind this page
| Measure | Duluth | Median of 15 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built before 1980 | 12% | 21% | 10 pts lower |
| Median home value | $400,800 | $449,500 | 11% lower |
| Renter-occupied | 43% | 41% | 3 pts higher |
| Owner-occupied | 57% | 59% | 3 pts lower |
| NFIP flood claims (area ZIPs) | 94 | 97 | 3 fewer |
| Flood reports (10 mi) | 15 | 15 | same as median |
| Median year built | 1994 | 1994 | same as median |
Largest differences first. Medians are the middle value across the covered Atlanta-area suburbs, from the same sources.
| City | NFIP claims | Flood reports ≤10 mi | Built before 1980 | Renting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duluth | 94 | 15 | 12% | 43% |
| Johns Creek 3.7 mi | 81 | 16 | 4% | 20% |
| Alpharetta 8.5 mi | 97 | 18 | 8% | 35% |
| Lawrenceville 9.7 mi | 11 | 8 | 30% | 53% |
| Dunwoody 10.2 mi | 100 | 35 | 44% | 44% |
| Roswell 11.8 mi | 161 | 21 | 22% | 28% |
| ZIP | Claims | Paid | Busiest year | Outside high-risk zones |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30096 | 51 | $830,334 | 2009 (19) | 14 of 51 |
| 30097 | 43 | $842,526 | 2009 (11) | 24 of 43 |
ZIPs extend past city limits. Outside high-risk zones: claims rated in zone B, C or X, of the claims that carry a zone.
| Year | Claims |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2023 | 16 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2020 | 9 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2015 | 2 |
| 2013 | 14 |
| 2011 | 2 |
| 2009 | 30 |
| 2006 | 2 |
| 2005 | 1 |
| Month | Claims |
|---|---|
| January | 2 |
| February | 2 |
| March | 1 |
| April | 2 |
| May | 15 |
| June | 3 |
| July | 5 |
| August | 12 |
| September | 39 |
| October | 9 |
| November | 3 |
| December | 1 |
| Date | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 29, 2023 | Flash Flood | 0.9 mi |
| Aug 29, 2023 | Flash Flood | 6.6 mi |
| Aug 29, 2023 | Flash Flood | 0.8 mi |
| Aug 29, 2023 | Flash Flood | 8.7 mi |
| Jan 4, 2023 | Flash Flood | 9.6 mi |
| Jan 4, 2023 | Flash Flood | 5.8 mi |
| Sep 8, 2021 | Flash Flood | 9.8 mi |
| Aug 17, 2021 | Flash Flood | 7.2 mi |
| ZIP (ZCTA) | Share of Duluth's land | Share of the ZIP inside the city |
|---|---|---|
| 30096 | 71% | 32% |
| 30097 | 26% | 11% |
Common Duluth water damage questions
Do I need flood insurance in Duluth?
Homeowners policies exclude outside floodwater[9], and Duluth-area ZIPs have 31 NFIP claims in just the last ten years[1].
Which Duluth ZIP codes do these crews cover?
30096 and 30097[7], in Gwinnett County. Nearby pages: Johns Creek (3.7 mi), Alpharetta (8.5 mi), and Lawrenceville (9.7 mi)[4].
Which Duluth ZIP code has the most flood claims?
30096, with 51 NFIP claims and $830,334 paid[1].
When was the last flood report near Duluth?
Aug 29, 2023: a flash flood report 0.9 miles from the city center[5].
Sources
- OpenFEMA NFIP claims
- Census ACS 2020–2024 5-year (keyless bulk)
- Census population estimates, Vintage 2025
- Census Gazetteer 2025
- NOAA Storm Events Database
- OpenFEMA disaster declarations
- Census 2020 ZCTA–place file
- FEMA, Flood Zones (link unverified)
- FEMA FloodSmart (link unverified)
Data pulled Sep 28, 2026. Full citations and method.