Water damage restoration · Auburn, California
Water damage restoration in Auburn, CA
Burst pipe, failed water heater, or storm water? Auburn-area ZIPs: 47 flood claims since 1986[1]; 52% of homes built before 1980[2]. Request help from local restoration crews. Auburn, in Placer County — ZIP 95603, counts 13,847 residents (2025 estimate)[3].
Request helpIs this a water-damage emergency?
Answer a few questions for a plan for the next hour.
The Auburn water damage picture in brief
- Population (2025 est.)
- 13,847[3]+0.5% since 2020
- County
- Placer[3]
- Land area
- 7.2 sq mi[4]
- Flood-insurance (NFIP) claims, local ZIPs
- 47 since 1986[1]$775,853 paid across 38 claims · ZIP 95603
- Flood & flash-flood reports within 10 mi
- 22[5]2016–2025 · latest Dec 25, 2025
- Federal disaster declarations incl. flooding, Placer Co.
- 6[6]of 18 total declarations
- Homes built before 1980
- 52%[2]the 3rd-highest share of the 13 Sacramento-area suburbs we cover
- Households renting
- 38%[2]2020–2024
What the local data means for water damage in Auburn
Auburn is one of the most established suburbs tracked here — 13,847 people (2025 estimate), up just 0.5% since 2020[3]. It covers 7.2 square miles (1,929 residents per square mile, the 12th densest), sits entirely in Placer County, in ZIP code 95603[4].
Auburn mixes 4% of homes built since 2010 and 52% 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.
The entire city sits in ZIP code 95603[7].
The closest tracked neighbours are Rocklin (11.1 mi SW), Lincoln (11.7 mi W) and Roseville (15.7 mi SW)[4].
47 flood-insurance claims have come from Auburn-area ZIP codes (95603) since 1986, and $775,853 has been paid on them (about $20,417 per paid claim)[1]. 1997 was the worst year, with 11 claims. That is the 6th-most of the 13 Sacramento-area suburbs we cover; for comparison, Rocklin (25), Lincoln (14), and Roseville (303). Of the 47 claims rated in a flood zone, 2 were in FEMA's high-risk areas (zones A or V) and 45 outside them (zones B, C or X)[1][8] — flooding here is not only a high-risk-zone problem.
By month of loss, Auburn-area flood claims cluster in January (22), February (12), and March (7) — 41 of 47 dated claims[1].
Within 10 miles of central Auburn, weather observers filed 22 flood, flash-flood or heavy-rain reports in 2016–2025[5]. Countywide: 6 flood declarations since 2000, latest Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides (EM-3592, 2023)[6]. Nearby: Rocklin (37), Lincoln (27), and Roseville (48).
52% of Auburn's 6,446 housing units predate 1980[2] — the 3rd-highest share of the 13 Sacramento-area suburbs we cover (Rocklin (15%), Lincoln (8%), and Roseville (17%)). Aging supply lines and valves are the usual hidden-leak suspects in houses that old.
62% of Auburn households own their home[2], so most claims and rebuilds here are coordinated by the owner.
Out of the 13 suburbs on this site, Auburn has the 3rd-highest pre-1980 housing share (52%)[2] and the 3rd-oldest housing (by median year built) (1978)[2].
How a leak spreads inside a wall
Leaked water spreads outward and wicks up drywall the longer it runs.
Auburn storm calendar
Within 10 miles of Auburn, 2016–2025: 18 flood reports and 4 heavy-rain reports[5]. Peak: 77% in January, February, and December. Busiest year 2025 (10); 5 of 10 years had none. Busiest month February 2025 (6). Latest: flood report, Dec 25, 2025, 5.3 mi out.
| Month | Flash flood | Flood | Heavy rain | All |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | – | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| Feb | – | 7 | – | 7 |
| Mar | – | 1 | – | 1 |
| Oct | – | – | 2 | 2 |
| Nov | – | 2 | – | 2 |
| Dec | – | 4 | – | 4 |
water damage help in Auburn: what to do next
Water damage restoration contractors taking requests around Auburn cover ZIP code 95603.
Before reaching out: what a restoration crew does first
Shared walls and ceilings: Auburn homes by building type
With 71%[2] of homes detached, most Auburn water-damage jobs stay inside one house — the owner's policy and the owner's call.
After detached houses, the biggest group is 3–4 units: 441 of 6,446 housing units[2].
| Building type | Units | Share | Margin of error |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached house | 4,555 | 70.7% | ±311 |
| Attached house (townhouse, rowhouse) | 379 | 5.9% | ±142 |
| Duplex (2 units) | 103 | 1.6% | ±74 |
| 3–4 units | 441 | 6.8% | ±157 |
| 5–9 units | 271 | 4.2% | ±100 |
| 10–19 units | 208 | 3.2% | ±147 |
| 20–49 units | 159 | 2.5% | ±93 |
| 50 or more units | 289 | 4.5% | ±126 |
| Mobile home | 41 | 0.6% | ±62 |
Margins of error are the Census Bureau’s 90% intervals; small categories in small cities are rough.
The Auburn numbers behind this page
| Measure | Auburn | Median of 13 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFIP flood claims (area ZIPs) | 47 | 35 | 12 more |
| Built before 1980 | 52% | 44% | 8 pts higher |
| Flood reports (10 mi) | 22 | 27 | 5 fewer |
| Median home value | $672,500 | $630,100 | 7% higher |
| Median year built | 1978 | 1987 | 9 years older |
| Renter-occupied | 38% | 38% | same as median |
| Owner-occupied | 62% | 62% | same as median |
Sorted by largest difference. Each median is the middle value across the covered Sacramento-area suburbs, from the same sources.
| City | NFIP claims | Flood reports ≤10 mi | Built before 1980 | Renting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn | 47 | 22 | 52% | 38% |
| Rocklin 11.1 mi | 25 | 37 | 15% | 32% |
| Lincoln 11.7 mi | 14 | 27 | 8% | 16% |
| Roseville 15.7 mi | 303 | 48 | 17% | 31% |
| Folsom 16.2 mi | 29 | 45 | 13% | 30% |
| Citrus Heights 17.9 mi | 207 | 66 | 62% | 39% |
| ZIP | Claims | Paid | Busiest year | Outside high-risk zones |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 95603 | 47 | $775,853 | 1997 (11) | 45 of 47 |
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 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2014 | 1 |
| 2012 | 2 |
| 2009 | 1 |
| 2007 | 2 |
| 2000 | 6 |
| 1997 | 11 |
| 1995 | 10 |
| Month | Claims |
|---|---|
| January | 22 |
| February | 12 |
| March | 7 |
| April | 1 |
| September | 1 |
| October | 2 |
| December | 2 |
| Date | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 25, 2025 | Flood | 3.8 mi |
| Dec 25, 2025 | Flood | 3.5 mi |
| Dec 25, 2025 | Flood | 5.3 mi |
| Dec 24, 2025 | Flood | 3.4 mi |
| Feb 6, 2025 | Flood | 8.3 mi |
| Feb 6, 2025 | Flood | 2.1 mi |
| Feb 4, 2025 | Flood | 3.4 mi |
| Feb 4, 2025 | Flood | 0.8 mi |
| ZIP (ZCTA) | Share of Auburn's land | Share of the ZIP inside the city |
|---|---|---|
| 95603 | 94% | 19% |
Auburn water damage questions
Do I need flood insurance in Auburn?
Homeowners policies exclude outside floodwater[9], and Auburn-area ZIPs have 6 NFIP claims in just the last ten years[1].
Which Auburn ZIP codes do these crews cover?
95603[7], in Placer County. Nearby pages: Rocklin (11.1 mi), Lincoln (11.7 mi), and Roseville (15.7 mi)[4].
When was the last flood report near Auburn?
Dec 25, 2025: a flood report 3.8 miles from the city center[5].
A lot of Auburn homes predate 1980 — what does that mean for plumbing fixtures and water heater work?
52% of Auburn's housing units were built before 1980, 31.8% before 1960[2] — the 3rd-highest share of the 13 Sacramento-area suburbs we cover. Older supply lines and original shut-off valves are common failure points — know where your main shut-off is before you need it.
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.