Chapter 4 › II.A Emergency Work vs. Permanent Work

What’s the difference between emergency work and permanent work, and what are the categories?

FEMA term

Emergency work vs. permanent work; categories of work

Short answer

Emergency work addresses an immediate threat: debris removal (Category A) and emergency protective measures (Category B). Permanent work restores damaged facilities (Categories C–G), including cost-effective hazard mitigation, plus building code and floodplain management administration and enforcement (Category I).

What FEMA requires

FEMA funds debris removal and emergency protective measures (emergency work), and permanent restoration of damaged facilities, including cost-effective hazard mitigation, and building code and floodplain management administration and enforcement (permanent work).
Emergency work addresses an immediate threat. Permanent work restores a damaged facility, or covers code and floodplain administration and enforcement.
If you do not comply with all applicable statutes, executive orders, regulations and policies, FEMA may disallow all or part of the cost of the noncompliant project.

<table class="pt-table"><thead><tr><th>Category</th><th>Type of work</th><th>Covers</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>A</td><td>Emergency work</td><td>Debris removal</td></tr><tr><td>B</td><td>Emergency work</td><td>Emergency protective measures</td></tr><tr><td>C</td><td>Permanent work</td><td>Roads and bridges</td></tr><tr><td>D</td><td>Permanent work</td><td>Water control facilities</td></tr><tr><td>E</td><td>Permanent work</td><td>Buildings and equipment</td></tr><tr><td>F</td><td>Permanent work</td><td>Utilities</td></tr><tr><td>G</td><td>Permanent work</td><td>Parks, recreational and other facilities</td></tr><tr><td>I</td><td>Permanent work</td><td>Building code and floodplain management administration and enforcement</td></tr></tbody></table>

Documentation

Keep emergency and permanent work costs in separate records from the start. FEMA assigns the categories when it groups your impacts into projects, and the deadlines and documentation differ between them.

Watch out · Govstar practitioner advice

Mixing emergency and permanent work in the same records causes trouble later. Temporary repairs to stop further damage are usually emergency work; restoring the facility is permanent work, with a different deadline.

Govstar summarizes FEMA’s Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide in plain language and links to the official text. Govstar is independent and not affiliated with FEMA. This is general guidance, not legal advice.