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ELEVATION CERTIFICATES/ eLOMA's
What is an Elevation Certificate?
The Flood Elevation Certificate is an important tool of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). It is used to certify building elevations if the building is located in a SFHA in order to:
Determine the proper flood insurance premium rate for the building.
Support a request of a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) or Letter of Map Revision based on fill (LOMR-F).
Elevation Certificates can only be completed by a licensed land surveyor, engineer, or architect who is licensed by the State to perform such functions.
Flood Insurance was never required on my property until now...why?
The previous owner could have purchased the land without having a lender involved. Only lenders are required to enforce participation in the National Flood Insurance Program; there is no public law requiring such participation. Therefore, people who purchase flood insurance do so either for their own protection or due to the requirement of their mortgage holder.
The property may have been purchased before the flood maps and requirements concerning flood insurance were either in place or being enforced.
The flood maps in a given area may have been recently revised. This works both ways in that areas which were previously not located in a special hazard area may now be, or better yet, areas that had been categorized in a hazard zone may now be clear.
Can a Flood Zone Designation be changed?
Yes. If you believe that the FIRM (Flood Information Rate Map) designation is erroneous you may submit an engineering study to the government and request a LOMA (letter of map amendment). If based on the study you provide, the government agrees that your property is not located in a special flood hazard area, a LOMA will be issued, and you may no longer be required to purchase or maintain flood insurance (some lenders may still require it).
Why do I need an Elevation Certificate?
The Elevation Certificate is an important administrative tool for the National Flood Insurance Program and is required to properly rate flood insurance for post-FIRM buildings or pre-FIRM buildings rated based upon the determined Base Flood Elevations for the flood hazard area.
Do I have to be at the property during the surveying work?
You do not have to be present unless special arrangements are required to allow the surveyor access to the property or if the property has a crawl space or basement. If you have special requirements that may require an appointment please be sure to include an access contact name and phone number when entering your property information.
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