Fema Elevation Certificates and Loma Applications

Homes within a flood zone are required to purchase flood insurance. However, if you are incorrectly labeled as within a flood zone, you may be unnecessarily spending money on flood insurance you do not need. In order to determine if you are in a flood zone, you will need an elevation survey to determine the elevation of your entire property. Based on the results of your elevation survey, you may be eligible to file a LOMA request to reduce or eliminate your need for flood insurance.

What is a FEMA Elevation Certificate?

An Elevation Certificate is an official document used by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to determine the elevation of buildings in a FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) flood zone. The Elevation Certificate must be performed by a licensed, professional land surveyor. The certificate describes the type of building on the property, elevation of the ground outside, the location of machinery, and elevation of the floors (including basements or crawlspace).
The Elevation Certificate includes:

  • Accurate determination of Flood Zone and Base Flood Elevation (BFE)
  • The geographic location of the structure (latitude & longitude)
  • Ground elevations adjacent to structure foundation
  • Type of structure and foundation system
  • Elevation of lower storage lever (crawlspace, basement, slab, etc.)
  • Elevation of lowest living area
  • Elevation of mechanical equipment (furnace, hot water heater, etc.)
  • Photographs of the structure

Why should I get an elevation certificate?

If you own property near the water, the chances of a flood are higher. Generally, it is a good idea to have some form of flood insurance if you own property near the water. However, mortgage companies or your community may require you to have flood insurance if you are in a flood zone.
The only way to know if you are entitled to lower insurance premiums is with an Elevation Certificate. The Elevation Certificated determines where your building is relative to the Base Flood Elevation. If your building is at or above FEMA’s Base Flood Elevation, you may be able to reduce your insurance premiums.
Elevation Certificates are required for new construction or significant improvement to building in a flood zone. The structure must be built in compliance with the code and ordinance designed to minimize flood damage. Even if you are not required to get an Elevation Certificate, you may want to get one if you are buying or selling a property, or if you believe your home is improperly labeled in a flood zone.

Elevation Certificate Process

Only a licensed land surveyor, like the Ferrantello Group, can legally perform an elevation survey to create an elevation certificate. The process can be broken down into three mandatory steps and one optional step. The first part of an elevation survey is the research. We cross-reference the county elevation data sewer and road records and completed surveys to estimate the elevation of your home. Next, one of our experienced field surveyors will perform fieldwork on your property to measure the elevations in and around your home. After the fieldwork, we will prepare your Elevation Certificate form, which you may bring to your insurance agent to adjust your premium. Lastly, we may help you apply for a LOMA (Letter of Map Amendment) through FEMA to change your flood zone status.

What is LOMA?

A Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA), is a type of FEMA flood map change (collectively called Letters of Map Change of LOMC) that can correct your flood zone based on new property-specific information. This property-specific information includes Professional Land Surveyor’s analysis of the elevation of the property compared to the elevation of the flood zone. Even though the flood map may show your property in a FEMA high-risk flood zone, the elevation of the property can cause the flood zone to change to a low-risk flood zone. If this is the case, FEMA will issue an official floodplain removal document which can remove the mandatory flood insurance requirement for the property.

LOMA Flood Plain Removal

The Ferrantello Group can help you remove your home from the mandatory flood insurance purchase requirement with an official Elevation Certificate. Our professional, experienced land surveyors are here to help homeowners throughout the New York Metro Area with Elevation Certificates. Ferrantello Group P.C. has provided Elevation Certificates for countless homeowners alone the rivers, tributaries, and coastal areas of New York. All surveys are conducted in strict compliance with established FEMA guidelines.
Applying for a LOMA is the only way to remove your property from the high-risk flood zone. Our team has extensive knowledge and experience navigating the process and can help with every step including your elevation survey, Elevation Certificate, and LOMA application. Get started on the process of reducing or removing your flood insurance premiums with the Ferrantello Group.

Flood Hazard Zones are typically found in low-lying or coastal areas. FEMA has determined Base Flood Elevations for most Floor Hazard Zones. The Base Flood Elevation is an elevation above the mean sea level which indicates the predicted water surface elevation resulting from a flood that has a one percent chance of equaling or exceeding that elevation in ant given year. You may use the FEMA Map Service Center address search feature to determine if your property is located in a Flood Hazard Zone or simply contact FEMA at (860) 448-0400 for assistance.

Essentially, the only information the surveyor will need is the address of the property and the name and contact information of the person responsible for executing the service contract and issuing payment.

If your house has a walkout basement, a slab foundation, or an accessible crawlspace foundation, the surveyor will most likely be able to complete the survey without accessing the house.

An elevation certificate can usually be provided within one week to ten days. If your situation requires immediate action, we will make every effort to accommodate your schedule.

Faulty FEMA maps force homeowners to buy unnecessary insurance.
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