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Elevation Certificates

The Elevation Certification is an important administrative tool of the National Flood Insurance Program. It is used by government agencies and lending institutions to ensure compliance with community floodplain management ordinances, to determine proper insurance premium rates, and to support a request for a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) or Revision (LOMR-F). If an Elevation Certificate is required, it is important to hire a surveyor with a reputation for accuracy, consistency and longevity since the reliability of the certification will not come into question until after the flood.

LOMAs

A LOMA is a letter from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) stating that an existing structure or parcel of land that has not been elevated by fill would not be inundated by a 100-flood event. The surveyor's task is to show that the structure or property within a flood plain is completely above the base flood elevation. We then apply for a LOMA from FEMA. Typically, this will take the property out of the flood plain and save the landowner flood insurance premiums. Depending upon location, this can be a relatively simple process or a very difficult, expensive, and time consuming procedure.

LOMR-Fs

A LOMR-F is a letter from FEMA stating that an existing structure or parcel of land that has been elevated by fill would not be inundated by a 100-year flood event. It is similar to a LOMA.