Our Flood Services
What is a flood zone?
A flood zone, officially called a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), is an area that has been determined to have a high risk of flooding. If your property falls within a flood zone you may be required to carry a flood insurance policy for the buildings on your property. Maps that show these flood zones are available from FEMA, however it can be difficult or impossible to tell if your property or home is actually in or out of a flood zone from the maps alone. These maps are also updated periodically by FEMA as flood conditions change and new studies are completed.
Our team can help you find out whether or not you are in a flood zone with boots on the ground mapping by completing an Elevation Certificate.
What is an elevation certificate?
An Elevation Certificate is a document used to evaluate a structure’s flood risk and compliance with community floodplain management/building ordinances. The accuracy needed often requires hiring a licensed land surveyor to measure and certify the area and elevation of different parts of your home/property.
For new construction an elevation certificate is used to document compliance with local floodplain management ordinances, reducing potential future flood damage and lowering insurance rates for the entire community.
For existing buildings an elevation certificate accurately documents your flood risk and existing mitigation. This can lower your personal insurance rates.
What if I believe my property has been incorrectly included in a flood zone?
Due to conservative risk management, minor inaccuracies in a community’s large-scale flood plain mapping, or banks relying on large multinational corporations for local assessments, it could be that your property has been inaccurately documented as falling within a flood zone. In this scenario, obtaining an elevation certificate from your local land surveyor is the first step. Once we have determined your property’s flood zone designation, we can assist you through the process of requesting a zone designation change from FEMA. If it is successfully determined that your property does not fall within a flood zone, it is possible you will no longer have to meet community floodplain requirements or carry a flood insurance policy.
**Being outside of a flood zone does not mean zero risk of flooding, it simply means you are not required to carry a flood insurance policy. Is your home at risk? Check your Flood Factor rating here.
Our team’s knowledge and experience in this field can help you through a breadth of flood services, from Flood Zone Determinations and Elevation Certificates to Floodplain Mapping and Letters of Map Change (ex. LOMA or LOMR).
- Mark Pollack, Project Surveyor