Flood Insurance Rate Maps

Flood Insurance Rate Maps - 2 examples shown below are what FEMA uses to determine is your property is in or out of the SFHA (Special Flood Hazard Area). They use these maps in conjunction with Elevation Certificates - usually completed by a Land Surveyor or Engineer to determine your flood insurance cost.

As a Land Surveyor I have worked with FEMA contractors to remove many homes that were erroneously placed in the SFHA by FEMA. When you look at the two maps below you can see that there is a large difference in the information that FEMA (or one of the clearinghouses that tend to make the determination if the house you are buying falls inside the SFHA Zone) has available to it. The determination of being inside or outside that boundary can make a huge difference to whether you get a mortgage or not. If you do get a mortgage and you are deemed to be inside the SFHA you may have a hefty flood insurance premium to pay.

A Land Surveyor can be hired to review your situation and file information with FEMA to attempt to receive an Amendment (LOMA - Letter of Map Amendment) from FEMA which would remove the requirement that you buy flood insurance as a condition of your loan. Even if you are shown to be outside of the SFHA through the information submitted by your Surveyor, you may still want to buy Flood Insurance as the rate will be quite low and can provide you with a sense of further protection.

The newer map below is along a river that has flood elevations associated with it. These elevations can be used by a Land Surveyor to determine the flood boundary on your lot. When a LOMA is filed on a property with a known flood elevation like this, the surveyor should be able to file electronically and receive verification almost immediately where the home is located in relation to the SFHA.

With the older top map (still in use by FEMA) it can take 30 - 60 days from the date the Surveyor files the information with the FEMA contractor to receive an answer relative to the SFHA. This can be a burden if a person is attempting to receive a mortgage or re-finance.

An older style Flood Insurance Rate Map from FEMA without flood elevations shown

A newer Flood Insurance Rate Map from FEMA that lists Flood Elevations