SURVEYING & MAPPING​

ALTA/NSPS LAND TITLE SURVEY SPECIALISTS

CONSULTANTS

The professionals at Titan USA Commercial Real Estate Services have extensive experience completing these applications on behalf of our clients.  

Phone: 833-320-2014

Local: 330-331-2660

Fax: 330-331-2662

What is a Flood Elevation Certificate?

In order to determine proper insurance premium rates and if a building is in compliance with community floodplain management ordinances, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) requires a flood elevation certificate.  The flood elevation certificate is a comprehensive form provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that documents a structures lowest floor elevation and shows the relationship of that structure to the base flood elevation for a particular floodplain.    

What is the NFIP?

The NFIP is managed by FEMA and has three components: to provide flood insurance, improve floodplain management and to develop maps of flood hazard areas.    The NFIP aims to reduce the impact of flooding on public and private structures.  Overall, the program reduces the socio-economic impact of disasters by promoting the purchase of general risk insurance, but also of flood insurance.  The NFIP issues Flood Insurance Rate Maps for participating communities which show flood hazard areas, base flood elevations and risks associated with these hazards.  These maps are used in the preparation of the flood elevation certificate.

What is a LOMC, LOMA and LOMR?

In situations where a property owner believes that their property has been inadvertently mapped in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) on a FIRM map, FEMA provides for an administrative process for the public to request a change in the flood zone designation for the property.  This request is known as a Letter of Map Change (LOMC).  There are several LOMC types that someone may submit.

Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA)

Although FEMA uses the most accurate flood hazard information, they understand that due to limitations of scale or topographic definition of the FIRM maps, some areas can be subject to error.

Letter of Map Revision Based on Fill (LOMR)

FEMA also recognizes that in other areas, earthen fill may have been placed during construction or development and that the resulting change in elevation has placed the area above the base flood elevation. 

The process for a LOMC application will require a flood elevation certificate to be submitted along with other paperwork.  The application can currently be completed online and FEMA will normally complete its review and issue a determination in 4 to 6 weeks. 

flood elevation certificate