Updated Elevation Certificate: Fill & Download for Free

Unfortunately, you missed the boat by not purchasing a flood insurance policy within one year of the new map. Though check the date on the map to see if it is still one year of the legal date of the map. When there is a new map with a broader flood zone, or high flood elevation, you can get a grandfathered policy based on the old map if the policy is purchased within a year. When I worked for my state’s floodplain management office, we always reached out to local municipal officials when new maps came out and urged them to publicize the new maps and let their residents know that there are benefits to purchasing flood insurance early.If you’ve missed that window, then your flood insurance rate depends on whether your home was built prior to the first flood map published in the community. Google “FEMA Community Status Book” to look up the date for your community. If the house is older than that, then you can get a subsidized “pre-FIRM” policy without an elevation certificate. FIRM stands for Flood Insurance Rate Map. If you home is newer than that, then you will need an elevation certificate because the flood insurance rate is based on the difference between your lowest floor elevation and the flood elevation. An elevation certificate must be filled out by a licensed surveyor.If the surveyor determines that the lowest ground touching your house is at an elevation equal to or higher than the flood elevation, then you can apply to FEMA for a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) that legally removes the home from the flood zone. Even in that case, though, I recommend carrying flood insurance because bigger floods happen every year and even a so-called 100-year flood has a 26% or higher probability of hitting your home within any 30 year period if you are withing that flood zone. But flood insurance in that case would be much cheaper.Make sure you hire a surveyor who understands elevation certificates and Letters of Map Amendment. I advise people to use the LOMA acronym to get a sense of whether the surveyor knows what he or she is doing.Good luck.

They do not expire but may become obsolete. For example, if the flood map has changed, then the elevation certificate would have to be updated to include the new flood zone and/or base flood elevation. Similarly, if the structure has been changed, the lowest floor elevations may no longer be valid. However if you have an old elevation certificate and neither the property nor the flood map has changed, it remains valid.Oh - there may be some unscrupulous surveyors who will tell you that you have to get it renewed, for a price, when a new edition of the elevation certificate is released. That is incorrect and don’t fall for it.

Your insurance company will update it for you. There is no grandfathering. I've had to go back and do a new elevation certificate when the flood maps were updated a few times. I even had one removed from AE to X. I would advise you making certain of the status of your potential purchase. The difference in insurance costs are considerable.