Flood Zone Determination for Elevation Certificate
For Item B8, do you all list the flood zone or zones that the actual building is in or the entirety of the lot/tract/parcel? For example, zone AE (with defined base flood elevation) encompasses the rear corner of the lot, but the existing house is graphically 100′ distant from the flood zone and in zone X.
According to the “Elevation Certificate with Instructions” document from FEMA, it’s specific to the building. According to a FEMA rep I spoke to on Friday, it’s specific to the building. In the past I have seen other surveyors use the entirety of the lot for their determination and call this scenario zones X and AE.
What is common practice in your area?
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I use the location of the building relative to the zone edges as the tract may be in three different zones or more. Always relative to the zone edges as shown on the current FIRM, not where I have found the true edges should be placed.
E certs are for structures, not parcels. Go with the upstream part of the structure perp to the channel.
You need to be careful, and use the note section of the Elevation Certificate. An elevation certificate is used on a parcel for the pre part, If you do the elevation certificate for the house the owner may think the rest of his parcel is in the same zone as his house, and may build on the rest of his parcel thinking he is in the same zone, being as the other part of the parcel is Zone X its not a big issue for this parcel.
Just make a note in the common building is in Zone AE, part of the parcel is in Zone X
Why are you doing an elevation certificate. I would do a LOMA application for an “Out as Shown” on the FIRM Panel. That should remove the structure from the SFHA.
A precon Ecert is not intended to cover a parcel. It is for a proposed structure with an identified location.
Bottom line of why is because they specifically requested one. No one is requiring them to have flood insurance right now. They are considering purchasing it since the structure is near a SFHA, and they wanted a Elevation Cert on file (for peace of mind that they are above the nearby BFE?). I agree – a LOMA would remove all doubt that the structure is outside the SFHA, but the structure already appears to be outside as is. It’s also my understanding that they can use my EC to submit a LOMA on their own if they so desire. Or if they want me to handle the LOMA app I will do that when they request it.
Is there a FIS nearby??
FIS reports are available for the area. I have never used them specifically before when doing an elevation cert survey or LOMA application. I know they are the hydro analyses that generated the FIRMs and local floodplain management plans, but that’s about it. Should I be using them? Am I missing something?
You should be using the FIS to determine your BFE, unless the entire zone has one BFE.
You should be using the FIS to determine your BFE, unless the entire zone has one BFE.
This case is a lake with a single, pool type base flood elevation.
I’m glad you all brought the FIS profiles to my attention though. All of the surveyors I trained under interpolated using the even foot BFEs shown on the FIRMs and indicated that as their source data. It sounds like that may not be the most accurate method. Now I’m curious to go back and check one to see how much difference there is between that and using the FIS…
The correlation between the FIRM and FIS will vary widely across the country. Ive seen them dead on and feet off with everything in between.
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