Background working with banks and insurance companies
Sarah enjoys helping people find smarter ways to spend their money. She covers auto financing, banking, credit cards, credit health, insurance, and personal loans.
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The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) ranks floods as the most common and costly type of U.S. disaster. If you live in a high-risk flood area, you may need flood insurance since standard home insurance doesn’t cover flood damage.[1]
An elevation certificate (EC) documents the elevation of your home’s lowest floor, including the basement. Insurers compare that elevation to an estimated baseline flood height in your area to decide your risk level and determine your rates.[2]
Here’s what you need to know about elevation certificates, as well as comparing home insurance quotes to find the best policy for your needs.
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What is a flood elevation certificate?
A flood elevation certificate is an official six-page document that measures your property’s flood risk according to FEMA.
It assesses the following information about your home:
Address and property description
Geographic coordinates
Size of basement, crawl spaces, or foundation enclosure and its number of openings
Size of garage and its number and type of flood openings
Height of other floors, decks, and stairs
Grade height of land next to your home
Good to Know
Homeowners can complete parts of the elevation certificate. But a professional, like a land surveyor or engineer, must fill out some sections. Home insurance companies use your elevation certificate to determine your flood insurance premium.[3]
Information on an elevation certificate
An elevation certificate provides home insurance companies with detailed information about your property’s elevation compared to its floodplain. The data includes your home’s location, its lowest elevation — compared to the base flood elevation (BFE) for your community — your flood zone, and building characteristics.
FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) no longer requires an elevation certificate for risk assessment. But having an EC helps insurers accurately evaluate your property’s flood risk to determine your rates. Without an elevation certificate, a flood insurance company may use general data to gauge your flood risk instead, which could affect what you pay for flood insurance.
When you might need an elevation certificate
As of October 2021, you can buy flood insurance from NFIP without an elevation certificate since the NFIP now uses a new rating system called Risk Rating 2.0 for its federal flood insurance policies. But you might still need an elevation certificate in certain circumstances, including:
You live in a high-risk flood zone. An elevation certificate may help you score a cheaper flood insurance premium.
You made substantial improvements to your home. A renovation that alters the lowest elevation of your property, such as a basement remodel or home addition, may require an elevation certificate.
Your property is in an historic floodplain. Properties located in areas that have been flooded several times in a 100-year period could benefit from an elevation certificate.
Your mortgage lender or financial institution requires it. A home loan from the federal government may require a flood certification from a professional land surveyor — especially if you’re in a location prone to flooding.
Elevation certificates and flood insurance
An elevation certificate can play a significant role in your home insurance costs. It documents your home’s elevation and how it compares to your community’s base flood elevation (BFE). FEMA provides BFE data, and it represents the expected height of floodwaters during a 100-year flood.
The higher your lowest floor is above the BFE, the lower your flood risk and the cheaper your flood insurance rates. On the flip side, if your lowest floor is much lower than the BFE, your flood risk goes up and potentially your flood insurance premium too.
How to get a flood elevation certificate
Here are several ways to obtain an elevation certificate for your property:
Contact your floodplain manager
If your community is part of the NFIP, your local floodplain manager or state floodplain manager can inform you whether your property has an existing elevation certificate.
Review your deed
Take a close look at your home’s deed to determine if it includes an elevation certificate.
Reach out to your developer or builder
If you live in new construction or a new home, your developer or builder may have a copy of your elevation certificate.
Hire a licensed professional
A land surveyor, architect, or professional engineer can provide an elevation certificate.[4] In some cases, you may be able to use FEMA’s fillable elevation certificate online form to self-certify your property’s first-floor height.
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How to read an elevation certificate
Understanding a FEMA elevation certificate can sometimes be tricky. Here’s a look at the four sections the form contains and what each one means.
Section A: Property information
Section A, which you can complete as the property owner, includes general information about your home. It describes the type of property you live in and outlines the number of permanent flood openings in your home’s various parts, including the garage. Section A requires at least two photographs of your property.
Section B: Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) information
Section B features important past flood information compiled by FEMA. It includes a flood map, your property’s flood zone, and the base flood elevation, or BFE. Homeowners can complete Section B.
Section C: Building elevation information
Section C shows the elevation of the lowest floor of your property, which may be your first floor or basement. A home insurer will compare this figure to the BFE to determine your property’s flood risk and calculate your insurance premiums for a flood policy. A licensed land surveyor, architect, or engineer must fill out Section C.
Section D: Official certification
Section D requires a professional — like a licensed surveyor, architect, or engineer — to state their qualifications and information, such as their name and license number. They must include a seal and signature to certify the elevation certificate as an official record.
Elevation certificate FAQs
If you want to know more about flood elevation certificates, this additional information may be helpful.
How long is an elevation certificate valid?
Elevation certifications have no expiration date. But a mortgage lender may request an updated version if the property has changed or the certificate is old.
Can you transfer an elevation certificate?
Yes, it’s common to transfer an elevation certificate file to a property’s new owner. If you’re closing on a home and need flood insurance, you may ask the seller to provide the property’s elevation certificate.
How can you get a copy of an existing elevation certificate?
Contact your local floodplain manager, developer, builder, or seller for a copy of an elevation certification. You can also check the property’s deed.
Anna Baluch is a Cleveland-based personal finance and insurance expert. With an MBA from Roosevelt University, she enjoys writing educational content that helps people make smart financial decisions. Her work can be seen across the internet on many publications, including Freedom Debt Relief, Credit Karma, RateGenius, and the Balance. Connect with Anna on LinkedIn.
Background working with banks and insurance companies
Sarah enjoys helping people find smarter ways to spend their money. She covers auto financing, banking, credit cards, credit health, insurance, and personal loans.
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