What Is an Elevation Certificate and Why Michigan Property Owners Need One
An elevation certificate is an official document that records the elevation of a building or structure relative to FEMA’s Base Flood Elevation (BFE) for that location. It describes the building’s lowest floor, lowest adjacent grade, enclosures, machinery, and other flood-relevant details using FEMA Form FF-206-FY-22-152.
Michigan has significant flood exposure. The Great Lakes shoreline, the Huron River corridor, the Grand River floodplain, the Flint River basin, and countless smaller waterways run through communities enrolled in FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Property owners in these areas encounter elevation certificate requirements when buying, selling, refinancing, or applying for building permits.
When You Need an Elevation Certificate in Michigan
Flood insurance pricing. Under FEMA’s Risk Rating 2.0 methodology, insurance companies can rate most NFIP policies without requiring an elevation certificate. However, if your property sits above the BFE, an elevation certificate can document that fact and potentially lower your premium. If your property is in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) and your lowest floor is well above the BFE, the certificate can translate directly into hundreds of dollars per year in savings.
Lender requirements. If your home is in a FEMA-designated SFHA (zones starting with A or V on the Flood Insurance Rate Map), your mortgage lender is federally required to mandate flood insurance. Many lenders will also ask for an elevation certificate to confirm the flood insurance premium is accurate and that the structure meets local floodplain ordinance requirements.
Building permits in flood zones. Michigan communities participating in the NFIP adopt local floodplain management ordinances. When you apply for a building permit to construct, substantially improve, or repair a structure in a designated flood zone, the local floodplain administrator will typically require an elevation certificate showing that the lowest floor will be at or above the BFE. Most Michigan communities require the lowest floor to be at least one foot above BFE; some require two feet.
Refinancing. Lenders reviewing a refinance application on a property in a SFHA may require a current elevation certificate, particularly if the existing one is outdated due to a FEMA map revision in your community.
Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA). If you believe your property was incorrectly included in a SFHA because the land actually sits above the BFE, an elevation certificate is the first step in applying to FEMA for a LOMA. If FEMA approves the amendment, your property is formally removed from the SFHA, and mandatory flood insurance is no longer required by your lender.
How FEMA Flood Maps Work in Michigan
FEMA produces Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) that designate flood risk zones for communities. Each map panel covers a geographic area and shows which parcels fall in high-risk zones (Zone A, AE, AH, AO, VE) or lower-risk zones (Zone X). Michigan FIRMs are updated on a rolling basis as FEMA completes new Flood Risk Projects for specific counties and watersheds.
You can look up your property’s flood zone on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center at msc.fema.gov. Enter your address to see the current FIRM panel, your flood zone designation, and the BFE for your location if one has been established. If your community has recently gone through a FIRM revision, your flood zone status may have changed, which is one reason to check before closing on a property or starting a construction project.
Along Michigan’s Great Lakes shoreline, FEMA designates Coastal High Hazard Areas (Zone VE) in some communities, particularly on Lake Michigan’s western shore. These zones carry higher flood insurance rates than inland A zones because they also account for wave action.
Elevation Certificate Costs in Michigan
Most residential elevation certificates in Michigan cost $300 to $700. The price reflects the surveyor’s time to visit the property, take precise elevation measurements using survey-grade equipment, complete the FEMA form, and certify it with their professional seal.
Factors that push costs higher include remote location (adding travel time), multiple structures on one parcel requiring separate measurements, complex building configurations, or properties where establishing a reliable benchmark requires extra work. In parts of the UP or rural northern Michigan, expect quotes at the higher end of the range due to travel costs.
To get an accurate quote, contact licensed surveyors who regularly work in your county and mention that you need an elevation certificate specifically. Some firms do this work routinely and have efficient processes; others treat it as occasional work and price it higher. Ask whether the quote includes the completed and certified FEMA form ready to submit to your insurer or lender.
The Great Lakes Shoreline: Special Considerations
Michigan’s position on the Great Lakes creates flood zone complexity not seen in most other states. Great Lakes water levels fluctuate significantly over multi-year cycles. FEMA’s FIRMs reflect a snapshot of risk at a point in time and may not fully capture the current high-water conditions that have periodically inundated shoreline properties in recent years.
Property owners near Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, or Lake Superior should be especially diligent about checking current FIRM designations and consulting a local surveyor who understands shoreline elevation and datum issues. Great Lakes elevation work sometimes involves specific datum conversions (NAVD 88 to local benchmarks) that general surveyors may handle less frequently than specialists familiar with coastal work.
How to Find a Surveyor to Issue an Elevation Certificate in Michigan
Start by verifying that any surveyor you consider holds an active Michigan license. The Michigan Board of Professional Surveyors operates under LARA, and you can confirm license status at michigan.gov/lara. Enter the surveyor’s name or firm name to see their license number, status, and any disciplinary history.
The Michigan Association of Professional Surveyors (MAPS) directory is another resource for finding licensed firms near your property. Because elevation work requires knowledge of local flood maps and benchmarks, choosing a surveyor who regularly works in your county is worthwhile. A local firm will know which FEMA panels apply, where the nearest established benchmarks are, and how local floodplain administrators want the form completed.
When requesting quotes, ask how long it will take to receive the completed and sealed certificate, and confirm it will be on the current FEMA form version. Confirm the deliverable will include the surveyor’s professional seal, which your lender or insurer will require.
What to Do With Your Elevation Certificate
Once you have a signed and sealed elevation certificate, give a copy to your flood insurance agent so they can rate your policy accurately. If your lowest floor is above the BFE, the agent should be able to price your policy using the actual elevation difference, which can reduce premiums meaningfully.
Keep the original in a safe place with your property documents. If you ever sell the property, the elevation certificate transfers with the house and reduces costs for the next owner. If FEMA later updates the FIRM for your community, check whether the new map changes your flood zone, which might require a new certificate for lending or insurance purposes.
For help locating a licensed professional to prepare your elevation certificate, find a land surveyor in Michigan through our directory.