Elevation Certificates in Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia sits at the confluence of two major rivers. The Delaware River forms the city's eastern boundary, and the Schuylkill River runs through its western sections. Both rivers create significant FEMA flood zones that affect thousands of residential and commercial properties across the city. If your property falls in a Special Flood Hazard Area, an elevation certificate is the document that determines what you pay for flood insurance and whether your lender is satisfied with your coverage.
Where Flood Zones Are in Philadelphia
The FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps for Philadelphia show Zone AE flood areas along both rivers and in low-lying sections of the city near their banks.
Along the Delaware River, flood zones affect Port Richmond, Fishtown's lower riverside sections, and portions of South Philadelphia's waterfront. These are active real estate markets with continued residential and commercial development, which means flood insurance and elevation certificates come up frequently in transactions.
The Schuylkill River creates flood zones through West Philadelphia and into the University City area, affecting both residential properties and the institutional and commercial real estate around Penn, Drexel, and the hospitals clustered in that corridor. Low-lying sections near the Schuylkill riverbank in Manayunk also carry flood zone designations.
Beyond the main rivers, some low-lying neighborhoods distant from the rivers still carry flood zone designations based on local stormwater drainage patterns. The only definitive way to check your property's flood zone status is to look it up at the FEMA Flood Map Service Center at msc.fema.gov.
What an Elevation Certificate Documents
A licensed surveyor visits your property, measures the elevation of the lowest floor (and any attached enclosures or garages below that floor), and records the result on the standardized FEMA elevation certificate form. The form compares your building's lowest floor elevation to the Base Flood Elevation at your location.
The certificate captures:
- The lowest floor elevation above NAVD 88 (the national vertical datum)
- The Base Flood Elevation from the current FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map
- The flood zone designation for the property
- Building characteristics relevant to flood risk: foundation type, enclosures, flood openings
- The surveyor's license number and seal, which certifies the measurements
Your flood insurance agent uses the completed certificate to rate your policy. Your mortgage lender uses it to confirm you carry adequate flood insurance coverage.
How Elevation Affects Your Flood Insurance Premium
The National Flood Insurance Program rates policies based largely on the difference between your building's lowest floor elevation and the Base Flood Elevation. Properties where the lowest floor sits above the BFE pay lower premiums. Properties at or below the BFE pay higher premiums that can reach several thousand dollars annually for older structures close to the riverbank.
For Philadelphia row houses in Port Richmond or Fishtown that were built with basements extending below the BFE, the elevation certificate may document significant flood exposure. However, row houses built at grade or on elevated foundations in the same neighborhoods sometimes sit above the BFE despite their proximity to the Delaware, resulting in much lower insurance rates.
Getting an elevation certificate is particularly valuable if you purchased flood insurance at a default rate without one, or if your insurer assigned a conservative rate based on the map zone alone. A certificate with a favorable elevation measurement often justifies a rate reduction that covers the certificate cost within the first year of savings.
Cost in Philadelphia: $500 to $800
Elevation certificates in Philadelphia run $500 to $800 for most residential properties. Urban fieldwork costs more than suburban work: parking, access, and the logistics of working in a dense city add time and expense. Commercial properties or buildings with complex construction requiring more detailed measurements may cost more.
Turnaround time varies by surveyor and season. Real estate closings in Philadelphia happen year-round, and elevation certificate requests spike during busy spring and fall selling seasons. If you have a closing date, contact surveyors at least two weeks in advance.
Getting a Certificate in Philadelphia
Philadelphia has 23 surveying businesses. Not all specialize in elevation certificates, but most licensed surveyors can complete them. When contacting firms, provide your address, your reason for needing the certificate (flood insurance, lender requirement, or rate review), and your timeline.
Verify every surveyor's license at pals.pa.gov before hiring. Pennsylvania law requires elevation certificates to be signed by a licensed Professional Land Surveyor, licensed professional engineer, or licensed architect. A certificate signed by anyone else is not valid for NFIP purposes.
The Pennsylvania Council of Land Surveyors at pcls.net and our local directory are good starting points for finding licensed surveyors in Philadelphia who handle elevation certificates.
Find licensed surveyors in Philadelphia who complete elevation certificates at our Philadelphia County directory.