What Is an Elevation Certificate?
An elevation certificate is a document that records the elevation of a building's lowest floor relative to the ground and, most critically, relative to the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) for the area. It is one of several specialized types of land surveys and is prepared by a licensed Professional Land Surveyor (PLS) or engineer and submitted on a standardized FEMA form. Insurance companies use elevation certificates to calculate flood insurance premiums under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and private flood insurance policies.
If your home sits in a high-risk flood zone, an elevation certificate is one of the most important documents you can have. It directly determines how much you pay for flood insurance, and in many cases, getting one can cut your annual premium by hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
Why Elevation Certificates Matter
Flood insurance premiums are calculated based on the relationship between your building's lowest floor elevation and the Base Flood Elevation for your area. The BFE is the water level that FEMA expects during a flood event with a one-percent annual chance of occurring (commonly called the 100-year flood).
If your lowest floor sits above the BFE, your flood risk is lower and your premiums reflect that. If your lowest floor is at or below the BFE, your premiums will be significantly higher. The difference can be substantial: a home sitting two feet below the BFE might pay several thousand dollars per year in flood insurance, while the same home elevated two feet above the BFE might pay a few hundred.
Without an elevation certificate, insurance companies have no verified data about your home's actual elevation. In many cases, they will rate your policy using the least favorable assumptions, which means higher premiums. An elevation certificate replaces those assumptions with measured facts.
How an Elevation Certificate Works
The elevation certificate form (FEMA Form 086-0-33) captures specific data points about the building and the property. Understanding what goes into it helps you see why the process requires a licensed professional.
Key Measurements
The surveyor measures the elevation of several reference points on the building:
- Lowest floor elevation: The elevation of the lowest floor of the building, including the basement or crawlspace floor if one exists.
- Top of the lowest floor: The elevation of the top surface of the lowest enclosed floor.
- Lowest adjacent grade: The lowest ground elevation touching the building's exterior.
- Highest adjacent grade: The highest ground elevation touching the building's exterior.
- Attached garage floor: If the building has an attached garage, its floor elevation is measured separately.
- Machinery and equipment: The elevation of building systems like HVAC units, water heaters, and electrical panels that are vulnerable to flood damage.
Building Characteristics
The certificate also records the building type (one floor, two floors, split-level, manufactured home), the foundation type (slab, crawlspace, basement, piers), and whether the building has flood openings or vents in the foundation walls. Flood openings allow water to flow through an enclosed area below the BFE, which reduces hydrostatic pressure and can qualify the building for lower insurance rates.
Flood Zone and Map Information
The surveyor identifies the FEMA flood zone for the property and the relevant Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) panel number, the map effective date, and the BFE shown on the map. This information ties the building's actual elevation to the flood risk data that governs insurance rating.
Flood Zones Explained
FEMA designates flood zones using letter codes. The zone your property sits in determines whether flood insurance is required and how premiums are calculated.
| Zone | Risk Level | Flood Insurance Required? |
|---|---|---|
| A, AE, AH, AO, AR | High risk (100-year floodplain) | Yes, if you have a federally backed mortgage |
| V, VE | High risk, coastal (wave action) | Yes, if you have a federally backed mortgage |
| B, X (shaded) | Moderate risk | Not required, but recommended |
| C, X (unshaded) | Low risk | Not required |
Properties in zones A, AE, V, and VE are where elevation certificates have the most financial impact. In these high-risk zones, flood insurance is mandatory for properties with federally backed mortgages, and the premium is directly tied to the elevation data on the certificate.
How Elevation Certificates Affect Insurance Premiums
FEMA's Risk Rating 2.0 methodology, which took full effect in 2023, uses property-specific data to calculate flood insurance premiums. Elevation relative to flood risk is a central factor. Under this system, every foot of elevation above the BFE reduces your premium, and every foot below increases it.
Here is a simplified example of how elevation differences can affect annual premiums for a single-family home in a high-risk zone:
| Lowest Floor Relative to BFE | Approximate Annual Premium Range |
|---|---|
| 3 feet above BFE | $400 to $900 |
| 1 foot above BFE | $700 to $1,800 |
| At BFE | $1,200 to $3,000 |
| 1 foot below BFE | $2,000 to $5,000 |
| 3 feet below BFE | $4,000 to $10,000+ |
These are approximate ranges. Actual premiums vary based on building type, coverage amount, deductible, claims history, and other factors. The key takeaway is that verified elevation data almost always produces a more accurate rate than the default assumptions insurers use when no certificate exists.
When Do You Need an Elevation Certificate?
You should get an elevation certificate if any of the following apply:
- You are buying a home in a high-risk flood zone and want accurate insurance pricing before closing.
- You already own a home in a flood zone and are paying high premiums that may not reflect your actual elevation.
- You believe your property has been incorrectly mapped into a high-risk zone and want to apply for a LOMA.
- You are building a new home in or near a flood zone and need to demonstrate compliance with local floodplain ordinances.
- You are making substantial improvements to an existing structure in a flood zone (most communities define “substantial improvement” as work costing 50% or more of the building's market value).
The LOMA Process: Getting Your Property Reclassified
If your elevation certificate shows that the lowest adjacent grade of your property is above the BFE, you may qualify for a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) from FEMA. A LOMA officially removes your property from the high-risk flood zone on the map, which eliminates the mandatory flood insurance requirement for federally backed mortgages.
The LOMA application is submitted to FEMA along with your elevation certificate and a completed MT-EZ or MT-1 form. Processing typically takes 60 to 90 days. There is no fee for a LOMA application. If approved, the reclassification remains in effect unless a future map revision places the property back in a high-risk zone.
This is one of the highest-value uses of an elevation certificate. Homeowners who successfully obtain a LOMA can save thousands of dollars per year in flood insurance premiums that they were never required to pay in the first place.
How Do I Get an Elevation Certificate?
The process is straightforward. You hire a licensed Professional Land Surveyor in your state who has experience with FEMA elevation certificates. The surveyor visits your property, takes the required measurements, and completes the FEMA form. Turnaround time is typically one to three weeks. For a detailed look at scheduling and timelines for all survey types, see our guide on how long a land survey takes.
When requesting quotes, ask the surveyor to confirm they are familiar with the current FEMA form and the elevation certificate requirements for your community's floodplain ordinance. Most licensed surveyors with residential experience handle elevation certificates routinely, but it is worth confirming.
Elevation Certificate Cost
Expect to pay $300 to $700 for a standard residential elevation certificate. In a real estate transaction, who pays for the survey depends on the deal and local custom. The cost depends on property location, accessibility, and whether the surveyor can tie into nearby elevation benchmarks easily. In areas with established survey control networks, the work goes faster and costs less. In rural areas where benchmarks are far away, the surveyor may need to run additional measurements, which adds time and cost.
Elevation Certificates and New Construction
If you are building a new home in a flood zone, your community's floodplain ordinance will require the lowest floor to be at or above the BFE. Many communities require it to be one or two feet above the BFE as an additional safety margin (called freeboard). An elevation certificate is typically required at two points during construction: once when the foundation is complete and the lowest floor is established, and again when the building is finished.
The pre-construction or foundation certificate verifies that the builder met the elevation requirement before framing and finishing work begins. The final certificate is the document used for insurance rating and is kept on file with the community's floodplain administrator.
How Do I Find a Surveyor for Your Elevation Certificate?
Every surveyor in our directory is sourced from state licensing records. You can browse by state and county to find licensed Professional Land Surveyors in your area who provide elevation certificate services. Getting quotes from two or three surveyors will give you a clear picture of local pricing and turnaround times.
An elevation certificate is one of the few property documents that regularly pays for itself. If you are in a flood zone and do not have one, it is worth finding out what your actual elevation data says. Find licensed surveyors near you on our national directory.