A flood certificate, also known as a flood elevation certificate, is a document that is produced by a qualified surveyor or an engineer on a specific property. This certificate includes the following:
- Elevation of residential or commercial real estate property according to the essential flood elevation required for the area (BFE);
- Type of building
- Location of the house or real estate property on the flood map.
- Additional information may help insurers to calculate the correct premium for a particular home.
The flood elevation certificate measures the difference between your home’s elevation and the default flood elevation for the area where your home is located.
Insurance companies use this information to determine the likelihood that your home will flood and select the appropriate premium for a given risk factor.
Flood certificates are required for all dwellings that fall within the risk area of the Local Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). The code for flood risk areas on the flood map are mentioned below:
- AR/AO
- V (with BFE)
- A1-A30
- AR/AE
- VE
- AR/AH
- AE
- AR V1-V30
- A (with BFE)
- AR/A
- AH
- AR/A1-A30
If your property falls into one of the above-mentioned categories, you must have flood insurance and you will need a flood certificate to obtain insurance.
In many cases, if your home was built before FIRM was made in your area, you may not need an elevation certificate to see if flood insurance will reduce your costs. You can save money with a flood certificate.
If your home is in a medium or low-risk flood zone, you usually don’t need a flood certificate to get flood insurance.