Elevation Certificates - Arnold Insurance can arrange for Nationwide Surveying and Elevation Certificate Services. Elevation Certificates can be provided for structures that were determined to be located in Special Flood Hazard Areas.  These certificates, when completed, provide a means by which flood insurance premium rates are established and Letters of Map Amendment are determined.

Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA)

A LOMA establishes a property's location in relation to the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). LOMAs are usually issued because a property has been inadvertently mapped as being in the floodplain, but is actually on natural high ground above the base flood elevation.

Letter of Map Revision (LOMR)

A Letter of Map Revision Based on Fill is FEMA's modification of the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) based on the placement of fill outside the existing regulatory floodway. Because a LOMR officially revises the effective National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) map, it is a public record that the community must maintain. Any LOMR should be noted on the community's master flood map and filed by panel number in an accessible location.

Effect of LOMA or LOMR-F on Flood Insurance Requirements

The issuance of a LOMA or LOMR-F eliminates the federal flood insurance purchase requirement as a condition of federal or federally backed financing; however, the mortgage lender retains the prerogative to require flood insurance as a condition of providing financing, regardless of the location of a structure. The purchase of a flood insurance policy is wise even if a structure is located outside the SFHA. More than 25 percent of flood claims are made by property owners located outside the SFHA. The issuance of a LOMA or LOMR-F does not mean the structure or lot is safe from all flooding; it means that the risk of flooding is not as high as it is in the SFHA. Events greater than the 1-percent-annual-chance event can and do occur. It is also to important to note that the flood insurance premium rate for structures located outside the SFHA are lower than the premiums for structures located in the SFHA.