How to Remove Property From a Flood Zone
Most real estate lenders require that a property location is checked against the maps published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). If the loan is made under one of the Federal loan programs, the review is mandatory.
Things You Will Need
- MT-EZ
- Copy of property deed with legal description
- Date of construction for any structures affected by your request
- Latitude and Longitude of most upstream point for both property and structure
- Flood Insurance Map
- Subdivision Plat Map (with recordation data and stamp of the Recorder's Office)
- Elevation certificate from licensed land surveyor or registered professional engineer
- Certificate from local municipality stating that the land is reasonably safe from flooding (MT-1)
- LOMC
Any property located in an area labeled A or AE is considered to have a 1 percent annual chance of being flooded, or within the 100-year flood plain. Even if only one small part of the property is affected, the lender will require you to purchase flood insurance.
The maps are not perfect and errors are made. Often a developer will raise the base level of land above the flood plain after a map was issued, and this change may not be reflected for ten years or more in the federal map. It is possible to remove your property from the hazardous zone if one of these situations is applicable. The ultimate objective is to receive a letter of map change (LOMC).
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Review the most current Flood Insurance Map online or at your local building department. Ask if an LOMC has already been issued for the property. If so, you may submit that to your lender and you are finished.
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Download and complete the MT-EZ application with the legal description, latitude and longitude, construction information as well as the date of any other changes that would affect the elevation above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) on the map. If the change in elevation is due to fill, the MT-1 form will have to be completed by the municipality.
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Engage the services of a surveyor or engineer to complete the elevation certificate certifying that the land is now above BFE.
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Submit the application with the required documents listed above to the LOMC Clearinghouse whose address appears on the last page of the application.
References
Writer Bio
After attending Pasadena City College as a business major, Ron Sardisco spent 35 years studying small business and organizational behavior. More than 20 years as a banker, 10 years as a small business owner and five years as a business adviser fuel his passion for writing and mentoring others. An award-winning photographer, he was also a contributing columnist to the "Antelope Valley Press."
Photo Credits
- Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
- Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
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