LOMA

Most lenders will contact a Flood Zone Determination company to obtain a Standard Flood Hazard Determination (SFHD) as part of their closing process and in most cases a property insurance agent will make the same request from the same or a different Flood Zone Determination company. With two or more SFHDs being produced for a single location, disagreements in results can arise. These discrepancies can delay closing or the placement of a flood insurance policy. 

For FEMA to remove a structure from the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) through the LOMA process, Federal regulations require the lowest ground touching the structure, also known as the Lowest Adjacent Grade (LAG) elevation, to be at or above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE). But how do I get a LOMA?

Who doesn’t want to lower the cost of… everything?  Flood insurance is one of those things where consumers might feel a little helpless because most flood insurance is issued through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) so the rates are what they are.  First, find a knowledgeable agent that really knows the National Flood Insurance Program.  Second, check out our list of the top 5 ways to lower your premiums.

#1 Get an Elevation Certificate

Property owners cancel their flood insurance policies for a lot of reasons.  It can be an expensive policy to carry, so we understand.  At MassiveCert we are in the business of helping homeowners untangle the requirements and regulations to get the flood certification you need as easily as possible.  We are on your side.

Here are some of the conversations we’ve had with concerned property owners like yourself that are thinking about dropping their flood insurance policies.

I use the term “100-year flood zone daily for elevation certificates, LOMA’s, and explaining flood maps.  But it doesn't mean what you might think.  It means there is a 1% chance you will see a flood like the one on the FEMA flood map each and every year.  Since 1% is also "1 out of 100", the term "100-year flood" was adopted because that's easier to talk about than rattling off a bunch of statistics.

FEMA sometimes shows a 500-year flood on their maps and that is technically the 0.2% annual chance flood.  Try saying "zero point two percent annual chance flood zone" two dozen times a day and you can see why we use the short version.

MassiveCert, Inc. is proud to announce that it has joined the National Flood Determination Association (NFDA). The NFDA is a national non-profit organization comprised of companies that make, distribute or have a vested interest in flood zone determinations.

The NFDA Mission Statement

Property owners are often informed by their insurance agent or lender that they need an Elevation Certificate—and their first response is typically, “what the heck is an Elevation Certificate?”

FEMA doesn’t require participation from a Community CEO or Floodplain Administrator for a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) or Conditional Letter of Map Amendment (CLOMA) since FEMA’s determination will be made based on natural, as-built elevations. However, the community is expected to play an active role for Letters of Map Revision based on Fill (LOMR-F), Conditional Letters of Map Revision based on Fill (CLOMR-F) and Letters of Map Revision Floodway (LOMR-FW) by reviewing the Community Acknowledgement Form and signing when appropriate.

So, you decided to purchase or refinance a home and it turns out that it’s in a FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) and your lender says, “you have two options, get flood insurance or a get a LOMA.”  Sound familiar?

Although many homes are correctly shown in the SFHA (Special Flood Hazard area or high-risk flood zone), sometimes there’s newer or better information available that wasn’t considered when FEMA established the high-risk flood zone. FEMA uses engineering best practices and standards to delineate its flood zones, but the data is usually only good to +/- 2 feet. That’s why FEMA created the MT-1 process allowing property owners to challenge the zone classification of their home or property by submitting more detailed information.