Recovery Assistance & Mitigation Planning

Recovery Planner Jennifer Gerbasi

 

Why do I need an Elevation Certificate?

Wednesday January 21, 2015 02:09 pm

An Elevation Certificate may help you save money on flood insurance for structures in the Special Flood Hazard Area and is required by FEMA mitigation programs as part of an application for all structures. 


An Elevation Certificate will let you know how high your structure is now, and if it meets the current and proposed elevation requirements set by the NFIP. An Elevation Certificate is required by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to certify the elevation of a building for insurance rating purposes. Without the data provided by an Elevation Certificate the property cannot be properly rated for flood insurance. 

Many people in Terrebonne Parish may be paying too much for flood insurance in the Special Flood Hazard Area. The preferred risk policies are sometimes higher rates than a policy obtained with an Elevation Certificate that is based on actual risk. New regulations adopted by congress in 2012 could make it more expensive to get an insurance policy without an elevation certificate.
Get a certificate now! The insurance savings may pay for the cost. 

In addition, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is requiring people applying for funding to elevate their homes to provide elevation certificates prior to approval of the grant. The application itself may be rejected if applicants did not provide an Elevation Certificate. 

Elevation Certificates can only be completed by a licensed land surveyor, engineer, or architect who is licensed by the State. There is a list of firms under “Surveyors Land” in the phone book that provide this service in the Parish. It can take weeks to get an EC in times of high demand. Don’t get caught without one when your insurance renewal is due. 

The attachment provides more information about measuring your flood risk and the resulting Elevation Certificate.

Related Information

Finding the first floor elevation
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