Flood Insurance Zone Changes Episode 4: What is the Process?

During our flood insurance zone change series we have discussed what is a letter of map amendment, what is a letter of map revision, and properties under construction. In today's blog and video we are discussing what is the actual process of getting a flood zone changed and what maybe needed?

Getting a flood zone changed is not an easy or quick process but it can be easier and quicker if you follow some of the steps we will discuss today.

First of all when looking at getting completed structure removed you want to verify your flood zone by getting a zone determination done. You can reach out to The Flood Insurance guru or any insurance agent to get this done. Once you have this you will know exactly what flood zone you are in. One of the important things about understanding this is if you are in a flood zone A that does not have a base flood elevation then the next steps more than likely could be a waste of time and money. In order for a flood zone change to be considered the different elevations of a property must be measured against the base flood elevation. If there is no base flood elevation then there isn't much you can do. Once you have this determination done then it should tell you the zone type and what the base flood elevation is going to be.

The next step is to contact a surveyor to get an elevation certificate completed. When this survey is done it is going to measure several important things like the lowest adjacent grade, the highest adjacent grade, the highest floor, the lowest floor, the lowest level of servicing equipment, and a few other things. These numbers are very important and in order to get the zone change approved the lowest adjacent grade will need to be above the base flood elevation. So far above it does the structure need to be? Well that is left up to debate but we recommend a foot above the base flood elevation.
So once you have the elevation certificate in hand you will need something showing you are the owner of the property. The property deed seems to work in most situations. You can then submit these two things to FEMA for approval. FEMA will start the review process which can take thirty to ninety days. This is why we recommend working with someone like The Flood Insurance Guru who handles these requests each day.

Its important that no matter who you decide to work with that the fees charged are refundable. So let's say the zone change does not get approved then you want to make sure you can get your money back for the process or have it applied to your flood insurance policy.

If you have questions about your current flood zone, maybe how to change it, or if your rate is too high please visit our website The Flood Insurance Guru. Also make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel The Flood Insurance Guru and like our Facebook page The Flood Insurance Guru where we do daily flood education videos.

You can also learn more about flood insurance zone changes by clicking the button below.