Rumor Has It.... Elevation Certificates are Required By Law

In this episode of rumor has it we are talking about the rumor that there is a law requiring elevation certificates. While elevation certificates might be required in certain situations there is no law that states they are required for new flood policies.

Let's talk about when they may be required. First of all there are two types of structures. We have pre-firm and post-firm structures. Pre-firm structures are structures that were built for 1978 or the first local flood map. Post firm structures are structures that were built after the first flood map.

Lets talk about when elevation certificates might be required on these structures. First on pre-firm structures elevation certificates are not required unless one of two conditions exist. Either the property has had an addition or been substantially improved. In order to be considered substantially improved generally a property has to have 40-50% improvement within a given year. 

If either of these conditions exist then the year built of the property changes to when these things take place. However even if these things have taken place it still doesn't mean an elevation certificate will be required. A property still has to be in a special flood hazard area or a flood zone A or V in order for an elevation certificate to be required. Now lets talk about post firm structures.

On post firm structures it doesn't matter if a home has had additions or not if it . is in a special flood hazard area then an elevation certificate would be required. What's important to understand is these elevation certificates are only going to be required if you are going through the National Flood Insurance Program for your flood insurance.

So if you have questions about if you need an elevation certificate or not please visit our website  Flood Insurance Guru. You can also visit our YouTube channel or Facebook page where we do daily flood education videos.