If your residential or commercial structure is located near an ocean, bay, river, stream, creek or any other body of water, as many properties in Monmouth and Ocean County are, your property may be located in a high risk flood area. This determination is made by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Without question, the aftermath of New Jersey’s Superstorm Sandy left behind grim reminders of what rising water can do to buildings of all kinds. For many, Sandy was their first introduction to FEMA, the National Flood Insurance Program and the need for Flood Elevation Certificates (ECs).

FEMA provides public access to flood maps that allow property owners to review flood hazard data. The Flood Map Service identifies flood hazard areas and categorizes them into particular risk categories. Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA) are those that are most likely to flood and are also referred to as the 1-percent annual chance flood, base flood or 100-year flood. There are also designations for moderate flood hazard areas and minimal flood areas.

As part of the National Flood Insurance Program, many property owners are required to submit Flood Elevation Certificates documenting the base flood elevation of residential and commercial structures. As professional and licensed land surveyors, FRD Surveying, LLC meets the legal and professional requirements necessary to complete the Flood Elevation Certificate.

The Flood Elevation Certificate documents the elevation of building structures from their lowest floor, inclusive of the basement. At the very least, ECs are required for all new and substantially improved structures in high-risk areas. The purpose of the EC is to demonstrate the relationship of the various floor elevations, exterior ground elevations and equipment elevations of a building with the established Base Flood Elevation (BFE) for the 100 year storm as determined by FEMA. This is accomplished through the use of GPS receivers, FEMA Benchmarks and traditional surveying methods; supplemented with photographs of the site and all presented on a standard form provided by FEMA.

The Elevation Certificate prepared by a Professional Land Surveyor such as FRD Surveying, LLC, provides the necessary information.

The Flood Elevation Certificate has other uses as well. Since insurance premiums are based on risk, it may be advantageous to use the EC to request a change to the flood map. The Elevation Certificate would be used in support of an electronic Letter of Map Amendment (eLOMA) or a Letter of Map Change (LOMC). Upon review of the EC, FEMA may determine that you are not in a flood zone. Subsequently, both the Elevation Certificate and the flood map changes should be submitted to your insurance carrier for a possible reduction in premiums.