You’ve found the perfect piece of property where you can build your dream home. Then you discover that parcel rests smack dab in the middle of a 100-year flood plain. That’s when things suddenly get much more interesting. Your lender will likely require you to carry flood insurance, which can be pricey. Whether or not you are required to carry flood insurance, and how much that insurance will cost, is determined by an Elevation Certificate.

The Elevation Certificate is an administrative tool of the National Flood Insurance Program that provides the elevation information necessary to ensure compliance with community floodplain management ordinances. It can be used to determine the proper flood insurance premium rate you’ll pay, or to support your request for a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) or a Letter of Map Revision based on fill (LOMR-F).

Elevation Certificates can only be prepared and certified by a Licensed Land Surveyor, Registered Professional Engineer, or architect who is authorized by Commonwealth, State, or local law to certify elevation information. Elevations must be certified by a Registered Professional Engineer or Licensed Land Surveyor if the Elevation Certificate is intended to support an application for a Letter of Map Amendment or a Letter of Map Revision Based on Fill. Preston Trail Land Surveying has the qualifications, expertise and experience to provide accurate data for FEMA elevation certification for both residential and commercial properties.