U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Federal Emergency Management Agency
National Flood Insurance Program
ELEVATION CERTIFICATE AND INSTRUCTIONS
Paperwork Reduction Act Notice
Public reporting burden for this data collection is estimated to average 3.75 hours per response. The burden estimate includes the
time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and
submitting this form. You are not required to respond to this collection of information unless a valid OMB control number is
displayed on this form. Send comments regarding the accuracy of the burden estimate and any suggestions for reducing the
burden to: Information Collections Management, Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency,
500 C Street SW, Washington, DC 20742, Paperwork Reduction Project (1660-0008). NOTE: Do not send your completed form
to this address.
Privacy Act Statement
Authority: Title 44 CFR § 61.7 and 61.8.
Principal Purpose(s): This information is being collected for the primary purpose of estimating the risk premium rates necessary
to provide flood insurance for new or substantially improved structures in designated Special Flood Hazard Areas.
Routine Use(s): The information on this form may be disclosed as generally permitted under 5 U.S.C. § 552a(b) of the Privacy Act
of 1974, as amended. This includes using this information as necessary and authorized by the routine uses published in DHS/
FEMA-003 – National Flood Insurance Program Files System or Records Notice 73 Fed. Reg. 77747 (December 19, 2008); DHS/
FEMA/NFIP/LOMA-1 – National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) System of Records Notice 71
Fed. Reg. 7990 (February 15, 2006); and upon written request, written consent, by agreement, or as required by law.
Disclosure: The disclosure of information on this form is voluntary; however, failure to provide the information requested may
result in the inability to obtain flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program or the applicant may be subject to
higher premium rates for flood insurance. Information will only be released as permitted by law.
Purpose of the Elevation Certificate
The Elevation Certificate is an important administrative tool of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). It is to be used to
provide elevation information necessary to ensure compliance with community floodplain management ordinances, to determine
the proper insurance premium rate, and to support a request for a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) or Letter of Map Revision
based on fill (LOMR-F).
The Elevation Certificate is required in order to properly rate Post-FIRM buildings, which are buildings constructed after publication
of the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM), located in flood insurance Zones A1–A30, AE, AH, A (with BFE), VE, V1–V30, V (with
BFE), AR, AR/A, AR/AE, AR/A1–A30, AR/AH, and AR/AO. The Elevation Certificate is not required for Pre-FIRM buildings unless
the building is being rated under the optional Post-FIRM flood insurance rules.
As part of the agreement for making flood insurance available in a community
, the NFIP requires the community to adopt floodplain
management regulations that specify minimum requirements for reducing flood losses. One such requirement is for the community
to obtain the elevation of the lowest floor (including basement) of all new and substantially improved buildings, and maintain a
record of such information. The Elevation Certificate provides a way for a community to document compliance with the community's
floodplain management ordinance.
Use of this certificate does not provide a waiver of the flood insurance purchase requirement. Only a LOMA or LOMR-F from the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) can amend the FIRM and remove the Federal mandate for a lending institution
to require the purchase of flood insurance. However, the lending institution has the option of requiring flood insurance even if a
LOMA/LOMR-F has been issued by FEMA. The Elevation Certificate may be used to support a LOMA or LOMR-F request. Lowest
floor and lowest adjacent grade elevations certified by a surveyor or engineer will be required if the certificate is used to support a
LOMA or LOMR-F request. A LOMA or LOMR-F request must be submitted with either a completed FEMA MT-EZ or MT-1
package, whichever is appropriate.
This certificate is used only to certify building elevations. A separate certificate is required for floodproofing. Under the NFIP, non-
residential buildings can be floodproofed up to or above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE). A floodproofed building is a building that
has been designed and constructed to be watertight (substantially impermeable to floodwaters) below the BFE. Floodproofing of
residential buildings is not permitted under the NFIP unless FEMA has granted the community an exception for residential
floodproofed basements. The community must adopt standards for design and construction of floodproofed basements before
FEMA will grant a basement exception. For both floodproofed non-residential buildings and residential floodproofed basements in
communities that have been granted an exception by FEMA, a floodproofing certificate is required.
Additional guidance can be found in FEMA Publication 467-1, Floodplain Management Bulletin: Elevation Certificate, available on
FEMA's website at https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/3539?id=1727.
OMB No. 1660-0008
Expiration Date: November 30, 2022
FEMA Form 086-0-33 (12/19) Replaces all previous editions. F-053
