An elevation certificate (EC) is a FEMA form that shows how high a building sits compared with the flood level FEMA expects at that spot. A Florida-licensed land surveyor, engineer or architect measures the home and certifies the numbers. Insurers use it to price flood coverage, and owners use it to challenge a flood zone designation, so it's one of the most useful papers a seller of a Florida home can hand a buyer.
What the certificate shows
The current form, FEMA Form FF-206-FY-22-152, is organized in sections. The ones a buyer cares about:
- Section B, the flood map data: the community, the map panel, the flood zone and the base flood elevation (BFE), which is the height floodwater is expected to reach in a flood with a 1% chance of happening in any year.
- Section C, the building's elevations: surveyed heights of the lowest floor, the garage floor, the lowest adjacent ground and the air conditioning and other machinery, all measured against the same vertical datum as the BFE.
- Section D, the certification: the surveyor, engineer or architect's signature and license.
An owner can fill in Section H, a simpler first-floor height measurement, for insurance rating only.
How flood insurers use it now
Under FEMA's current rating method, an elevation certificate isn't required to buy a National Flood Insurance Program policy. FEMA estimates a building's first-floor height with its own tools and uses that as a rating factor along with distance to water, elevation and the cost to rebuild. When a surveyed certificate shows the home sits higher than that estimate, giving it to the agent can lower the premium. A private flood insurer may ask for one too.
A worked example with two homes
Two single-family homes sit in the same AE zone, where the map sets the BFE at 9.0 feet.
| Home A | Home B | |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest floor elevation | 11.5 feet | 8.0 feet |
| Math | 11.5 − 9.0 | 8.0 − 9.0 |
| Position against the BFE | 2.5 feet above | 1.0 foot below |
Home A's lowest floor sits 2.5 feet above the expected flood level, which generally prices far better than Home B, where the floor is a foot under it. Both homes can be financed. The difference shows up in the flood premium, and the premium is part of the monthly payment the lender qualifies you on, so the certificate can move your approval amount.
How to get one for the house you want
Ask the listing agent first, since many Florida sellers have a certificate from a past sale, a permit or a flood policy. Florida law requires surveyors to send a copy of every elevation certificate they complete to the state's Division of Emergency Management, and the county or city floodplain office often keeps copies too. If none exists, a licensed surveyor can complete one, and you'll want it in hand during your inspection period. A certificate that shows the lowest adjacent ground is above the BFE can also support a request to FEMA to remove the home from the Special Flood Hazard Area.
Plug a flood quote into the mortgage payment calculator to see what it does to your payment. Before you commit to a home in an A or V zone, call AAA Capital Funding at 888-601-8344 and we'll build your approval around the actual flood numbers.