Certifications | Land Design Pros

Elevation Certificate

A community’s permit file must have an official record that shows new buildings and substantial improvements in all identified Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) are properly elevated. This elevation information is needed to show compliance with the floodplain management ordinance. FEMA encourages communities to use the Elevation Certificate developed by FEMA to fulfill this requirement since it also can be used by the property owner to obtain flood insurance. Communities participating in the Community Rating System (CRS) are required to use the FEMA Elevation Certificate.

An Elevation Certificate secured by Land Design Pros, is the essential document needed to place accuracy with Flood Insurance. Land Design Pros is able to discover any incorrect classifications, split Flood Zones, A & AO Zones and Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) inconsistencies, all of which drastically affect the premium that the structure owner will be required to pay annually for flood insurance.

An Elevation Certificate allows Land Design Pros to not only clarify and provide “peace of mind”, but it also allows for a better understanding of the level of risk associated with the subject structure.

Floodproofing Certificate

Documentation of certification by a registered professional engineer or architect that the design and methods of construction of a nonresidential building are in accordance with accepted practices for meeting the flood-proofing requirements in the community’s floodplain management ordinance. This documentation is required for both floodplain management requirements and insurance rating purposes.

For insurance rating purposes, a building’s flood-proofed design elevation must be at least one foot above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) to receive full rating credit for the flood-proofing. If the building is flood-proofed only to the BFE, the flood insurance rates will be considerably higher.

Communities are encouraged to use the one-page FEMA flood-proofing certification form because it fulfills National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) insurance rating needs as well as floodplain management requirements.

Request a Quote for an Elevation Certificate

No-Rise Certification for Floodways

Any project in a floodway must be reviewed to determine if the project will increase flood heights. An engineering analysis must be conducted before a permit can be issued. The community’s permit file must have a record of the results of this analysis, which can be in the form of a No-Rise Certification. This No-rise Certification must be supported by technical data and signed by a registered professional engineer. The supporting technical data should be based on the standard step-backwater computer model used to develop the 100-year floodway shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) or Flood Boundary and Floodway Map (FBFM).

V-Zone Certificate

National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) regulations require coastal communities to ensure that buildings built in V Zones are anchored to resist wind and water loads acting simultaneously. Buildings in V Zones are subject to a greater hazard than buildings built in other types of floodplains. Not only do they have to be elevated above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE), they must be protected from the impact of waves, hurricane-force winds and erosion.

A registered professional engineer or architect must certify that the design and planned methods of construction meet NFIP requirements. The community must maintain a copy of this certification in the permit file for all structures built or substantially improved in the V Zone.

If breakaway walls are used to enclose areas below the building that exceed a design safe loading resistance of 20 pounds per square feet, those walls must also be certified by the registered professional engineer or architect.