FEMA says most homeowners do not need an elevation certificate to buy flood insurance. The exception is a home in a high risk Zone A or high risk coastal Zone V, where the owner may need one to show the property meets local safety standards. Here is how to look up your zone first, from FEMA's own pages and the Texas Water Development Board.
The Texas Water Development Board notes that flood insurance rate maps (FIRMs) are free to the public through the FEMA Flood Map Service Center. TWDB
FEMA's flood insurance program defines a flood zone as an area with a specific flood hazard risk. It is used to set insurance requirements and costs, and the zones are shown together on a flood map. FEMA FloodSmart
A, AE, AH, AO, AR, A99
High risk
Zones A, AE, AH, AO, AR and A99 are high risk flood areas.
In communities that take part in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), flood insurance is mandatory in the A zones when the mortgage is government backed.
FEMA FloodSmartV, VE
High, coastal risk
Zones V and VE are high risk coastal areas, with the added hazard of storm waves.
FEMA FloodSmartB, shaded X
Moderate risk
Zones B and shaded X carry a moderate flood risk.
FEMA FloodSmartC, unshaded X
Lower risk
Zones C and unshaded X are at a lower risk of flooding, though not without risk.
FEMA FloodSmartD
Undetermined risk
Zone D is where flood risk has not been determined because no flood hazard analysis has been done.
FEMA FloodSmartAn elevation certificate shows how high a building sits compared with how high local floodwaters are expected to rise, with its location, features and first floor height. FEMA FloodSmart
TWDB says the certificate is required when the property is in a high-risk flood zone. TWDB Texas Quick Guide
FEMA says most homeowners do not need an elevation certificate to buy flood insurance. FEMA FloodSmart
The exception is a home in a high risk Zone A or high risk coastal Zone V, where the owner may need one to show the property meets local safety standards. FEMA FloodSmart
TWDB says local floodplain rules typically call for an elevation certificate and a permit, and the certificate helps document that a building in the floodplain was built to the community's ordinance. TWDB Texas Quick Guide
Insurance agents use elevation certificates to write and rate flood policies. TWDB Texas Quick Guide
Missouri SEMA describes the NFIP Elevation Certificate as used for floodplain ordinance compliance, insurance rating, and Letter of Map Amendment requests. Missouri SEMA
Your home may already have an elevation certificate on file with your community. Ask your local floodplain manager, who often works in the city or county building, permitting or engineering office. FEMA FloodSmart
If none is on file, FEMA says you need to hire a land surveyor, engineer or architect to complete one. FEMA FloodSmart
TWDB says the certificate must be completed and sealed by a licensed surveyor, architect or engineer. TWDB Texas Quick Guide
Find a registered surveyor: Texas surveying firms, Texas license lookup or elevation certificate surveyors.
FEMA says an elevation certificate does not set your rate, but it can show discounts. FEMA FloodSmart
Under the NFIP's current pricing, the flood zone and a building's elevation compared with the base flood elevation are no longer the only factors in the premium. FEMA FloodSmart
TWDB notes the certificate by itself cannot be used to waive the requirement to buy flood insurance. TWDB Texas Quick Guide
To challenge a flood zone designation, owners can apply for a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) or Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) through FEMA's online LOMC application. FEMA FloodSmart
What surveying firms print for an elevation certificate on their own pages, unaveraged. All survey types: survey prices.
| Firm | Where | What | Price as published | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ramsey Surveying, Inc. | Rogers, Arkansas | Elevation certificate, Zone A without BFE | $750 | ramseysurveying.com |
| Ramsey Surveying, Inc. | Rogers, Arkansas | Elevation certificate, Zone AE with BFE | $850 | ramseysurveying.com |
| Ramsey Surveying, Inc. | Rogers, Arkansas | Elevation certificate, Zone A with BFE | $1,950+ | ramseysurveying.com |
| Starr Surveying | Belton, Texas | Elevation certificate estimate | $350 - $600 | starr-surveying.com |
| South Texas Surveying | Houston, Texas | Elevation certificate estimate | $400 to $800+ | stsurvey.com |
| ALTA Survey Texas | Dallas, Texas | Flood elevation survey range | $400 to $900 | altasurveytexas.com |
| Cardinal Surveying & Mapping, Inc. | Cottleville, Missouri | Elevation certificate cost | $650 to thousands of dollars | cardinalsurveying.com |
FEMA says most homeowners do not need an elevation certificate to buy flood insurance. The exception is a home in a high risk Zone A or high risk coastal Zone V, where the owner may need one to show the property meets local safety standards.
Your flood map and zone are online at the FEMA Flood Map Service Center, or you can ask your local floodplain administrator. On the Map Service Center home page you can search by street address, a place name, or longitude and latitude.
TWDB says the certificate must be completed and sealed by a licensed surveyor, architect or engineer. If none is on file, FEMA says you need to hire a land surveyor, engineer or architect to complete one.
TWDB notes the certificate by itself cannot be used to waive the requirement to buy flood insurance. To challenge a flood zone designation, owners can apply for a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) or Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) through FEMA's online LOMC application.
Read 2026-10-06. Each fact links to the page it came from, with a short quote matched against that page. fema.gov itself was not read (its robots file does not answer our reader), so FEMA facts come from FEMA's FloodSmart and Map Service Center sites.
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