How to Read an Elevation Certificate: The 5 Numbers That Matter

An elevation certificate is a FEMA form, completed and signed by a licensed surveyor, that records how high your building sits compared with the flood level FEMA's map expects at your property. That expected flood level is called the Base Flood Elevation (BFE). The difference between your building and the BFE is one of the biggest factors in how a flood policy is underwritten.

The form runs three pages of boxes, section letters and numbers to two decimal places, but you do not need to read all of it. Five fields do almost all the work. Here is where to find them and what each one means.

What You See on an Elevation Certificate

An elevation certificate is organized into sections. The ones that matter most for flood insurance:

• Section A, the building: the property address and a building diagram number that describes the foundation.
• Section B, the map: the flood zone and the Base Flood Elevation taken from the FEMA map.
• Section C, the measurements: the surveyor's measured elevations for the floors and equipment.
• Section D, the signature: the surveyor's signature and seal. Without it, the certificate is only a draft.

Step-by-Step: How to Read an Elevation Certificate

Step 1: Find Your Building Diagram Number (Section A, Items A7 and A8)

The diagram number, from 1 through 9, tells an underwriter what kind of foundation the building has: slab, crawlspace, basement, elevated on piers, and so on.

If the diagram shows an elevated building with an enclosure underneath, look at Item A8 for the number of flood vents and their net open area. Vents matter. An enclosure without proper openings is treated as if it were living space.

Step 2: Find Your Base Flood Elevation (Section B, Item B9)

Item B9 is the number the whole certificate is measured against. Item B8, next to it, gives the flood zone from the map that was used.

If B9 is blank and the property sits in an A zone with no published BFE, the surveyor may have had nothing to measure against. In that case, the underwriter will want to know what elevation reference was used instead.

Step 3: Compare the Top of Your Bottom Floor to the BFE (Section C, Item C2.a)

For a slab home, C2.a is the finished floor. For a home with a basement or an enclosure, it is the lowest floor including that space, and it is usually the number that drives the rating.

Compare C2.a with B9. A bottom floor above the BFE is the conversation you want to have. A bottom floor below it is the one to be prepared for.

Step 4: Check the Next Higher Floor (Section C, Item C2.b)

This is the field that helps elevated homes. When the bottom level is an enclosure used only for parking, storage or access, and it has the right flood openings, the underwriter may look to C2.b as the floor that counts. If the surveyor left C2.b blank on an elevated home, ask for it before you request a quote.

Step 5: Check Your Lowest Equipment (Section C, Item C2.e)

C2.e records the lowest elevation of machinery and equipment: air handlers, water heaters, electrical panels. Equipment sitting below the BFE is exposed in a flood, and underwriters read this line. If the equipment has been raised onto a platform since the survey, include a photo with your quote request; the certificate will not show the change.

Common Mistakes That Get an Elevation Certificate Sent Back

• A certificate for the wrong building. Section A names the property. On a lot with a main house and a guest house, check that the structure described is the one being insured.
• Mismatched datums. Section B uses either NGVD 1929 or NAVD 1988, and the BFE and the measured elevations must be on the same one. If the map was updated after the certificate was issued, the BFE on the form may no longer match the current map.
• No signature or seal in Section D. An unsigned certificate is a draft. Ask the surveyor for the signed version.

What If You Don't Have an Elevation Certificate?

Sterling does not require an elevation certificate to quote. Without one, a quote can be based on the flood map and the foundation type, and a certificate obtained later can change the picture.

If you think one may exist, ask the listing agent, the prior owner, your lender, or the local floodplain administrator. Certificates travel with the property more often than people think.

Pro Tips from Sterling Flood Underwriters

Send the whole certificate. A photo of page one leaves out the measurements that matter.

Describe the foundation in plain words. One sentence, such as "elevated on pilings with a vented storage enclosure," tells the underwriter what they are looking at before they open the form.

Say what has changed since the survey date. Raised equipment, a vented enclosure or a new addition will not appear on an older certificate. Mention it and include a photo.

Get a Quote

Have a certificate you cannot make sense of? Send it with your quote request, and Sterling's underwriters will read it with you. Get a flood insurance quote from Sterling Flood.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Sterling require an elevation certificate?

No. Sterling does not require an elevation certificate to quote. When one is available, it gives the underwriter measured numbers instead of assumptions.

Who fills out an elevation certificate?

A licensed surveyor measures the building and completes the form, then signs and seals it in Section D.

What is the most important number on an elevation certificate?

For most buildings, it is the comparison between the top of the bottom floor (C2.a) and the Base Flood Elevation (B9). For elevated homes with a properly vented enclosure, the next higher floor (C2.b) can matter more.

Where can I find an existing elevation certificate?

Ask the listing agent, the prior owner, your lender, or the local floodplain administrator. Certificates often stay with the property after a sale.