I'm preparing an elevation certificate for a split level house (Diagram 4 with possibly a crawlspace under the "next higher floor"). From both the FIRM and FIS there is a drop in the calculated BFE of approximately 0.6 feet across the house with the higher BFE next to the basement and the lower next to the "next higher floor". Yep, 3 feet drop in 350 feet. Interestingly, the "next higher floor", and where I believe all the utilities serving the house are located, is right at the BFE calculated for that location.
For the BFE reported on the elevation certificate, should I use the average BFE for the building or the highest at the upstream side? My guess is the highest but that won't be good news for the property owner.
The highest BFE controls for the entire building.