Elevation Certificate

I believe this is the most up-to-date EC form.?ÿ It is a fillable PDF, and there are pages for inserting photos. FEMA Elevation Certificate

This is the website the link is on: https://www.fema.gov/glossary/elevation-certificate

The same form, and additional forms, can be found here: https://www.fema.gov/flood-insurance/find-form/underwriting

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Just FYI, they have made some big changes, some of which are effective as of this month.?ÿ The new manual is here: current FEMA manuals

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I hope this helps

Joe

It looks the same as the form that came out in FEB 2020, same form number and expiration date

Thanks @joe-b

I still seem to be missing something...

If I download the file, I can't type in any of the fields. I can fill it out, on line, except I can't attach photos; I drag and drop, but that just opens the photo in a new tab; right clicking doesn't have a paste option.

I think it might be an ID10T error; what do all y'all think?

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TIA

Dougie

The download just worked fine for me. Download, close browser, open file from download location. Everything including the photos seems to work.?ÿ

@jumbomotive?ÿ

Maybe it's the way I open the file. Are you using a pdf viewer, or something that you payed for?

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Thanks,

Radar

I have found I have a lot more luck with these when I use Adobe Acrobat Reader instead of my usual Nitro pdf program

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@tickmagnet?ÿ

The certificate is the same.?ÿ I meant that the NFIP Flood Insurance manual has changed as of October 2021.?ÿ It is the same certificate.

@dougie

I usually use Adobe Acrobat reader.

I opened it in internet explorer just now and it seems to work correctly.?ÿ I don't think I am using an addon or anything with internet explorer (usually don't use it at all) just plain old internet explorer.?ÿ When I open it in Firefox it is fillable, but I cannot add the photos properly by clicking on the spot on the PDF.?ÿ I also tried chrome, and I had the same problem as with Firefox: I could fill it in, but the photo section did not work correctly.

Maybe try internet explorer

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@dougie?ÿ

Yep, Acrobat DC.?ÿ

@dougie?ÿ

When it works right you "left-click" and a window will pop open, then browse to the file you want and open it.?ÿ You don't want to drag and drop or "right-click" it won't work that way I don't think.?ÿ

I'm using Adobe Acrobat Pro DC 2021 on a yearly scam and the form won't save or accept photos.

Steve Ward's version had all the bugs worked out of it, but I can't find it anymore.

Plus you can't save it. There was a problem reading the document(105). Typical government form.

I printed it into a Microsoft PDF file and read that into Adobe Acrobat and now it seems to work. More testing to follow.

I Finally figured it out; after spinning my wheels for 2 days...

I'm using 2015 Edition - PDF-XChange Editor:

I could fill in the blanks, on the on-line form, but I couldn't load the photos. When I saved the form to my laptop, I was unable to do anything with it, short of, printing it out and filling it in by hand and taping the pictures to the paper.

I finally right clicked, and checked the box that says "Select Text" and it worked! I was able to click in the area, and type in the information, and when I clicked in the photo box, a box opened up and let me navigate to my photos!

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I'm sure there are several different flavors of PDF reader/writers; and each one has their own way of dealing with the various ways of adding information.

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Thanks, everyone, for all of the great input; this is the greatest source of information on the World Wide Web!

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You'll even learn stuff you didn't want to know...

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I hope everyone has a great weekend! I know I will!

Dougie

@joe-b I'll admit I'm biased against the FEMA FIRM Maps program. I think the FEMA FIRM Maps are a big scam on the American public. The Elevation Certificate on their site doesn't work properly and now I discovered they change the FIRM maps on the MAP SERVICE CENTER without notice.

In 2017 I did an Elevation Certificate for the property next door to one I did yesterday 10/15/2021. Checking my files for the property next door I discovered the 2017 FIRM Map has different Base Flood Elevations than the FIRM Map today. A Base Flood Elevation of 3428.9 in 2017 is now 3430. In 2017 FEMA issued a LOMA on the property as being out of the Flood Plain, today the FIRM Map would indicate it's back in the Flood Plain. Both FIRM Maps have effective dates of 3/19/2013 and the same Map Panel Number. The recent FIRM has clearer imagery. The County has been holding people's feet to the fire for being 0.1 foot below the BFE, but apparently FEMA changes the BFEs at will.

@dougie I think FEMA is the?ÿ ID10T.

@skeeter1996 FEMA/FIRMS/elevation certificates are a creation of?ÿ the National Flood Insurance Program that is woefully inadequate as an actuarial insurance business.?ÿ Rather than basing risk on actual claims they try to base premiums on a magic elevation which sounds reasonable but hydrology is a tricky science.

Agreed flooding is the biggest loss of infrastructure annually in the US and should be insured but getting it down to the nit with an elevation certificate is folly.?ÿ I've done a half dozen ECs where the client was within a foot or two of certification but my two mile level run to their foundation resulted in a yes/no determination within one tenth. Sad.

I've never done any ECs?ÿ since then except when the subject property is tens of feet above FIRM maps based on a cursory examination or sadly below by several feet.?ÿ My phone advice is either you're way safe from flooding or move if your own eyes suspect the creek/rainstorms will flood your place, or pay exorbitant premiums for NFA coverage.

@mike-marks Insurance rate determinations are exactly what they were meant for. The Federal Government has now pressured States to enforce FEMA's Base Flood Elevations into Building Permits. I've recently had two clients ordered by County Officials to remove buildings that are less than 1 foot below the mythical Base Flood Elevation. County Officials tell me they are audited for conformance to FIRM Map delineations and there is no room for logic.

@joe-b Hmmmm, from the link to the changes: "Eliminating the Elevation Certificate (EC)
requirement for rating purposes, while
allowing ECs optionally for all buildings."........I wonder what exactly this means.