What are your feelings on the CFS? (Certified Floodplain Surveyor)

Here's an article from last year that may be relevant

https://amerisurv.com/2019/04/19/a-national-certified-floodplain-surveyor-program/

They are not that bad and you can ask the county flood plain administrator for assistance. Be sure to charge a fair price to cover the liability that you will be taking on. I also recommend making sure you look at the LIMWA line (enter in the comment area if the lot/house is affected), review the March 2020 instructions on flood vents, and if it is a house on pilings with an enclosed garage underneath treat the garage likes it's part of the house.

I've been a proponent for it in our state (WA) for many years but it has fallen on deaf ears.?ÿ After attending a webinar sponsored by the NC surveyors, FEMA, and other state agencies, I sent a letter to our land surveyors association detailing how many homes and businesses have flood insurance, so the need to get PLS adequately trained is paramount. No response from the board of trustees. If they could see the erroneously filled out elevation certificates clients email me I think they would be appalled. One was making the client (condo association) pay $12,000 a year over a rate they would have had if it was done correctly. I implore any PLS who wants to do?ÿ FEMA related work (EC,LOMA, LOMA-F, ƒ??) to make sure they attend as many training seminars as possible.

If you are not qualified by education and experience, don't do it (yet).

I see three potentisl issues.?ÿ

1. The Board may whack you for working outside your area of competence.

2. Things may go sideways resulting in civil liability.

3. Your e & o probably won't cover you.

There are numerous options for learning the ins snd outs of flood plain mapping snd the associated forms. Educate yourself, document it, get paid.

Good luck?ÿ

If surveyors are more knowledgeable about Elevation Certificates, floodplain mapping and Zone determination, than the Certified Floodplain Professionals, what is the point of becoming a Certified Floodplain Surveyor?

@oldpacer

I think the requirement to be a CFS is that you have to be a PLS, no?

You do not have to be a CFS to prepare an EC, although it would proabably be a good idea to take the course if you plan to do them often.

I used to do quite a few when I could name my own price but now local surveyors are doing EC's for peanuts again.?ÿ

Most EC's by others I've seen that were done for homeowners and their issurance agent are not filled out correctly.

I've had EC's reviewed by local admins, state admins and fema agents. They all interpret the instructions differently.

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@thebionicman
I actually attended training that was offered by the NC Society of Surveyors and at least on of the instructors was NC board member.?ÿ ?ÿGood training!?ÿ They actually went item by item through the complete form and gave many real world examples (pics and all!)

While it's true that some states allow engineers or architects to certify ECs, in NC only a PLS can do it.?ÿ I bet it would surprise everyone how many engineers and architects violate state law by sealing ECs.?ÿ The first sentence in Section D should be modified to, "This certification is to be signed and sealed by a land surveyor authorized by law to certify elevation information.?ÿ Engineers and architects may certify only when such action does not violate state or local law."

I signed up for NC's CFS class that begins in about a month.?ÿ I'll be surprised if it isn't cancelled due to Covid.?ÿ North Carolina has by far the best flood mapping in the US and second only to Netherlands in the world.?ÿ I'm doing it just to gain knowledge from the people who developed such a useful sytem.?ÿ I've met a few of the instructors in continuing ed classes and they all struck me as people worth listening to.?ÿ If I understand FEMA and other regulators better, then I'll be in a better position to help my clients.?ÿ Other than that, the only advantage is that LOMAs and LOMCs submitted by CFSs cut to the front of the line.?ÿ?ÿ

I received an email that this program is being considered for New York.

For those who have taken the classes and become certified in the past four years, could you share your feedback regarding the program? "Worth it" yay or nay, education component, ect. Thanks.

Just a point that the acronym "CFS" was taken years ago to describe "Certified Federal Surveyor." Using it for a different meaning in the same profession will lead to confusion and IMHO should probably not be done.

Any surveyor who intends to do even one elevation certificate should take the class.

I attended a three day Certified Floodplain Surveyor class in NC and passed the exam on day four back in 2022. The NC exam was designed to have a 60% passage rate and was not one of the highlights of my life. I left the class thinking that just the three inch binder of definitions and examples was worth the $450. I also left thinking that I might not have been the best choice for clients that hired me for ECs in the past. The CFS certification itself is not that valuable. On certain submittals, it allows you to cut in line but only in the state that issued the CFS cert.

As you might expect from FEMA, many of the terms and instructions are non-intuitive. In many cases, the only way you can learn what they really need is through this course or through someone who has worked with FEMA at the state or county level.

Key takeaway, contact the Certified Floodplain Manager and ask him or her to review your documents before you certify them.

Thanks for sharing 🙂