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What is an elevation certificate?
An elevation certificate is used to show that the home is elevated in accordance to the Federal and County flood plain regulations. The certificate is typically provided by a surveyor, and helps to help provide a true dollar amount for your flood insurance premiums. If your home is located in the flood zones “A” or “V” you will likely be required to have an elevation certificate on file depending on the age of your property.
Selling or Buying a Property in an Active Flood Zone
If you are selling a property in an active flood zone, it is important that you have your flood insurance certificate available on file to provide to any potential buyers. If you don’t have a copy, your current insurance agent or carrier should have a copy on file, or the engineer in charge of site work during construction may have a file. Also, Chatham county keeps a searchable database as well.
If buying a property in an active flood zone, make sure to request a certificate from the seller prior to the contract closing date. To check the flood zone of a property, click here to visit Savannah Area Geographic Information System (SAGIS), and use the “parcel search” tool on the top of the screen. To find out more about why elevation certificates are important for homeowners, click visit FEMA’s website.