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Contest Special Flood Hazard Area Designation
About FEMA Letter of Map Amendments (LOMA) & Letter of Map Revisions (LOMR-F)
Although FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) uses the most accurate flood hazard information available, structures or parcels of land may sometimes be erroneously included within a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) on a FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). If you believe your property and/or structure should not be located in a Special Flood Hazard Area, as shown in Highland Villages Flood Insurance Rate Map and would like FEMA to make an official determination regarding the location of your property base relative to the Special Flood Hazard Area, you may request a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) or a Letter of Map Revision Based on Fill (LOMR-F).
Requesting a LOMA or LOMR-F
LOMAs and LOMR-Fs are documents issued by FEMA that officially remove a property and/or structure from the SFHA. To obtain a LOMA or LOMR-F, applicants must submit mapping and survey data for the property. In most cases, applicants will need to hire a land surveyor to prepare an Elevation Certificate for the property.The issuance of a LOMA or LOMR-F eliminates the federal flood insurance purchase requirement as a condition of federal or federally backed financing. However, the mortgage lender retains the right to require homeowners to obtain flood insurance as a condition of providing financing, regardless of the location of the structure.
Many Highland Village residents have received an elevation certificate, but have not requested a Letter of Map Amendment. The combined annual flood insurance premium savings of eight Highland Village residents that have been issued a LOMA exceeds $15,000 to date.