Elevation Certificates on Long Island: What They Record, Who Prepares Them, and Where They Still Matter After Risk Rating 2.0

ByPawli Paola Meyer

How high a first floor sits above the ground is a measurement with consequences. It figures in how flood insurance is priced, in what a town asks of a builder, and in what a lender asks of a buyer. The document that records it carries a plain name, the elevation certificate.

Its role in insurance has narrowed since the National Flood Insurance Program changed how it prices policies. It has not disappeared. What follows sets out what the certificate contains, who is allowed to sign it, what changed for insurance, and the places it still shows up in a purchase, a renovation or a new build.

What the certificate is

FEMA describes the elevation certificate as an official record showing that new buildings and substantial improvements in Special Flood Hazard Areas are properly elevated. It supports a community’s floodplain management ordinance, and owners can use it to obtain flood insurance.

The form itself runs to several parts. According to a copy of FEMA Form FF-206-FY-22-152 posted by a county government, Section A holds property information, Section B the flood map information, and Section C the building’s elevation information, which requires a survey. Section D is the certification by a surveyor, engineer or architect. Other parts cover building measurements that do not require a survey, the first-floor height, and photographs of the building.

The form states that the certification must be signed and sealed by a land surveyor, engineer or architect authorized by state law. A real estate agent, home inspector or homeowner cannot supply the elevation figures, however confident the estimate.

One point deserves a flag. The printed expiration date on that copy of the form is June 30, 2026, which has passed. Federal forms sometimes remain in use after the printed date while a renewal is processed, but this was not verified for this post. A licensed surveyor will know which version the town and insurer are currently accepting.

What changed for insurance

FEMA’s agent resource page from May 2022 describes the shift: with Risk Rating 2.0, an elevation certificate is no longer required to purchase coverage. An owner can still give one to an agent to see whether it lowers the premium. FEMA states that it determines first-floor height itself and uses it as one of the factors in calculating rates, along with elevation, distance to a water source, and rebuilding cost.

Two practical points follow from that. A certificate is no longer a hurdle at the insurance counter. It remains a document that may help if FEMA’s own estimate of a building’s first-floor height is not what the surveyor measures. Whether it would lower a particular premium is a question for the agent writing the policy, and no savings figure for Long Island homes was verified for this post.

The broader pricing picture is covered in New Suffolk County Flood Zone Remapping Is Here and, for the Sound shoreline, Flood Insurance on Long Island’s North Shore.

Where it still matters: towns

The same FEMA page notes that elevation certificates remain relevant to community floodplain building requirements, which can also affect Community Rating System discounts. Local codes show how that works.

The Town of Brookhaven’s flood damage prevention chapter, Chapter 33 of its code, requires a permittee building in the listed flood zones to submit the as-built lowest-floor elevation after completion, certified by a licensed professional engineer or surveyor. The certificate is to be prepared by or under the direct supervision of a licensed land surveyor or professional engineer, and the code ties submission to placement of the lowest floor. Any further work done before the certification is submitted and approved is at the permit holder’s risk. The chapter also makes it unlawful to occupy a building until a certificate of compliance has been issued by the local administrator, and issuance depends on inspections and on any certified elevations the permit required.

That sequence matters to anyone building or substantially improving a shoreline house. A certificate that comes back showing a floor lower than the permit approved can stall the project mid-construction. The permit side of waterfront work is described in The DEC Permit Nobody Mentions at the Showing.

Other Long Island towns and villages have their own flood chapters, and the language is not identical. The one reviewed here is Brookhaven’s; the building department for the specific address is the place to confirm what applies.

Where it still matters: lenders

Federal law directs regulated lenders not to make, increase, extend or renew a loan secured by improved real estate in an area identified as having special flood hazards unless the property is covered by flood insurance for the term of the loan, in an amount at least equal to the outstanding principal balance. The statute is 42 U.S.C. section 4012a(b). Whether a particular house falls into that area is determined from the flood map, not from the certificate alone.

The certificate enters the picture when an owner disputes the map. FEMA’s Letter of Map Amendment process covers a structure or parcel that FEMA finds is on naturally high ground and not elevated by fill. If FEMA grants the request, the property owner may no longer be required to pay for flood insurance, and the owner can send the determination to the lender and ask that the federal requirement for the structure be removed. FEMA’s overview page does not list an elevation certificate among the required documents, so the supporting paperwork should be confirmed with FEMA’s current instructions.

What a buyer can reasonably ask for

  • The most recent elevation certificate for the house, if one exists. A seller who built or substantially improved the home under a floodplain permit may have one on file; the town building department may as well.
  • Whether the house sits in a Special Flood Hazard Area on the current flood map, and whether a map change is pending.
  • Whether any renovation of the house triggered a certificate, and whether the town has the as-built certification on file.
  • An insurance quote before making an offer, as discussed in The Insurance Quote Comes Before the Offer.
  • Whether the lot survey and the certificate agree on the building’s footprint; a guide to reading the survey is in How to Read a Waterfront Lot Survey Before You Make an Offer.

A new certificate requires a licensed professional and fieldwork. No verified Long Island price for one was available for this post, so quotes from licensed surveyors are the only reliable cost figure. This is for informational purposes only — consult a licensed attorney or financial advisor for your specific situation.

Questions people ask

Is an elevation certificate required to buy flood insurance?

Not any longer, according to FEMA’s May 2022 page on Risk Rating 2.0. An owner can still submit one voluntarily to see whether it reduces the premium.

Who can prepare an elevation certificate?

The form calls for certification by a land surveyor, engineer or architect authorized by state law, signed and sealed.

Does an elevation certificate change a property’s flood zone?

No. The flood zone comes from FEMA’s map. A Letter of Map Amendment is the separate process for asking FEMA to correct how a property was mapped.

Does a house outside a mapped flood zone need one?

Federal law’s lender requirement turns on the special flood hazard designation. Whether a town asks for a certificate in other situations depends on its code.

Can a seller be asked for one?

A buyer can ask. Whether a seller has one, and whether the contract requires delivering it, are matters for the attorneys.

Real estate markets change. For current listings and market data, contact Maison Pawli at maisonpawli.com/about/.

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