Common Questions & Answers
What Is A LOMA?
LOMA stands for “Letter of Map Amendment”. If your house has been designated as being in the High-Risk Flood Zone, a LOMA is FEMA’s official method to determine if the designation is correct. This process will require something called an Elevation Certificate from a Professional Surveyor. The Elevation Certificate will have the elevation of your structure as well as FEMA’s official flood elevation (the official term is Base Flood Elevation).
The example below shows the results of our screening process. We can see that, based on the surrounding terrain (LiDAR Data), the structure is higher than the effective FEMA floodplain. This property would most likely qualify for a LOMA. We also look at the best available watershed models to help refine our risk understanding. See the purple “Best Available Data” floodplains below. This further confirms our confidence in this property’s ability to obtain a LOMA. Get your screening results today!
If it is determined that your house was indeed wrongly categorized, FEMA will issue a letter stating you are actually in an area with a lower flood risk. This letter can be submitted to your insurance company and your mortgage company to save on your premium.
What Is the LOMA Screening Recommendation?
No Flood Florida has processed single-family homes throughout the State of Florida. We analyze your building structure in relation to the FEMA effective floodplains. In addition to highly accurate digital terrain information, we can quantify the likelihood your property would qualify for a Letter of Map Amendment or Letter of Map Change. The screening tool will produce four different recommendation categories: Not Applicable, Low, Medium, and High.
Not Applicable
The Not Applicable or Not Recommended screening result typically indicates one of two things:
- The building structure does not intersect the high risk flood zone - Good News!
- The FEMA floodplain impacts the building structure and the estimated Base Flood Elevation (BFE) is greater than the surrounding structure elevation - Not eligible for the Letter of Map Amendment process, typically flood insurance will be required.
Low Likelihood
The Low Likelihood screening result indicates that there is a small chance that the property of interest would qualify for a Letter of Map Amendment. Depending on the final, surveyed structure elevation, the property may or may not qualify for a LOMA.
Medium Likelihood
The Medium Likelihood screening result indicates that there is a good chance that the property of interest would qualify for a Letter of Map Amendment - depending on the final, surveyed structure elevation.
High Likelihood
The High Likelihood screening result indicates that there is an excellent chance that the property of interest would qualify for a Letter of Map Amendment - depending on the final, surveyed structure elevation.
Can I Terminate My Flood Insurance?
No Flood Florida is all for helping its clients save money. Going through the LOMA process will allow FEMA and ultimately flood insurance companies to have a better understanding of the flood risk your property faces. If you decide to keep flood insurance, you can expect a significant reduction in your premium. Your mortgage lender may also drop your flood insurance requirement all together. However, you should learn more about your flood risk before making such decision. We will guide you by providing a FREE Flood Analysis Memo with your LOMA order.
How Long Will The Process Take?
FEMA has sixty (60) days to provide a response but most applications are completed within 1-3 weeks.
Is It Possible That FEMA Will Reject My LOMA Request?
No Flood Florida screens every request prior to beginning the process. Each property is ranked as either having a low, medium, or high likelihood of receiving a LOMA from FEMA. We will recommend the medium and high likelihood properties to move forward. We will also work with clients who received a low likelihood designation to submit their request. If through our screening process we find that you are almost certainly not going to be able to get a LOMA, we will notify you. But you can rest assured because our service has a money back guarantee!
Risk Free
Money Back Guarantee
We are confident we are able to identify and avoid situations where a LOMA will not be granted by FEMA. If our screening analysis indicates you have a medium/high likelihood of getting your LOMA request approved and for some reason it is not, we will immediately issue a full refund of our fee less the cost for an Elevation Certificate from a Professional Surveyor (approximately $250). The Elevation Certificate is yours to keep regardless of the situation, and may be used alone to reduce your flood insurance premium.
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