Reading and Interpreting Elevation Certificates, Part 2

In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some of the primary sections that will be present on an Elevation Certificate, abbreviated EC. This certificate contains a great amount of data, including information on property elevation and flood risks that are very important for many reasons.

At Diamond Land Surveying, the Elevation Certificate is just one of many reports we can include in your residential land surveying services. The certificate is a fairly long and detailed one, with several important bits of information that you’ll have to know how to interpret if you ever receive one. Here are some basics on sections D through G of the Elevation Certificate, plus information on photos and where they go if needed.

reading elevation certificates

Section D

Section D of the EC is meant for the land surveyor or the engineer involved in your project, and it’s a place where they can put their basic information and verification. The most important piece of information that goes here is their seal, which is given to all accredited surveyors or engineers who are licensed to carry out these evaluations – without a seal and a signature from this professional, the Elevation Certificate is not considered complete or actionable.

Section E

Like a few other sections on this form, Section E won’t necessarily always be filled out on your report – in fact in many scenarios, this is more likely. But in cases where your property is located in Zone AO or Zone A (without a BFE, which we discussed in part one of this blog), Section E will indeed need to be filled out by your surveyor.

It will be submitted to FEMA, who will then investigate further and may require some future considerations. Our pros can tell you more about the purposes of this section if needed.

Section F

Section F is another that’s meant for basic information, only this time it’s for the homeowner themselves, not the surveyor or anyone else. This section is only required if the homeowner is personally responsible for filling out information in Sections A, B or C – in this case, they will have to offer basic contact information and a signature in Section F for the form to be complete.

Section G

Another section that may or may not be used is Section G, which is reserved for the Flood Plain Administrator to use. They may post basic permit information here, or they could list info from previous ECs or the contact information of the previous surveyors and engineers who completed those reports.

Photos

Finally, there will be at least one or two extra pages set aside for photos, both of the front and rear of the property. At least one picture of each of these areas will be required on all Elevation Certificates.

For more on the Elevation Certificate, or to learn about any of our property survey services, speak to the pros at Diamond Land Surveying today.