Letters of Map Change
FEMA has established administrative procedures referred to as the Letter of Map Amendment, or LOMA, process and the Letter of Map Revision. Individuals who own, rent, or lease property may submit certain mapping and survey information to FEMA with these procedures and request FEMA to issue a document that officially removes a property and/or structure from the Special Flood Hazard Areas.
A structure built on fill can be removed from the floodplain by completion of a Letter of Map Revision on Fill (LOMR-F) and approval by FEMA. A structure can be removed from the floodplain by a Letter Of Map Revision (LOMR) for an entire area. Both methods can be time consuming and could be costly.
A simpler method is to complete the MT-EZ or the MT-1 (MT-EZ) form and request a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA). This is appropriate when the lowest adjacent grade for the structure being removed from the floodplain is vertically high enough and is on natural grade and not on fill. A structure can also be proven to be horizontally out of the floodplain without the cost of a survey. This method should only be used for structures that are obviously outside of the boundary of the special flood hazard area or floodplain. To complete the Letter Of Map Amendment for a property that is clearly outside of the special flood hazard area send in a parcel map, such as a map from County Appraiser that shows property boundary lines, along with a copy of the deed and page one only of the MT-EZ form. Send the information to the address on page 3 of the MT-EZ form.
The simplest and fastest method of all to remove a property from the floodplain may be to explain to the lender that there is a dispute about the flood zone determination and to ask that the zone determination be rechecked. Try this method first, before going to the time and trouble of a Letter Of Map Change.
