Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Flood Zone or Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA)?
In support of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), FEMA has undertaken a massive effort of flood hazard identification and mapping to produce Flood Hazard Boundary Maps and Flood Insurance Rate Maps. The Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) is defined as an area of land that would be inundated by a flood having a 1% chance of occurring in any given year (previously referred to as the base flood or 100-year flood). Development may take place within the SFHA, provided that development complies with local floodplain management ordinances, which must meet the minimum Federal requirements. Structures in SFHA with mortgages from federally regulated or insured lenders require coverage by flood insurance.
Who is the flood zone determination for?
The flood zone determination is provided exclusively for the benefit of the lender customer and does not grant any rights to any other party and shall not give rise to any third party beneficiary claim.
Why is flood insurance required?
Flood insurance is required as designated by the 1994 National Flood Insurance Reform Act and subsequent amendments. During the life of a 30-year mortgage, the risk of a 100-year flood in a Special Flood Hazard Area is approximately 26 percent.
What data is necessary to request a flood zone determination?
Generally, the following information is required:
- Borrower's/Owner's name
- Property street, city, state, and zip code
Additional information to locate a property could include:
- Parcel number
- Legal description
- Appraisal survey
- Maps (Subdivision, Tax, Plat, Site)
- Current owner (if different from borrower)
What if there are multiple flood zones on the property?
DataVerify Flood Services maps to the structure(s) on the property. If a property is located in multiple flood zones, the determination will reflect the most hazardous zone that impacts the structure(s).
What if I disagree with your determination?
If a customer disagrees with our determination, they may request a re-determination. The re-determination request should include one or more of the following: a legal description, appraisal, survey, certified plat drawing, subdivision map, LOMA, or any other information that helps identify where the structure is in relationship to the Special Flood Hazard Area.
How quickly can I expect to get my flood zone determination?
The majority of orders are returned within seconds. For those determinations that require manual mapping, most are completed within 4 hours, but some may take up to 24 hours.
How do I transfer a determination to another lender?
Email a list of determination numbers or the Transfer Form provided with the life-of-loan determination, indicating the new loan servicer, to floodscs@dataverifyflood.com. Transfers can also be made using CBCWeb. Only Life-of-Loan service products are transferable to other lenders.
How do I notify DataVerify Flood Services when a loan has been paid off?
Email a list of determination numbers or the Transfer Form provided with the life of loan determination, indicating loan payoff, to floodscs@dataverifyflood.com.
