Elevation Certificates in Lincoln, CA

Contour Survey prepares FEMA elevation certificates in Lincoln, Placer County, for homeowners, lenders and builders dealing with the ravine floodplains and the county's map updates.

Elevation certificates from $1,000 · (510) 543-2220

Elevation Certificates in Lincoln: Local Conditions

Lincoln's flood zones follow its ravines. The Placer County Flood Insurance Study, revised in November 2018, maps Auburn Ravine through the city, Markham Ravine and its upper and lower tributaries, and Ingram Slough with its overflow channel. Some of these studies were updated as recently as 2015 on Auburn Ravine. Others date to the late 1990s on Markham Ravine. The flood elevation you are measured against depends on which stream and which study reach your parcel sits on. The City takes part in the National Flood Insurance Program, so any owner can buy a federal flood policy, and homes and businesses in Special Flood Hazard Areas with federally backed mortgages must carry one.

The maps are changing. FEMA issued new preliminary flood maps for parts of Placer County, and Lincoln held a public workshop on January 15, 2025 with FEMA, the Placer County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, and the County's Stormwater and Floodplain staff. FEMA took comments and appeals from January 18 to April 18, 2025 on changes to base flood elevations, flood depths, SFHA boundaries, zone designations and floodways. In western Placer the new mapping covers Dry Creek, Pleasant Grove South, Secret Ravine Upper Fork, Markham Ravine, Raccoon Creek and Doty Ravine. If you live near Markham Ravine, check the preliminary maps as well as the effective ones. The City will issue a flood determination for your property if you submit its Flood Determination Application with the parcel number.

For a Lincoln elevation certificate we tie a benchmark on NAVD88, the datum of the Placer County FIRM, and measure lowest adjacent grade, the top of the lowest floor, the garage slab and machinery such as HVAC units. We photograph the building and certify the EC. If the lowest ground at your house is at or above the base flood elevation, a letter of map amendment can take the structure out of the SFHA, and we can submit it through eLOMA when it qualifies. Read more on our elevation certificate service, see Roseville and Auburn, or visit our Lincoln area page.

Full service details, process, and deliverables: FEMA Elevation Certificates & LOMA · All surveying in Lincoln: Lincoln land surveying

What's Included

Signed and sealed by a California Professional Land Surveyor
Completed on FEMA Form FF-206-FY-22-152, with the required photographs
Elevations tied to a published benchmark on the flood map’s vertical datum
eLOMA submission as a licensed professional when the building qualifies
Construction-stage ECs for permits: construction drawings, building under construction, and finished construction
Sacramento region, Central Valley, Delta, and Bay Area

Our Process

Address & Flood Map Check

Send the address and the reason you need the certificate: lender letter, insurance quote, building permit, or a LOMA. We pull the effective FIRM panel, flood zone, and Base Flood Elevation before quoting, and tell you up front if a LOMA looks possible.

Benchmark Tie

We tie the site to a published benchmark on the vertical datum the flood map uses, with GNSS and a total station. Every elevation on the certificate is measured from that tie, not estimated from a contour map.

Building Measurement

We measure the top of the bottom floor, the next higher floor, the garage slab, the lowest and highest adjacent grade, the lowest machinery and equipment, and the flood openings, and take the photographs the form requires.

Signed EC, and the LOMA if It Qualifies

You receive the completed, signed Elevation Certificate as a PDF. If the lowest adjacent grade is at or above the Base Flood Elevation, we prepare the LOMA request and submit it to FEMA, through eLOMA when the building meets its criteria.

Elevation Certificates in Lincoln: FAQ

Compare your parcel on the effective FIRM and on the preliminary maps, or ask the City for a flood determination. If the building moves into or near an A zone, an elevation certificate tells you where it actually sits relative to the new base flood elevation. That supports insurance rating, and a LOMA if the ground at the house is above that elevation.

The Placer County Flood Insurance Study maps Auburn Ravine, Markham Ravine and its tributaries, and Ingram Slough and its overflow in Lincoln. The preliminary update also covers Markham Ravine, along with other western Placer streams such as Doty Ravine and Raccoon Creek.

Not by itself. A lender follows FEMA's map. If the EC shows the lowest adjacent grade at or above the base flood elevation, FEMA can issue a letter of map amendment removing the structure from the Special Flood Hazard Area, and the lender can then drop the requirement. FEMA charges no review fee for a LOMA.

Need Elevation Certificates in Lincoln?

Elevation certificates start at $1,000. Call (510) 543-2220 with the Lincoln address and we'll check the flood map and give you a fixed price.

Get a Quoteor(510) 543-2220

Private licensed surveyor, not affiliated with FEMA • Homeowners welcome • Response within 24 hours

Call (510) 543-2220 Get a Quote