Elevation Certificates in Napa, CA

Elevation certificates for homes and buildings in the City of Napa, Napa County, where the Napa River and Napa Creek flood project has redrawn much of the flood map.

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

Elevation Certificates in Napa: Local Conditions

Few cities in the region have seen their flood maps change as much as Napa. FEMA's Napa County Flood Insurance Study says the February 1986 flood, estimated at a 50-year recurrence, caused about $100 million in damage countywide, killed 3 people, destroyed 250 homes, and damaged 2,500 more, and that all lands next to the Napa River through the city are subject to flooding. In 2000 the Napa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began a flood protection project that ran about 16 years. The Napa Creek Bypass was finished in 2012, and FEMA's Letter of Map Revision for the Napa Creek Flood Protection Project (case 14-09-2231P) became effective November 12, 2014. The Napa River Dry Bypass was completed in the fall of 2016, and the Napa Post-Bypass LOMR (16-09-1316P) took effect January 22, 2019.

Because of those revisions, many properties came out of the floodway and floodplain, and others saw their zone or Base Flood Elevation change. If you are holding an elevation certificate or a lender determination from before 2019, check it against the current FIRM. The City keeps an Elevation Certificate Inventory, so you can see whether one is already on file for your address before ordering a new one. Napa takes part in FEMA's Community Rating System at Class 7, which the City says gives policyholders in the Special Flood Hazard Area a 15 percent discount on flood insurance. Development in the floodplain falls under Municipal Code section 17.38, the Floodplain Management Overlay District. Napa is FEMA community 060207.

When we measure a Napa building, we tie to NAVD88 benchmarks with GNSS and use a Trimble S3 total station for the lowest adjacent grade, highest adjacent grade, top of the lowest floor or crawlspace, flood openings, and the height of furnaces, water heaters, and electrical panels. Many older Napa houses near the river have raised floors and crawlspaces, so we record the foundation and venting carefully. We take the required photos and sign FEMA Form FF-206-FY-22-152. If your building is on ground at or above the BFE but still mapped in the zone, we can pursue a Letter of Map Amendment, through eLOMA where it qualifies. See our FEMA elevation certificate page, American Canyon, Sonoma, and our Napa area page.

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

Possibly. The Napa Post-Bypass Letter of Map Revision (16-09-1316P), effective January 22, 2019, reflected the completed bypass work and removed many properties from the floodway and floodplain. Check your address on the current FIRM at msc.fema.gov.

It might. The City maintains an Elevation Certificate Inventory you can search by address. If the certificate on file predates the 2019 map revision or a change to the building, a new one may be needed.

The City of Napa reports a Community Rating System Class 7 rating, which it says provides a 15 percent flood insurance discount for property owners in the Special Flood Hazard Area.

Need Elevation Certificates in Napa?

Elevation certificates start at $1,000. Call (510) 543-2220 with the Napa 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

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