Elevation Certificates in Oroville, CA

We prepare FEMA elevation certificates in Oroville, Thermalito, and nearby Butte County, for properties near the Feather River and its tributaries as well as new construction in mapped flood zones.

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

Elevation Certificates in Oroville: Local Conditions

Oroville is the Butte County seat and sits where the valley floor meets the foothills, at about 167 feet elevation on the eastern rim of the Sacramento Valley. The city grew up at the head of navigation on the Feather River, and just upstream stands Oroville Dam, at 770 feet the tallest dam in the United States. Thermalito adjoins the city, and the Thermalito Afterbay is where the Sutter Butte Flood Control Agency's Feather River West Levee Project begins its run south toward Yuba City.

Oroville's flood exposure is mixed. Because the city sits where the foothills begin, ground elevations vary a lot across town, and only some parcels near the Feather and other streams are mapped in a Special Flood Hazard Area. The town knows how much the river matters. In February 2017 the dam's main spillway eroded, the emergency spillway carried water for the first time since 1968, and the Butte County Sheriff ordered the Oroville area evacuated, followed by low-lying areas down the Feather River basin in Butte, Yuba, and Sutter counties. FEMA has since been revising flood maps for Butte County, with preliminary FIRMs dated May 30, 2025 for the City of Chico and unincorporated Butte County. Before ordering any survey, look up your parcel on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and see which zone and panel apply.

The survey itself is straightforward. We tie to a benchmark on the FIRM's vertical datum, measure lowest and highest adjacent grade, the lowest floor and any crawlspace or garage floor, flood vents, and the elevation of machinery and utilities, take the required photos, and deliver a signed FEMA elevation certificate. Hillside lots often have a large difference between highest and lowest adjacent grade, and that spread is exactly what FEMA wants recorded. If the structure is at or above the Base Flood Elevation while mapped in the SFHA, we can prepare a LOMA and submit through eLOMA when it qualifies. Oroville is a planned mobilization from our Lotus base. See our elevation certificate service and pages for Chico and Gridley.

Full service details, process, and deliverables: FEMA Elevation Certificates & LOMA

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 Oroville: FAQ

Not by itself. FEMA flood zones are based on the 1-percent annual chance flood from rivers and streams, not on a dam failure scenario. Whether your house is in a Special Flood Hazard Area depends on the FIRM panel for your parcel, which you can check on the Flood Map Service Center.

For a structure LOMA, FEMA compares the lowest adjacent grade, the lowest ground touching the building, with the Base Flood Elevation. On a sloping lot that low point is often on the downhill side. If even that point is at or above the BFE, the building may qualify. We measure all sides so the answer is clear.

No. Contour Survey is based in Lotus, El Dorado County. We serve Oroville as a scheduled trip, gather the FIRM and benchmark information before we drive up, and try to group nearby jobs in Butte County on the same day.

Need Elevation Certificates in Oroville?

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

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

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