Elevation Certificates in Salinas, CA

Salinas floods from two directions. The city's flood safety brochure says Salinas is subject to stormwater runoff from the Gabilan Mountains and to overflows of the Salinas River and the Reclamation Ditch, and that high tides can restrict drainage into Monterey Bay. The city lists Carr Lake, Cesar Chavez Park, Gabilan Creek, Natividad Creek, the Reclamation Ditch, the Salinas River, and Kern, Market and Merced Streets and Williams Road as places with documented flooding. FEMA's flood data for the city has detailed profiles on the Reclamation Ditch, Gabilan Creek, Natividad Creek, Alisal Creek and Santa Rita Creek, with most of the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area in Zone AE and some AH. FIRM panels covering Salinas carry effective dates of 2009 and November 30, 2023, so a certificate or determination prepared against an older map may need a second look.

The city's rule for damaged buildings is stricter than many places: a residence damaged to 50 percent or more of its pre-damage value must be elevated two feet above the base flood elevation, per the Permit Center's brochure. That makes an accurate FEMA elevation certificate central to any rebuild or major remodel. The Salinas Permit Center also keeps elevation certificates for some properties on file and will help with flood zone determinations. For an existing home in an AE zone, the certificate is what an insurer uses to rate the policy. If the lowest ground touching the building is at or above the BFE, a letter of map amendment may remove the structure from the SFHA, which removes the federal flood insurance requirement on the mortgage. Measured numbers settle the question; the map alone cannot.

Our flood zone survey ties a benchmark on the FIRM's vertical datum using GNSS, then uses a Trimble S3 total station to measure lowest adjacent grade, the lowest floor, garage slab, crawlspace and any attached machinery and utilities. We take the required building photographs, process in Trimble Business Center and issue a signed EC. Where the data supports it, we prepare the LOMA package or file through eLOMA. Salinas work is scheduled as a mobilization. See our elevation certificate service, Watsonville and Hollister pages, and our Salinas surveying page.