Elevation Certificates in San Rafael, CA

We prepare FEMA elevation certificates and LOMA elevation data for buildings in San Rafael, Marin County, with particular attention to the low, filled ground of east San Rafael and the Canal.

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

Elevation Certificates in San Rafael: Local Conditions

The City of San Rafael describes much of eastern San Rafael as built on historic marshes and filled land that has settled over time, leaving a low, bowl-shaped area that is vulnerable to flooding. It also notes that FEMA's National Risk Index ranks southeast San Rafael as more at risk of flooding than 99 percent of census tracts in the country. The City presented its sea level rise feasibility study for the area to the Council in June 2026, working with the County of Marin, Canal Alliance, the Multicultural Center of Marin, and UC Berkeley. For property owners, the practical result is that flood zone surveys on this side of town are routine.

Settlement is the San Rafael detail most people miss. In recent pre-application review comments for a residential project in the Special Flood Hazard Area, the City's Public Works Department cited a Base Flood Elevation of 11 feet NAVD88, San Rafael Municipal Code Title 18 (Protection of Flood Hazard Areas), California Building Code Section 1612, and ASCE 24, and called for the lowest floor to be at least one foot above the BFE plus predicted thirty-year settlement, with the geotechnical report supplying the settlement figure. Enclosed areas below the lowest floor must equalize flood forces with openings per FEMA Technical Bulletins 1 and 7. For new work, that means the elevation certificate is part of a design process, not a single visit at the end. On older buildings on fill, the measured lowest floor may sit noticeably lower than the original plans suggest.

For a San Rafael flood elevation certificate we tie to a benchmark in NAVD88, measure lowest adjacent grade, lowest floor, garage slabs, the number and size of flood openings, and the height of utilities and machinery, then photograph the building and sign the FEMA form. For new construction we can provide the construction-drawings certificate, the building-under-construction certificate, and the finished-construction certificate. When the data supports it, we prepare a letter of map amendment request and file through eLOMA if it qualifies. Start with our elevation certificate service, see the neighboring Corte Madera and Novato pages, or read about surveying in San Rafael.

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

Much of east San Rafael sits on fill over bay mud that has settled since it was placed. City Public Works review comments on floodplain projects have asked for the lowest floor to be one foot above the Base Flood Elevation plus predicted thirty-year settlement, so a building finished right at the minimum could end up below it as the ground consolidates. Your geotechnical engineer supplies the settlement number. We survey the existing and as-built elevations.

It records the measured lowest floor, adjacent grades, garage and crawlspace levels, flood openings, and equipment heights against the Base Flood Elevation on the effective map. For an older building on settled fill, those measured numbers are usually more useful than the original plans, because they show where the building actually sits today.

Only if the surveyed ground or lowest adjacent grade is at or above the Base Flood Elevation. On low east San Rafael ground that is often not the case, so we measure first and give you a straight answer. On higher lots that were mapped into the zone by the edge of a map line, a LOMA through eLOMA can be quick.

Need Elevation Certificates in San Rafael?

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