My lender says I need to buy flood insurance, but my lot is not shown in the SFHA.
For virtually every mortgage transaction involving a structure in the United States, a lender reviews the currently effective FIRM for the community in which the property is located to determine its location relative to the SFHA. In some cases, a lender incorrectly determines that a property is in a SFHA. If you would like FEMA to make an official determination regarding the location of your property relative to the SFHA, you may apply for a Letter of Determination Review (LODR). The LODR process does not consider the elevation of the structure or property. Rather, it considers only the horizontal location of the structure relative to the SFHA shown on the FIRM. FEMA reviews this information and issues its finding of whether the structure is located in the SFHA according to the currently effective FIRM. While this determination cannot consider the elevation of your structure or property, it can be useful if you feel the lender's interpretation of the FIRM is incorrect. Please contact our office at (901) 545-4320 for advice and assistance.

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1. If I have sinkholes above a pipe or around a stormwater inlet, will the county fix them?
2. What can the county engineer do about the neighbor who has altered the grading of his lot and has increased/decreased the flow to my property?
3. Will the county clean the creek or ditch on my property?
4. Does a recorded drainage easement mean the county owns the property?
5. If there is a recorded easement on my property is the county responsible for mowing the grass and trimming bushes?
6. Is the county responsible for my home builder or my neighbor's home builder altering the drainage paths in my subdivision.
7. If I buy a brand new house in an unfinished subdivision, who is responsible for maintenance of my yard and the structures?
8. How do I obtain or review the flood map for my area?
9. What is a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA)?
10. I have looked at the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) for the area of my property and think the map is wrong. How can the map be changed?
11. My lender says I need to buy flood insurance, but my lot is not shown in the SFHA.
12. If my house is within the SFHA, but it was built at an elevation above the required Base Flood Elevation (BFE), what can I do?
13. Does my homeowner's insurance policy cover flooding?
14. Can I get flood insurance even if I am not in a floodplain?
15. How do I obtain a copy of the Elevation Certificate for my property?