Homes without properly designed and constructed foundations or that are not built to meet local codes are much more likely to be damaged and cause damage to surrounding buildings in storms and other coastal hazard events. Your community may wish to consider adopting regulations that require a design professional (an engineer or architect) to certify that new building foundations are built to code. Alternatively, your community could require property owners to submit a certification by a design professional that the completed project is compliant with all local codes. You can download an elevation certificate from FEMA’s website.
* Your community needs only 500 points to qualify for reduced flood insurance premiums through the Community Rating System (CRS). For more information (including how to apply for the CRS program), see our Community Rating System (CRS) primer.
Notes from the folks at CRS:
“Local governments that require buildings in the coastal A Zone to be constructed to V Zone standards and receive a V Zone certification from an engineer can receive credit under Activity 430.”