How to Choose Elevation Certificates for Florida Owners

Before paying for a new Florida elevation certificate (EC), search existing records and ask the insurer, lender, or permit office whether a copy meets its requirements.[1][6] If new work is needed, get a written scope covering measurements, datum, certification, delivery, and submission.

Search existing records before ordering fieldwork

An EC records a building’s location, characteristics, and elevation information relevant to flood risk.[1] Start with these places:

1. Local government: Ask the local floodplain manager whether an EC is on file. Contact details are often on city or county websites, under building, permitting, engineering, or land-use departments.[1]
2. Florida’s database: Search the Florida Division of Emergency Management’s public property database. If nothing appears, follow available local-government links, contact local government directly, or use FDEM’s Knowledge Base or Get Help form.[4]
3. Property files: Check insurance and closing files, ask the previous owner, and look for community EC databases.[5]

FDEM does not warrant the accuracy of certificates available through its website.[4] Finding a copy is the start of the suitability check, not proof the recipient will accept it.[6]

Confirm what the recipient requires

Identify the recipient and purpose before authorizing work. Apex advises specifying whether the EC is for new flood insurance, renewal, or a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA); Straight Horizon also lists permitting, renovation, and real-estate uses.[3][5] Request the recipient’s requirements in writing:

• Building identity: Check the address matches exactly and the certificate describes the correct structure.[6] Ask how to resolve address discrepancies or identify buildings on a multi-building property.
• Present conditions: Additions, renovations, elevation work, or grading and drainage changes may make an older certificate unsuitable.[6]
• Form and sections: Ask which revision and completed sections are acceptable. Pasco County directs professionals to FEMA’s most current EC; Apex identifies Form 086-0-33, but these pages do not establish its current official revision.[2][5]
• Vertical datum: Ask which elevation reference the recipient accepts. Apex describes using NAVD88; do not assume its stated datum meets every recipient’s requirements.[5]

Unchanged conditions may support reuse, but the lender’s or insurer’s process can still require updated information.[6] FloodSmart says most homeowners do not need an EC to obtain flood insurance, but homeowners in high-risk Zone A or coastal Zone V areas may need one to verify compliance with local safety standards.[1] Pasco County also cautions that an elevated structure or Zone X location does not prevent a lender from requiring flood insurance.[2]

Verify who will certify the work

Get the certifier’s name, Florida license type and number, and responsibility for completing the required sections in writing.

FloodSmart names land surveyors, engineers, or architects; Pasco County specifies Florida-registered licensed professionals in those categories.[1][2] Apex takes a narrower position, directing owners to a Florida-licensed Professional Surveyor and Mapper (PSM) for completion and certification.[5] Confirm eligibility for the required sections with the recipient and applicable licensing authority rather than treating these statements as interchangeable.

For example, Straight Horizon advertises residential and commercial EC surveys in Central Florida, with final certification by a licensed PSM.[3] Apex recommends checking a surveyor’s license through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS).[5]

Put the datum and measurements in the scope

Request more detail than “elevation certificate.” Use the following checklist to define the assignment; not every measurement applies to every building.

• Property and purpose: Identify the address, buildings covered, intended recipient, and purpose. Attach the recipient’s requirements.
• Benchmark and datum: Specify the benchmark connection and named vertical datum. Apex’s advertised Florida workflow uses GPS equipment and a published benchmark tied to NAVD88.[5] Ask how a different datum on an existing EC will be handled.
• Building and ground: Apex lists lowest-floor elevation, lowest and highest adjacent grades around the building perimeter, attached-garage floor elevation where applicable, and foundation classification.[5]
• Equipment and access: Apex also lists outdoor machinery elevations, including HVAC units and generators.[5] Specify which equipment is included and how inaccessible areas will affect completion.
• Form completion: Identify the sections and certification included. Straight Horizon describes project and flood-zone review, field measurements, data processing, FEMA-section completion, and PSM certification.[3]

List exclusions explicitly. Straight Horizon says it often supplies ECs alongside boundary surveys—not that boundary surveying is automatically included.[3] Treat LOMA preparation or filing separately, too: Pasco County describes map amendment as an application involving scientific or technical information submitted for federal review.[2]

Get a property-specific price and schedule

Apex advertises service across Florida and quotes each property individually, with pricing driven mainly by benchmark distance, building complexity, and access.[5] Request a quote tied to the agreed scope, including additional-visit charges and conditions that could change the price.

Apex gives these timing estimates:

• Overall process: 3–7 business days.[5]
• Standard residential field visit: typically 1–2 hours.[5]
• Delivery: typically 3–5 business days after the visit.[5]

These describe different stages; do not add them together. Apex says rush service depends on crew availability, is not guaranteed, and any premium is quoted per project.[5] Straight Horizon advertises “fast turnaround” without a numerical deadline.[3] Request a scheduled visit date before authorizing work.

Separate delivery from submission

Put responsibility for each handoff in the agreement:

1. Delivery to you: Specify format, signature and seal, and delivery date. Apex says it supplies a signed-and-sealed PDF.[5]
2. Submission to the recipient: Apex instructs owners to send the completed EC to their flood-insurance agent or company.[5] For a lender or permit office, obtain delivery instructions and assign responsibility for submission.
3. Florida state submission: FDEM’s guidance describes a separate surveyor submission within 30 days of completion. It says the state-upload copy may be unsigned and unsealed, while the surveyor’s or mapper’s retained original is signed and sealed.[4]

Request confirmation of recipient receipt and state submission as separate closeout records. Do not assume the state-upload format meets the recipient’s requirements.

What to confirm with each provider

The cited Straight Horizon and Apex pages do not state fixed-dollar prices, cancellation/refund terms, correction policies, or acceptance guarantees.[3][5] Before approving the commission, confirm:

• Price terms: Total quoted fee, payment schedule, quote validity, and charges for extra visits or expanded scope.
• Corrections: Who handles clerical errors, omitted scoped measurements, and recipient questions; the correction window; and when revisions trigger another fee.
• Responsibilities: Access arrangements, signed delivery, recipient submission, state upload, and completion records.
• Cancellation: Charges or refunds if work is canceled or delayed.

Document production is not recipient acceptance: suitability can depend on the lender’s or insurer’s procedures.[6] Nor should the commission depend on promised insurance savings; Apex describes premium reductions as conditional.[5]

References

1. Get an Elevation Certificate | National Flood Insurance Program (floodsmart.gov)
2. Elevation Certificates (ECs) (pascocountyfl.gov)
3. Elevation Certificate Central Florida|FEMA Elevation Certificate|Straight Horizon LLC (straighthorizonsurveying.com)
4. Elevation Certificates | Florida Disaster (floridadisaster.org)
5. How to Get an Elevation Certificate in Florida (apexsurvey.us)
6. Check Your Elevation Certificate Before Ordering New – ALTA SURVEY Florida (altasurveyingflorida.com, 2026)