Longtime residents of the Southern Tier of New York and Northeastern Pennsylvania understand the impact a flood can have, especially on a home. Damage costs can be catastrophic for insurance and mortgage companies. For this reason, insurance companies will not cover most flood related damages without specialized insurance. Mortgage companies also have a need to understand the risk involved with providing financing for a particular piece of property. As a result, a flood certificate is necessary.

A flood certificate will provide the information a mortgage or insurance company needs to make an accurate decision on the flood related risks associated with a property. Flood certificates must be prepared by a licensed surveyor or engineer. These certificates provide elevation information about critical locations in and around a structure. These elevations must have a relationship to the those elevations published on FEMA Flood Hazard Maps. Calculations are performed, and the results are published in flood certificate documents.