How do I get a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) to take my home out of a flood zone?

What a LOMA does (and when it fits)

FEMA describes a LOMA as a letter stating that an existing structure or parcel of land on naturally high ground, not elevated by fill, would not be inundated by the base flood. Property raised with earthen fill uses a different request, a Letter of Map Revision based on Fill (LOMR-F).

It works when the map's broad flood-zone line catches a home whose ground is actually above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE). If the ground around the structure is below the BFE, a LOMA will not be granted, even if the house itself sits higher.[1][2]

How to apply

FEMA accepts LOMA requests three ways, and Palm Beach County lets you check for an existing one first.

• Online LOMC (any applicant): submit the request, upload documents, pay any associated fees and track status on FEMA's site. The application asks for the property's location, legal description and whether fill was used; FEMA asks for more data if needed.
• Paper: FEMA's MT-EZ forms cover a single structure or a legally recorded parcel, mailed to FEMA's LOMC Clearinghouse in Alexandria, Virginia.
• eLOMA (licensed land surveyors and professional engineers only): a free FEMA tool that can return a determination within minutes for qualifying requests, versus up to 60 days for a standard LOMA. It excludes fill, proposed structures, Zone V coastal areas and requests already pending with FEMA.
• Before hiring anyone, check whether the property already has a LOMA or elevation certificate on file: in Palm Beach County, the My GeoNav map has "Letters of Map Amendment" and "Elevation Certificate" layers (green dots are current letters, red are expired).[1][2][3][4]

What changes after you get one

If FEMA grants the LOMA, you can send the determination to your mortgage lender and ask it to remove the federal flood insurance requirement for that structure; FEMA says you may then no longer be required to carry flood insurance. The lender can still require coverage under its own policy.

Even outside the high-risk zone, flooding can still happen, so many owners keep a lower-cost policy. Florida sellers should also remember the separate flood disclosure required by section 689.302, Florida Statutes, which asks about past flooding and claims regardless of the map zone.[1][5]