Elevation Certificates, LOMRs & LOMAs

Elevation Certificates

The Village of Winnetka can make available for review, completed Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Elevation Certificates for new or substantially improved structures constructed in the 100-year flood plain, if they are on file with the Village. Below is a list of Elevation Certificates currently available digitally. Elevation Certificates may be viewed online.

Letters of Map Amendments (LOMAs)

There are cases where a property may not be mapped in the 100-year floodplain, according to the FIRM, but based upon the topographic survey the elevation of the land is actually at or below the Base Flood Elevation (BFE). On the other hand, a property may be mapped within the 100-year flood plain, but the topographic survey may show that it is actually above the BFE. In these cases, it is recommended that a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) be obtained from FEMA.

If a LOMA is obtained and the limits of the 100-year flood plain are relocated such that the structure and addition (if proposed) are no longer situated in the 100-year flood plain, the homeowner will not be required to comply with the Flood Hazard Protection Ordinance, as long as the improvements do not encroach into the 100-year flood plain. Also, by obtaining a LOMA for the removal of an existing structure, the flood insurance requirements for that property may be lessened or waived by the insurance company. Letters of Map Amendments (LOMAs) can be viewed online.

Letters of Map Revisions (LOMR-F)

According to FEMA, a Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) is FEMA’s modification to an effective Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM), or Flood Boundary and Floodway Map (FBFM), or both. LOMRs are generally based on the implementation of physical measures that affect the hydrologic or hydraulic characteristics of a flooding source and thus result in the modification of the existing regulatory floodway, the effective Base Flood Elevations (BFEs), or the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). 

The LOMR officially revises the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) or Flood Boundary and Floodway Map (FBFM), and sometimes the Flood Insurance Study (FIS) report, and when appropriate, includes a description of the modifications. The LOMR is generally accompanied by an annotated copy of the affected portions of the FIRM, FBFM, or FIS report.

All requests for changes to effective maps, other than those initiated by FEMA, must be made in writing by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the community or an official designated by the CEO. Because a LOMR officially revises the effective NFIP map, it is a public record that the community must maintain. Any LOMR should be noted on the community’s master flood map and filed by panel number in an accessible location. Letters of Map Revisions (LOMR-F) can be viewed online.