You may not automatically think about flood hazard areas or flood map changes when assessing important real estate issues. However, we at The Connolly Agency consider all possibilities when navigating possible ripple effects to the industry. Understanding the distinctions between Letters of Map Revision (LOMR) and Letters of Map Amendment (LOMA) becomes crucial in such cases.
LOMA’s and LOMR’s are two ways to make alterations to flood hazard areas that the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has officially mapped. There are two different subtypes of LOMR, standard ones and ones based on fill (LOMR-F). Learn how they affect property owners and communities alike!
LOMR’s
The standard Letter of Map Revision is useful when natural or manmade physical changes, such as development activity, occur after adopting Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). These changes may affect flood hazard area boundaries, expected base flood elevation, or regulatory floodway locations. In addition to the Community Official having to confirm three legitimate findings, they also have to sign a document stating that the applicant will meet all local permit requirements and another document stating that the applicant has met Endangered Species Act requirements. FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, charges a fee in order to review the area and requires the community to provide affected and adjacent areas as well as property owners with a notice and comment period. LOMR’s have a 90-day appeal period and become effective six months after FEMA issues them.
Once FEMA approves all changes, the applicant and community will receive an updated FIRM. The community must examine LOMR’s in conjunction with the original FIRMs in order to get a full picture of an area’s flood risks.
LOMR-F’s
LOMR-F’s occur when an individual requests that FEMA remove their property or a portion of it from the mapped flood hazard area based on fill material present. In order for this petition to through, the applicant and Community Official have to meet the same requirements and sign the same documents listed above for LOMR’s. The key difference in this case is that the LOMR-F process does not typically result in official map changes.
LOMA’s
Property owners request Letters of Map Amendment when they disagree with the current mapping, such as in cases when fill material is present to elevate the property. FEMA must compare the area’s natural ground level to the base flood elevation level. People request LOMA’s most often when a property appears in a flood hazard area on a map, but there’s an area that is naturally higher ground.
FEMA issues these orders if the applicant can prove that a base flood will not inundate the property or structure. If approved, the letter will indicate the amended base flood elevation, but this will not change the published mapping. However, FEMA can always issue a LOMA-DEN, meaning that they deny the change after determining that the area’s ground elevation is below the base flood elevation.
A property owner may desire to change a property’s tag from high flood risk to low risk, so it is important to learn what constitutes such alterations. Changes like these can impact a property’s value, an area’s demand, and home insurance costs. Luckily, our realtors at The Connolly Agency can help clear the air on flood-related and overall real estate jargon! If you would like any assistance selling or purchasing a home, you are welcome to contact our office at any time by calling (732)-361-0800 or reaching out to our agents!