Elevation Certificates

Elevation certificates are FEMA forms used to rate a structure for flood insurance purposes. They are also needed by the League City Building Department to verify that a structure has been built in compliance with the floodplain ordinance and other regulations. The City has been requiring elevation certificates for development in the floodplain at three stages.

• Along with the construction drawings
• Building under construction
• Finished construction

Elevation certificates should be given to the Building Inspectors at the time of the structure’s inspections. View the Floodplain Guidelines for Elevation Certificate and Survey Submittals (PDF).

As of October 1, 2018, development in the shaded X zone must have an elevation certificate prior to the pouring of the form. The City requires a 24-inch free board in unshaded X zones, and certified elevations are required with the plan set for proof that the structure and machinery will meet that elevation.

The list of property addresses of the final elevation certificate is located here (PDF). Please note this list is updated periodically.

If you would like a copy of the final elevation certificate, please request it through the City Secretary's office by filling out a Public Information Request.

Mandatory Flood Insurance

If a home in the floodplain is bought with a federally-backed mortgage, a mandatory flood insurance purchase requirement accompanies the sale, and the new homeowner must maintain flood insurance on the structure for the life of the loan or until a map change or other circumstances take the property out of the floodplain. An elevation certificate will be required in those instances. The document will also come in handy when the city goes through a map change or some type of disaster affects the properties in the city.

In addition to providing the form to the insurance agent or lender, it is important for homeowners to provide the League City Building Department with that form as well. Since the insurance agent will require the form, it should not be an added expense to the homeowner to provide a copy to the city. These forms do not fall under the category of documents that requires a privacy act statement for access. Below is a list of final elevation certificates that the Building Department has on file at their offices. You can click on the link to view the elevation certificate for that address.