Russian River Flood Zones: How to Read an Elevation Certificate

If you are buying or selling a home in a Russian River flood zone, one document you may encounter is an Elevation Certificate. This document provides important information about the elevation of a structure in relation to FEMA's mapped flood elevations.

I’m David R. Millar with The Millar Group, and I specialize in Russian River real estate throughout Guerneville, Forestville, Monte Rio, Rio Nido, Cazadero, Duncans Mills, Jenner and the surrounding areas.

If you're considering buying or selling a Russian River property and have questions about flood zones, elevation certificates, septic systems or other local property issues, call me at 707-217-1786.

What Is an Elevation Certificate?

An Elevation Certificate is a standardized FEMA document used to record important elevation information about a building.

A licensed land surveyor or other qualified professional takes measurements of the structure and surrounding property. Those measurements can then be compared with FEMA flood information for that location.

For buyers, this can help you understand where the home's different levels sit in relation to the mapped flood elevation.

For property owners, the Elevation Certificate may also provide information an insurance professional needs when evaluating flood insurance.

Understanding the FEMA Flood Zone

One of the first items I look at is the property's flood zone designation.

In the Elevation Certificate I discuss in my video, the property is located in Flood Zone AE.

Zone AE generally indicates an area within FEMA's Special Flood Hazard Area where Base Flood Elevations have been determined.

Flood zones are common throughout portions of the Russian River area, particularly around the river itself and some of its tributaries.

What Is the Base Flood Elevation?

Another important number is the Base Flood Elevation, commonly called the BFE.

The Base Flood Elevation represents the elevation associated with FEMA's base flood.

People frequently refer to this as the "100-year flood," but that terminology can be misleading. It does not mean a flood will occur only once every 100 years.

The more accurate way to think about it is a flood that has a 1% chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year.

On the Elevation Certificate shown in my video, the Base Flood Elevation is approximately 57.1 feet.

The next question becomes: Where are the different portions of the house in relation to that elevation?

The Bottom Floor vs. the Living Area

This is where Elevation Certificates can become particularly useful when evaluating Russian River homes.

Many homes in the floodplain are elevated, with garages, parking areas, storage areas or other enclosures underneath the primary living space.

On the example in the video, the house has a garage underneath the living area.

The Elevation Certificate identifies the elevation of the top of the bottom floor at approximately 46 feet.

With a Base Flood Elevation of 57.1 feet, that lower level is substantially below the BFE.

But that doesn't necessarily tell you where the living space is located.

For that, we need to look at another measurement.

What Does "Next Higher Floor" Mean?

The Elevation Certificate also identifies the elevation of the next higher floor.

In this example, that elevation is approximately 55 feet.

This is an important number because the next higher floor corresponds to the floor level of the primary living area in this particular house.

Comparing the numbers:

Base Flood Elevation: 57.1 feet

Next higher floor: approximately 55 feet

That indicates that the living floor is approximately two feet below the mapped Base Flood Elevation.

That is significant information for a buyer to understand and something that should be discussed with the appropriate flood insurance and property professionals.

Other Information on an Elevation Certificate

Elevation Certificates contain considerably more information than just the elevation of the living space.

Depending on the building and certificate, you may see measurements for:

• Top of the bottom floor
• Next higher floor
• Lowest horizontal structural member
• Attached garage
• Lowest machinery or equipment servicing the building
• Lowest adjacent finished grade
• Highest adjacent finished grade
• Building characteristics
• Enclosed areas
• Property latitude and longitude

The certificate is then certified by the qualified professional completing the elevation information.

Why Russian River Buyers Should Understand This Document

Buying property along the Russian River is different from buying a typical suburban house.

Flood zones are one of the reasons.

A property may have a lower garage or enclosure that can potentially experience flooding while the living area is elevated. Another home may have living space that is closer to—or below—the Base Flood Elevation.

Two homes located relatively close to one another can therefore have very different flood characteristics.

That's why I don't recommend looking at a flood map and stopping there.

You want to understand the specific property and structure.

What If Only Part of the Property Is in a Flood Zone?

Another situation buyers occasionally encounter is a parcel where a FEMA flood zone affects only a portion of the property.

That can create questions about whether flood insurance will be required by a lender and whether the structure itself is within the mapped flood area.

This is something buyers should investigate early.

Your lender, insurance professional, surveyor and other appropriate professionals can help determine the requirements for the specific property.

Should Russian River Sellers Get an Elevation Certificate?

If you're preparing to sell a property in a known flood area and don't already have an Elevation Certificate, it may be worth discussing whether obtaining one before going on the market makes sense.

The advantage is information.

Instead of having a buyer discover important flood-elevation information late in the transaction, you may be able to provide useful documentation earlier in the process.

That can help buyers investigate flood insurance and understand the property before getting too far into escrow.

Flood Zones Are Only One Part of Russian River Real Estate

Flooding is an important issue, but it isn't the only thing I look at when helping someone evaluate a Russian River property.

Depending on the location, we may also need to investigate:

• Septic systems
• Sewer connections
• Wells and water systems
• Creeks
• Drainage
• Hillsides and landslide areas
• Fire insurance
• Defensible space
• Access and private roads
• Permits and additions
• Vacation-rental regulations

This is why local Russian River real estate experience matters.

A beautiful cabin near the river can be a great property, but buyers need to understand what comes with owning it.

Buying or Selling Russian River Real Estate?

If you're considering a home in Guerneville, Forestville, Monte Rio, Rio Nido, Cazadero, Duncans Mills, Jenner or elsewhere along the Russian River, I can help you understand the local issues to investigate before making a decision.

I've spent years working with Russian River properties and helping buyers and sellers navigate the issues that make this market different.

Call David R. Millar with The Millar Group at 707-217-1786.