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Florida flood insurance guide

LOMA: getting your Florida home out of the high-risk flood zone

Reviewed by Matt Williams, licensed Florida insurance agent (2-20 General Lines). Last reviewed November 13, 2026.

A LOMA is a letter from FEMA that takes your house or your lot out of the high-risk zone on the flood map. You can get one when a survey shows the ground right next to the house is above the base flood elevation. FEMA charges no fee for a LOMA. Your lender then decides whether it still requires flood insurance.

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What is a LOMA?

LOMA stands for Letter of Map Amendment. A flood map draws the high-risk zone with a line. That line is drawn along streets and other features you can see, so a house on high ground can still end up inside it. FEMA made the LOMA for that case: a home on naturally high ground that the map puts in the high-risk zone.

The letter officially changes the flood map for your property. It does not mean the house cannot flood. It means FEMA agrees the house sits above the flood level the map uses.

So does your house qualify? Here is the test.

Does your house qualify for a LOMA?

The test is the ground, not the floor. A surveyor or engineer must show that the lowest ground touching the house is above the base flood elevation. That is the flood height FEMA set for your spot. A house with a high first floor but low ground around it does not pass this test.

Was the lot built up with fill dirt? Then the request is not a LOMA. It is a Letter of Map Revision based on Fill, or LOMR-F. Your county or city must sign off that the fill meets its floodplain rules. A LOMR-F is not open to land in a V zone or a floodway.

A whole-area map change is a LOMR. The community asks for it, not one owner. See how a LOMR works.

A high first floor can still matter for the price. See what an elevation certificate can do.

What do you need to send? See the list.

What do you need to send FEMA?

You may already have most of the numbers. An elevation certificate records the height of the ground next to the house, and it can support a LOMA request. Check if one is already on file for your home.

Before you pay for a survey, check whether FEMA already issued a letter for your property. Hernando County points owners to FEMA's Map Service Center, which shows whether a LOMA was issued. That works for any Florida address.

How do you apply, and how long does it take? See the steps.

How do you apply, and how long does a LOMA take?

You can apply online through FEMA's Online LOMC site or send the forms by mail. FEMA says to use the online site "if your property was inadvertently included in a flood zone."

Then the clock runs like this:

  1. Within 30 days, FEMA tells you whether anything is missing.
  2. Within 60 days after FEMA has everything it needs, it sends its answer.
  3. FEMA can take 60 more days if it needs them.

If something is missing, the 60 days do not start until you send it. Plan for the request to take a few months, and do not count on it before a closing date.

What does it cost? See the fees.

What does a LOMA cost?

What happens with your lender? Here is what to expect.

What happens with your lender and your policy?

Send a copy of the letter to your lender. The lender decides what happens next. Outside the high-risk zone, federal law no longer makes the lender require flood insurance. The lender can still require it under your loan contract.

Keep your policy while you wait. If your lender requires flood insurance, keep it in force until the lender tells you in writing that it no longer does.

If the lender drops the requirement, you may cancel an NFIP policy. You get back your share of the premium for the rest of the current policy year, counted from the day you ask to cancel. You do not get back the fees or surcharges.

Think the lender's zone call itself is wrong? That is a different route. You and your lender can jointly ask FEMA to review the lender's flood zone decision within 45 days of the lender's notice. There is a fee. FEMA does not look at elevation in that review, so if your case is that the ground sits high, the LOMA is the route. See how lender flood rules work.

Will the letter lower your price? Read this first.

Will a LOMA lower your flood insurance price?

Not by itself. Your zone decides whether a lender requires flood insurance. It does not set your NFIP price. Under Risk Rating 2.0, the price comes from the home and its spot: how high the first floor sits, what it would cost to rebuild, and how often that spot floods. FEMA says approval of a map change "can result in a change in premium." It may. It may not.

So two homes in the same zone can pay very different prices, and a LOMA does not promise a lower one. What you can do:

Not sure what zone your home is in today? Check my address and see the FEMA zone for that exact spot.

Who in your county can help? See Florida county offices.

Florida county help with a LOMA

Your county or city floodplain office may already hold a letter for your home, or help you start one. These Florida counties say so on their own pages:

See the flood map for your county: Pinellas County flood zone map, Hillsborough County flood zone map, Miami-Dade County flood zone map.

Questions Florida homeowners ask about a LOMA

Is a LOMA free?

Yes. FEMA charges no fee for a Letter of Map Amendment. You still pay the surveyor or engineer who certifies the elevations.

How long does a LOMA take?

FEMA tells you within 30 days if anything is missing. It answers within 60 days after it has everything, and it can take 60 more days if it needs them.

What is the difference between a LOMA and a LOMR-F?

A LOMA is for a home on natural ground that sits above the flood level. A LOMR-F is for land raised with fill. A LOMR-F has a FEMA fee plus $35 for map changes, and the county or city must sign off on the fill.

Does a LOMA lower my flood insurance price?

Not by itself. Under Risk Rating 2.0 the zone does not set the NFIP price. A map change may change the premium, but there is no promise it will go down.

Can my lender still require flood insurance after a LOMA?

Yes. Federal law no longer makes the lender require it once the home is out of the high-risk zone, but the lender can still require it under the loan contract. Ask your lender in writing.

Can I get a refund if I cancel after a LOMA?

If the lender no longer requires flood insurance, you may cancel an NFIP policy and get back your share of the premium for the rest of the current policy year. Fees and surcharges are not refunded.

Sources and dates

Facts last checked November 13, 2026. Every figure comes from the federal or state source listed above.

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