MT-EZ Form Instructions

This page provides MT-EZ paper application instructions for a single structure or lot Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) submitted through the mail. This page is intended for home and property owners and community officials who wish to submit a MT-EZ application via paper form.

Download the MT-EZ paper application

If you wish to submit your application online instead of on the paper MT-EZ form, you may use FEMA’s Online LOMC Application.

IF THE ANSWER IS "YES," YOU CANNOT USE THE mt-ez FORM

You will need to complete the MT-1 application package and request a Letter of Map Revision Based on Fill (LOMR-F). To learn more about the LOMR-F process, please review the LOMR-F Instructions and Tutorial.

The instructions on this page are designed to guide you through the LOMA application process for only the MT-EZ: Application Form for Single Residential Lot or Structure Amendments to National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Maps paper form.

In 1968, the U.S. Congress passed the National Flood Insurance Act, which created the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The NFIP was designed to reduce future flood losses through the adoption of local floodplain management regulations and to provide protection for property owners against potential losses through an insurance mechanism that allows a premium to be paid for the protection of those who need it most. The creation of the NFIP represented a major shift in federal strategy from previous structural flood-control and disaster relief programs.

As part of the agreement for making flood insurance available in a community, the NFIP requires the community to adopt floodplain management ordinances that meet certain minimum requirements intended to reduce future flood losses. The community official or agency responsible for floodplain management in a community may be able to provide information that would be useful to a requester. This official or agency usually is responsible for engineering, public works, flood control or planning in the community as well. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) implemented the use of application forms for requesting revisions or amendments to NFIP maps for two reasons. First, the forms provide requesters with a comprehensive, step-by-step process to follow. This process provides the requester with assurance that all necessary information to support their request is being submitted to FEMA at one time, thus avoiding the need to go through an iterative process of providing additional information in a piecemeal fashion, which can result in a time-consuming and cost-intensive process. Second, use of the forms assures that the requesters' submissions are complete and more logically structured and generally allows FEMA to complete its review in a shorter timeframe.

If you believe your property may be inadvertently shown in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), the area subject to inundation by the 1-percent-annual-chance "100-year flood" base flood, you may submit certain property and elevation information to FEMA for a formal determination of the property's location relative to the SFHA. Owners of structures (or unimproved parcels of land) built on natural ground (not raised above the base flood by the placement of fill) may request a LOMA. Fill is defined as material placed to raise the ground to or above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE). The common construction practice of removing unsuitable existing material (topsoil) and backfilling with select structural material is not considered the placement of fill if the practice does not alter the existing (natural ground) elevation, which is at or above the BFE. Fill placed before the date of the first NFIP map showing the area in an SFHA is considered natural ground.

If FEMA determines the property is not in the SFHA, a LOMA may be issued. (The federal flood insurance requirement applies to all structures located in SFHAs that carry a mortgage loan backed by a federally regulated lender or servicer.) You may send the LOMA removal determination to your lender to request that the federal flood insurance requirement for the property be removed.

The MT-EZ form should be used by an individual property owner or property owner's agent to request that FEMA remove a single residential structure or a legally-recorded parcel of land or portions thereof, described by metes and bounds certified by a registered professional engineer or licensed land surveyor, from a designated SFHA via a LOMA. It shall not be used for requests submitted by developers, requests involving multiple lots or structures, property in Alluvial Fan areas, Coastal High Hazard Areas (V Zones) or requests involving the placement of fill. In addition, it shall not be used for requests involving changes to BFEs, regulatory floodway designations or proposed projects. Please note that Section B of the MT-EZ form must be completed by a registered professional engineer or licensed land surveyor.

Please keep in mind that lenders may, as part of their standard business practices, require flood insurance as a condition of any loan. We encourage you to consult with your lender before requesting a LOMA to find out if the flood insurance requirement will be waived if a LOMA is issued. Additionally, even if FEMA issues a LOMA or LOMR-F that removes your property from a flood zone in which flood insurance is federally required, it does not mean that the risk of flooding has been eliminated. Homeowners insurance does not provide any coverage for losses resulting from floods, which may occur outside the SFHA. Therefore, canceling or not renewing your flood insurance policy could have disastrous consequences, leaving you with no insurance protection from future flood losses.

Floods occur, with all too tragic frequency, in areas designated at moderate or minimal flood risk. In fact, 25 percent of all flood insurance claims occur in these areas. That is why FEMA encourages you to keep your coverage, even if you are no longer required to do so by law. The good news is that you may be eligible to pay much less for your flood insurance coverage if your property is removed from the SFHA. Contact your insurance agent to discuss the pricing benefits you may enjoy if FEMA issues a LOMA or LOMR-F. You may obtain additional information about flood insurance on the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) page.

For additional assistance in completing this form, interested parties may consult the LOMA Tutorial. This tutorial provides guidance to LOMA requesters, as well as an online tool to complete the MT-EZ form.

In accordance with NFIP regulations, FEMA will use the information provided in the MT-EZ form to determine whether property (i.e., structure, parcel of land) should be removed from a designated SFHA. In certain instances, additional data not referenced on the MT-EZ form may be required. A FEMA representative will notify the requester of any additional data requirements.

The regulations pertaining to LOMAs are presented in Title 44, Chapter I, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 70. The purpose of Part 70 is to provide an administrative procedure whereby FEMA will review information submitted by an owner or lessee of property who believes that their property has been inadvertently included in a designated SFHA. Part 70 provides information about the technical difficulty of accurately delineating the SFHA boundaries on the NFIP map for a community. Part 70 procedures shall not apply if the topography has been altered since the effective date of the first NFIP map [i.e., a Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) or Flood Hazard Boundary Map (FHBM)] showing the property to be within the SFHA.

If no fill has been placed, FEMA's determination as to whether a structure or legally recorded parcel of land, or portions thereof, described by metes and bounds, may be removed from the SFHA will be based on a comparison of the BFE with certain elevation information. For LOMA requests involving property located in Zone A, with no BFEs determined, interested parties should refer to FEMA-265, Managing Floodplain Development in Approximate Zone A Areas, A Guide for Obtaining and Developing Base (100-Year) Flood Elevations. The elevation information required will depend on whether a structure or a legally recorded parcel of land is to be removed from the SFHA.

The following special considerations may affect FEMA's determination:

• In areas of shallow/sheet flooding (Zone AO), the elevation of the Lowest Adjacent Grade (including deck posts) of the structure(s) must be above the surrounding grade by an amount equal to or greater than the depth shown on the NFIP map. In addition, adequate drainage paths are required to guide floodwaters around and away from the structure(s); the structure(s) should be on an elevated pad within the Zone AO area. With your application package, in addition to elevation information regarding the structure(s), provide a map showing the topographic data of the property and the immediate surrounding area, and the location of any structure(s) existing on the property (certified by a registered professional engineer or licensed land surveyor) to demonstrate that the above criteria have been met.

• If the lowest floor of a building has been elevated on posts, piers or pilings above the BFE and any portion of the structure (i.e., posts, pilings or piers) is still below the BFE, the building will not be removed from the SFHA.

In accordance with Section 70.4 of the NFIP regulations, FEMA will notify the requester of the determination in writing within 60 days of the date of receipt of all required data. Information about the status of active LOMA requests and other Letter of Map Change (LOMC) requests is available from FEMA's Status of Map Change Requests webpage.

Although FEMA may issue a LOMA removing a structure from the SFHA, it is the lending institution's prerogative to require flood insurance, as a condition of a loan, if it deems such action appropriate. However, if the lending institution agrees to waive the flood insurance purchase requirement for a structure, the property owner is eligible for a full refund of the premium paid for the current policy year, provided that no claim is pending or has been paid on the policy in question during the same policy year. If the property owner has been required to renew his or her policy during a period when a revised NFIP map was being printed, the premium will be refunded for an additional year. To initiate processing of the refund, the property owner should provide the LOMA and evidence of the waiver of the flood insurance requirement from the lending institution to the insurance agent or broker who sold the policy.

The property owner, a Licensed Land Surveyor, or a Registered Professional Engineer may complete Section A to support a request for a LOMA for a single structure or lot.

Before completing Section A, the requester must obtain one of the following documents from the County/Parish Clerk, Recorder or Register of Deeds for the community:

• A copy of the Plat Map for the property, showing the recordation information (e.g., Book/Volume and Page numbers or Document/Instrument number) and containing the recorder's seal and recordation date.

• A copy of the Deed for the property, showing the recordation information (e.g., Book/Volume and Page numbers or Document/Instrument number) containing the recorder's seal and recordation date, accompanied by a tax assessor's or other suitable map showing the surveyed location of the property.

If you do not have copies of these items, you may obtain them from the County Clerk, Recorder or Register of Deeds for the community where the property is located.

Additionally, a certified site plan showing the location of the structure/property may be required, if items 1 or 2 above do not display a precise location of the structure/property.

The requester also must obtain a photocopy of the effective FIRM panel (including the Title Block) that shows the area in which the property is located. The FIRM should be available at the community map repository or from the community official or agency responsible for floodplain management. Alternatively, you may go to FEMA's Flood Map Service Center (MSC) to view a scanned copy of your community's FIRM panel online. (For some communities, the effective NFIP map may be a Flood Hazard Boundary Map (FHBM), not a FIRM. In such cases, the requester should obtain and use the FHBM). You may also reproduce the section of the map that shows your property by creating a FIRMette at no cost. You may submit a copy of the FIRMette with your LOMA request to satisfy the requirement for a copy of the portion of the effective FIRM that shows the location of your property. For additional information about the FIRMette, including step-by-step instructions for creating one, please review the How to Find and Make a FIRMette tutorial.

Number 1 - Fill Placement

Regardless of the type of LOMC being requested, the requester must clearly state, to the best of his or her knowledge, whether fill has been placed on the property. The requester must answer "yes" or "no" to this question. (See "Use of Application Forms" for additional information about fill.) If fill has been placed on the property, the requester must submit a request for a Letter of Map Revision Based on Fill (LOMR-F) using the MT-1 application forms so that FEMA may determine whether the structure or lot should be removed from the SFHA.

For more information call the FEMA Map Information eXchange (FMIX), toll free, at 1-877-FEMA MAP (1-877-336-2627).

Number 2 - Legal Description of Property

The requester should describe the property by referring to the recorded deed or plat map. The description may consist of a lot number and subdivision name, a parcel number, a tract number or any other information provided in the deed or plat to identify the property. It is not necessary to reproduce a lengthy description of the property as it appears in the deed. In addition, the requester should enter the street address for the property, if one is available, if the property address is different from the mailing address.

Number 3 - Structure or Property That Is Subject of Request

FEMA will make a LOMA determination for a structure or a parcel of land. The requester should select the one for which they would like FEMA to make a determination. If the request is for a structure, the requester must provide the date of construction in this section. Date of construction information usually may be obtained from real estate settlement documents, the property developer or the local government office where real estate and/or land development transactions are recorded.  If the request is for a portion of a parcel, a certified metes and bounds description and map of the area to be removed, certified by a licensed land surveyor or registered professional engineer, are required. The metes and bounds description must cover the specific area to be removed, and it must be tied to an identifiable starting point. If the description is for a legally recorded lot or parcel, the metes and bounds description should commence or begin at the lot or parcel corner. Metes and bounds descriptions must not intersect or coincide with the footprint of an existing structure. Please see the example below for the preferred format of metes and bounds descriptions.

BEGINNING at the northeast lot corner; thence S16°42’22”E, 100.00 feet; thence S33°14’40”W, 145.92 feet; thence S89°13’29”W, 156.01 feet; thence N16°42’22”W, 223.14 feet; thence 210.49 feet along a curve to the left having a radius of 542.00 feet to the POINT OF BEGINNING

DHS-FEMA encourages the submission of metes and bounds descriptions in digital format on a CD. This may help expedite the processing of your request.

Signature

The requester must provide his or her name, mailing address and telephone number in the space provided. The requester also must sign and date, where indicated, to certify the accuracy of the information provided in Section A of the form. A Licensed Land Surveyor or Registered Professional Engineer may sign this form for the requester when submitting on behalf of the requester.

A Licensed Land Surveyor or Registered Professional Engineer must complete Section B unless an NFIP Elevation Certificate has already been completed for the property. If an Elevation Certificate has already been completed, the Elevation Certificate may be submitted in lieu of Section B of the MT-EZ form.

Before completing Section B, the surveyor or engineer must obtain the effective FIRM panel, effective Flood Boundary and Floodway Map (FBFM) panel (if printed) and Flood Insurance Study (FIS) report that cover the area in which the property is located. These can be obtained from the Community Map Repository or from the MSC. (For some communities, the effective NFIP map may be an FHBM, not a FIRM. In such cases, the engineer or surveyor should obtain and use the FHBM.)

Items to be Removed from the SFHA

The surveyor or engineer must identify what is to be removed from the SFHA. The surveyor or engineer must provide the required elevation information as described on the form.

Number 1 – Property Information

The surveyor or engineer must provide a brief description of the property by referring to the recorded deed or plat map. The description may consist of a lot number and subdivision name, a parcel number, a tract number, or any other information provided in the deed or plat to identify the property. It is not necessary to reproduce a lengthy description of the property as it appears in the Deed.

Number 2 - Building Information

The surveyor or engineer must provide the street address for the property, if one is available, or the name of the road providing access.

Type of Construction

If the request involves or will involve a structure, the surveyor or engineer must provide the type of construction.

• Crawl Space - The area below the first floor is enclosed by solid or partial perimeter walls.

• Slab on Grade - The bottom floor is at or above grade level on at least one side.

• Basement/Enclosure - The bottom floor is below grade level on all sides. Note: Buildings constructed above crawl spaces that are below grade on all sides should also use this type of construction.

• Other - All other structure types not listed above including, but not limited to: split levels, structures on piers, mobile homes, etc.

Number 3 - Geographic Coordinate Data

The surveyor or engineer must provide the latitude and longitude of the property in decimal degrees to the nearest thousandth (00.000) and indicate the appropriate horizontal datum.

Number 4 - Flood Insurance Rate Map Information

In the first box, the surveyor or engineer must provide the NFIP community number as it appears in the Title Block of the FIRM (or FHBM) panel that shows the area where the property is located. In the second box, the surveyor or engineer must provide the map and panel number. For additional information on reading FIRM panels, interested parties may consult the tutorial How to Use a FIRM.

In the third box, the surveyor or engineer must provide the BFE. In the fourth box, the surveyor or engineer must provide the source of the BFE. The surveyor or engineer may obtain the BFE by locating the property on the effective FIRM for the community in which the property is located. Upon locating the property on the FIRM, the engineer or surveyor should determine the type of flooding and the flood zone where the property is located. The summary below provides direction as to how to determine the BFE as a result of the flooding type and flood zone determination.

• Riverine Flooding Systems (Zones AE or A1-A30) – Consult the FIS report for the community in which the property is located. Locate the flood profile for the flooding source by name. Estimate the property's location along the flood profile and interpolate the BFE using the 100-year flood profile line.

• Lacustrine (Stillwater) Flooding Systems – Consult the FIS report for the community in which the property is located. Locate the Summary of Stillwater Elevations table. Locate the flooding source by name and use the BFE listed in the table. The flooding source's BFE is normally shown to the nearest 0.1 foot. If the flooding source is not listed in the Summary of Stillwater Elevations table, use the BFE as shown on the FIRM.

• Coastal Flooding Systems (Zones AE or A1-A30 and VE or V1-V30) – Obtain the BFE from the FIRM panel. Consult the FIS report for the community in which the property is located. Locate the Summary of Stillwater Elevations table in the FIS report. Identify the flooding source by name and use the BFE listed in the table. Compare the BFE listed in this table to the BFE obtained from the FIRM. If the stillwater elevation listed in the table is less than or equal to the whole-foot BFE shown on the FIRM minus 0.5 foot, a wave height, wave runup and/or wave setup component exists. In this case, use the whole-foot BFE shown on the FIRM. If the stillwater elevation listed in the table is greater than the whole-foot BFE shown on the FIRM minus 0.4 foot, use the stillwater elevation shown in the table as the BFE. (Any structure/parcel of land located seaward of the landward toe of the primary frontal dune may not be removed from a Zone VE or V1-V30.)

• Zone A Flooding – If the property is located in Zone A, an area of approximate flooding with no BFEs determined, determine a BFE. Consult with a federal, state or local government agency to determine if that agency has developed a BFE. Such agencies include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Geological Survey, the State's Department of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Quality or Department of Transportation or the local Planning and Zoning Department. If one has been developed, all supporting data and calculations used to develop the BFE must be submitted.

• If a BFE has not previously been developed, consult FEMA 265, Managing Floodplain Development in Approximate Zone A Areas, A Guide for Obtaining and Developing Base (100-Year) Flood Elevations, available in the FEMA Library. This publication is an excellent resource that details the appropriate methods for determining BFEs in SFHAs designated Zone A. To obtain a printed copy of this publication or to obtain additional information about developing BFEs, contact the FMIX, toll free, at 1-877-FEMA MAP (1-877-336-2627). If the property is greater than 50 lots or 5 acres, whichever is the lesser, the engineer or surveyor must determine a BFE in accordance with Paragraph 60.3(b)(3) of the NFIP regulations.

• Shallow/Sheet Flooding (Zone AH) – For a property located in Zone AH, locate the Summary of Stillwater Elevations table in the FIS report. Identify the flooding source, by name, and use the BFE listed in the table. If no Summary of Stillwater Elevations table exists, use the BFE shown on the FIRM. If different elevations appear within the same SFHA, the BFE is obtained by linear interpolation between two adjacent BFE lines.

• Shallow/Sheet Flooding (Zone AO) – For a property located in Zone AO, the characteristics of the Zone AO area shown on the NFIP map will determine the appropriate methodology to be used to develop the BFE for the property. If the flooding is conveyed by the street, provide the highest top of curb or crown of street elevation (whichever is higher) along the property line and add this to the depth of flooding. The lowest adjacent grade elevation must be above the curb or street elevation by an amount equal to or greater than the depth of flooding shown on the NFIP map. If the entire property is inundated by the SFHA and the flow is not conveyed by the street, add the depth of flooding to the average surrounding grade. If the property is partially inundated by the SFHA and the street does not convey the flow, add the depth of flooding to the lowest lot elevation. Along with the information required for one of the above-mentioned methods, provide sufficient certified topographic information, including flow paths, to show that the structure is located on high ground relative to the depth indicated on the NFIP map.

Number 5 – Elevation Information

• Lowest Adjacent Grade (LAG) to the Structure – For requests involving a structure, provide the LAG elevation (the elevation of the lowest ground touching the structure including attached patios, stairs, deck supports or garages), to the nearest 0.1 foot or meter. If the FIRM shows BFEs in meters, the accuracy of the LAG elevation must be to the nearest 0.1 meter.

• Lowest Lot Elevation – For requests involving property, or a portion thereof,  not a structure, provide the lowest lot elevation to the nearest 0.1 foot or meter. If FIRM shows BFEs in meters, the accuracy of the lowest lot elevation must be to the nearest 0.1 meter.

• Elevation Datum – Provide the elevation datum (e.g., National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929, North American Vertical Datum of 1988) for which the property elevations are referenced. If the datum being referenced is different than the datum used to produce the effective FIRM, provide the datum conversion. Please note that Mean Sea Level Datum is used within the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and Local Tidal Datum is used within the U.S. Virgin Islands.

• Subsidence or Uplift – Land subsidence is the lowering of the ground as a result of water, oil, gas extraction, as well as other phenomena such as soil compaction, decomposition of organic material and tectonic movement. Periodically, the National Geodetic Survey relevels some benchmarks to determine new elevations above the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929; however, not all benchmarks are releveled each time.

Check "yes" if the area of the property is in an area of subsidence or uplift and provide the date of the current releveling; check "no" if the area of the property is not in an area of subsidence or uplift. In areas experiencing ground subsidence (e.g., Harris County, Texas, and Incorporated Areas), the most recently adjusted Elevation Reference Mark (ERM) must be used for accurate ground and structure elevations. Consult the effective FIS report for the community where the property is located or the local floodplain administrator for the most current ERM data.

In general, the effects of subsidence can be accounted for by determining ground and structure elevations using benchmark elevations with the same releveling date as the benchmarks used to develop the BFEs on the FIRM. Benchmark releveling dates may be different for different flooding sources. No adjustment is necessary to the BFEs on the FIRM.

Certification (by a Licensed Land Surveyor, Registered Professional Engineer, or Architect)

The certifier must provide his or her name, license number and expiration date, his or her company name, telephone number and, if applicable, his or her fax number. The certifier's seal, if available, may be provided here. The certifier must sign and date the Elevation Form, where indicated, to certify the accuracy of the information provided. Not all states authorize architects and engineers to certify elevation information. Consult the state board of registration for more information.

Submitting the Package to FEMA

Don't forget to sign and date your application!

The following documents must be submitted with your completed MT-EZ form, as applicable:

• A copy of the subdivision plat map (with recordation data and stamp of the Recorder's Office)

Or

• A copy of the recorded property deed (with recordation data and stamp of the Recorder's Office), accompanied by a copy of a tax assessor's map or other suitable map showing the property's surveyed location with respect to local streets and watercourses

• A copy of the effective FIRM panel and/or FBFM, if applicable

• A map scale and North Arrow must be included on all maps submitted

All LOMA requests should be sent to the address listed below.

LOMC Clearinghouse

847 South Pickett Street

Alexandria, VA 22304-4605

To check on the status of your case, please contact the FEMA Map Information eXchange at 1-877-FEMA-MAP (1-877-336-2627) or check the Flood Hazard Mapping Web site for information about the Status of Map Change Requests.

Your application will be processed once FEMA receives the completed MT-EZ form and all the appropriate supporting materials.

A determination will be issued within 30 to 60 days of receipt of all necessary materials.

For more information about flood hazard mapping, floodplain management, or other information provided on this page, contact a Map Specialist in the FEMA Map Information eXchange (FMIX) through the following methods:

• Call (1-877) FEMA MAP (1-877-336-2627) Monday through Friday, 8:00 am through 6:30 pm (EST)
• Email FEMAMapSpecialist@riskmapcds.com
• Chat with a Map Specialist Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (EST)