The FEMA MT-1 flood map form is the application property owners use to ask FEMA to remove a structure or parcel from a Special Flood Hazard Area on the Flood Insurance Rate Map. A successful application produces a Letter of Map Change, which can lift the mandatory flood insurance requirement that federal law imposes on properties in high-risk zones carrying federally backed mortgages.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 4012a – Flood Insurance Purchase and Compliance Requirements The whole process turns on proving with elevation data that your property sits above the base flood elevation, either because the ground was always high enough or because fill raised it.
Pick the Right Request Type First
The MT-1 covers four requests, and choosing wrong sends your file down the wrong review track.2FEMA. Change Your Flood Zone Designation
- A Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) is for property on naturally high ground that was never elevated by fill. This is the common request for a homeowner who believes the map put them in a flood zone by mistake.
- A Conditional Letter of Map Amendment (CLOMA) is a non-binding preview for a proposed project on natural ground.
- A Letter of Map Revision Based on Fill (LOMR-F) is for property elevated above the base flood elevation by earthen fill.
- A Conditional Letter of Map Revision Based on Fill (CLOMR-F) previews a fill project before construction begins.
Conditional determinations do not revise the flood map. They tell you whether the finished project, if built as designed, would qualify. Once the work is done, you still submit a final LOMA or LOMR-F with as-built data to actually change the map.
Documents to Gather Before You Start
An incomplete package is the most common reason applications stall. Pull everything together before you open the forms.
Property Records
You need a copy of the recorded deed showing the legal description, stamped by the county recorder’s office, plus a plat map or tax assessor’s map showing where the property sits. If the deed uses metes and bounds rather than a simple lot-and-block reference, that description has to be certified by a registered professional engineer or licensed land surveyor.3FEMA.gov. MT-1 Application Forms and Instructions for Conditional and Final Letters of Map Amendment and Letters of Map Revision Based on Fill
Elevation Certificate
The Elevation Certificate is the technical backbone of the application. A licensed surveyor, engineer, or architect (as authorized by state law) completes it, recording the elevation of the lowest floor, the lowest adjacent grade, and other measurements relative to the base flood elevation.4Federal Emergency Management Agency. Elevation Certificate and Instructions A surveyor typically charges several hundred dollars, more for large or hard-to-access sites.
An existing certificate does not expire on its own. You only need a new one if you’ve physically altered the building or the adjacent grade in a way that would change the certified measurements. A new flood map, by itself, does not require a new certificate.5FEMA. Elevation Certificate: FAQ
Community Acknowledgment (Fill Requests Only)
If your request involves fill, a local floodplain official must complete Form 3. The official certifies that the fill meets local floodplain management requirements, that no fill was placed in the regulatory floodway, that all federal, state, and local permits are in hand, and that the land is reasonably safe from flooding. Form 3 also requires acknowledgment of compliance with Sections 9 and 10 of the Endangered Species Act.6Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA MT-1 Flood Map Form Contact your local floodplain administrator early. In smaller jurisdictions, one person often handles multiple roles and the signature can take time.
Completing the MT-1 Forms
The package uses numbered forms, and which ones you fill out depends on the request.6Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA MT-1 Flood Map Form
Form 1 is property information: the street address and the legal description from the deed. For multiple structures or units, attach a sheet listing each address.
Form 2 captures elevation data, including coordinates and the lowest lot elevation. If you already have a completed Elevation Certificate for a structure-removal request, you can submit the certificate in place of Form 2. For requests to remove an entire legally recorded parcel, or a portion described by metes and bounds, the lowest lot elevation has to be provided on Form 2.
Form 3 is required only for LOMR-F and CLOMR-F requests. Your local floodplain official completes and signs it. If the property sits within a regulatory floodway, Section B of Form 3 also has to be filled in.
A payment form covers requests that carry a fee. Double-check the request type box on Form 1 before you submit. Marking LOMA when you meant LOMR-F, or the reverse, sends the file to the wrong review track and delays everything.
What It Costs
LOMA requests are free, whether they cover one lot or several. Every other request type carries a processing fee, and online submissions cost less than paper.7Federal Emergency Management Agency. Flood Map-Related Fees
- Single-lot LOMR-F: $525 paper, $425 online.
- Single-lot LOMR-F with a prior CLOMR-F: $425 paper, $325 online.
- Single-lot CLOMA or CLOMR-F: $600 paper, $500 online.
- Multiple-lot CLOMR-F or LOMR-F: $900 paper, $800 online.
- Multiple-lot LOMR-F with a prior CLOMR-F: $800 paper, $700 online.
- Multiple-lot CLOMA: $800 paper, $700 online.
The fees cover the engineering review and the physical revision of the affected map panels.8eCFR. 44 CFR Part 72 – Procedures and Fees for Processing Map Changes
How to Submit
You can file online or by mail. Online is faster, cheaper, and catches missing fields before you send.
Online
FEMA’s Online LOMC portal is at hazards.fema.gov/femaportal/onlinelomc. Create an account, enter the property and elevation data, and upload scanned copies of the deed, Elevation Certificate, plat map, and any other supporting documents. The system flags incomplete fields before letting you finalize. Review the summary carefully. Once submitted, corrections require contacting the LOMC Clearinghouse.
By Mail
Send the complete package (all applicable forms, supporting documents, and the payment form) to:
LOMC Clearinghouse
3601 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite 500
Alexandria, VA 22304-64269Federal Emergency Management Agency. Application Assistance
Use a trackable service. Paper costs more and takes longer, but it remains an option for anyone who can’t use the portal.
Timeline and Possible Outcomes
Technical review begins once the LOMC Clearinghouse confirms a complete package with all required documents and fees. For LOMAs and LOMR-Fs, review typically takes 30 to 60 days.9Federal Emergency Management Agency. Application Assistance Incomplete applications come back with a request for the missing items, which restarts the clock.
FEMA issues one of two outcomes. A removal determination officially takes the property or structure out of the Special Flood Hazard Area. A non-removal determination means the elevation data did not justify removal. Either way, FEMA sends a formal determination letter that serves as the legal record. If your request is denied, you can resubmit with better data. There is no cap on reapplications, but each new LOMR-F submission requires a new fee.
What to Do With an Approval
A removal determination only helps if you act on it. The letter is what changes your obligations with your lender and insurer.
Federal law requires flood insurance on properties in Special Flood Hazard Areas with federally backed mortgages.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 4012a – Flood Insurance Purchase and Compliance Requirements Once FEMA’s letter confirms the property is out of the zone, that mandate no longer applies. Fannie Mae guidelines, for example, state that flood insurance is not required when the lender obtains a FEMA letter confirming removal from the SFHA.10Fannie Mae. Flood Insurance Requirements for All Property Types
To cancel an NFIP policy, send your insurer a copy of the determination letter along with either a written statement from your mortgage servicer confirming flood insurance is no longer required, or your own signed certification that no lender, landlord, or federal agency requires you to carry coverage. The certification warns that canceling may forfeit any subsidized premium rate.11Federal Emergency Management Agency. NFIP Flood Insurance Manual – How to Cancel If the property is ever remapped back into a flood zone, you would restart at current rates rather than a grandfathered premium, so weigh that before dropping the policy.
If you’ve been paying NFIP premiums on a property that should never have been in the flood zone, you may be eligible for a refund of up to five years of premiums, fees, and surcharges, measured from the date FEMA receives verifiable evidence of the property’s actual status.12eCFR. 44 CFR 62.5 – Nullifications, Cancellations, and Premium Refunds Send your flood insurance provider a copy of the determination letter to start the refund. The five-year window applies to nullifications where the property was ineligible for coverage, not to every cancellation scenario, so the facts of your situation control what you get back.