CFS FEMA Regulations & NFIP Compliance 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under the NFIP, what is the minimum required freeboard above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) for new residential construction in a Zone AE?
- 0 feet — structures need only meet BFE (Correct answer)
- 1 foot above BFE per FEMA minimum standard
- 2 feet above BFE as a federal mandate
- Freeboard is set solely by local ordinance, not FEMA
Correct answer: 0 feet — structures need only meet BFE
FEMA's minimum standard is that the lowest floor must be at or above BFE; any freeboard is a community or state add-on, not a federal NFIP requirement.
Question 2: A community receives a Letter of Final Determination (LFD) from FEMA. What does this signify?
- The community has been suspended from the NFIP
- A FIRM revision has been finalized and will become effective in 6 months (Correct answer)
- The community's CRS rating has been officially updated
- A Conditional Letter of Map Revision has been approved
Correct answer: A FIRM revision has been finalized and will become effective in 6 months
An LFD notifies the community that a revised FIRM has been finalized and will become effective 6 months after the LFD date.
Question 3: Which NFIP flood zone designation indicates a 0.2% annual chance flood area with no established BFE?
- Zone AO
- Zone AH
- Zone X (shaded) (Correct answer)
- Zone A99
Correct answer: Zone X (shaded)
Shaded Zone X (formerly Zone B) represents the 0.2% annual chance (500-year) flood area where BFEs are not determined.
Question 4: Under 44 CFR Part 60, what is the NFIP definition of 'substantial improvement' for an existing structure?
- Any improvement costing more than $10,000
- Any reconstruction or improvement whose cost equals or exceeds 25% of market value
- Any reconstruction or improvement whose cost equals or exceeds 50% of market value (Correct answer)
- Any improvement that increases the structure's footprint by more than 10%
Correct answer: Any reconstruction or improvement whose cost equals or exceeds 50% of market value
Substantial improvement means any reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, or improvement of a structure whose cost equals or exceeds 50% of the market value of the structure.
Question 5: A Conditional Letter of Map Amendment (CLOMA) is issued by FEMA for what purpose?
- To temporarily suspend a community from the NFIP
- To indicate a structure or parcel would be excluded from the SFHA if a proposed project is built as shown (Correct answer)
- To officially remove a structure from the SFHA after construction
- To revise a FIRM based on new hydrologic data
Correct answer: To indicate a structure or parcel would be excluded from the SFHA if a proposed project is built as shown
A CLOMA is a pre-construction determination that a proposed lot or structure, if built as proposed, would be excluded from the SFHA.
Question 6: In Zone V coastal areas under the NFIP, what additional construction requirement applies that does not apply in Zone A?
- Structures must be elevated on fill only
- Structures must be elevated on open foundations (pilings/columns) free of obstruction below BFE (Correct answer)
- Structures require a variance from FEMA before any construction
- No basements are permitted, but enclosed foundations are allowed
Correct answer: Structures must be elevated on open foundations (pilings/columns) free of obstruction below BFE
Zone V requires structures to be elevated on pilings or columns with the area below BFE free of obstruction to allow wave action to pass beneath.
Question 7: Which document does a community's floodplain administrator use to grant or deny permits for development in the SFHA?
- Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) alone
- Flood Insurance Study (FIS) alone
- Both the FIRM and accompanying FIS as a package (Correct answer)
- The National Flood Insurance Program Regulations (44 CFR)
Correct answer: Both the FIRM and accompanying FIS as a package
The FIRM and the FIS are companion documents; the FIS provides the technical data (BFEs, flood profiles) supporting the FIRM's flood zone delineations used in permitting.
CFS FEMA Regulations & NFIP Compliance 2
Under the NFIP, what is the minimum required freeboard above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) for new residential construction in a Zone AE?