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Licensed Illinois land surveyors preparing FEMA Elevation Certificates for flood insurance and floodplain compliance across Chicago and Cook County.
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Home › Services › FEMA Elevation Certificates › Chicago, IL
As a city that fronts Lake Michigan and is threaded by the Chicago, Des Plaines, and Calumet river systems, Chicago contains a wide range of flood settings, from high lakefront bluffs to low riverside and Calumet-basin neighborhoods. Flood exposure varies dramatically by location, with the most significant Special Flood Hazard Areas following the rivers and the far south side. Wherever a building sits near one of those areas, a FEMA Elevation Certificate documents its elevation against the Base Flood Elevation for insurance and permitting.
A FEMA Elevation Certificate documents your building’s elevation relative to the Base Flood Elevation on the FEMA flood map. Insurers use it to rate flood policies and communities use it to confirm floodplain compliance; it can also support a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) to remove a structure from a flood zone.
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Chicago is the county seat and largest city in Cook County, with roughly 2.7 million residents and no township structure of its own. Its drainage spans all three regional systems, the Chicago River, the Des Plaines River, and the Calumet River, with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) as the lead stormwater authority and Lake Michigan along its eastern edge. Flood exposure is highly localized: extensive along the river corridors and in low south-side and Calumet neighborhoods, but limited on higher and lakefront-bluff ground. An Elevation Certificate records a specific building’s elevation against the Base Flood Elevation, which insurers use to rate coverage, the city uses for floodplain-permit compliance, and owners use to support a Letter of Map Amendment.
Official resources for Chicago property owners
Flood exposure is greatest along the Chicago, Des Plaines, and Calumet river corridors and in low south-side and Calumet-basin neighborhoods, while higher and lakefront-bluff areas carry less.
You would if the building sits in or near a mapped Special Flood Hazard Area, or if a lender or insurer requests one; a surveyor can confirm your specific address.
Yes. When it shows the lowest floor above the Base Flood Elevation, insurers can rate the policy on measured data, which often reduces the premium.
Pi Surveying provides the full range of land surveying services for Chicago property owners and builders:
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Pi Surveying, located in Oak Brook, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, is a professional land surveying design firm that provides land surveys for both the private and commercial sector.