NFIP Elevation Rating

Elevation Rating was the primary Legacy Rating method used to calculate flood insurance rates for buildings in Special Flood Hazard Areas. It required the calculation of an elevation difference, or the measurement of how high the main floor of a building sat above the floodplain.

The calculation of elevation difference was dependent upon flood zone and the building type.

Under Legacy Rating, subsidized rating methods were permitted based on factors like the building's date of construction, whether the policyholder had continuous coverage, or if a building was located in a non-Special Flood Hazard Area at the time of its construction. These subsidized methods were used instead of elevation rating.

Due to the confusion surrounding elevation rating, its use was abandoned for the determination of flood insurance rates. Its practices are still is used to calculate the floodproofing mitigation discount.

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