When buildings within a regulated flood zone are located on a site where the land is higher than the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) designated flood level, these buildings may be reclassified as being in less-restrictive flood zones through a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA).
FEMA has transitioned from using flood maps to evaluate new flood insurance policies to its newly introduced system, Risk Rating 2.0. As a result, securing a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) will not yield the same cost-saving benefits as before. Although flood maps will still exist, their primary purposes are now limited to setting construction standards related to flooding hazards and aiding mortgage lenders in determining the applicability of federal mandatory flood insurance laws to specific buildings.
With FEMA proposing new flood maps, obtaining a LOMA would be ineffective as they'll likely be extinguished once the preliminary maps are in effect. Most existing LOMA's will be rescinded with the new flood maps. FEMA's Preliminary Summary of Map Actions (SOMA) (PDF) contains current map changes that will likely be extinguished when the new flood maps become effective.
Filing a LOMA for the new flood maps is not permitted before the effective date of the updated maps.
