What is a Finished Floor Elevation Certificate? 

It's a document typically prepared by a registered land surveyor and used to establish that the house was properly elevated as required by Federal and County flood plain management regulations.  The floor elevation listed on the certificate is typically that of the lowest habitable floor elevation of a structure.  The elevation value is in "feet above mean sea level".  The form used for certificates has changed significantly over the years.   Elevation Certificates were first required for houses on property located in the FEMA 100 Year Flood Zone and permitted after August 1, 1980.   We have on file thousands of certificates for nearly every house built since August 1980.  Please note that occasionally we are unable to locate some certificates due to erroneous addresses or filing/handling errors.

How to Request a Search for a Finished Floor Elevation Certificate for Homes in the Unincorporated Areas of Chatham County

There are two ways to send in your search request:

1. Either, print out this form* to mail or Fax your request, or
2. email us here: Elevation Certificate Search Request

* This form is in Acrobat PDF format and requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to access.  If you wish to view and to print the form,  you must have the free Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. You may download the correct version for your computer system by clicking here.

IMPORTANT - The minimum information needed to process your request is the Property Identification Number (PIN), street address, and how you want the determination delivered: (email, fax or USPS mail).   If you can also include additional information such as the lot number, subdivision name, it will help us avoid mistakes and enable us to process your request quicker. Also, if appropriate, please include your fax number or mailing address.  It will also help if you use the following format for the PIN: 

A-BBBBC-DD-EEEF,  where A  is always "1" for properties in the unincorporated areas of the County that we service,  BBBB  is the 4 digit map number, C is the letter extension that is sometimes part of the map number, DD  is the two digit block number, EEE  is the three digit parcel number, and  F  is the letter extension that is sometimes part of the parcel number. 

Example: 1-2345A-67-890B is Tax Map #2345A, Block 67, Parcel 890B in the unincorporated County.