- Changes to FEMA Flood Maps in the District (PDF)
- Letter of Map Amendment Cover Page
- LOMA Determination Document (Removal)
It has been 20-30 years since FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps (“FIRMs”) were updated for Brazoria County. For the 18 subdivisions in BCMUD#28, the City of Pearland is currently using the Brazoria County FEMA FIRMs from 1989 and 1999.
FEMA updated the FIRMs for Brazoria County in 2019 and the updated FIRMs are pending approval by the County in December 2020.
With the updated maps, 3 of the subdivisions within BCMUD#28 are affected by the update which moves some of the properties in the subdivisions from Zone X (the 500-year flood plain) into Zone AE (the 100-year flood plain). This change could affect the flood insurance rates and property values of homes affected if the changes stand.
The affected homes are as follows:
- Province Village – 12 lots in tracts B and C; and
- Highland Crossing – 93 lots in sections 1, 3, and 4; and
- Canterbury Park – 86 lots in section 6.
FEMA provides property owners the opportunity to protest the maps and request changes through a Letter of Map Amendment (“LOMA”). While FEMA does not charge a fee to review a LOMA request, requesters are responsible for providing the required mapping and survey information specific to their property. The process requires that a land surveyor, engineer, or architect certify the elevation information in an elevation certificate (FEMA Form 086-0-33). In 2019, the average cost of an elevation certificate was approximately $600.
At its December 2020 meeting, the Board of Directors of BCMUD#28 approved a contract with LJA Engineering Inc. to conduct a survey and file LOMA requests with FEMA for the affected properties in Province Village and Highland Crossing. The cost of the survey will be paid by BCMUD#28 at no cost to the affected property owners. The survey is expected to begin shortly and will involve the use of drone technology to survey the areas affected.
For those affected properties in Canterbury Park, Section 6, the developer of the subdivision, KB Homes, will be submitting the LOMA to FEMA and absorbing the costs of any required mapping and survey information.
On May 18, 2021 FEMA approved the Letter of Map Amendment for the affected lots in Highland Crossing putting them back into Zone X. The Letter of Map Amendment will serve as proof of Flood Zone for flood insurance purposes as FEMA will not be amending the already approved maps. The Province Village LOMA request is pending.