What is a flood certification fee on a Loan Estimate?

Updated November 2026 · Every dollar figure is an illustrative example, not a quote

A flood certification or flood determination fee pays a company to check whether the home is in a FEMA flood zone, which decides whether the lender must require flood insurance, and it is usually $10 to $30. A second small line, Flood Monitoring Fee, pays to watch for map changes over the life of the loan; both are in Section B.

Where it is on the form

Page 2, Section B, Services You Cannot Shop For, as Flood Determination Fee, sometimes with a separate Flood Monitoring Fee beside it. Federal law requires the determination on every mortgage secured by a building, so it appears on purchases and refinances alike.

Illustrative rangeUsually $10–$30; a life-of-loan monitoring fee is often a similar amount

The determination is an automated map lookup, so it is one of the cheapest lines on the form. Some vendors bundle the monitoring into one 'life of loan' charge; others show two lines. A figure past $50 for the pair is unusual.

Paid toA flood determination company the lender uses

Can you shop for it?No

Can it change at closing?Zero tolerance: It cannot go up at closing

The fee is small; the result is not. If the determination says the home is in a Special Flood Hazard Area, the lender has to require flood insurance for the life of the loan, and a year's premium will appear in Section F with monthly deposits in Section G. That can add thousands a year in some areas. If you dispute the zone, FEMA has a process for a Letter of Map Amendment, but that is between you and FEMA, not the lender.

Can you shop for it?

No. The lender orders it from its own vendor and relies on the result to meet its own legal duty, so it is a Section B service. There is nothing to gain from shopping a $20 line in any case.

Can it change between the Loan Estimate and closing?

Zero tolerance. It cannot be higher at closing than on the Loan Estimate. The thing that can change is the result: a home found to be in a Special Flood Hazard Area means the lender must require flood insurance, and that premium then appears in Section F and the escrow lines.

Questions to ask the lender

Has the flood determination come back, and is the home in a Special Flood Hazard Area?
If flood insurance is required, is its premium already in Sections F and G of this estimate?
Is the monitoring fee a one-time charge, or is it collected again later?

Red flags

A flood determination fee over $50, or charged twice.
A home in a flood zone with no flood insurance premium anywhere on the estimate.
A loan officer who 'does not think' the home is in a flood zone before the determination is in.

Questions people ask

Is a flood certification required on every mortgage?

Yes, for any loan secured by a building, by federal law. The lender must determine whether the property is in a Special Flood Hazard Area and, if it is, require flood insurance. The fee is for that check.

What is the difference between flood determination and flood monitoring?

The determination is the one-time check at closing. Monitoring is a service that watches FEMA's maps for the life of the loan and tells the lender if the home's zone changes. Some lenders charge one fee for both, some show two lines.

Can I pick my own flood certification company?

No. The lender orders it and is responsible for the result, so it is a Section B service that you cannot shop for. The fee is small enough that shopping it would not be worth the effort anyway.

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Tell us the rate and the fees you were quoted. It is free, there is no credit pull, and nobody calls you. We check whether another lender beats it, fees included. Or start with the free Loan Estimate checker, which reads your rate, points and Section A and flags anything out of the ordinary.

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Every dollar figure on this page is illustrative. Fee ranges are general observations, not a survey or a quote, and are not a loan offer, approval, commitment to lend, or Loan Estimate. Your actual rates and fees depend on qualification with lenders, your state and county, and your closing date. The tolerance rules described are the federal TRID rules in general terms; the rule itself and your own Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure decide how it applies to your loan. comparemyloan does not negotiate with lenders, lock rates, or take loan applications.