520
Acquisition and Relocation
To mitigate flood losses, your community might decide to acquire or relocate properties in the floodplain. This activity awards points for efforts to do this as a mitigation measure.
522.a
Buildings acquired or relocated (bAR)
Are you considering acquiring or relocating buildings in your regulatory floodplain?
Overview
Communities can receive credit for acquiring or relocating buildings in their regulatory floodplain after the effective date of the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM).
For all elements in Activity 520: To get credit, buildings must be insurable structures acquired after the initial Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) and the site must remain as open space. The project must also be in compliance with the Certification of Compliance with Environmental and Historic Preservation Requirements for Acquisition and Relocation Projects (CC-520EHP).
Considerations
For all elements in Activity 520: If your community uses FEMA’s Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) program to acquire or relocate the building, you can only receives 25% of the credits, since FEMA helped pay for mitigation. There is no credit for acquiring or relocating a building to the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) or a repetitive loss area. Additionally, credit is not awarded for a project that is implemented to meet the minimum criteria of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP.) Lastly, there is also no credit if a flood control project mapped the building out of the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA).
Documentation
To get credit for this element, you must provide:
- A map showing the acquisition or relocation sites, showing the regulatory floodplain (must be the same one used for 422.a Open Space Preservation (OSP))
- Your application for open space credit for the property
- The total number of buildings in the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA)
- Documentation showing the regulatory floodplain if outside of the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA)
- Documentation of the implementation date for each acquisition or relocation project (CC-520EHP)
- Documentation of properties that used Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) funding
Credit Calculation
The elements in Activity 520 are calculated together. There are two options for this calculation:
- Option 1 - Max: 190 for Activity 520.
You should use this calculation if a small percentage of buildings in the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) have been acquired or relocated.
- Option 2 - Max: 1,900 for Activity 520.
Option 2 is based on the percentage of buildings left in the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) . You should use this calculation if a large percentage of buildings in the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) have been acquired or relocated (more than 30%).
There is no impact adjustment for this element.
522.b
Buildings on the repetitive loss list (bRL)
Are there buildings on your community's repetitive loss list that would be good candidates for relocation or acquisition?
Overview
The buildings on your repetitive loss list are ideal candidates for aquisition or relocation. Under this element, you are awarded credit for purchasing or moving these buildings so and updating your repetitive loss list to reflect related changes.
For all elements in Activity 520: To get credit, buildings must be insurable structures acquired after the initial Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) and the site must remain as open space. The project must also be in compliance with the Certification of Compliance with Environmental and Historic Preservation Requirements for Acquisition and Relocation Projects (CC-520EHP).
Considerations
For all elements in Activity 520: If your community uses FEMA’s Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) program to acquire or relocate the building, you can only receives 25% of the credits, since FEMA helped pay for mitigation. There is no credit for acquiring or relocating a building to the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) or a repetitive loss area. Additionally, credit is not awarded for a project that is implemented to meet the minimum criteria of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP.) Lastly, there is also no credit if a flood control project mapped the building out of the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA).
Documentation
For element credits, you must provide:
- A map showing the acquisition or relocation sites, showing the regulatory floodplain (must be the same one used for 422.a Open Space Preservation (OSP))
- The pplication for open space credit for the property
- The total number of buildings in the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA)
- Form AW-501s (NFIP Repetitive Loss Update Worksheet) for repetitive loss and severe repetitive loss properties
- Documentation of the implementation date for each acquisition or relocation project (CC-520EHP)
- Documentation of properties that used Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) funding
Credit Calculation
The elements in Activity 520 are calculated together. There are two options for this calculation:
- Option 1 - Max: 190 for Activity 520.
You should use this calculation if a small percentage of buildings in the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) have been acquired or relocated.
- Option 2 - Max: 1,900 for Activity 520.
Option 2 is based on the percentage of buildings left in the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) . CommunitYouies should use this calculation if a large percentage of buildings in the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) have been acquired or relocated (more than 30%).
There is no impact adjustment for this element.
522.c
Severe Repetitive Loss properties (bSRL)
Can you relocate or acquire any of the properties on your community's severe repetitive loss list?
Overview
In tandem with 522.b, your community can receive credit for acquiring or relocating buildings on the severe repetitive loss list. You must update the repetitive loss list to reflect the mitigation.
For all elements in Activity 520: To get credit, buildings must be insurable structures acquired after the initial Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) and the site must remain as open space. The project must also be in compliance with the Certification of Compliance with Environmental and Historic Preservation Requirements for Acquisition and Relocation Projects (CC-520EHP).
Considerations
For all elements in Activity 520: If your community uses FEMA’s Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) program to acquire or relocate the building, you can only receives 25% of the credits, since FEMA helped pay for mitigation. There is no credit for acquiring or relocating a building to the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) or a repetitive loss area. Additionally, credit is not awarded for a project that is implemented to meet the minimum criteria of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP.) Lastly, there is also no credit if a flood control project mapped the building out of the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA).
Documentation
For element credits, you must provide:
- A map showing the acquisition or relocation sites, showing the regulatory floodplain (must be the same one used for 422.a Open Space Preservation (OSP))
- The application for open space credit for the property
- The total number of buildings in the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA)
- Form AW-501s (NFIP Repetitive Loss Update Worksheet) for repetitive loss and severe repetitive loss properties
- Documentation of the implementation date for each acquisition or relocation project (CC-520EHP)
- Documentation of properties that used Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) funding
Credit Calculation
The elements in Activity 520 are calculated together. There are two options for this calculation:
- Option 1 - Max: 190 for Activity 520.
You should use this calculation if a small percentage of buildings in the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) have been acquired or relocated.
- Option 2 - Max: 1,900 for Activity 520.
Option 2 is based on the percentage of buildings left in the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) . You should use this calculation if a large percentage of buildings in the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) have been acquired or relocated (more than 30%).
There is no impact adjustment for this element.
522.d
Critical facilities (bCF)
Are there critical facilities in your Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) or in the 500 year floodplain?
Overview
Critical facilities in your Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) or the 500 year floodplain make your community vulnerable during flood events. To address this risk, you can receive credit for acquiring or relocating these critical facilities after the effective date of the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM).
For all elements in Activity 520: To get credit, buildings must be insurable structures acquired after the initial Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) and the site must remain as open space. The project must also be in compliance with the Certification of Compliance with Environmental and Historic Preservation Requirements for Acquisition and Relocation Projects (CC-520EHP).
Considerations
For all elements in Activity 520: If your community uses FEMA’s Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) program to acquire or relocate the building, you can only receives 25% of the credits, since FEMA helped pay for mitigation. There is no credit for acquiring or relocating a building to the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) or a repetitive loss area. Additionally, credit is not awarded for a project that is implemented to meet the minimum criteria of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP.) Lastly, there is also no credit if a flood control project mapped the building out of the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA).
Documentation
For element credits, you must provide:
- A map showing the acquisition or relocation sites, showing the regulatory floodplain (must be the same one used for 422.a Open Space Preservation (OSP))
- Application for open space credit for the property
- The total number of buildings in the
- Documentation showing the regulatory floodplain if outside of the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA)
- A description of the acquired or relocated critical facility
- Form AW-501s (NFIP Repetitive Loss Update Worksheet) for repetitive loss and severe repetitive loss properties
- Documentation of the implementation date for each acquisition or relocation project (CC-520EHP)
- Documentation of properties that used Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) funding
Credit Calculation
The elements in Activity 520 are calculated together. There are two options for this calculation:
- Option 1 - Max: 190 for Activity 520.
You should use this calculation if a small percentage of buildings in the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) have been acquired or relocated.
- Option 2 - Max: 1,900 for Activity 520.
Option 2 is based on the percentage of buildings left in the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) . You should use this calculation if a large percentage of buildings in the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) have been acquired or relocated (more than 30%).
There is no impact adjustment for this element.
522.e
Buildings located in the V Zone or coastal A Zone (bVZ)
Are there buildings in your community's V Zone and Coastal A Zone that you could acquire or relocate?
Overview
You can receive credit for acquiring or relocating buildings from the V Zone or Coastal A Zone. The building’s zone must be determined using the current Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM), or a preliminary FIRM if applicable. Your community can get credit for acquiring or relocating buildings from the Coastal A Zone if you receive credit for 432.k Coastal A Zones (CAZ).
For all elements in Activity 520: To get credit, buildings must be insurable structures acquired after the initial Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) and the site must remain as open space. The project must also be in compliance with the Certification of Compliance with Environmental and Historic Preservation Requirements for Acquisition and Relocation Projects (CC-520EHP).
Considerations
For all elements in Activity 520: If your community uses FEMA’s Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) program to acquire or relocate the building, your community only receives 25% of the credits, since FEMA helped pay for mitigation. There is no credit for acquiring or relocating a building to the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) or a repetitive loss area. Additionally, credit is not awarded for a project that is implemented to meet the minimum criteria of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP.) Lastly, there is also no credit if a flood control project mapped the building out of the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA).
Documentation
To receive credit for this element, you must provide:
- A map showing the acquisition or relocation sites, showing the regulatory floodplain (must be the same one used for 422.a Open Space Preservation (OSP))
- Application for open space credit for the property
- The total number of buildings in the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA)
- Documentation of the implementation date for each acquisition or relocation project (CC-520EHP)
- Documentation of properties that used Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) funding
Credit Calculation
The elements in Activity 520 are calculated together. There are two options for this calculation:
- Option 1 - Max: 190 for Activity 520.
You should use this calculation if a small percentage of buildings in the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) have been acquired or relocated.
- Option 2 - Max: 1,900 for Activity 520.
Option 2 is based on the percentage of buildings left in the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) . You should use this calculation if a large percentage of buildings in the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) have been acquired or relocated (more than 30%).
There is no impact adjustment for this element.
This CRS guide was produced by CRS professionals and Certified Floodplain Managers to help you navigate the Community Rating System. It is not meant to replace FEMA's official CRS Coordinator's Manual, nor should it supersede the instructions given by your ISO/CRS Specialist.
For additional resources, visit https://crsresources.org/ .