LOMA “Out as Shown”: when FEMA confirms your house was never in the flood zone
If your house sits outside FEMA's high-risk zone but your lender says otherwise, FEMA can confirm it in writing — for free — with a Letter of Map Amendment “Out as Shown”.
Updated 2026-10-03 · Not legal advice — always confirm with the agency.
What “Out as Shown” means
A Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) is FEMA's official ruling on whether a property is in the Special Flood Hazard Area (the high-risk zone shown on Flood Insurance Rate Maps). An “Out as Shown” determination says the structure was never inside the high-risk zone as mapped — the map was right, but someone (usually a lender's determination company) read it wrong.
Who qualifies
- Your building's footprint is entirely outside the shaded high-risk zone (Zone A, AE, AH, AO, V, VE) on the effective FIRM.
- Often only part of your lot — the backyard or a corner — touches the zone, but the house doesn't.
- No elevation certificate or surveyor is needed for an Out-as-Shown request, because it's about location, not elevation.
How to request one
- Prepare an exhibit showing your building on the effective flood map.
- Submit through FEMA's Online LOMC portal, or on paper with the MT-EZ form.
- Include the property's recorded legal description or a copy of the deed or plat.
- FEMA charges no fee for LOMA requests. Decisions typically take about 60 days.
- Give the LOMA to your lender. Federal rules then let the lender drop the mandatory flood insurance requirement, and you may be eligible for a premium refund.
Common questions
Is a LOMA “Out as Shown” really free?
Yes. FEMA doesn't charge for LOMA requests. You pay only for help preparing the request, if you want it.
What if the house does touch the zone?
Then you need a regular LOMA based on elevation, which requires an elevation certificate from a licensed surveyor showing the lowest adjacent grade is above the base flood elevation.
How is this different from a LODR?
A Letter of Determination Review checks a specific lender's determination and must be requested within 45 days. A LOMA is a permanent FEMA ruling on the property that you can request at any time.