Practice Test Geeks(CFS) Certified Floodplain Surveyor Practice Test
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Case Analysis & Practical Application Flashcards

7 cards from real CFS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Case Analysis & Practical Application flashcards as text

  1. A surveyor is mapping a coastal community where FEMA's FIRM shows a Zone VE with a BFE of 12 feet. The structure's lowest horizontal structural member is at 11.5 feet. What is the correct finding?

    Answer: The structure is non-compliant because the lowest horizontal structural member must be at or above BFE

    In Zone VE, the bottom of the lowest horizontal structural member must be at or above the BFE, so 11.5 feet is non-compliant.

  2. During a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) review, a surveyor finds that a property's lowest adjacent grade is 2 feet above the BFE. Which outcome is most likely?

    Answer: FEMA will issue a LOMA removing the property from the Special Flood Hazard Area

    When the lowest adjacent grade is above the BFE with no fill involved, FEMA typically issues a LOMA removing the property from the SFHA.

  3. A floodplain surveyor is asked to evaluate a scenario where a stream's 100-year discharge has increased due to upstream development. The current FIRM does not reflect this change. What is the appropriate professional action?

    Answer: Perform a new hydrologic and hydraulic analysis and initiate a LOMR process

    When changed conditions affect flood boundaries, a new H&H analysis and a Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) are required to update the FIRM.

  4. A property owner claims their home is in Zone X but an elevation certificate prepared by a licensed surveyor shows the lowest floor is 1.5 feet below the published BFE for the adjacent Zone AE. What should the surveyor conclude?

    Answer: There may be a mapping error and a LOMA or LOMR review is warranted

    A discrepancy between the mapped zone and actual elevations suggests a potential mapping error that should be reviewed through a LOMA or LOMR process.

  5. During a post-flood field investigation, a surveyor observes that floodwaters reached 3.2 feet above the published BFE at a gauge location. What does this indicate?

    Answer: The event was likely more severe than the 1% annual chance flood

    Water levels exceeding the BFE suggest the event surpassed the 1% annual chance (100-year) flood, though a full H&H analysis is needed to confirm recurrence interval.

  6. A surveyor is completing an Elevation Certificate for a building with an attached garage. The garage floor is 1 foot below the BFE and the living area floor is 0.5 feet above the BFE. What elevation should be recorded as the lowest floor?

    Answer: The living area floor elevation, because garages are excluded from lowest floor calculations

    An attached garage used solely for parking, building access, or storage is excluded from the lowest floor definition under NFIP rules.

  7. A community is located in a Special Flood Hazard Area and wants to allow a new hospital to be built within the regulatory floodway. What is the surveyor's role in this scenario?

    Answer: Perform a no-rise analysis to ensure the structure will not increase BFE in the floodway

    Any encroachment in a regulatory floodway must demonstrate no rise in the BFE through a certified hydrologic and hydraulic analysis.