After the torrential flooding that affected several counties in Georgia a few years ago, many real estate owners can easily understand the need for revisions to the flood zones. However, you may not agree with Sandy Springs’ finding for your home/neighborhood but did you know you have an option to appeal?
Before going into the appeal process, if you did not know the City Council is considering how to treat certain real estate properties in Sandy Springs that have been indicated by Sandy Springs engineers to be at risk of flooding. Approximately 170 homes in Sandy Springs are located in a “gray” area that gives the City Council some choice on how those areas are rated for flood insurance purposes. View the Sandy Springs flood map here: flood map.
So, what does the City Council have to decide? Sandy Springs’ City Council has an option to decide the flood zone rating for federal insurance purposes for these 170 homes in the gray areas. If left to FEMA, all 170 pieces of real estate would be deemed to be in the “high risk” zones. However, Sandy Springs may elect to rate these home high risk or not. The practical effect is that the higher the risk zone, the greater the insurance premium under the federal program.
Real estate properties that are placed in a high risk zone have a right to appeal that determination in the first 90 days after Sandy Springs adopts the final flood maps. Even after that time, if the real estate property owner can demonstrate with a proper elevation survey that the house is not in the determined flood plain then an adjustment can be made by the City of Sandy Springs. However, the real estate property owner must bear the expense of the survey. You may contact Ms. Angela Parker (angela.parker@sandyspringsga.gov or 770-730-5600) at the City of Sandy Springs if you have questions.
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