CRS Activity Information

Activity 310: Elevation Certificates

Activity 320: Map Information Service

Community Example

City of Hampton letter to local lenders, insurance agents, and real estate agents sharing flood insurance information.

Activity 330: Outreach Projects

CRS Outreach Projects Tracking Template (Use this spreadsheet across all departments that manage outreach projects related to flooding & flood insurance - organization for this activity is key!) (Coastal VA Workgroup Doc)

Outreach Projects Credit Calculation Spreadsheet (Excel) (Updated for 2017 Manual)

FEMA Brochures & Corresponding Credits: Guidance Doc (Coastal VA Workgroup Doc)

Order Form: FEMA Brochures & Other Docs (Free!)

FEMA Factsheet: CRS Credit for High Water Mark Initiative

Sample Outreach from Hampton, VA - Thank you Hampton for sharing these docs!

BROCHURE: Hampton created a brochure specific to the City's flooding risks. This copy includes ISO mark up.

LETTERS: Each letter includes a Hampton flooding brochure, which helps each mailing max out the 6 CRS topics available.
Sample RL Letter (4 topics: includes ISO mark up)
Sample SRL Letter (2 topics: includes ISO mark up)

 

Program for Public Information (PPI) Resources

Activity 340: Hazard Disclosure

Localities can receive credit if real estate agents hand out information about flooding, flood risk, flood insurance, etc. to potential buyers.

Pineallas County, FL has an excellent real estate disclosure program that includes a map and brochure. You can modify the brochure for your community.

Download this sample handout for Virginia & ask agents to distribute or make available in real estate offices.

Localities can also receive credit for any state or local laws that require disclosure of a property’s flood risk.

Effective January 1, 2022, an owner of a residential property located in Virginia who has knowledge that their property is a repetitive loss structure must disclose that information to the home buyer (Section 55.1-708.2 of the Virginia Code).

New Jersey recently (2023) passed an extensive flood disclosure law that requires home sellers and lawyers to fill out a form that will share important flood risk information to home buyers and renters.

New York passed a flood risk disclosure bill in 2023 that requires sellers to inform home buyers as to whether a property has previously flooded.

Activity 350: Flood Information Website

How to get credit for having a page on your locality website with flooding, flood insurance, evacuation, & other related information. 

Credit Worksheet for Flood Information Website (Coastal VA CRS Workgroup Doc) (Updated for 2017 Manual)

 

Activity 420: Open Space Preservation

Mapping Guidance

Open Space Preservation GIS Mapping Guidance - This 2-step process will help CRS Coordinators get started mapping open space parcels for credit. Share this step by step process with GIS support staff to build your baseline layers/polygons for OSP credit. (Coastal VA CRS Workgroup Doc)

Mapping Open Space for CRS Credit - This NOAA guidance is a comprehensive step by step process for how to create open space maps through GIS, document extra credit, and submit to ISO. 

Open Space for Coastal Resilience - The Nature Conservancy's effort.

Coastal Erosion Open Space (CEOS) - Localities can earn credit for areas that are protected open space AND experience high rates of erosion (greater than or equal to 1.5 feet per year). VIMS has erosion data available that you can download.

Credit Guidance Documents

Open Space Preservation - How to Get Extra Credit Guidance (Coastal VA CRS Workgroup Doc)

Open Space Preservation - Credit for Incentivizing Open Space Guidance (Coastal VA CRS Workgroup Doc)

Resources for Receiving Credit for Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act (CBPA) Resource Protection Areas (RPAs)

Receiving Credit for CBPA RPA Buffers: The CRS Task Force approved this document in 2020, confirming VA CRS communities can submit RPA areas for 420, if they prove they enforce development restrictions.

RPA Buffers for Credit Fact Sheet - Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act’s Resource Protection Areas (RPAs) may be eligible for 420 OSP credit. This fact sheet outlines how CRS communities can earn CRS credit for RPAs in the SFHA.

Community Examples

Stafford County Open Space GIS Mapping Steps - This document created by Stafford GIS staff walks you through exactly what you need to clip, merge, and erase. A great resource!

Natural Floodplain Functions Form: Gloucester Example - Form that outlines that the undeveloped wetlands are being preserved in their nature state, and are therefore eligible for CRS credit.

Activity 430: Higher Regulatory Standards

Freeboard & Higher Building Standards in VA Chart - Some VA localities require that new & substantially improved construction in the various flood zones is built X number of feet above base flood elevation (BFE). Chart doesn't include all VA localities. (Updated 7/17) 

 

 

Activity 440: Flood Data Maintenance

Within CRS Activity 440: Flood Data Maintenance, localities can earn points for maintaining benchmarks for surveyors (BMM: Benchmark Maintenance). Although localities may have record of additional benchmarks, this is a map of the benchmarks included as part of the Chesapeake Bay Benchmark Network.

 

Activity 510: Floodplain Management Planning

Example Plan: Portsmouth Virginia Floodplain Management Plan (CRS Credit = 254 Points)

CHECKLIST FOR PLAN - Very good resource! (PDF & Excel)


 

The Army Corps of Engineers requires localities create a Flood Plain Management Plan when receiving Corps funding to complete any project for local flood damage reduction or hurricane or storm damage reduction. Localities can use this requirement to focus the Plan efforts so it receives CRS credit. Policy Guidance Letter