Pre FIRM and Post FIRM dates are used to determine which Flood Insurance rates to apply to a house and I had been using 1974 as this date but I just learned something.
“Post-Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) buildings are new construction and those built after the effective date of the first FIRM for a community. Insurance rates for Post-FIRM buildings are dependent on the elevation of the lowest floor in relation to the Base Flood Elevation (BFE).”
The date for determining pre and post FIRM constructions varies from town to town and varies significantly. One must look at the NFIP Community Status Book. In this book take note of the “Init FIRM Identified” column. If this date is before 12/31/1974 then all construction in that community before 12/31/1974 is pre-FIRM. If however this date is POST 1974 then all construction in that community is pre/post FIRM before/after that date.
| Init FIRM | Pre-FIRM | |
| Identified | Date | |
| Jupiter | 09/22/72 | 12/31/74 |
| Palm Beach Gardens | 01/03/79 | 01/03/79 |
| North Palm Beach | 08/15/78 | 08/15/78 |
| Tequesta | 06/11/71 | 12/31/74 |
| Juno Beach | 12/01/78 | 12/01/78 |
| Palm Beach County | 02/01/79 | 02/01/79 |
So, why does this matter? Because if your home in say Palm Beach Gardens was built prior to 01/03/1979 then you are eligible to use the pre-FIRM Insurance rates.
And you can do things like apply for a Letter of Map Revision from FEMA for FREE.
