Thanks, withm. Nothing I'd read to date--and admittedly I hadn't exhausted the subject--said anything about an elevation certificate. All I can figure out from FEMA's website is that I live in a "high risk" area. We bought in 2009 and refinanced last summer and neither lender made any mention of flood insurance. The previous owners did have a federally backed VA loan so, presumably, they would have potentially been required to carry it, yet no mention was made of it. I would mention that because we already have a 15 year fixed loan at a ridiculously low rate, I don't anticipate having to refinance again.