[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 86 (Wednesday, May 3, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25726-25728]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-11013]


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FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY


Fee Schedule for Processing Requests for Map Changes, for Flood 
Insurance Study Backup Data, and for National Flood Insurance Program 
Map and Insurance Products

AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice contains the revised fee schedules for processing 
certain types of requests for changes to National Flood Insurance 
Program (NFIP) maps, for processing requests for Flood Insurance Study 
(FIS) technical and administrative support data, and for processing 
requests for particular NFIP map and insurance products. The changes in 
the fee schedules will allow us (FEMA) to reduce further the expenses 
to the NFIP by recovering more fully the costs associated with: (1) 
Processing conditional and final map change requests; (2) retrieving, 
reproducing, and distributing technical and administrative support data 
related to FIS analyses and mapping; and (3) producing, retrieving, and 
distributing particular NFIP map and insurance products.

EFFECTIVE DATE: The revised fee schedules are effective for all 
requests dated June 1, 2000, or later.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew B. Miller, Chief, Hazards 
Study Branch, Mitigation Directorate, 500 C Street SW., Washington, DC 
20472, by telephone at (202) 646-3461, by facsimile at (202) 646-4596 
(not toll-free calls), or by email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Throughout this notice, we use ``we'', 
``our'', and ``us'' to refer to FEMA.
    This notice contains the revised fee schedules for processing 
certain types of requests for changes to NFIP maps, requests for FIS 
technical and administrative support data, and requests for particular 
NFIP map and insurance products.
    Effective Dates. The revised fee schedule for map changes is 
effective for all requests dated June 1, 2000, or later. The revised 
fee schedule supersedes the current fee schedule, which was established 
on March 1, 1999.
    The revised fee schedule for requests for FIS technical and 
administrative support data also is effective for all requests dated 
June 1, 2000, or later. The revised fee schedule supersedes the current 
fee schedule, which was established on March 1, 1999.
    The revised fee schedule for requests for particular NFIP map and 
insurance products, which are available through our Map Service Center 
(MSC), is effective for all written requests dated June 1, 2000, and 
for all telephone requests received on or after June 1, 2000. The 
revised fee schedule supersedes the current fee schedule.
    Evaluations Performed. To develop the revised fee schedule for 
conditional and final map change requests, we evaluated the actual 
costs of reviewing and processing requests for Conditional Letters of 
Map Amendment (CLOMAs), Conditional Letters of Map Revision Based on 
Fill (CLOMR-Fs), Conditional Letters of Map Revision (CLOMRs), Letters 
of Map Revision Based on Fill (LOMR-Fs), Letters of Map Revision 
(LOMRs), and Physical Map Revisions (PMRs).
    To develop the revised fee schedule for requests for FIS technical 
and administrative support data, we evaluated the actual costs of 
retrieving, reproducing, and distributing archived data in seven 
categories. We discuss these categories in more detail below.
    To develop the revised fee schedule for requests for particular 
NFIP map and insurance products, we: (1) Evaluated the actual costs 
incurred at the MSC for producing, retrieving, and distributing those 
products; (2) analyzed historical sales, cost data, and product unit 
cost for unusual trends or anomalies; and (3) analyzed the effect of 
program changes, new products, technology investments, and other 
factors on future sales and product costs. We discuss the products that 
this notice covers in detail below.
    Periodic Evaluation of Fees. As we indicated in the Federal 
Register notice that we published on February 6, 1997, at 62 FR 5739-
5740, primary components of the fees are the prevailing rates that the 
private sector charges to us for labor and materials. Because these 
rates and the actual review and processing costs may vary from year to 
year, we will evaluate the fees periodically and publish revised fee 
schedules as notices in the Federal Register.

Fee Schedule for Requests for Conditional Letters of Map Amendment 
and Conditional and Final Letters of Map Revision Based on Fill

    Based on our review of actual cost data for Fiscal Year 1999, we 
are continuing to charge the following review and processing fees, 
which requesters must submit with all requests:

 
 
 
Request for single-lot/single-structure CLOMA, CLOMR-F, and         $400
 LOMR-F........................................................
Request for single-lot/single-structure LOMR-F based on as-          300
 built information (CLOMR-F previously issued by us)...........
Request for multiple-lot/multiple-structure CLOMA..............      700
Request for multiple-lot/multiple-structure CLOMR-F and LOMR-F.      800
Request for multiple-lot/multiple-structure LOMR-F based on as-      700
 built information (CLOMR-F previously issued by us)...........
 

Fee Schedule for Requests for Conditional Map Revisions

    Based on our review of actual cost data for Fiscal Year 1999, we 
are continuing to charge the following review and processing fees, 
which requesters must submit with all requests unless 44 CFR 72.5 
exempts them:

 
 
 
Request based on new hydrology, bridge, culvert, channel, or      $3,100
 combination of any of these...................................
Request based on levee, berm, or other structural measure......    4,000
 

Fee Schedule for Requests for Map Revisions

    Based on our review of actual cost data for Fiscal Year 1999, we 
revised the review and processing fee for requests based on levees, 
berms, or other

[[Page 25727]]

structural measures, from $4,700 to $6,000. Therefore, unless 44 CFR 
72.5 exempts the request, requesters must submit the review and 
processing fees shown below with requests for LOMRs and PMRs dated June 
1, 2000, or later that are not based on structural measures on alluvial 
fans.

 
 
 
Request based on bridge, culvert, channel, or combination         $4,000
 thereof.......................................................
Request based on levee, berm, or other structural measure......    6,000
Request based on as-built information submitted as followup to     3,400
 CLOMR.........................................................
 

Fees for Conditional and Final Map Revisions Based on Structural 
Measures on Alluvial Fans.

    Based on our review of actual cost data for Fiscal Year 1999, we 
are continuing to charge $5,000 as the initial fee for requests for 
LOMRs and CLOMRs based on structural measures on alluvial fans. We also 
will continue to recover the remainder of the review and processing 
costs by invoicing the requester before issuing a determination letter, 
consistent with current practice. We will continue to use the 
prevailing private-sector labor rate charged to us ($50 per hour) to 
calculate the total reimbursable fees.

Fee Schedule for Requests for Flood Insurance Study Backup Data

    Under the current fee schedule, non-exempt requesters of FIS 
technical and administrative support data pay a non-refundable fee of 
$140 to initiate their request under Categories 1, 2, and 3, (See 
detailed list of categories below.) This fee covers the preliminary 
costs of research and retrieval for such requests. If the requester 
asks for data that are available and does not cancel the request, we 
calculate the final fee due as the sum of the standard per-product 
charge plus a per-case surcharge of $93. We designed the surcharge to 
recover costs for maintaining our library archives, for producing CD-
ROMs of data, and for collecting and depositing fees.
    Based on our review of actual cost data for Fiscal Year 1999, we 
decreased the non-refundable fee that requesters must submit to us from 
$140 to $120. We did not change the per-case surcharge of $93, nor any 
of the other previously established fees.
    We expanded the number of data requesters that are exempt from 
submitting fees for requests for FIS technical and administrative 
support data. Through the changes that we make effective by this 
Notice, mapped participating communities and the State agencies that 
are NFIP Coordinators will be exempt from submitting fees.
    Requesters must submit the user fees shown below with requests for 
technical and administrative support data dated June 1, 2000, or later. 
We will charge all entities except the following for requests for FIS 
technical and administrative support data:
     Private architectural-engineering firms under contract to 
us to perform or evaluate studies and restudies;
     Federal agencies that perform or contract for studies and 
restudies for us (i.e., U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Geological 
Survey, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Tennessee Valley 
Authority);
     Communities that supply the Digital Line Graph base to us 
and request the Digital Line Graph data (Category 6 below);
     Communities that request data during the statutory 90-day 
appeal period for an initial or revised FIS for that community;
     Mapped participating communities that request data at any 
time other than during the statutory 90-day appeal period, provided 
that the community requests the data for its use and not for a third-
party user; and
     State NFIP Coordinators, provided that the data that they 
request are for use by the State NFIP Coordinators and not for use by a 
third-party user.

    We have established seven categories into which we separate 
requests for FIS backup data. These categories are:

    (1) Category 1--paper copies, microfiche, or diskettes of 
hydrologic and hydraulic backup data for current or historical FISs;
    (2) Category 2--Paper or mylar copies of topographic mapping 
developed during FIS process;
    (3) Category 3--Paper copies of microfiche of survey notes 
developed during FIS process;
    (4) Category 4--Paper copies of individual Letters of Map Change 
(LOMCs);
    (5) Category 5--Paper copies of Preliminary Flood Insurance Rate 
Map or Flood Boundary and Floodway Map panels;
    (6) Category 6--Computer tapes or CD-ROMs of Digital Line Graph or 
Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map files; and
    (7) Category 7--Computer diskettes and user's manuals for our 
computer programs.

    Requesters must submit a non-refundable fee of $120, to cover the 
preliminary costs of research and retrieval, to initiate requests for 
data under Categories 1, 2, and 3. The total costs of processing 
requests in Categories 1, 2, and 3 above will vary based on the 
complexity of the research involved in retrieving the data and the 
volume and medium of data that we must reproduce and distribute. We 
will apply the initial fee against the total costs to process the 
request, and we will invoice the requester for the balance plus the 
per-case surcharge before we provide the data. We will not provide any 
data to requesters until they pay all required fees.
    We do not require an initial fee to initiate a request for data 
under Categories 4 through 7. We will notify requesters by telephone 
about the availability of the data and the fees associated with 
requested data. As with requests for data under Categories 1, 2, and 3, 
we will not provide data to requesters until they pay all required 
fees.
    We did not change the costs for processing requests under 
Categories 4 through 7. Therefore, we will continue to require the flat 
user fees for these categories of requests as we show below.

 
 
 
Request Under Category 4 (First letter)........................      $40
Request Under Category 4 (Each additional letter)..............       10
Request Under Category 5 (First panel).........................       35
Request Under Category 5 (Each additional panel)...............        2
Request Under Category 6 (Per county)..........................      150
Request Under Category 7 (per copy)............................       25
 

Fee Schedule for Requests for Map and Insurance Products

    The MSC distributes a variety of NFIP maps and insurance products 
to a broad range of customers, including Federal, State, and local 
government officials; real estate professionals; insurance providers; 
appraisers; builders; land developers; design engineers; surveyors; 
lenders; homeowners; and other private citizens. The MSC distributes 
the following products:
     Paper (printed) copies of Flood Hazard Boundary Maps 
(FHBMs);
     Paper (printed) copies of Flood Insurance Rate Maps 
(FIRMs);
     Paper (printed) copies of Digital Flood Insurance Rate 
Maps (DFIRMs);
     Printed copies of Flood Insurance Studies (FIS), including 
the narrative report, tables, Flood profiles, and other graphics;
     Paper (printed) copies of Flood Boundary and Floodway Maps 
(FBFMs), when we include them as an exhibit in the FIS;
     Digital Q3 Flood Data files, which we developed by 
scanning the published FIRM and vectoring a thematic overlay of flood 
risks;

[[Page 25728]]

     Digital Q3 Flood Data files for Coastal Barrier Resource 
Areas (CBRA Q3 Flood Data files);
     Community Status Book, which is a report generated by our 
Community Information System database that provides pertinent map 
status information for all identified communities;
     Flood Map Status Information Service (FMSIS), through 
which we provide status information for effective NFIP maps;
     Letter of Map Change (LOMC) Subscription Service, through 
which we make scanned copies of certain categories of LOMCs available 
semimonthly on CD-ROM;
     NFIP Insurance Manual (Full Manual), which provides vital 
NFIP information for insurance agents nationwide;
     NFIP Insurance Manual (Producer's Edition), which is 
available for reference and training purposes; and
     Community Map Action List (CMAL), which is semimonthly 
listing of communities whose flood maps are being published or 
republished in the future.

For more information on the map and insurance products available from 
the MSC, we invite interested parties to visit the MSC Web site at 
http://www.fema.gov/msc.
    Based on our review of historical sales, expenses, shipping data, 
and future trends, we revised the fee charges for paper copies of 
FHBMs, FIRMs, DFIRMs, and FISs to reflect actual production costs 
(i.e., printing and operating costs). We revised the shipping charges 
for all products to align more closely with actual shipping costs. 
Federal, State and local governments continue to be exempt from paying 
fees for the map products. We show the revised fee schedule in the 
table that follows.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Product or service               Fee                Shipping
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paper copies of FHBM, FIRM      $1.50 per panel..  $0.33 per panel for
 DFIRM, or FBFM panels.                             first 10 panels plus
                                                    $0.02 for each
                                                    additional panel.
Paper copies of FIS (not        $3.40 per FIS      $3.60 for first FIS
 including FBFM panels that      volume.            plus $0.38 for each
 are included as exhibit).                          additional FIS.
Hurry Charge for FHBM, FIRM,    $33.00 per order.  Based on product and
 DFIRM, FBFM, or FIS.                               units shipped; no
                                                    additional shipping
                                                    charge if customer
                                                    provides own
                                                    shipping account.
Q3 Flood Data Files...........  $50.00 per CD-ROM  $3.30 for first 4 CD-
                                                    ROMs, plus $0.10 for
                                                    each additional CD-
                                                    ROM in the same
                                                    order.
CBRA Q3 Flood Data Files......  $50.00 per CD-ROM  $3.30 for first 4 CD-
                                                    ROMs, plus $0.10 for
                                                    each additional CD-
                                                    ROM in the same
                                                    order.
Community Status Book           $2.50 per State,   $1.00 per State,
 (individual orders).            $20.50 for         $3.85 for entire U.S
                                 entire U.S.
Community Status Book (annual   $50.00 per State,  Not applicable.
 subscription).                  $250.00 for
                                 entire U.S.
FMSIS (individual orders).....  $13 per State,     $3.30 for first 4 CD-
                                 $38 for entire     ROMs, plus $0.10 for
                                 U.S.               each additional CD-
                                                    ROM in the same
                                                    order.
FMSIS (annual subscription)...  $148 per State,    Not applicable.
                                 $419 for entire
                                 U.S.
LOMC Subscription Service       $85 per issue....  $3.30 for first 4 CD-
 (individual orders).                               ROMs, plus $0.10 for
                                                    each additional CD-
                                                    ROM in the same
                                                    order.
LOMC Subscription Service       $2,000...........  Not applicable.
 (annual subscription).
NFIP Insurance Manual (full     $25.00 per copy..  Not applicable.
 manual).
NFIP Insurance Manual           $15.00 per copy..  Not applicable.
 (Producer's edition).
CMAL..........................  No processing fee  $1.00 for each list.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Payment Submission Requirements

    Requesters must make fee payments for non-exempt requests before we 
ship products or render services. This payment must be in the form of a 
check or money order or by credit card payment. Please make all checks 
and money orders in U.S. funds payable to the National Flood Insurance 
Program.
    We will deposit all fees collected to the National Flood Insurance 
Fund, which is the source of funding for providing these services.

    Dated: April 27, 2000.
Michael J. Armstrong,
Associate Director for Mitigation.
[FR Doc. 00-11013 Filed 5-2-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6718-04-M