[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 148 (Thursday, August 1, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49922-49925]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-19450]


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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 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 FEMA to reduce further the expenses to the 
NFIP by recovering more fully the costs associated with processing 
conditional and final map change requests; retrieving, reproducing, and 
distributing technical and administrative support data related to FIS 
analyses and mapping; and producing, retrieving, and distributing 
particular NFIP map and insurance products.

DATES: The revised fee schedules are effective for all requests dated 
September 1, 2002, or later.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 September 1, 2002, or later. The 
revised fee schedule supersedes the current fee schedule, which was 
established on June 1, 2000.
    The revised fee schedule for requests for FIS backup data also is 
effective for all requests dated September 1, 2002, or later. The 
revised fee schedule supersedes the current fee schedule, which was 
established on June 1, 2000.
    The revised fee schedule for requests for particular NFIP map and 
insurance products, which are available through the FEMA Map Service 
Center (MSC), is effective for all written requests, on-line Internet 
requests made through the FEMA Flood Map Store, and all telephone 
requests received on or after September 1, 2002. The revised fee 
schedule supersedes the current fee schedule, which was established on 
May 1, 2002.
    Evaluations Performed. To develop the revised fee schedule for 
conditional and final map change requests, FEMA 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 requests for FIS technical and 
administrative support data, FEMA

[[Page 49923]]

evaluated the actual costs of retrieving, reproducing, and distributing 
archived data in seven categories. These categories are discussed in 
more detail below.
    To develop the revised fee schedule for requests for particular 
NFIP map and insurance products, FEMA (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. The products covered by this 
notice are discussed in detail below.
    Periodic Evaluations of Fees. A primary component of the fees is 
the prevailing private-sector rates charged to FEMA for labor and 
materials. Because these rates and the actual review and processing 
costs may vary from year to year, FEMA will evaluate the fees 
periodically and publish revised fee schedules, when needed, 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 a review of actual cost data for Fiscal Year 2000 and 
Fiscal Year 2001, FEMA established the following review and processing 
fees, which are to be submitted with all requests that are not 
otherwise exempted under 44 CFR 72.5:

Request for single-lot/single-structure CLOMA and CLOMR-F......     $500
Request for single-lot/single-structure LOMR-F.................      425
Request for single-lot/single-structure LOMR-F based on as-          325
 built information (CLOMR-F previously issued by FEMA).........
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 FEMA).........
 

Fee Schedule for Requests for Conditional Map Revisions

    Based on a review of actual cost data for Fiscal Year 2000 and 
Fiscal Year 2001, FEMA established the following review and processing 
fees, which are to be submitted with all requests that are not 
otherwise exempted under 44 CFR 72.5:

Request based on new hydrology, bridge, culvert,                  $4,000
 channel, or combination thereof........................
Request based on levee, berm, or other structural                  4,500
 measure................................................
 

Fee Schedule for Requests for Map Revisions

    Based on a review of actual cost data for Fiscal Year 2000 and 
Fiscal Year 2001, FEMA established the following review and processing 
fees, which are to be submitted with all requests. Unless the request 
is otherwise exempted under 44 CFR 72.5, requesters must submit the 
review and processing fees shown below with requests for LOMRs and PMRs 
dated September 1, 2002, or later, that are not based on structural 
measures on alluvial fans.

Request based on bridge, culvert, channel, or                     $4,200
 combination thereof....................................
Request based on levee, berm, or other structural                  6,000
 measure................................................
Request based on as-built information submitted as                 3,800
 followup to CLOMR......................................
 

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

    FEMA has maintained $5,000 as the initial fee for requests for 
LOMRs and CLOMRs based on structural measures on alluvial fans. FEMA 
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. The prevailing 
private-sector labor rate charged to FEMA ($50 per hour) will continue 
to be used to calculate the total reimbursable fees.

Fee Schedule for Requests for Flood Insurance Study Backup Data

    Non-exempt requesters of FIS technical and administrative support 
data must submit fees shown below with requests dated September 1, 
2002, or later. These fees are based on the complete recovery costs to 
FEMA for retrieving, reproducing, and distributing the data, as well as 
maintaining the library archives, and for collecting and depositing 
fees. FEMA maintains the current fee schedule, as indicated in the 
Federal Register notice published on May 3, 2000, at 65 FR 25726--
25728.
    All entities except the following will be charged for requests for 
FIS technical and administrative support data:
     Private architectural-engineering firms under contract to 
FEMA to perform or evaluate studies and restudies;
     Federal agencies involved in performing studies and 
restudies for FEMA (i.e., U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Geological 
Survey, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Tennessee Valley 
Authority);
     Communities that have supplied the Digital Line Graph base 
to FEMA 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 the 
data are requested for use by the community and not a third-party user; 
and
     State NFIP Coordinators, provided the data requested are 
for use by the State NFIP Coordinators and not a third-party user.
    FEMA has established seven categories into which requests for FIS 
backup data are separated. These categories are:
    Category 1--Paper copies, microfiche, or diskettes of hydrologic 
and hydraulic backup data for current or historical FISs;
    Category 2--Paper or mylar copies of topographic mapping developed 
during FIS process;
    Category 3--Paper copies or microfiche of survey notes developed 
during FIS process;
    Category 4--Paper copies of individual Letters of Map Change 
(LOMCs);

[[Page 49924]]

    Category 5--Paper copies of Preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Map or 
Flood Boundary and Floodway Map panels;
    Category 6--Computer tapes or CD-ROMs of Digital Line Graph files; 
and
    Category 7--Computer diskettes and user's manuals for FEMA computer 
programs.
    Under the current fee schedule, a non-refundable fee of $120 is 
charged to initiate a request under Categories 1, 2, and 3 above. This 
fee covers the preliminary costs of research and retrieval. If the data 
requested are available and the request is not cancelled, the final fee 
is calculated as a sum of a standard per-product charge plus a per-case 
surcharge of $93, designed to recover the cost of library maintenance 
and archiving. The total costs of processing requests under Categories 
1, 2, and 3 will vary, based on the complexity of the research involved 
in retrieving the data and the volume and medium of data to be 
reproduced and distributed. The initial fee will be applied against the 
total costs to process the request, and FEMA will invoice the requester 
for the balance before the data are provided. No data will be provided 
to a requester until all required fees have been paid.
    No initial fee is required to initiate a request for data under 
Categories 4 through 7. Requesters will be notified 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, no data 
will be provided to requesters until all required fees are paid. A flat 
user fee for each of these categories of requests, shown below, will 
continue to be required.

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 map 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. As established in the 
current fee schedule, made effective on May 1, 2002, 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);
     Paper (printed) copies of Flood Insurance Studies (FISs), 
including the narrative report, tables, Flood Profiles, and other 
graphics;
     Paper (printed) copies of Flood Boundary and Floodway Maps 
(FBFMs), when they are included as an exhibit in the FIS;
     Digital Q3 Flood Data files on CD-ROM, which FEMA 
developed by scanning the published FIRM and vectorizing a thematic 
overlay of flood risks;
     Digital Q3 Flood Data files on CD-ROM for Coastal Barrier 
Resource Areas (CBRA Q3 Flood Data files);
     Community Status Book, which is a report generated by 
FEMA's Community Information System database that provides pertinent 
map status information for all identified communities;
     Flood Map Status Information Service (FMSIS), through 
which FEMA provides status information for effective NFIP maps on CD-
ROM;
     Letter of Map Change (LOMC) Subscription Service, through 
which FEMA makes certain types of LOMCs available biweekly 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 used 
for reference and training purposes;
     Digital copies of Flood maps available on CD-ROM and 
downloadable from the web; which can be purchased by panel or in 
community, county or state kits;
     Digital copies of FISs, including the narrative report, 
tables, Flood Profiles, and other graphics, on CD-ROM and downloadable 
from the web;
     F-MIT Basic Version 1.0, which is a view tool for map 
images, on CD-ROM;
     F-MIT Basic Version 1.0, which is a view tool for map 
images, downloadable from the web; and
     FEMA's Guidelines and Specifications for Flood Hazard 
Mapping Partners on CD-ROM.
    For more information on the map and insurance products available 
from the MSC, interested parties are invited to visit the MSC Web site 
at http://www.fema.gov/msc.
    There are no changes in the processing fees or shipping costs for 
any of the other products that the MSC distributes. Federal, State, and 
local governments continue to be exempt from paying fees for the map 
products. The fee schedule for the current and new products are shown 
in the table below.

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     Product or service                Fee                Shipping
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Paper copies of FHBM, FIRM,   $2.00 per map panel.  $0.37 per panel for
 DFIRM, or FBFM panels.                              the first 10 panels
                                                     plus $0.03 for each
                                                     additional panel.
Paper copies of FIS (not      $5.00 per FIS volume  $4.00 for the first
 including FBFM panels that    plus $2.00 per        study volume plus
 are included as exhibit).     floodway map.         $0.40 for each
                                                     additional study.
On-line Flood maps            $1.50 per map panel.  None.
 downloaded from the FEMA
 web site.
On-line FIS downloaded from   $4.00 per study plus  None.
 the FEMA web site.            $1.50 per floodway
                               map.
F-MIT Basic Version 1.0       Free................  Not Applicable.
 (view tool for map images)
 on the web.
Flood maps available on CD-   $1.50 per map panel.  $3.65 for the first
 ROM.                                                4 CD-ROMs plus
                                                     $0.10 for each
                                                     additional CD-ROM.
FIS available on CD-ROM.....  $4.00 per FIS volume  $3.65 for the first
                               plus $1.50 per        4 CD-ROMs plus
                               floodway map.         $0.10 for each
                                                     additional CD-ROM.

[[Page 49925]]

 
Priority Handling Charge--    $33.00 per order....  Not Applicable.
 added to regular charge.
F-MIT Basic Version 1.0 on    Free................  $3.65.
 CD-ROM (view tool for map
 images).
Q3 Flood Data Files.........  $50.00 per CD-ROM...  $3.65 for the 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 or  $3.65 for the first
                               $200.00 for all 5     4 CD-ROMs, plus
                               Q3 CDs.               $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 entire     $4.26 for entire
                               U.S.                  U.S.
Community Status Book         $50.00 per state      Not applicable.
 (Annual Subscription).        $250.00 for entire
                               U.S.
FMSIS (Individual Orders)...  $13 per state $38     $3.65 for the first
                               for entire U.S.       4 CD-ROMs, plus
                                                     $0.10 for each
                                                     additional CD-ROM
                                                     in the same order.
FMSIS (Annual Subscription).  $148 per state $419   Not applicable.
                               for entire U.S.
LOMC Subscription Service     $85 per issue.......  $3.65 for the first
 (Individual Orders).                                4 CD-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            Not applicable.
 Manual).                      subscription for
                               complete manual.
NFIP Insurance Manual         $15.00 per            Not applicable.
 (Producer's Edition).         subscription.
FEMA's Guidelines and         $2.60...............  $3.65.
 Specifications for Flood
 Hazard Mapping Partners on
 CD-ROM.
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Payment Submission Requirements

    Fee payments for non-exempt requests must be made in advance of 
services being rendered. These payments shall be made in the form of a 
check or money order or by credit card payment. Checks and money orders 
must be made payable, in U.S. funds, to the National Flood Insurance 
Program.
    FEMA will deposit all fees collected to the National Flood 
Insurance Fund, which is the source of funding for providing these 
services.

    Dated: July 25, 2002.
Howard Leikin,
Deputy Administrator, Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration.
[FR Doc. 02-19450 Filed 7-31-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6718-04-P