How to Determine Home Elevation

The exact elevation of your home or one that you are considering buying is an important piece of your insurance purchasing puzzle. Primarily, you should know where the house is in relation to the water in your area, including rivers, lakes, ponds and streams. Although knowing how far above sea level your home is will be little more than an interesting tidbit, knowing how far above or below river or lake levels your home is can help you choose the right flood insurance or realize that you don't need it.

Handheld GPS unit
Paper
Pencil
Vehicle

Instructions

- 1
  Hold the GPS unit and switch to its GPS locator information screen. Some units indicate this screen with a small image of a tow truck. The information screen shows you the direction that the unit is pointed in and the unit's current location and elevation. Write down the elevation.
- 2
  Drive to the lakes, creeks or rivers within five miles of the home. Determine their elevations at the current highest water level and record the data. Don't place the GPS unit in the water, however. Holding it approximately six inches above the water at the bank of the lake, creek or river will suffice.
- 3
  Subtract the home's elevation from the elevation of the nearby waterways. If the difference is a negative number, then the home is lower than the surrounding water -- and flood insurance is a good idea. If the difference is positive, the home is above the water level in your area. If the home is at least 50 feet above the surrounding water levels, the chances are slim that it is in danger of natural flooding.

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