FHA County Limits

FHA county limits are the maximum amounts allowed for FHA loans based on the county in which the property is located. The County Limits table is used to automatically populate the county limit amount for an FHA loan on the FHA Management form and to warn the user if the loan exceeds the limit.

The FHA County Limits tool includes a default table listing the following information:

  • SOA Code– The Section-of-the-Act code indicating the program under which the FHA mortgage is insured.

  • State – The state in which the county is located.

  • County Name – The name of the county.

  • County Code – The FHA 1-to-3-digit code for the county.

  • MSA Code – The code for the Metropolitan Statistical Area where the county is located.

  • Limits – The maximum allowable loan available for properties with 1, 2, 3, or 4 units.

  • County Transaction Date – The date when a county boundary was last changed.

  • Limit Transaction Date – The date when the FHA last updated the loan limit for the county.

  • Last Modified - The date when the table entry was last updated or modified.

  • Customized - If you edit the county limit information (see below), True displays in the column.

The FHA regularly updates county limit data, so a mechanism is provided for quickly synchronizing the table over the Internet. It is recommended that you synchronize data every few weeks to stay current.

Complete the steps below to update county limit information. When finished, click the Save icon.

ClosedEnforce Limits

  1. On the menu bar, click Encompass, and then click Settings.

  2. On the left panel, click Tables and Fees, and then click FHA County Limits.

    • In the Find County field, type the name of the county you want to locate, and then click Find. For multiple counties with the same name, continue clicking Find until you locate the correct county.

    • Or scroll down the list and select a county.

  3. Select the Do not allow loan amount higher than maximum county limit to be entered checkbox to prevent users from entering a loan amount (in field 1109 on any form) that is higher than the county limit.

    • If this checkbox is selected, the Enforce County Loan Limit checkbox on the Borrower Summary - Origination input form in new FHA loan files is automatically selected by default.

ClosedSynchronize the Table via the Internet  

  1. Select an update site from which data will be downloaded into your table.

    • Select one of the default HUD (Housing and Urban Development) download sites.

    • Or select the editable field and enter the URL for an alternate site.

  2. Click the Synchronize button.

ClosedEdit County Information

  1. Select a county and click the Edit icon.

  2. Edit limit values as required, and then click Save.

    If you make edits and then synchronize your data, the edits will be replaced with the synchronized data.