Where a Zoning Administrator, planning agency or a Board of
Adjustment/Appeals has already been appointed to administer a Zoning
Ordinance adopted under § 59.69, 59.692 or 62.23(7), Wis.
Stats., these officials shall also administer this article.
A. Zoning Administrator.
(1) The Zoning Administrator is authorized to administer this article
and shall have the following duties and powers:
(a)
Advise applicants of the ordinance provisions, assist in preparing
permit applications and appeals, and assure that the regional flood
elevation for the proposed development is shown on all permit applications.
(b)
Issue permits and inspect properties for compliance with provisions
of this article, and issue certificates of compliance where appropriate.
(bm) Inspect all damaged floodplain structures and perform
a substantial damage assessment to determine if substantial damage
to the structures has occurred.
(c)
Keep records of all official actions such as:
[1]
All permits issued, inspections made, and work approved;
[2]
Documentation of certified lowest floor and regional flood elevations
for floodplain development;
[3]
Records of water surface profiles, floodplain zoning maps and
ordinances, nonconforming uses and structures, including changes,
appeals, variances and amendments.
[4]
All substantial damage assessment reports for floodplain structures.
(d)
Submit copies of the following items to the Department regional
office:
[1]
Within 10 days of the decision, a copy of any decisions on variances,
appeals for map or text interpretations, and map or text amendments;
[2]
Copies of any case-by-case analyses, and any other information
required by the Department, including an annual summary of the number
and types of floodplain zoning actions taken.
[3]
Copies of substantial damage assessments performed and all related
correspondence concerning the assessments.
(e)
Investigate, prepare reports, and report violations of this
article to the municipal zoning agency and attorney for prosecution.
Copies of the reports shall also be sent to the Department regional
office.
(f)
Submit copies of text and map amendments and biennial reports
to the FEMA regional office.
(2) Land use permit. A land use permit shall be obtained before any new
development or any structural repair or change in the use of a building
or structure, including sewer and water facilities, may be initiated.
Application to the Zoning Administrator shall include:
(a)
General information.
[1]
Name and address of the applicant, property owner and contractor;
[2]
Legal description, proposed use, and whether it is new construction
or a modification;
(b)
Site development plan. A site plan drawn to scale shall be submitted
with the permit application form and shall contain:
[1]
Location, dimensions, area and elevation of the lot;
[2]
Location of the ordinary high-water mark of any abutting navigable
waterways;
[3]
Location of any structures with distances measured from the
lot lines and street center lines;
[4]
Location of any existing or proposed on-site sewage systems
or private water supply systems;
[5]
Location and elevation of existing or future access roads;
[6]
Location of floodplain and floodway limits as determined from
the Official Floodplain Zoning Maps;
[7]
The elevation of the lowest floor of proposed buildings and
any fill using the vertical datum from the adopted study, either National
Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD) or North American Vertical Datum (NAVD);
[8]
Data sufficient to determine the regional flood elevation in NGVD or NAVD at the location of the development and to determine whether or not the requirements of §
216-19 or
216-20 are met; and
[9]
Data to determine if the proposed development will cause an obstruction to flow or an increase in regional flood height or discharge according to §
216-18A. This may include any of the information noted in §
216-19C(1).
(c)
Data requirements to analyze developments.
[1]
The applicant shall provide all survey data and computations
required to show the effects of the project on flood heights, velocities
and floodplain storage, for all subdivision proposals, as "subdivision"
is defined in Ch. 236, Wis. Stats., and other proposed developments exceeding five acres in
area or where the estimated cost exceeds $125,000. The applicant shall
provide:
[a] An analysis of the effect of the development on
the regional flood profile, velocity of flow and floodplain storage
capacity;
[b] A map showing location and details of vehicular
access to lands outside the floodplain; and
[c] A surface drainage plan showing how flood damage
will be minimized.
[2]
The estimated cost of the proposal shall include all structural
development, landscaping, access and road development, utilities,
and other pertinent items, but need not include land costs.
(d)
Expiration. All permits issued under the authority of this article
shall expire one year after issuance.
(3) Certificate of compliance. No land shall be occupied or used, and
no building which is hereafter constructed, altered, added to, modified,
repaired, rebuilt or replaced shall be occupied, until a certificate
of compliance is issued by the Zoning Administrator, except where
no permit is required, subject to the following provisions:
(a)
The certificate of compliance shall show that the building or
premises or part thereof, and the proposed use, conform to the provisions
of this article;
(b)
Application for such certificate shall be concurrent with the
application for a permit;
(c)
If all ordinance provisions are met, the certificate of compliance
shall be issued within 10 days after written notification that the
permitted work is completed;
(d)
The applicant shall submit a certification signed by a registered professional engineer, architect or land surveyor that the fill, lowest floor and floodproofing elevations are in compliance with the permit issued. Floodproofing measures also require certification by a registered professional engineer or architect that floodproofing measures meet the requirements of §
216-23E.
(4) Other permits. The applicant must secure all necessary permits from
federal, state, and local agencies, including those required by the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under Section 404 of the Federal Water
Pollution Control Act, Amendments of 1972, 33 U.S.C. § 1344.
B. Zoning agency.
(1) The Village of Osceola Plan Commission shall:
(a)
Oversee the functions of the office of the Zoning Administrator;
and
(b)
Review and advise the governing body on all proposed amendments
to this article, maps and text.
(2) This zoning agency shall not:
(a)
Grant variances to the terms of the ordinance in place of action
by the Board of Adjustment/Appeals; or
(b)
Amend the text or zoning maps in place of official action by
the governing body.
C. Board of Adjustment/Appeals. The Board of Adjustment/Appeals, created
under § 59.694, Wis. Stats., for counties, or § 62.23(7)(e),
Wis. Stats., for cities or Villages, is hereby authorized or shall
be appointed to act for the purposes of this article. The Board shall
exercise the powers conferred by Wisconsin Statutes and adopt rules
for the conduct of business. The Zoning Administrator may not be the
Secretary of the Board.
(1) Powers and duties. The Board of Adjustment/Appeals shall:
(a)
Appeals: hear and decide appeals where it is alleged there is
an error in any order, requirement, decision or determination made
by an administrative official in the enforcement or administration
of this article.
(b)
Boundary disputes: hear and decide disputes concerning the district
boundaries shown on the Official Floodplain Zoning Map.
(c)
Variances: hear and decide, upon appeal, variances from the
ordinance standards.
(2) Appeals to the Board.
(a)
Appeals to the Board may be taken by any person aggrieved or
by any officer or department of the municipality affected by any decision
of the Zoning Administrator or other administrative officer. Such
appeal shall be taken within 30 days, unless otherwise provided by
the rules of the Board, by filing with the official whose decision
is in question, and with the Board, a notice of appeal specifying
the reasons for the appeal. The official whose decision is in question
shall transmit to the Board all records regarding the matter appealed.
(b)
Notice and hearing for appeals including variances.
[1]
Notice. The Board shall:
[a] Fix a reasonable time for the hearing;
[b] Publish adequate notice pursuant to the Wisconsin
Statutes, specifying the date, time, place and subject of the hearing;
[c] Assure that notice shall be mailed to the parties
in interest and the Department regional office at least 10 days in
advance of the hearing.
[2]
Hearing. Any party may appear in person or by agent. The board
shall:
[c] Decide appeals of permit denials according to §
216-23D.
(c)
Decision. The final decision regarding the appeal or variance
application shall:
[1]
Be made within a reasonable time;
[2]
Be sent to the Department regional office within 10 days of
the decision;
[3]
Be a written determination signed by the Chairman or Secretary
of the Board;
[4]
State the specific facts which are the basis for the Board's
decision;
[5]
Either affirm, reverse, vary or modify the order, requirement,
decision or determination appealed, in whole or in part, dismiss the
appeal for lack of jurisdiction or grant or deny the variance application;
[6]
Include the reasons for granting an appeal, describing the hardship
demonstrated by the applicant in the case of a variance, clearly stated
in the recorded minutes of the Board proceedings.
(3) Boundary disputes. The following procedure shall be used by the Board
in hearing disputes concerning floodplain district boundaries:
(a)
If a floodplain district boundary is established by approximate
or detailed floodplain studies, the flood elevations or profiles shall
prevail in locating the boundary. If none exist, other evidence may
be examined.
(b)
In all cases, the person contesting the boundary location shall
be given a reasonable opportunity to present arguments and technical
evidence to the Board.
(c)
If the boundary is incorrectly mapped, the Board should inform the Zoning Committee or the person contesting the boundary location to petition the governing body for a map amendment according to §
216-24.
(4) Variance.
(a)
The Board may, upon appeal, grant a variance from the standards
of this article if an applicant convincingly demonstrates that:
[1]
Literal enforcement of the ordinance provisions will cause unnecessary
hardship;
[2]
The hardship is due to adoption of the floodplain ordinance
and unique property conditions, not common to adjacent lots or premises.
In such case, the ordinance or map must be amended;
[3]
The variance is not contrary to the public interest; and
[4]
The variance is consistent with the purpose of this article in §
216-17C.
(b)
In addition to the criteria in Subsection
C(4)(a), to qualify for a variance under FEMA regulations, the following criteria must be met:
[1]
The variance may not cause any increase in the regional flood
elevation;
[2]
Variances can only be granted for lots that are less than 1/2
acre and are contiguous to existing structures constructed below the
RFE;
[3]
Variances shall only be granted upon a showing of good and sufficient
cause, shall be the minimum relief necessary, shall not cause increased
risks to public safety or nuisances, shall not increase costs for
rescue and relief efforts and shall not be contrary to the purpose
of the chapter.
(c)
A variance shall not:
[1]
Grant, extend or increase any use prohibited in the zoning district.
[2]
Be granted for a hardship based solely on an economic gain or
loss.
[3]
Be granted for a hardship which is self-created.
[4]
Damage the rights or property values of other persons in the
area.
[5]
Allow actions without the amendments to this article or map(s) required in §
216-24A.
[6]
Allow any alteration of an historic structure, including its
use, which would preclude its continued designation as an historic
structure.
(d)
When a floodplain variance is granted, the Board shall notify
the applicant in writing that it may increase flood insurance premiums
and risks to life and property. A copy shall be maintained with the
variance record.
D. To review appeals of permit denials:
(1) The zoning agency (§
216-23B) or Board shall review all data related to the appeal. This may include:
(b)
Floodway/flood-fringe determination data in §
216-21D.
(c)
Data listed in §
216-19C(1)(b) where the applicant has not submitted this information to the Zoning Administrator.
(d)
Other data submitted with the application or submitted to the
Board with the appeal.
(2) For appeals of all denied permits, the Board shall:
(b)
Consider zoning agency recommendations; and
(c)
Either uphold the denial or grant the appeal.
(3) For appeals concerning increases in regional flood elevation, the
Board shall:
(a)
Uphold the denial where the Board agrees with the data showing
an increase in flood elevation. Increases equal to or greater than
0.01 foot may only be allowed after amending the flood profile and
map and all appropriate legal arrangements are made with all adversely
affected property owners.
(b)
Grant the appeal where the Board agrees that the data properly
demonstrates that the project does not cause an increase equal to
or greater than 0.01 foot, provided that no other reasons for denial
exist.
E. Floodproofing.
(1) No permit or variance shall be issued until the applicant submits
a plan certified by a registered professional engineer or architect
that the floodproofing measures will protect the structure or development
to the flood-protection elevation.
(2) Floodproofing measures shall be designed to:
(a)
Withstand flood pressures, depths, velocities, uplift and impact
forces and other regional flood factors;
(b)
Protect structures to the flood-protection elevation;
(c)
Anchor structures to foundations to resist flotation and lateral
movement; and
(d)
Insure that structural walls and floors are watertight to the
flood-protection elevation and the interior remains completely dry
during flooding without human intervention.
(3) Floodproofing measures could include:
(a)
Reinforcing walls and floors to resist rupture or collapse caused
by water pressure or floating debris.
(b)
Adding mass or weight to prevent flotation.
(c)
Placing essential utilities above the flood-protection elevation.
(d)
Installing surface or subsurface drainage systems to relieve
foundation wall and basement floor pressures.
(e)
Constructing water supply wells and waste treatment systems
to prevent the entry of floodwaters.
(f)
Putting cutoff valves on sewer lines or eliminating gravity
flow basement drains.
F. Public information.
(1) Place marks on structures to show the depth of inundation during
the regional flood.
(2) All maps, engineering data and regulations shall be available and
widely distributed.
(3) All real estate transfers should show what floodplain zoning district
any real property is in.
Any violation of the provisions of this article by any person
shall be unlawful and shall be referred to the Municipal Attorney,
who shall expeditiously prosecute all such violators. A violator shall,
upon conviction, forfeit to the municipality a penalty of not more
than $50, together with a taxable cost of such action. Each day of
continued violation shall constitute a separate offense. Every violation
of this article is a public nuisance, and the creation may be enjoined
and the maintenance may be abated by action at suit of the municipality,
the state, or any citizen thereof pursuant to § 87.30, Wis.
Stats.
Unless specifically defined, words and phrases in this article
shall have their common law meaning and shall be applied in accordance
with their common usage. Words used in the present tense include the
future, the singular number includes the plural and the plural number
includes the singular. The word "may" is permissive; "shall" is mandatory
and is not discretionary.
ACCESSORY STRUCTURE OR USE
A facility, structure, building or use which is accessory
or incidental to the principal use of a property, structure or building.
A ZONES
Those areas shown on the Official Floodplain Zoning Map which
would be inundated by the regional flood. These areas may be numbered
or unnumbered A Zones. The A Zones may or may not be reflective of
flood profiles, depending on the availability of data for a given
area.
BASE FLOOD
The flood having a one-percent chance of being equaled or
exceeded in any given year, as published by FEMA as part of a FIS
and depicted on a FIRM.
BASEMENT
Any enclosed area of a building having its floor subgrade,
i.e., below ground level, on all sides.
BULKHEAD LINE
A geographic line along a reach of navigable water that has
been adopted by a municipal ordinance and approved by the Department
pursuant to § 30.11, Wis. Stats., and which allows limited
filling between this bulkhead line and the original ordinary high-water
mark, except where such filling is prohibited by the floodway provisions
of this article.
CAMPGROUND
Any parcel of land which is designed, maintained, intended
or used for the purpose of providing sites for nonpermanent overnight
use by four or more camping units or which is advertised or represented
as a camping area.
CAMPING UNIT
Any portable device, no more than 400 square feet in area,
used as a temporary shelter, including but not limited to a camping
trailer, motor home, bus, van, pickup truck, tent or other mobile
recreational vehicle.
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE
A certification that the construction and the use of land
or a building, the elevation of fill or the lowest floor of a structure
is in compliance with all of the provisions of this article.
CHANNEL
A natural or artificial watercourse with definite bed and
banks to confine and conduct normal flow of water.
CRAWLWAYS OR CRAWL SPACE
An enclosed area below the first usable floor of a building,
generally less than five feet in height, used for access to plumbing
and electrical utilities.
DECK
An unenclosed exterior structure that has no roof or sides
but has a permeable floor which allows the infiltration of precipitation.
DEPARTMENT
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
DEVELOPMENT
Any artificial change to improved or unimproved real estate,
including, but not limited to, the construction of buildings, structures
or accessory structures; the construction of additions or alterations
to buildings, structures or accessory structures; the repair of any
damaged structure or the improvement or renovation of any structure,
regardless of percentage of damage or improvement; the placement of
buildings or structures; subdivision layout and site preparation;
mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation or drilling
operations; the storage, deposition or extraction of materials or
equipment; and the installation, repair or removal of public or private
sewage disposal systems or water supply facilities.
DRYLAND ACCESS
A vehicular access route which is above the regional flood
elevation and which connects land located in the floodplain to land
outside the floodplain, such as a road with its surface above regional
flood elevation and wide enough for wheeled rescue and relief vehicles.
ENCROACHMENT
Any fill, structure, equipment, building, use or development
in the floodway.
EXISTING MANUFACTURED HOME PARK OR SUBDIVISION
A parcel of land, divided into two or more manufactured home
lots for rent or sale, on which the construction of facilities for
servicing the lots is completed before the effective date of this
article. At a minimum, this would include the installation of utilities,
the construction of streets and either final site grading or the pouring
of concrete pads.
EXPANSION TO EXISTING MOBILE/MANUFACTURED HOME PARK
The preparation of additional sites by the construction of
facilities for servicing the lots on which the manufactured homes
are to be affixed. This includes installation of utilities, construction
of streets and either final site grading, or the pouring of concrete
pads.
FLOOD or FLOODING
A general and temporary condition of partial or complete
inundation of normally dry land areas caused by one of the following
conditions:
A.
The overflow or rise of inland waters;
B.
The rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any
source;
C.
The inundation caused by waves or currents of water exceeding
anticipated cyclical levels along the shore of Lake Michigan or Lake
Superior; or
D.
The sudden increase caused by an unusually high water level
in a natural body of water, accompanied by a severe storm, or by an
unanticipated force of nature, such as a seiche, or by some similarly
unusual event.
FLOOD FREQUENCY
The probability of a flood occurrence which is determined
from statistical analyses. The frequency of a particular flood event
is usually expressed as occurring, on the average, once in a specified
number of years or as a percent chance of occurring in any given year.
FLOOD-FRINGE
That portion of the floodplain outside of the floodway which
is covered by floodwaters during the regional flood and associated
with standing water rather than flowing water.
FLOOD HAZARD BOUNDARY MAP
A map designating approximate flood hazard areas. Flood hazard
areas are designated as unnumbered A Zones and do not contain floodway
lines or regional flood elevations. This map forms the basis for both
the regulatory and insurance aspects of the National Flood Insurance
Program (NFIP) until superseded by a Flood Insurance Study and a Flood
Insurance Rate Map.
FLOOD INSURANCE RATE MAP (FIRM)
A map of a community on which the Federal Insurance Administration
has delineated both special flood hazard areas (the floodplain) and
the risk premium zones applicable to the community. This map can only
be amended by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
FLOOD INSURANCE STUDY
A technical engineering examination, evaluation, and determination
of the local flood hazard areas. It provides maps designating those
areas affected by the regional flood and provides both flood insurance
rate zones and base flood elevations and may provide floodway lines.
The flood hazard areas are designated as numbered and unnumbered A
Zones. Flood Insurance Rate Maps, which accompany the Flood Insurance
Study, form the basis for both the regulatory and the insurance aspects
of the National Flood Insurance Program.
FLOODPLAIN
Land which has been or may be covered by floodwater during
the regional flood. It includes the floodway and the flood-fringe
and may include other designated floodplain areas for regulatory purposes.
FLOODPLAIN ISLAND
A natural geologic land formation within the floodplain that
is surrounded, but not covered, by floodwater during the regional
flood.
FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT
Policy and procedures to insure wise use of floodplains,
including mapping and engineering, mitigation, education, and administration
and enforcement of floodplain regulations.
FLOOD PROFILE
A graph or a longitudinal profile line showing the relationship
of the water surface elevation of a flood event to locations of land
surface elevations along a stream or river.
FLOODPROOFING
Any combination of structural provisions, changes or adjustments
to properties and structures, water and sanitary facilities and contents
of buildings subject to flooding, for the purpose of reducing or eliminating
flood damage.
FLOOD-PROTECTION ELEVATION
An elevation of two feet of freeboard above the water surface
profile elevation designated for the regional flood. (Also see "freeboard.")
FLOOD STORAGE
Those floodplain areas where storage of floodwaters has been
taken into account during analysis in reducing the regional flood
discharge.
FLOODWAY
The channel of a river or stream and those portions of the
floodplain adjoining the channel required to carry the regional flood
discharge.
FREEBOARD
A safety factor expressed in terms of a specified number
of feet above a calculated flood level. Freeboard compensates for
any factors that cause flood heights greater than those calculated,
including ice jams, debris accumulation, wave action, obstruction
of bridge openings and floodways, the effects of watershed urbanization,
loss of flood storage areas due to development and aggregation of
the river or stream bed.
HEARING NOTICE
Publication or posting meeting the requirements of Ch. 985,
Wis. Stats. For appeals, a Class 1 notice, published once at least
one week (seven days) before the hearing, is required. For all zoning
ordinances and amendments, a Class 2 notice, published twice, once
each week consecutively, the last at least a week (seven days) before
the hearing. Local ordinances or bylaws may require additional notice,
exceeding these minimums.
HIGH FLOOD DAMAGE POTENTIAL
Damage that could result from flooding that includes any
danger to life or health or any significant economic loss to a structure
or building and its contents.
HISTORIC STRUCTURE
Any structure that is either:
A.
Listed individually in the National Register of Historic Places
or preliminarily determined by the Secretary of the Interior as meeting
the requirements for individual listing on the National Register;
B.
Certified or preliminarily determined by the Secretary of the
Interior as contributing to the historical significance of a registered
historic district or a district preliminarily determined by the Secretary
to qualify as a registered historic district;
C.
Individually listed on a state inventory of historic places
in states with historic preservation programs which have been approved
by the Secretary of the Interior; or
D.
Individually listed on a local inventory of historic places
in communities with historic preservation programs that have been
certified either by an approved state program, as determined by the
Secretary of the Interior, or by the Secretary of the Interior in
states without approved programs.
INCREASE IN REGIONAL FLOOD HEIGHT
A calculated upward rise in the regional flood elevation,
equal to or greater than 0.01 foot, based on a comparison of existing
conditions and proposed conditions which is directly attributable
to development in the floodplain but not attributable to manipulation
of mathematical variables such as roughness factors, expansion and
contraction coefficients and discharge.
LAND USE
Any nonstructural use made of unimproved or improved real
estate. (Also see "development.")
MANUFACTURED HOME
A structure transportable in one or more sections, which
is built on a permanent chassis and is designed to be used with or
without a permanent foundation when connected to required utilities.
The term "manufactured home" includes a mobile home but does not include
a mobile recreational vehicle.
MOBILE RECREATIONAL VEHICLE
A vehicle which is built on a single chassis, 400 square
feet or less when measured at the largest horizontal projection, designed
to be self-propelled, carried or permanently towable by a licensed,
light-duty vehicle, is licensed for highway use if registration is
required and is designed primarily not for use as a permanent dwelling
but as temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, travel
or seasonal use. Manufactured homes that are towed or carried onto
a parcel of land but do not remain capable of being towed or carried,
including park model homes, do not fall within the definition of "mobile
recreational vehicle."
MUNICIPALITY or MUNICIPAL
The county, city or Village governmental units enacting,
administering and enforcing this zoning article.
NEW CONSTRUCTION
For floodplain management purposes, structures for which
the start of construction commenced on or after the effective date
of floodplain zoning regulations adopted by this community and includes
any subsequent improvements to such structures. For the purpose of
determining flood insurance rates, it includes any structures for
which the "start of construction" commenced on or after the effective
date of an initial FIRM or after December 31, 1974, whichever is later,
and includes any subsequent improvements to such structures.
NONCONFORMING STRUCTURE
An existing lawful structure or building which is not in
conformity with the dimensional or structural requirements of this
article for the area of the floodplain which it occupies. (For example,
an existing residential structure in the Flood-fringe District is
a conforming use. However, if the lowest floor is lower than the flood-protection
elevation, the structure is nonconforming.)
NONCONFORMING USE
An existing lawful use or accessory use of a structure or
building which is not in conformity with the provisions of this article
for the area of the floodplain which it occupies (such as a residence
in the floodway).
OBSTRUCTION TO FLOW
Any development which blocks the conveyance of floodwaters
such that this development alone or together with any future development
will cause an increase in regional flood height.
OPEN SPACE USE
Those uses having a relatively low flood damage potential
and not involving structures.
ORDINARY HIGH-WATER MARK
The point on the bank or shore up to which the presence and
action of surface water is so continuous as to leave a distinctive
mark such as by erosion, destruction or prevention of terrestrial
vegetation, predominance of aquatic vegetation, or other easily recognized
characteristic.
PERSON
An individual, or group of individuals, corporation, partnership,
association, municipality or state agency.
PRIVATE SEWAGE SYSTEM
A sewage treatment and disposal system serving one structure
with a septic tank and soil absorption field located on the same parcel
as the structure. It also means an alternative sewage system approved
by the Department of Commerce, including a substitute for the septic
tank or soil absorption field, a holding tank, a system serving more
than one structure or a system located on a different parcel than
the structure.
PUBLIC UTILITIES
Those utilities using underground or overhead transmission
lines such as electric, telephone and telegraph and distribution and
collection systems such as water, sanitary sewer and storm sewer.
REASONABLY SAFE FROM FLOODING
Means base floodwaters will not inundate the land or damage
structures to be removed from the special flood hazard area and that
any subsurface waters related to the base flood will not damage existing
or proposed buildings.
REGIONAL FLOOD
A flood determined to be representative of large floods known
to have occurred in Wisconsin. A regional flood is a flood with a
one-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year,
and if depicted on the FIRM, the RFE is equivalent to the BFE.
START OF CONSTRUCTION
The date the building permit was issued, provided that the
actual start of construction, repair, reconstruction, rehabilitation,
addition, placement, or other improvement was within 180 days of the
permit date. The "actual start" means either the first placement of
permanent construction on a site, such as the pouring of slab or footings,
the installation of piles, the construction of columns, or any work
beyond initial excavation, or the placement of a manufactured home
on a foundation. Permanent construction does not include land preparation,
such as clearing, grading and filling, nor does it include the installation
of streets and/or walkways, nor does it include excavation for a basement,
footings, piers or foundations or the erection of temporary forms,
nor does it include the installation on the property of accessory
buildings, such as garages or sheds not occupied as dwelling units
or not part of the main structure. For an alteration, the "actual
start of construction" means the first alteration of any wall, ceiling,
floor or other structural part of a building, whether or not that
alteration affects the external dimensions of the building.
STRUCTURE
Any man-made object with form, shape and utility, either
permanently or temporarily attached to, placed upon or set into the
ground, stream bed or lake bed, including, but not limited to, roofed
and walled buildings, gas or liquid storage tanks, bridges, dams and
culverts.
SUBDIVISION
Has the meaning given in § 236.02(12), Wis. Stats.
SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE
Damage of any origin sustained by a structure, whereby the
cost of restoring the structure to its predamaged condition would
equal or exceed 50% of the equalized assessed value of the structure
before the damage occurred.
UNNECESSARY HARDSHIP
Where special conditions affecting a particular property,
which were not self-created, have made strict conformity with restrictions
governing areas, setbacks, frontage, height or density unnecessarily
burdensome or unreasonable in light of the purposes of the article.
VARIANCE
An authorization by the Board of Adjustment or Appeals for
the construction or maintenance of a building or structure in a manner
which is inconsistent with dimensional standards (not uses) contained
in the Floodplain Zoning Ordinance.
VIOLATION
The failure of a structure or other development to be fully
compliant with the Floodplain Zoning Ordinance. A structure or other
development without required permits, lowest floor elevation documentation,
floodproofing certificates or required floodway encroachment calculations
is presumed to be in violation until such time as that documentation
is provided.
WATERSHED
The entire region contributing runoff or surface water to
a watercourse or body of water.
WATER SURFACE PROFILE
A graphical representation showing the elevation of the water
surface of a watercourse for each position along a reach of river
or stream at a certain flood flow. A water surface profile of the
regional flood is used in regulating floodplain areas.
WELL
An excavation opening in the ground made by digging, boring,
drilling, driving or other methods, to obtain groundwater regardless
of its intended use.