Unless specifically defined below, words or phrases used in
this Chapter shall be interpreted so as to give them the same meaning
they have in common usage and to give this Chapter its most reasonable
application.
See "base flood."
The same as "appurtenant structure."
See "risk premium rates."
The Federal Insurance Administrator.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Agricultural products and livestock.
Any structure used exclusively in connection with the production,
harvesting, storage, drying, or raising of agricultural commodities.
A request for review of the Floodplain Administrator's
interpretation of any provision of this Chapter or a request for a
variance.
A structure that is on the same parcel of property as the
principal structure to be insured and the use of which is incidental
to the use of the principal structure.
A designated AO or AH Zone on a community's Flood Insurance
Rate Map (FIRM) with a one-percent or greater annual chance of flooding
to an average depth of one (1) to three (3) feet where a clearly defined
channel does not exist, where the path of flooding is unpredictable
and where velocity flow may be evident. Such flooding is characterized
by ponding or sheet flow.
The land in the floodplain within a community subject to
a one-percent or greater chance of flooding in any given year.
The flood having a one-percent chance of being equaled or
exceeded in any given year.
Any area of the structure having its floor subgrade (below
ground level) on all sides.
See "structure."
The official of the community who is charged with the authority
to implement and administer laws, ordinances and regulations for that
community.
Any State or area or political subdivision thereof which
has authority to adopt and enforce floodplain management regulations
for the areas within its jurisdiction.
Any man-made change to improved or unimproved real estate,
including, but not limited to, buildings or other structures, levees,
levee systems, mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation
or drilling operations or storage of equipment or materials.
For insurance purposes, a non-basement building which has
its lowest elevated floor raised above ground level by foundation
walls, shear walls, posts, piers, pilings or columns.
A community for which the Administrator has authorized the
sale of flood insurance under the National Flood Insurance Program
(NFIP).
For the purposes of determining rates, structures for which
the "start of construction" commenced before the effective date of
the FIRM or before January 1, 1975, for FIRMs effective before that
date. "Existing construction" may also be referred to as "existing
structures."
A manufactured home park or subdivision for which the construction
of facilities for servicing the lots on which the manufactured homes
are to be affixed (including, at a minimum, the installation of utilities,
the construction of streets and either final site grading or the pouring
of concrete pads) is completed before the effective date of the floodplain
management regulations adopted by a community.
The preparation of additional sites by the construction of
facilities for servicing the lots on which the manufactured homes
are to be affixed (including the installation of utilities, the construction
of streets and either final site grading or the pouring of concrete
pads).
An official map of a community on which the Administrator
has delineated both special flood hazard areas and the designated
regulatory floodway.
A determination by the Administrator of the water surface
elevations of the base flood, that is, the flood level that has a
one-percent or greater chance of occurrence in any given year.
An examination, evaluation and determination of flood hazards.
The area outside the floodway encroachment lines, but still
subject to inundation by the regulatory flood.
An official map of a community, issued by the Administrator,
where the boundaries of the flood areas having special flood hazards
have been designated as (unnumbered or numbered) A Zones.
The document adopted by the governing body showing the limits
of 1) the floodplain; 2) the floodway; 3) streets; 4) stream channel;
and 5) other geographic features
An Official Map of a community, on which the Administrator
has delineated both the special flood hazard areas and the risk premium
zones applicable to the community.
An examination, evaluation and determination of flood hazards
and, if appropriate, corresponding water surface elevations.
A general and temporary condition of partial or complete
inundation of normally dry land areas from 1) the overflow of inland;
2) the unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters
from any source; and 3) the collapse or subsidence of land along the
shore of a lake or other body of water as a result of erosion or undermining
caused by waves or currents of water exceeding anticipated cyclical
levels or suddenly 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 flash flood, or by some similarly unusual
and unforeseeable event which results in flooding as defined above
in Item 1).
The operation of an overall program of corrective and preventive
measures for reducing flood damage, including, but not limited to,
emergency preparedness plans, flood control works and floodplain management
regulations.
Zoning ordinances, subdivision regulations, building codes,
health regulations, special purpose ordinances (such as floodplain
and grading ordinances) and other applications of police power. The
term describes such State or local regulations, in any combination
thereof, that provide standards for the purpose of flood damage prevention
and reduction.
Any land area susceptible to being inundated by water from
any source. (See "flood or flooding.")
Any combination of structural and non-structural additions,
changes or adjustments to structures that reduce or eliminate flood
damage to real estate or improved real property, water and sanitary
facilities or structures and their contents.
The lines marking the limits of floodways on Federal, State
and local floodplain maps.
The channel of a river or other watercourse and the adjacent
land areas that must be reserved in order to discharge the base flood
without cumulatively increasing the water surface elevation more than
one (1) foot.
A factor of safety usually expressed in feet above a flood
level for purposes of floodplain management. "Freeboard" tends to
compensate for the many unknown factors that could contribute to flood
heights greater than the height calculated for a selected size flood
and floodway conditions, such as bridge openings and the hydrological
effect of urbanization of the watershed.
A use that cannot perform its intended purpose unless it
is located or carried out in close proximity to water. This term includes
only docking facilities and facilities that are necessary for the
loading and unloading of cargo or passengers, but does not include
long-term storage or related manufacturing facilities.
The highest natural elevation of the ground surface prior
to construction next to the proposed walls of a structure.
Any structure that is:
Listed individually in the National Register of Historic Places
(a listing maintained by the Department of Interior) or preliminarily
determined by the Secretary of the Interior as meeting the requirements
for individual listing on the National Register;
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;
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
Individually listed on a local inventory of historic places
in communities with historic preservation programs that have been
certified either:
The lowest floor of the lowest enclosed area, including the
basement. An unfinished or flood-resistant enclosure, usable solely
for parking of vehicles, building access or storage, in an area other
than a basement area, is not considered a building's lowest floor,
provided that such enclosure is not built so as to render the structure
in violation of the applicable floodproofing design requirements of
this Chapter.
A structure, transportable in one (1) or more sections, that
is built on a permanent chassis and is designed for use with or without
a permanent foundation when attached to the required utilities. The
term "manufactured home" does not include a "recreational vehicle."
A parcel (or contiguous parcels) of land divided into two
(2) or more manufactured home lots for rent or sale.
The Flood Hazard Boundary Map (FHBM), Flood Insurance Rate
Map (FIRM) or the Flood Boundary and Floodway Map (FBFM) for a community
issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
An estimate of what is fair, economic, just and equitable
value under normal local market conditions.
For purposes of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP),
the National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD) of 1929 or other datum
to which base flood elevations shown on a community's Flood Insurance
Rate Map (FIRM) are referenced.
For the purposes of determining insurance rates, 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. For floodplain
management purposes, "new construction" means structures for which
the "start of construction" commenced on or after the effective date
of the floodplain management regulations adopted by a community and
includes any subsequent improvements to such structures.
A manufactured home park or subdivision for which the construction
of facilities for servicing the lot on which the manufactured homes
are to be affixed (including, at a minimum, the installation of utilities,
the construction of streets and either final site grading or the pouring
of concrete pads) is completed on or after the effective date of floodplain
management regulations adopted by the community.
The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
A special flood hazard area where the Flood Insurance Rate
Map shows the base flood elevation.
See "base flood."
Also known as an "eligible community," means a community
in which the Administrator has authorized the sale of flood insurance.
A signed document from a designated community official authorizing
development in a floodplain, including all necessary supporting documentation
such as the site plan, an elevation certificate, and any other necessary
or applicable approvals or authorizations from local, state or federal
authorities.
Includes any individual or group of individuals, corporation,
partnership, association or any other entity, including Federal, State
and local governments and agencies.
At least fifty-one percent (51%) of the actual cash value
of the structure, less land value, is above ground.
Base floodwaters will not inundate the land or damage structures
to be removed from the SFHA, and that any subsurface waters related
to the base flood will not damage existing or proposed buildings.
A vehicle which is:
Built on a single chassis;
Four hundred (400) square feet or less when measured at the
largest horizontal projections;
Designed to be self-propelled or permanently towable by a light-duty
truck; and
Designed primarily not for use as a permanent dwelling but as
temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, travel or seasonal
use.
To bring the structure or other development into compliance
with Federal, State or local floodplain management regulations or,
if this is not possible, to reduce the impacts of its non-compliance.
Flood-related damages sustained by a structure on two (2)separate
occasions during a 10-year period for which the cost of repairs at
the time of each such flood event equals or exceeds twenty-five percent
(25%) of the market value of the structure before the damage occurred.
Those rates established by the Administrator pursuant to
individual community studies and investigations which are undertaken
to provide flood insurance in accordance with Section 1307 of the
National Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 and the accepted actuarial
principles. "Risk premium rates" include provisions for operating
costs and allowances.
See "area of special flood hazard."
An area having special flood hazards and shown on an FHBM,
FIRM or FBFM as Zones (unnumbered or numbered) A and AE.
Includes substantial improvements and means the date the
building permit was issued, provided the actual start of construction,
repair, reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition placement or other
improvements were within one hundred eighty (180) days of the permit
date. The "actual start" means either the first placement of permanent
construction of a structure on a site, such as the pouring of slabs
or footings, the installation of piles, the construction of columns,
any work beyond the stage of excavation or the placement of a manufactured
home on a foundation. Permanent construction does not include land
preparation, such as clearing, grading and filling, the installation
of streets and/or walkways, excavation for a basement, footings, piers,
foundations, the erection of temporary forms, nor installation on
the property of accessory structures, such as garages or sheds not
occupied as dwelling units or not part of the main structure. For
a substantial improvement, 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.
That agency of the State Government or other office designated
by the Governor of the State or by State Statute at the request of
the Administrator to assist in the implementation of the National
Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) in that State.
For floodplain management purposes, a walled and roofed building,
including a gas or liquid storage tank, that is principally above
ground, as well as a manufactured home. "Structure," for insurance
purposes, means a walled and roofed building, other than a gas or
liquid storage tank, that is principally above ground and affixed
to a permanent site, as well as a manufactured home on a permanent
foundation. For the latter purpose, the term includes a building while
in the course of construction, alteration or repair, but does not
include building materials or supplies intended for use in such construction,
alteration or repair, unless such materials or supplies are within
an enclosed building on the premises.
Damage of any origin sustained by a structure whereby the cost
of restoring the structure to it before-damaged condition would equal
or exceed fifty percent (50%) of the market value of the structure
before the damage occurred. The term includes repetitive loss buildings
(see definition of "repetitive loss").
For the purposes of this definition, repair is considered to
occur when the first repair or reconstruction of any wall, ceiling,
floor, or other structural part of the building commences.
The term does not apply to:
Any project for improvement of a building required to comply
with existing health, sanitary, or safety code specifications which
have been identified by the Code Enforcement Official and which are
solely necessary to assure safe living conditions; or
Any alteration of an historic structure, provided that the alteration
will not preclude the structure's continued designation as an historic
structure.
Any combination of reconstruction, alteration, or improvement
to a building, taking place for a ten-year period, in which the cumulative
percentage of improvement equals or exceeds fifty percent (50%) of
the current market value of the building. For the purposes of this
definition, an improvement occurs when the first alteration of any
wall, ceiling, floor, or other structural part of the building commences,
whether or not that alteration affects the external dimensions of
the building.
This term includes structures which have incurred repetitive
loss or substantial damage, regardless of the actual repair work done.
The term does not apply to:
Any project for improvement of a building required to comply
with existing health, sanitary, or safety code specifications which
have been identified by the Code Enforcement Official and which are
solely necessary to assure safe living conditions; or
Any alteration of an historic structure, provided that the alteration
will not preclude the structure's continued designation as an
historic structure.
Where the repair, reconstruction, rehabilitation or improvement
of the streets, utilities and pads equals or exceeds fifty percent
(50%) of the value of the streets, utilities and pads before the repair,
reconstruction or improvement commenced.
A special flood hazard area shown on either a Flood Hazard
Boundary Map or Flood Insurance Rate Map where the base flood elevation
is not determined.
A grant of relief by the community from the terms of a floodplain
management regulation. Flood insurance requirements remain in place
for any varied use or structure and cannot be varied by the community.
The failure of a structure or other development to be fully
compliant with the community's floodplain management regulations.
A structure or other development without the elevation certificate,
other certifications or other evidence of compliance required by this
Chapter is presumed to be in violation until such time as that documentation
is provided.
The height in relation to the National Geodetic Vertical
Datum (NGVD) of 1929 (or other datum where specified) of floods of
various magnitudes and frequencies in the floodplain.
