Unless specifically defined below, words or phrases used in
this chapter shall be interpreted so as to give them the meaning they
have in common usage and to give this chapter its most reasonable
application. For the purpose of this chapter, the following words
and phrases shall have the following meanings:
A request for a review of the local administrator's
interpretation of any provision of this chapter or a request for a
variance.
A designated AO, AH or VO Zone on a community's Flood
Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) with a one-percent or greater annual chance
of flooding to an average annual depth of one foot to three 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. This
area may be designated as Zone A, AE, AH, AO, A1-A30, A99, V, VO,
VE, or V1-V30. It is also commonly referred to as the base floodplain
or one-hundred-year floodplain. For purposes of this chapter, the
term "special flood hazard area (SFHA)" is synonymous in meaning with
the phrase "area of special flood hazard."
The flood having a one-percent chance of being equaled or
exceeded in any given year.
That portion of a building having its floor subgrade (below
ground level) on all sides.
See "structure."
Has the same meaning as "basement."
An enclosed area beneath the lowest elevated floor, 18 inches
or more in height, which is used to service the underside of the lowest
elevated floor. The elevation of the floor of this enclosed area,
which may be of soil, gravel, concrete or other material, must be
equal to or above the lowest adjacent exterior grade. The enclosed
crawl space area shall be properly vented to allow for the equalization
of hydrostatic forces which would be experienced during periods of
flooding.
Structures or facilities that produce, use, or store highly
volatile, flammable, explosive, toxic or water-reactive materials;
Hospitals, nursing homes, and housing likely to contain occupants
who may not be sufficiently mobile to avoid death or injury during
a flood;
Police stations, fire stations, vehicle and equipment storage
facilities, and emergency operations centers that are needed for flood
response activities before, during, and after a flood; and
Public and private utility facilities that are vital to maintaining
or restoring normal services to flooded areas before, during, and
after a flood.
Any reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, or other improvement
of a structure that equals or exceeds 50% of the market value of the
structure at the time of the improvement or repair when counted cumulatively
for 10 years.
Any man-made change to improved or unimproved real estate,
including but not limited to buildings or other structures, mining,
dredging, filling, paving, excavation or drilling operations or storage
of equipment or materials.
A nonbasement building i) built, in the case of a building
in Zones A1-A30, AE, A, A99, AO, AH, B, C, X or D, to have the top
of the elevated floor, or in the case of a building in Zones V1-V30,
VE or V, to have the bottom of the lowest horizontal structural member
of the elevated floor, elevated above the ground level by means of
pilings, columns (posts and piers), or shear walls parallel to the
flow of the water; and ii) adequately anchored so as not to impair
the structural integrity of the building during a flood of up to the
magnitude of the base flood. In the case of Zones A1-A30, AE, A, A99,
AO, AH, B, C, X or D, "elevated building" also includes a building
elevated by means of fill or solid foundation perimeter walls with
openings sufficient to facilitate the unimpeded movement of floodwaters.
In the case of Zones V1-V30, VE or V, "elevated building" also includes
a building otherwise meeting the definition of "elevated building,"
even though the lower area is enclosed by means of breakaway walls
that meet the federal standards.
The federal agency that administers the National Flood Insurance
Program.
An official map of the community published by the Federal
Emergency Management Agency as part of a riverine community's
Flood Insurance Study. The FBFM delineates a regulatory floodway along
watercourses studied in detail in the Flood Insurance Study.
An examination, evaluation and determination of the flood
hazards and, if appropriate, corresponding water surface elevations,
or an examination, evaluation and determination of flood-related erosion
hazards.
An official map of a community, issued by the Federal Emergency
Management Agency, where the boundaries of the areas of special flood
hazard have been designated as Zone A but no flood elevations are
provided.
An official map of a community, on which the Federal Emergency
Management Agency has delineated both the areas of special flood hazard
and the risk premium zones applicable to the community.
See "flood elevation study."
"Flood" or "flooding" also means 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 a flash flood or an abnormal tidal surge, or by some similarly unusual and unforeseeable event which results in flooding as defined in Subsection A(1) above.
Any land area susceptible to being inundated by water from
any source (see definition of "flooding").
Any combination of structural and nonstructural additions,
changes or adjustments to structures which reduce or eliminate flood
damage to real estate or improved real property, water and sanitary
facilities, structures and their contents.
Has the same meaning as "regulatory floodway."
A use which cannot perform its intended purpose unless it
is located or carried out in close proximity to water, such as a docking
or port facility necessary for the loading and unloading of cargo
or passengers, shipbuilding, and ship repair facilities. The term
does not include long-term storage, manufacturing, sales, or service
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 the 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 person appointed by the community to administer and implement
this chapter by granting or denying development permits in accordance
with its provisions. This person is often the Building Inspector,
Code Enforcement Officer, or employee of an engineering department.
Lowest floor of the lowest enclosed area (including basement
or cellar). 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 nonelevation design requirements of
this chapter.
A structure, transportable in one or more sections, which
is built on a permanent chassis and designed to be used with or without
a permanent foundation when connected to the required utilities. The
term does not include a "recreational vehicle."
A parcel (or contiguous parcels) of land divided into two
or more manufactured home lots for rent or sale.
For purposes of the National Flood Insurance Program, the
National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD) of 1929, the North American
Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88), or other datum, to which base flood
elevations shown on a community's Flood Insurance Rate Map are
referenced.
Has the same meaning as "manufactured home."
Structures for which the "start of construction" commenced
on or after the effective date of a floodplain management regulation
adopted by the community and includes any subsequent improvements
to such structure.
Has the same meaning as "base flood."
That at least 50% of the actual cash value of the structure,
excluding land value, is aboveground.
A vehicle which is:
Built on a single chassis;
Four hundred 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
Not designed primarily for use as a permanent dwelling but as
temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, travel or seasonal
use.
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 a designated height as determined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in a Flood Insurance Study or by other agencies provided in § 79-14B of this chapter.
The date of permit issuance for new construction and substantial
improvements to existing structures, provided that actual start of
construction, repair, reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition placement,
or other improvement is within 180 days after the date of issuance.
The actual start of construction means the first placement of permanent
construction of a building (including a manufactured home) on a site,
such as the pouring of a slab or footings, installation of pilings
or construction of columns. Permanent construction does not include
land preparation (such as clearing, excavation, grading, or filling),
or the installation of streets or walkways, or excavation for a basement,
footings, piers or foundations, or the erection of temporary forms,
or the installation of accessory buildings such as garages or sheds
not occupied as dwelling units or not part of the main building. 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.
A walled and roofed building, including a gas or liquid storage
tank, that is principally aboveground, as well as a manufactured home.
Damage of any origin sustained by a structure whereby the
cost of restoring the structure to its before-damaged condition would
equal or exceed 50% of the market value of the structure before the
damage occurred. Substantial damage also means flood-related damages
sustained by a structure on two separate occasions during a ten-year
period for which the cost of repairs at the time of such flood event,
on the average, equals or exceeds 25% of the market value of the structure
before the damage occurred.
Any reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, or other improvement
of a structure, the cost of which equals or exceeds 50% of the market
value of the structure before the "start of construction" of the improvement.
Substantial improvement also means "cumulative substantial improvement."
The term includes structures which have incurred "substantial damage,"
regardless of the actual repair work performed. The term does not,
however, include either:
Any project for improvement of a structure to correct existing
violations of state or local health, sanitary, or safety code specifications
which have been identified by the local code enforcement official
and which are the minimum 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.
A grant of relief from the requirements of this chapter which
permits construction or use in a manner that would otherwise be prohibited
by this chapter.
The failure of a structure or other development to be fully
compliant with the community's floodplain management regulations.
