The Legislature of the State of New Jersey has in N.J.S.A. 40:48-1
et seq., delegated the responsibility to local governmental units
to adopt regulations designed to promote public health, safety, and
general welfare of its citizenry. Therefore, the Township Committee
of the Township of Mansfield, Warren County, New Jersey does ordain
the following.
It is the purpose of this chapter to promote the public health,
safety, and general welfare, and to minimize public and private losses
due to flood conditions in specific areas by provisions designed to:
A. Protect human life and health;
B. Minimize expenditure of public money for costly flood control projects;
C. Minimize the need for rescue and relief efforts associated with flooding
and generally undertaken at the expense of the general public;
D. Minimize prolonged business interruptions;
E. Minimize damage to public facilities and utilities such as water
and gas mains, electric, telephone and sewer lines, streets, bridges
located in areas of special flood hazard;
F. Help maintain a stable tax base by providing for the second use and
development of areas of special flood hazard so as to minimize future
flood blight areas;
G. Ensure that potential buyers are notified that property is in an
area of special flood hazard; and
H. Ensure that those who occupy the areas of special flood hazard assume
responsibility for their actions.
In order to accomplish its purposes, this chapter includes methods
and provisions for:
A. Restricting or prohibiting uses which are dangerous to health, safety,
and property due to water or erosion hazards, or which result in damaging
increases in erosion or in flood heights or velocities;
B. Requiring that uses vulnerable to floods, including facilities which
serve such uses, be protected against flood damage at the time of
initial construction;
C. Controlling the alteration of natural floodplains, stream channels,
and natural protective barriers, which help accommodate or channel
flood waters;
D. Controlling filling, grading, dredging, and other development which
may increase flood damage; and
E. Preventing or regulating the construction of flood barriers which
will unnaturally divert flood waters or which may increase flood hazards
in other areas.
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.
APPEAL
A request for a review of the Engineer's interpretation
of any provision of this chapter or a request for a variance.
AREA OF SHALLOW FLOODING
A designated AO, AH, or VO zone on a community's Digital
Flood Insurance Rate Map (DFIRM) with a 1% annual or greater chance
of flooding to an average depth of one 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.
BASE FLOOD
The flood having a 1% chance of being equaled or exceeded
in any given year.
BASEMENT
Any area of the building having its floor subgrade (below
ground level) on all sides.
BREAKAWAY WALL
A wall that is not part of the structural support of the
building and is intended through its design and construction to collapse
under specific lateral loading forces without causing damage to the
elevated portion of the building or supporting foundation system.
DEVELOPMENT
Any man-made change to improved or unimproved real estate,
including but not limited to buildings or other structures, mining,
dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation or drilling operations,
or storage of equipment or materials located within the area of special
flood hazard.
DIGITAL FLOOD INSURANCE RATE MAP (DFIRM)
The Official Map on which the Federal Insurance Administration
has delineated both the areas of special flood hazards and the risk
premium zones applicable to the community.
ELEVATED BUILDING
A non-basement building: built in the case of a building
in an area of special flood hazard to have the top of the elevated
floor elevated above the ground level by means of piling, columns
(posts and piers), or shear walls parallel to the flow of the water;
and adequately anchored so as not to impair the structural integrity
of the building during a flood up to the magnitude of the base flood.
In an area of special flood hazard, "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 flood waters.
FLOOD INSURANCE RATE MAP (FIRM)
The Official Map on which the Federal Insurance Administration
has delineated both the areas of special flood hazards and the risk
premium zones applicable to the community.
FLOOD INSURANCE STUDY (FIS)
The official report in which the Federal Insurance Administration
has provided flood profiles, as well as the Flood Insurance Rate Map(s)
and the water surface elevation of the base flood.
FLOOD or FLOODING
A general and temporary condition of partial or complete
inundation of normally dry land areas from:
A.
The overflow of inland or tidal waters; and/or
B.
The unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters
from any source.
FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT REGULATIONS
Zoning ordinances, subdivision regulations, building codes,
health regulations, special purpose ordinances (such as a floodplain
ordinance, grading ordinance and erosion control ordinance) and other
applications of police power. The term describes such state or local
regulations, in any combination thereof, which provide standards for
the purpose of flood damage prevention and reduction.
FLOODWAY
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
0.2 foot.
HIGHEST ADJACENT GRADE
The highest natural elevation of the ground surface prior
to construction next to the proposed walls of a structure.
HISTORIC STRUCTURE
Any structure that is:
A.
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;
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:
(1)
By an approved state program as determined by the Secretary
of the Interior; or
(2)
Directly by the Secretary of the Interior in states without
approved programs.
LOWEST FLOOR
The lowest floor of the lowest enclosed area [including basement].
An unfinished or flood-resistant enclosure, usable solely for the
parking of vehicles, building access or storage in an area other than
a basement is not considered a building's lowest floor, provided
that such enclosure is not built so to render the structure in violation
of other applicable nonelevation design requirements.
MANUFACTURED HOME
A structure, transportable in one or more sections, which
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."
NEW CONSTRUCTION
Structures for which the start of construction commenced
on or after the effective date of a floodplain regulation adopted
by a community and includes any subsequent improvements to such structures.
NEW MANUFACTURED HOME PARK OR SUBDIVISION
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 on or after the effective date
of the floodplain management regulations adopted by the municipality.
RECREATIONAL VEHICLE
A vehicle which is:
A.
Built on a single chassis;
B.
Four hundred square feet or less when measured at the longest
horizontal projections;
C.
Designed to be self-propelled or permanently towable by a light
duty truck; and
D.
Designed primarily not for use as a permanent dwelling but as
temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, travel, or seasonal
use.
START OF CONSTRUCTION
For other than new construction or substantial improvements
under the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (P.L. No. 97-348), 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 improvement was within
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 a slab or footings, the installation of piles, the
construction of columns, or 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, nor does it include the installation of streets
and/or walkways, nor does it include excavation for a basement, footings
or 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 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.
STRUCTURE
A walled and roofed building, a manufactured home, or a gas
or liquid storage tank, that is principally above ground.
SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE
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 IMPROVEMENT
Any reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, or other improvement
of a structure, the cost of which exceeds 50% of the market value
of the structure before the start of construction of the improvement.
This term includes structures which have incurred substantial damage,
regardless of the actual repair work performed. The term does not,
however, include either:
A.
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 Officer and
which are the minimum necessary to assure safe living conditions;
or
B.
Any alteration of a historic structure, provided that the alteration
will not preclude the structure's continued designation as a
"historic structure."
VARIANCE
A grant of relief from the requirements of this chapter that
permits construction in a manner that would otherwise be prohibited
by this chapter.
This chapter shall apply to all areas of special flood hazards
within the jurisdiction of the Township of Mansfield, Warren County,
New Jersey.
The areas of special flood hazard for the areas of special flood
hazard for the Township of Mansfield, Community No. 340491, are identified
and defined on the following documents prepared by the Federal Emergency
Management Agency:
A. A scientific and engineering report "Flood Insurance Study, Warren
County, New Jersey (All Jurisdictions)" dated September 29, 2011.
B. Flood Insurance Rate Map for Warren County, New Jersey (All Jurisdictions)
as shown on Index and panel numbers 34041C0228E, 34041C0229E, 34041C0233E,
34041C0234E, 34041C0235E, 34041C0236E, 34041C0237E, 34041C0239E, 34041C0241E,
34041C0242E, 34041C0243E, 34041C0244E, 34041C0253E, 34041C0254E, 34041C0261E,
34041C0262E, whose effective date is September 29, 2011.
C. The above documents are hereby adopted and declared to be a part
of this chapter. The Flood Insurance Study and maps are on file at
the Mansfield Township Municipal Building located at 100 Port Murray
Road, Port Murray, New Jersey.
This chapter is not intended to repeal, abrogate, or impair
any existing easements, covenants, or deed restrictions. However,
where this chapter and other ordinance, easement, covenant, or deed
restriction conflict or overlap, whichever imposes the more stringent
restrictions shall prevail.
In the interpretation and application of this chapter, all provisions
shall be:
A. Considered as minimum requirements;
B. Liberally construed in favor of the governing body; and
C. Deemed neither to limit nor repeal any other powers granted under
state statutes.
The degree of flood protection required by this chapter is considered
reasonable for regulatory purposes and is based on scientific and
engineering considerations. Larger floods can and will occur on rare
occasions. Flood heights may be increased by man-made or natural causes.
This chapter does not imply that land outside the area of special
flood hazards or uses permitted within such areas will be free from
flooding or flood damages. This chapter shall not create liability
on the part of the Township of Mansfield, any officer or employee
thereof or the Federal Insurance Administration, for any flood damages
that result from reliance on this chapter or any administrative decision
lawfully made thereunder.
A development permit shall be obtained before construction or development begins, including placement of manufactured homes, within any area of special flood hazard established in §
199-7. Application for a development permit shall be made on forms furnished by the Engineer and may include, but not be limited to; plans in duplicate drawn to scale showing the nature, location, dimensions, and elevations of the area in question; existing or proposed structures, fill, storage of materials, drainage facilities; and the location of the foregoing. Specifically, the following information is required:
A. Elevation in relation to mean sea level of the lowest floor (including
basement) of all structures;
B. Elevation in relation to mean sea level to which any structure has
been floodproofed;
C. Certification by a registered professional engineer or architect that the floodproofing methods for any nonresidential structure meet the floodproofing criteria in §
199-30; and
D. Description of the extent to which any watercourse will be altered
or relocated as a result of proposed development.
The Engineer is hereby appointed to administer and implement
this chapter by granting or denying development permit applications
in accordance with its provisions.
Duties of the Engineer shall include, but not be limited to
the following.
When base flood elevation and floodway data has not been provided in accordance with §
199-7, Basis for establishing areas of special flood hazard, the Engineer shall obtain, review, and reasonably utilize any base flood elevation and floodway data available from a federal, state or other source, in order to administer §
199-29, Residential construction standards, and §
199-30, Nonresidential construction standards.
Make interpretations where needed, as to the exact location of the boundaries of the areas of special flood hazards (for example, where there appears to be a conflict between a mapped boundary and actual field conditions). The person contesting the location of the boundary shall be given a reasonable opportunity to appeal the interpretation as provided in §§
199-20 and
199-21.
In all areas of special flood hazards, the standards below are
required.
All new construction and substantial improvements having fully
enclosed areas below the lowest floor that are usable solely for parking
of vehicles, building access or storage in an area other than a basement
and which are subject to flooding shall be designed to automatically
equalize hydrostatic flood forces on exterior walls by allowing for
the entry and exit of floodwaters. Designs for meeting this requirement
must either be certified by a registered professional engineer or
architect or must meet or exceed the following minimum criteria: a
minimum of two openings having a total net area of not less than one
square inch for every square foot of enclosed area subject to flooding
shall be provided. The bottom of all openings shall be no higher than
one foot above grade. Openings may be equipped with screens, louvers,
or other covering or devices provided that they permit the automatic
entry and exit of floodwaters.
In all areas of special flood hazards where base flood elevation data have been provided as set forth in §
199-7, Basis for establishing areas of special flood hazard, or in §
199-16, Use of other base flood data, the following standards are required.
In an area of special flood hazard, all new construction and
substantial improvement of any commercial, industrial or other nonresidential
structure shall have the lowest floor, including basement together
with the attendant utilities and sanitary facilities, either:
A.
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Elevated to the level of the base flood elevation; and
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B.
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Within any AO zone on the municipality's DFIRM that all
new construction and substantial improvement of any commercial, industrial
or other nonresidential structure shall have the lowest floor, including
basement, elevated above the highest adjacent grade at least as high
as the depth number specified in feet (at least two feet if no depth
number is specified). And, require adequate drainage paths around
structures on slopes to guide floodwaters around and away from proposed
structures;
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or
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A.
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Be floodproofed so that below the base flood level the structure
is watertight with walls substantially impermeable to the passage
of water;
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B.
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Have structural components capable of resisting hydrostatic
and hydrodynamic loads and effects of buoyancy; and
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C.
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Be certified by a registered professional engineer or architect that the design and methods of construction are in accordance with accepted standards of practice for meeting the applicable provisions of this subsection. Such certification shall be provided to the official as set forth in § 199-17B(2).
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Located within areas of special flood hazard established in §
199-7 are areas designated as floodways. Since the floodway is an extremely hazardous area due to the velocity of floodwaters which carry debris, potential projectiles, and erosion potential, the following provisions apply:
A. Prohibit encroachments, including fill, new construction, substantial
improvements, and other development unless a technical evaluation
demonstrates that encroachment shall not result in any increase in
flood levels during the occurrence of the base flood discharge.
B. If Subsection
A is satisfied, all new construction and substantial improvements must comply with §§
199-22 through
199-32, Provisions for flood hazard reduction.
C. In all areas of special flood hazard in which base flood elevation
data has been provided and no floodway has been designated, the cumulative
effect of any proposed development, when combined with all other existing
and anticipated development, shall not increase the water surface
elevation of the base flood more than 0.2 foot at any point.