Certain terms and phrases used in this chapter are hereinafter
defined and explained. Otherwise, the words in this chapter shall
have the meaning commonly attributed to them.
The flood having a one-percent chance of being equaled or
exceeded in any given year.
The particular elevation of the base flood or one-hundred-year
flood as specified on the Flood Insurance Rate Map; the height in
relation to mean sea level expected to be reached by the waters of
the base flood at pertinent points in the floodplains of coastal and
riverine areas.
Any area of the building having its floor subgrade (below
ground level) on all sides.
A walled and roofed building which is principally above ground,
including a manufactured home, a gas or liquid storage tank, or other
man-made facilities or infrastructure.
As related to substantial improvements, the cost of any reconstruction,
rehabilitation, addition, alteration, repair or other improvement
of a structure shall be established by a detailed written contractor's
estimate. The estimate shall include, but not be limited to: the cost
of materials (interior finishing elements, structural elements, utility
and service equipment); sales tax on materials, building equipment
and fixtures, including heating and air conditioning and utility meters;
labor; built-in appliances; demolition and site preparation; repairs
made to damaged parts of the building worked on at the same time;
contractor's overhead; contractor's profit; and grand total. Items
to be excluded include: cost of plans and specifications, survey costs,
permit fees, outside improvements such as septic systems, water supply
wells, landscaping, sidewalks, fences, yard lights, irrigation systems,
and detached structures such as garages, sheds, and gazebos.
Any man-made change to improved or unimproved real estate,
including but not limited to the construction of buildings or structures;
the construction of additions, alterations or substantial improvements
to buildings or structures; the placement of buildings or structures;
mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation or drilling
operations or storage of equipment; the storage, deposition, or extraction
of materials; and the installation, repair or removal of public or
private sewage disposal systems or water supply facilities.
A manufactured home park or subdivision for which the construction
of facilities for servicing the lots on which the manufactured home
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 July 5, 1982, the effective
date of the floodplain management ordinance adopted by the 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).
The federal agency that administers the National Flood Insurance
Program (NFIP).
The official map of a community on which the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) has delineated both the special flood hazard
areas (one-hundred-year floodplain) and the insurance risk premium
zones applicable to a community.
The official study of a community in which the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) has conducted 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:
Any combination of structural or 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.
The channel of a river or other watercourse and the adjacent
land area that must be reserved in order to discharge the base flood
without cumulatively increasing the water surface elevation more than
1.0 foot anywhere in the Town. For the purposes of this chapter, the
term "regulatory floodway" is synonymous in meaning with the term
"floodway." The floodway is delineated on the Flood Insurance Rate
Map, which is part of this chapter.
A use or facility that cannot perform its intended purpose
unless it is located or carried out in close proximity to water. The
term includes only docking facilities, port facilities that are necessary
for the loading and unloading of cargo or passengers, and ship building
and ship repair facilities. The term does not include seafood processing
facilities, long-term storage, manufacturing, sales or service facilities.
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 historic 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 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.
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 also includes park trailers, travel trailers, recreational vehicles
and other similar vehicles or transportable structures placed on a
site for 180 consecutive days or longer and intended to be improved
property.
A parcel or contiguous parcels of land divided into two or
more manufactured home lots for rent or sale.
The market value of the structure shall be determined by
an independent appraisal by a professional appraiser prior to the
start of the initial repair or improvement, or in the case of damage,
the value of the structure prior to the damage occurring.
The North American Vertical Datum (NAVD) of 1988 or other
datum to which base flood elevations shown on a community's Flood
Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) are referenced.
Structures for which the start of construction commenced
on or after July 5, 1982, the effective date of the floodplain management
regulations, and includes any subsequent improvements to such 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 on or after July 5, 1982, the
effective date of the floodplain management regulation adopted by
the community.
A vehicle which is:
Built on a single chassis;
Four hundred square feet or less when measured at the largest
horizontal projection;
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
a temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, travel, or
seasonal use.
The land in the floodplain within a community subject to
a one-percent or greater chance of flooding in any given year. SFHAs
are determined utilizing the base flood elevations (BFE) provided
on the flood profiles in the Flood Insurance Study (FIS) for a community.
BFEs provided on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) are only approximate
(rounded up or down) and should be verified with the BFEs published
in the FIS for a specific location. SFHAs include, but are not necessarily
limited to, the land shown as Zones A and AE. The SFHA is also called
the "area of special flood hazard."
Includes substantial improvement and means the date the building
permit was issued, provided the actual start of construction, repair,
reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition placement, substantial improvement
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 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, 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.
A walled and roofed building, including a gas or liquid storage
tank that is principally above ground, as well as a trailer.
Damage of any origin sustained by a structure, whereby the
cost of restoring the structure to its pre-damaged condition would
equal or exceed 50% of the market value of the structure before the
damage occurred.
Any repair, reconstruction, or improvement of a structure, taking
place over a five-year period, the cost of which equals or exceeds
50% of the market value of the structure either:
For the purpose of this definition, "substantial improvement"
is considered to occur 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 structure.
The term does not, however, include either:
Any project for improvement of a structure to comply with existing
state or Town health, sanitary, or safety code specifications which
are solely necessary to assure safe living conditions; or
Any alterations of a structure listed on the National Register
of Historic Places or the Connecticut State Inventory of Historic
Places.
A grant of relief by a community from the terms of the floodplain
management ordinance that allows construction in a manner otherwise
prohibited and where specific enforcement would result in unnecessary
hardship.
Failure of a structure or other development to be fully compliant
with the community's floodplain management 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.
The height, in relation to the North American Vertical Datum
(NAVD) of 1988 (or other datum, where specified), of floods of various
magnitudes and frequencies in the floodplains of coastal or riverine
areas.
