Definitions. For projects or activities located in the FHD, definitions found in §
27-202 shall apply unless superseded by a definition in this subsection. Definitions for use specifically with this subsection shall be as follows:
BASE FLOOD
A flood which has a one-percent chance of being equaled or
exceeded in any given year (also called the "one-hundred-year flood"
or one-percent annual chance flood).
BASE FLOOD DISCHARGE
The volume of water resulting from a base flood as it passes
a given location within a given time, usually expressed in cubic feet
per second (cfs).
BASE FLOOD ELEVATION
The elevation shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM)
that indicates the water surface elevation resulting from a flood
that has a one-percent chance of equaling or exceeding that level
in any given year.
BASEMENT
Any area of the building having its floor below ground level
on all sides.
DEVELOPMENT
Any man-made change to improved or unimproved real estate,
including, but not limited to, the construction, reconstruction, renovation,
repair, expansion, or alteration of buildings or other structures;
the placement of manufactured homes; streets, and other paving; utilities;
filling, grading and excavation; mining; dredging; drilling operations;
storage of equipment or materials; and the subdivision of land.
EXISTING 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 before the effective date of
the floodplain management regulations adopted by a community.
EXPANSION TO AN EXISTING MANUFACTURED HOME PARK OR SUBDIVISION
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
pad).
FLOOD
A temporary inundation of normally dry land areas.
FLOOD INSURANCE RATE MAP (FIRM)
The Official Map on which the Federal Emergency Management
Agency 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 provided by the Federal Emergency Management
Agency that includes flood profiles, the Flood Insurance Rate Map,
the Flood Boundary and Floodway Map, and the water surface elevation
of the base flood.
FLOODPLAIN AREA
A relatively flat or low land area which is subject to partial
or complete inundation from an adjoining or nearby stream, river or
watercourse; and/or any area subject to the unusual and rapid accumulation
of surface waters from any source.
FLOODPROOFING
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.
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
one foot.
HISTORIC STRUCTURES
Any structure that is:
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(1) 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.
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(2) 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.
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(3) Individually listed on a state inventory of historic places
in states which have been approved by the Secretary of the Interior.
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(4) Individually listed on a local inventory of historic places
in communities with historic preservation that have been certified
either:
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(a) By an approved state program as determined by the Secretary
of the Interior.
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(b) Directly by the Secretary of the Interior in States without
approved programs.
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LOWEST FLOOR
The lowest floor of the lowest fully enclosed area (including
basement). An unfinished, flood resistant partially enclosed area,
used solely for parking of vehicles, building access, and incidental
storage, in an area other than a basement area is not considered the
lowest floor of a building, provided that such space is not designed
and built so that the structure is in violation of the applicable
non-elevation design requirements of this Chapter.
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 includes park trailers, travel trailers, recreational and other
similar vehicles which are placed on a site for more than 180 consecutive
days.
MANURE
The animal excrement, including poultry litter, which is
produced at an agricultural operation. It includes materials such
as bedding and raw materials which are commingled with that excrement.
MANURE STOCKPILE
A storage pile of manure accumulated for future use that
is not confined within a manure storage facility.
MANURE STORAGE FACILITY
A permanent structure or pond, a portion of a structure or
pond, or a group of structures or ponds at one agricultural operation,
utilized for the purpose of containing manure or agricultural process
wastewater. This includes concrete, metal or other fabricated tanks
and underground structures, as well as earthen and synthetically-lined
manure storage ponds.
NEW CONSTRUCTION
Structures for which the start of construction commenced
on or after the effective start date of this Part and includes any
subsequent improvements to such structures. Any construction started
after January 16, 1980, and before the effective start date of this
Part is subject to the ordinance in effect at the time the permit
was issued, provided the start of construction was within 180 days
of permit issuance.
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 floodplain management regulations adopted by a community.
NONCONFORMING STRUCTURE
A structure or part thereof which does not conform to the
applicable provisions or requirements of the district in which it
is located, either at the time of enactment of an ordinance, or as
a result of subsequent amendments thereto, where such structure lawfully
existed prior to the enactment of such ordinance or amendment.
NONCONFORMING USE
Use of land or structure, which use does not conform to the
applicable regulations of the district in which it is located, either
at the time of the enactment of an ordinance or as a result of subsequent
amendment of an ordinance or as a result of subsequent amendments
thereto, but which did not violate such regulations prior to the enactment
of ordinance or amendments.
RECONSTRUCTION
The act or process of reproducing by new construction the
exact form and detail of a structure or a part thereof, as it appeared
at a specific period of time.
RECREATIONAL VEHICLE
A vehicle which is:
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(1) Built on a single chassis.
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(2) Not more than 400 square feet, measured at the largest horizontal
projections.
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(3) Designed to be self-propelled or permanently towable by
a light-duty truck.
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(4) Not designed for use as a permanent dwelling but as temporary
living quarters for recreational, camping, travel, or seasonal use.
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REGULATORY FLOOD ELEVATION
The base flood elevation (BFE) or estimated flood height
as determined using simplified methods plus a freeboard safety factor
of 1 1/2 feet.
SPECIAL FLOOD HAZARD AREA (SFHA)
An area in the floodplain subject to a one-percent or greater
chance of flooding in any given year. It is shown on the FIRM as Zone
A, AO, A1-A30, AE, A99, or, AH.
START OF CONSTRUCTION
Includes substantial improvement and other proposed new development
and means the date the permit was issued, provided the actual start
of construction, repair, reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition,
placement, or other improvement was within 180 days from the date
of the permit and shall be completed within 12 months after the date
of issuance of the permit unless a time extension is granted, in writing,
by the Floodplain Administrator. 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 manufacture 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.
STRUCTURE-WITHIN FHD
A walled and roofed building, including a gas or liquid storage
tank that is principally above ground, as well as a manufactured home
including, any man-made object having an ascertainable stationary
location on or in land or water whether or not affixed to land. The
term structure shall include: buildings, walls, swimming pool, porches,
garages, and similar structures. "Structure" shall be interpreted
as including the words "or part thereof." For the purposes of this
Part, picnic tables, park benches, grills and playground equipment
(all if anchored to prevent flotation), parking facilities or parking
lots and their access driveways, associated signs and light standards
shall not be considered structures.
SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE
Damage from any cause sustained by a structure whereby the
cost of restoring the structure to its before-damaged condition would
equal or exceed 50% or more of the market value of the structure before
the damage occurred.
SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT
Any reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, or other improvement
of a structure, of which the cost equals or exceeds 50% of the market
value of the structure before the "start of construction" of the improvement.
The term does not, however, include 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.
UNIFORM CONSTRUCTION CODE (UCC)
The statewide building code adopted by the Pennsylvania General
Assembly in 1999, applicable to new construction in all municipalities
whether administered by the Township, a third party or the Department
of Labor and Industry. Applicable to residential and commercial buildings,
the Code adopted the International Residential Code (IRC) and the
International Building Code (IBC), by reference, as the construction
standard applicable with the state floodplain construction. For coordination
purposes, references to the above are made specifically to various
sections of the IRC and the IBC.
VIOLATION
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 in
44 CFR 60.3(b)(5), (c)(4), (c)(10), (d)(3), (e)(2), (e)(4), or (e)(5)
is presumed to be in violation until such time as that documentation
is provided.
WATERCOURSE
A watercourse is a channel or conveyance of surface water
having defined bed and banks, whether natural or artificial, with
perennial or intermittent flow, shown as hydrology (blue lines) on
the latest version of the Plainfield Township Zoning Map. Man-made
swales, constructed specifically for stormwater management purposes,
are excluded from this definition.