A.
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.
B.
100-YEAR FLOOD
APPEAL
AREA OF SHALLOW FLOODING
AREA OF SPECIAL FLOOD HAZARD
BASE FLOOD
BASEMENT
BUILDING
CELLAR
CRAWL SPACE
DEVELOPMENT
ELEVATED BUILDING
(1)
(a)
(b)
(2)
FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
FLOOD BOUNDARY AND FLOODWAY MAP (FBFM)
FLOOD ELEVATION STUDY
FLOOD HAZARD BOUNDARY MAP (FHBM)
FLOOD INSURANCE RATE MAP (FIRM)
FLOOD INSURANCE STUDY
FLOOD or FLOODING
(1)
(2)
FLOODPLAIN or FLOOD-PRONE AREA
FLOODPROOFING
FLOODWAY
FUNCTIONALLY DEPENDENT USE
HIGHEST ADJACENT GRADE
HISTORIC STRUCTURE
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
LOCAL ADMINISTRATOR
LOWEST FLOOR
MANUFACTURED HOME
MANUFACTURED HOME PARK OR SUBDIVISION
MEAN SEA LEVEL
MOBILE HOME
NEW CONSTRUCTION
PRINCIPALLY ABOVE GROUND
RECREATIONAL VEHICLE
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
REGULATORY FLOODWAY
START OF CONSTRUCTION
(1)
(2)
STRUCTURE
SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE
SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT
(1)
(2)
VARIANCE
VIOLATION
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings
indicated:
See "base flood."
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 Flood Insurance
Rate Map (FIRM) with a 1% or greater annual change 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 1% 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 "100-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 1% 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"
See "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 experience during periods of
flooding.
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:
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 Zone V1-30; VE or V, to have the bottom
of the lowest horizontal structure members of the elevated floor elevated
above the ground level by means of pilings, columns (posts or 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 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 definitions 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 (1) above of this definition.
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.
See "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.
The 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 the 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.
See "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.
At least 51% of the actual cash value of the structure, excluding
land value, is above ground.
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 as provided in § 90-14B 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 above ground, 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.
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.
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 a historic structure, provided that the alteration
will not preclude the structure's continued designation as a 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.
