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:
means a request for a review of the Floodplain Administrator's
interpretation of any provision of this chapter or a request for a
variance.
means land designated AO or AH on the Flood Insurance Rate
Map (FIRM). The base flood depths range from one to three feet; a
clearly defined channel does not exist; the path of flooding is unpredictable
and indeterminate; and velocity flow may be evident.
See Special flood hazard area.
means the area subject to severe flood-related erosion losses.
The area is designated as Zone E on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM).
means the area subject to severe mudslides (i.e., mudflows).
The area is designated as Zone M on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM).
means the flood having a one percent chance of being equaled
or exceeded in any given year (also called the "100 year flood").
means any area of the building having its floor subgrade
(below ground level) on all sides.
means any type of walls, whether solid or lattice, and whether
constructed of concrete, masonry, wood, metal, plastic or any other
suitable building material which is not part of the structural support
of the building and which is designed to break away under abnormally
high tides or wave action without causing any damage to the structural
integrity of the building on which they are used or any buildings
to which they might be carried by floodwaters. A breakaway wall shall
have a safe design loading resistance of not less than 10 and no more
than 20 pounds per square foot. Use of breakaway walls must be certified
by a registered engineer or architect and shall meet the following
conditions:
means the City of Plymouth.
means the City Council of the City.
means 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.
means 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 this chapter.
means a general and temporary condition of partial or complete
inundation of normally dry land areas from: (1) the overflow of floodwaters;
(2) the unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters
from any source; and/or (3) 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 flash flood or an abnormal
tidal surge, or by some similarly unusual and unforeseeable event
which results in flooding as defined in this definition.
means the official map on which the Federal Emergency Management
Agency or Federal Insurance Administration has delineated both the
areas of flood hazard and the floodway.
means the official report provided by the Federal Insurance
Administration that includes flood profiles, the FIRM, the Flood Boundary
and Floodway Map, and the water surface elevation of the base flood.
means the operation of an overall program of corrective and
preventive measures for reducing flood damage, including, but not
limited to, emergency preparedness plans, flood control works and
floodplain management regulations.
means any land area susceptible to flooding or to being inundated
by water from any source.
means 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.
means 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. Also referred to as "regulatory floodway."
means a use which 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, but does not include long-term storage
or related manufacturing facilities.
means the highest natural elevation of the ground surface
prior to construction next to the proposed walls of a structure.
means the lowest floor of the lowest enclosed area (including
basement). An unfinished or 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.
means 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 connected to the required utilities.
The term "manufactured home" does not include a "recreational
vehicle."
means for purposes of the National Flood Insurance Program,
the National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD) of 1929 or other datum,
to which base flood elevations shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map
are referenced.
means, for floodplain management purposes, structures for
which the "start of construction" is on or after the effective
date of the ordinance codified in this chapter.
means 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 this chapter.
means a flood which has a one percent annual probability
of being equaled or exceeded. It is identical to the "base flood,"
which is the term used throughout this chapter.
means an individual or his or her agent, a firm, partnership,
association or corporation, or an agent of the aforementioned groups,
or the State of California or its agencies or political subdivisions.
means 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
Designed primarily not for use as a permanent dwelling but as
temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, travel or seasonal
use.
means to bring a structure or other development into compliance
with State or local floodplain management regulations, or, if this
is not possible, to reduce the impacts of its noncompliance. Ways
that impacts may be reduced include protecting the structure or other
affected development from flood damages, implementing the enforcement
provisions of this chapter or otherwise deterring future similar violations,
or reducing Federal financial exposure with regard to the structure
or other development.
means relating to, formed by, or resembling a river (including
tributaries), stream, brook, etc.
means naturally occurring accumulations of sand in ridges
or mounds landward of a beach.
means an area having special flood or flood-related erosion
hazards, and shown on an FHMB or FIRM as Zone A, AO, A1-30, AE, A99
or AH.
means and includes substantial improvement, and means the
date the building permit was issued, provided the actual start of
construction, repair, reconstruction, 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 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.
means the State of California.
means any repair, reconstruction or improvement of a structure,
the cost of which equals or exceeds 50% of the market value of the
structure either:
Before the improvement or repair is started; or
If the structure has been damaged, and is being restored, before
the damage occurred.
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For the purposes 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:
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1.
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Any project for improvement of a structure to comply with existing
State or local health, sanitary or safety code specifications which
are solely necessary to assure safe living conditions; or
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2.
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Any alteration of a structure listed on the National Register
of Historic Places or a State Inventory of Historic Places.
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means a grant of relief from the requirements of this chapter
which permits construction in a manner that would otherwise be prohibited
by this chapter.
means the failure of a structure or other development to
be fully compliant with this chapter. A structure or other development
without the elevation certificate, other certifications, or other
evidence of compliance required in this chapter is presumed to be
in violation until such time as that documentation is provided.
(Ord. 97-21 § 1, 1997)
