For the purpose of this chapter, the definitions in SCCC § 16.13.160-A through 16.13.160-Z apply.
(Ord. 5350 § 1, 2020)
means a structure that is located on the same parcel of property as a principal structure and the use of which is incidental to the use of the principal structure.
means an improvement to an existing structure that increases the area, measured in square feet. The use of breezeways, corridors, or other nonintegral connections between structures shall not cause separate buildings or structures to be considered additions to an existing structure.
means an alteration of a watercourse including, but not limited to, any dam, impoundment, levee, channel realignment, conversion to pipe conveyance, bank hardening, refuse dumping, backfilling, excavating, grading, alteration of vegetation, diversion, dewatering or change in cross-sectional area or capacity, which may alter, impede, retard, accelerate, or change the direction and/or velocity of the riverine flow of water and its natural materials transport during conditions of the base flood.
means a designated AO or AH Zone on the County of Santa Cruz Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). In these zones, the base flood elevations and 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. Such flooding is characterized by sheet flow or ponding.
means special flood hazard area. See definition of special flood hazard area.
(Ord. 5350 § 1, 2020)
means a flood which has a one percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. The base flood is commonly referred to as the "100-year flood" or the "one percent annual chance flood."
means the water surface elevation of the base flood in relation to the datum specified on the FIRM, or as established in a hydraulic investigation.
means the water surface height of the base flood in relation to existing grade elevations.
means any area of a building having its floor subgrade (below ground level) on all sides.
means a wall that is not part of the structural support of the building and is designed and constructed to collapse under specific lateral loading forces, without causing damage to the elevated portion of the building or supporting foundation system.
means the officer or other designated authority charged with the administration and enforcement of the building codes, or a duly authorized representative.
means an official document issued by the Building Division of the Planning Department which authorizes performance of specific activities that are determined to be compliant with the building codes.
(Ord. 5350 § 1, 2020)
means a special flood hazard area extending from offshore to the inland limit of a primary frontal dune along an open coast and any other area subject to high velocity wave action from storms or seismic sources. Coastal high hazard areas are also referred to as "V Zones" or "flood hazard areas subject to high velocity wave action" and are designated on flood insurance rate maps (FIRM) as Zone V1-V30, VE, V, or A (when located in a coastal area).
means a County employee who is a professional geologist registered with the California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists or a professional geologist under contract by the County, who has been authorized by the Planning Director to assist in the administration of this chapter.
means a facility necessary to protect health, safety, and welfare during a flood. Critical facilities include, but are not limited to, hospitals and medical facilities; fire and police stations; disaster relief and emergency operating centers; large dams and public utilities; public transportation and communications facilities; buildings with involuntary occupancy such as schools, jails, and convalescent nursing homes; high occupancy structures such as theaters, churches, office buildings, factories, and stores; and installations which produce, use or store hazardous materials or hazardous waste.
means a substantial improvement that involves two or more instances of repair, reconstruction, alteration, addition, or improvement to a structure, over the course of five consecutive years. For example, any improvement permit that is applied for within five years of the permit final of another instance of repair, reconstruction, alteration, addition, or improvement of the same structure, where, if the value of such activities, when added together, equals or exceeds 50 percent of the market value of the structure prior to issuance of the first permit, the activity as a whole shall be considered to be a "substantial improvement."
(Ord. 5350 § 1, 2020)
means a form provided by the Planning Department and completed by a licensed contractor titled "Cost Breakdown" which includes a breakdown of the costs to perform the improvement, the costs to repair a damaged building to its pre-damaged condition, or the combined costs of improvements and repairs to a building or structure. If acceptable to the Floodplain Administrator, a detailed cost estimate may also be an estimate prepared by a licensed contractor.
means any manmade change to improved or unimproved real estate within the special flood hazard area, including, but not limited to, buildings or other structures, tanks, temporary structures, temporary or permanent storage of equipment or materials, mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavations, removal of more than five percent of the vegetation on the property, or any other land disturbing activities.
(Ord. 5350 § 1, 2020)
means activities or construction within the floodway including fill, new construction, substantial improvements, and other development. These activities are prohibited within the adopted regulatory floodway unless it has been demonstrated through hydrologic and hydraulic analyses that the proposed encroachment would not result in any increase in flood levels. The County of Santa Cruz is responsible to review and maintain record of the documentation demonstrating that any permitted floodway encroachment meets National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) requirements. A "no-rise certification" for floodways is required to document the analyses.
means a grant of relief from the requirements of this chapter, or the flood-resistant provisions of the building codes, which permits construction in a manner that would otherwise be prohibited by this chapter.
means structures for which the "start of construction" commenced before April 15, 1986, which is the date of the County of Santa Cruz's first map showing flood hazard areas.
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) was completed before April 15, 1986.
means 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).
(Ord. 5350 § 1, 2020)
means the Federal agency that, in addition to carrying out other functions, administers the National Flood Insurance Program.
means the deposition of earth or any other substance or material by artificial means for any purpose, or the condition resulting from a fill taking place.
means a general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land from:
means any structure or material, including but not limited to a berm, levee, dam or retaining wall, placed in areas where flooding occurs, and constructed for the purpose of protecting a structure, road, driveway, utility or transmission line.
means any construction material capable of withstanding direct and prolonged contact with floodwaters without sustaining any damage that requires more than cosmetic repair.
means the area that is subject to the base flood outside of the floodway boundary.
means special flood hazard area. See definition of special flood hazard area.
means the official map of the County on which the Federal Emergency Management Agency has delineated both the special flood hazard areas and the risk premium zones applicable to the jurisdiction. For insurance purposes, the original FIRM date for Santa Cruz County is April 15, 1986.
means the official report provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency that contains the Flood Insurance Rate Map, the water surface elevations of the base flood, and supporting technical data.
means any land area susceptible to being inundated by water from any source. The base flood is used to define the floodplain by Federal agencies and the County of Santa Cruz.
means the Planning Director or designee, who manages the administration and implementation of the National Flood Insurance Program regulations and the provisions of this chapter.
means a permit or document issued by the jurisdiction which authorizes performance of specific development activities located in a flood hazard area that are determined to be compliant with this chapter.
means any combination of structural and nonstructural additions, changes or adjustments to nonresidential structures which reduce or eliminate flood damage to real estate or improved real property, water and sanitary facilities, structures and their contents.
means regulatory floodway. See definition of regulatory floodway.
means the hydrologic and hydraulic analyses of the impact a proposed development is expected to have on the floodway boundaries and base flood elevations. The analyses shall be prepared by a registered professional civil engineer using standard engineering methods and models.
means a factor of safety usually expressed in feet above a base flood elevation or height for purposes of floodplain management. Freeboard is required to compensate for the many unknown factors that could contribute to flood heights or elevations greater than the height or elevation calculated for a selected size flood and floodway conditions, such as wave action, bridge openings, climate change, sea level rise, and the hydrological effect of urbanization of the watershed. Unless otherwise noted, freeboard shall be three feet in coastal high hazards areas and two feet in all other flood hazard areas.
(Ord. 5350 § 1, 2020)
Reserved.
(Ord. 5350 § 1, 2020)
means, for the purpose of administering this chapter, the exceptional hardship that would result from failure to grant the requested exception. The specific exception must be an exceptional, unusual, and peculiar issue specific to the property involved. Economic or financial hardship alone is not exceptional. Inconvenience, aesthetic considerations, personal preferences, or the disapproval of neighbors also cannot qualify as exceptional hardship, as these problems can be resolved through means other than granting an exception, even if those means are more expensive, require the property owner to build elsewhere, or put the parcel to a different use than originally intended or proposed.
means the highest natural elevation of the ground surface prior to construction next to the existing or proposed walls or foundation of a structure.
means any structure that is:
Listed individually in the National Register of Historic Places (a listing maintained by the U.S. 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 by an approved State program as determined by the Secretary of the Interior or directly by the Secretary of the Interior in states without approved programs.
means a report prepared by a registered professional civil engineer with expertise in hydrology and hydraulics which analyzes surface hydrology and hydraulics.
(Ord. 5350 § 1, 2020)
Reserved.
(Ord. 5350 § 1, 2020)
Reserved.
(Ord. 5350 § 1, 2020)
Reserved.
(Ord. 5350 § 1, 2020)
means the lowest natural elevation of the ground surface prior to construction next to the existing or proposed walls or foundation of a structure.
means the lowest floor of the lowest enclosed area, including basement (see "basement" definition in this chapter), but excluding an enclosure below the lowest floor that is used solely for parking of vehicles, building access, or storage and provided the enclosure is built in accordance with the applicable design requirements of the building codes for flood openings, anchoring, construction materials and methods, and utilities in flood zones.
(Ord. 5350 § 1, 2020)
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 attached to the required utilities. The term "manufactured home" does not include a "recreational vehicle."
means a parcel (or contiguous parcels) of land divided into two or more manufactured home lots for rent or sale.
means the price at which a property will change hands between a willing buyer and a willing seller, neither party being under compulsion to buy or sell and both having reasonable knowledge of relevant facts. As used in this chapter, the term refers to the market value of structures (not including the land or any value associated with the location; other site improvements or accessory structures; or indirect costs such as financing, construction loan interest or consultant costs).
(Ord. 5350 § 1, 2020)
means structures for which the "start of construction" commenced on or after April 15, 1986, and includes any subsequent improvements to such structures.
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 April 15, 1986.
means any building or structure or portion thereof that is not classified Residential Group R or Institutional Group I in accordance with the building code.
(Ord. 5350 § 1, 2020)
Reserved.
(Ord. 5350 § 1, 2020)
means the Planning Director of the County of Santa Cruz or their authorized designee.
means an estimate required from a licensed contractor based upon preliminary plans, such as those submitted with a discretionary application, which details the costs to perform the improvement, the costs to repair the damaged building to its pre-damaged condition, or the combined costs of improvements and repairs to the building or structure.
means a continuous or nearly continuous mound or ridge of sand with relatively steep seaward and landward slopes immediately landward and adjacent to the beach and subject to erosion and overtopping from high tides and waves during major coastal storms. The inland limit of the primary frontal dune occurs at the point where there is a distinct change from a relatively steep slope to a relatively mild slope and is determined or accepted by the County Geologist.
(Ord. 5350 § 1, 2020)
Reserved.
(Ord. 5350 § 1, 2020)
means 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 temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, travel, or seasonal use.
means the channel of a river or other watercourse and the adjacent land areas that must be reserved in order to carry and discharge the base flood without cumulatively increasing the water surface elevation more than one foot at any point. Also referred to as the floodway.
means flood-related damages sustained by a structure on two separate occasions during a 10-year period ending on the date of the event for which the second claim is made, for which the cost of repairs at the time of each such flood event, on the average, equaled or exceeded 25 percent of the market value of the structure before the damages occurred.
means an open way for vehicular traffic. For the purpose of this chapter, a driveway is considered a road or roadway.
(Ord. 5350 § 1, 2020)
means naturally occurring accumulations of sand in ridges or mounds landward of the beach.
means the land in a floodplain subject to a one percent or greater annual chance of flooding in any given year. Special flood hazard areas are in general shown on a FIRM as Zones A, AO, A1-A30, AE, A99, AH, V1-V30, VE and V, but can also be determined by the Floodplain Administrator to occur where not shown on the FIRM. Also known as the flood hazard area, FHA, area of special flood hazard, or area of the one percent annual chance flood.
means the date the building permit was issued, whether for new construction or substantial improvement of a building or structure, provided the actual start of construction, repair, reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, placement, or other improvement was within 180 days of the date of the permit. 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.
means a walled and roofed building, including a gas or liquid storage tank that is principally aboveground, as well as a manufactured home.
means damage of any origin sustained by a building or structure whereby the cost of restoring the structure to its before-damaged condition would equal or exceed 50 percent of the market value of the structure before the damage occurred.
means any reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, or other improvement of a building or structure, or the cumulative total of such activities as defined in this section, the cost of which equals or exceeds 50 percent of the market value of the building or 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:
Any project for improvement of an existing building or structure to correct existing violations of State or local health, sanitary, or safety code specifications which have been identified in writing by the local code enforcement official prior to a permit application and which are the minimum necessary to ensure safe living conditions; or
Any alteration of a historic structure, provided the alteration will not preclude the structure's continued designation as a historic structure.
(Ord. 5350 § 1, 2020)
Reserved.
(Ord. 5350 § 1, 2020)
Reserved.
(Ord. 5350 § 1, 2020)
means coastal high hazard area. See definition of coastal high hazard area.
means a certification prepared by a registered professional engineer and/or architect, in a form prepared by the Planning Department, that certifies that the design and planned methods of construction meet the requirements of the NFIP and this chapter for construction in a V Zone.
means a certification prepared by a registered professional engineer, architect and/or surveyor in a form prepared by the Planning Department, which is submitted prior to final inspection of a structure that certifies that the construction met the requirements of the NFIP and this chapter for construction in a V Zone.
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 required permits, or other evidence of compliance required in this chapter is presumed to be in violation until such time as the required documentation has been provided.
(Ord. 5350 § 1, 2020)
means a lake, river, creek, stream, wash, arroyo, channel or other topographic feature in, on, through, or over which water flows at least periodically.
means a road, driveway, bridge, culvert, low-water crossing or similar means for vehicles, pedestrians or utilities to travel from one side of a watercourse to the other side.
(Ord. 5350 § 1, 2020)
Reserved.
(Ord. 5350 § 1, 2020)
Reserved.
(Ord. 5350 § 1, 2020)
Reserved.
(Ord. 5350 § 1, 2020)
Where terms are not defined in this chapter and are defined in the building codes, such terms shall have the meanings ascribed to them as in the building codes.
(Ord. 5350 § 1, 2020)
Where terms are not defined in this chapter or the building codes, such terms shall have ordinarily accepted meanings such as the context implies.
(Ord. 5350 § 1, 2020)