Unless specifically defined in this section, words or phrases used in this chapter shall be interpreted to have the meaning they have in common usage and to give this chapter its most reasonable application to effectuate its purposes. The following words and phrases shall for purposes of this chapter have the following meanings:
A. "Alteration of watercourse"
means any action that will change the location of the channel occupied by water within the banks of any portion of a riverine water body.
B. "Appeal"
means a request for a review of the floodplain administrator's interpretation of this chapter, or review by superior court of a decision of the hearing examiner such as a request for a variance.
C. "Area of shallow flooding"
means a designated AO, AH, AR/AO, or AR/AH (or VO) zone on a community's flood insurance rate map (FIRM) with a one percent or greater annual chance of flooding to an average depth of one 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. Also referred to as the "sheet flow area."
D. "Area of special flood hazard"
means the land in the floodplain within a community subject to a one percent or greater chance of flooding in any given year. It is shown on the flood insurance rate map (FIRM) as zone A, AO, AH, A1-30, AE, A99, AR (V, VO, V1-30, VE). "Special flood hazard area" is synonymous with this term.
E. "Base flood"
means the flood having a one percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. Also referred to as the "100-year flood."
F. "Base flood elevation (BFE)"
means the elevation to which floodwater is anticipated to rise during the base flood.
G. "Basement"
means any area of the building having its floor subgrade (below ground level) on all sides.
H. "Critical facility"
means a facility for which even a slight chance of flooding might be too great a threat. Critical facilities include, but are not limited to, schools, nursing homes, hospitals, police, fire and emergency response installations, and installations which produce, use or store hazardous materials or hazardous waste.
I. "Development"
means any manmade changes to improved or unimproved real estate, including but not limited to buildings or other structures, mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation or drilling operations, or storage of equipment or materials located within an area of special flood hazard.
J. "Fill"
means any natural or processed earthen material of any nature whatsoever, including, but not limited to, soil, wood chips, gravel, crushed rock, concrete, or asphalt, imported to a lot, tract or parcel, other than those materials that are directly incorporated into a building or structure. Fill is considered development (see definition above) for the purposes of this chapter. For purposes of construction of railroad track, "fill" shall not include such ballast as may be required by state or federal regulations to provide for the stability of the track, not exceeding 16 inches in depth. For purposes of road, driveway, sidewalk or approved parking area construction, "fill" shall include materials used to construct to subgrade, including gravel or rock, but shall not include above-grade concrete, asphalt, gravel or other paving material, if any, not exceeding four inches in total thickness; and further provided, for purposes of public streets, "fill" shall not include materials used to construct to six inches of subgrade to create a roadway crown, where deemed necessary or appropriate by the city engineer.
K. "Flood" or "flooding"1. a. b. c. 2.
means:
A general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land areas from:
The overflow of inland or tidal waters;
The unusual and rapid accumulation of runoff of surface waters from any source; and/or
Mudslides (i.e., mudflows) which are proximately caused by flooding as defined in subsection (1)(b) of this definition, and are akin to a river of liquid and flowing mud on the surfaces of normally dry land areas, as when earth is carried by a current of water and deposited along the path of the current.
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 abnormal tidal surge, or by some similarly unusual and foreseeable event which results in flooding as defined in subsection (1)(a) of this definition.
L. "Flood insurance rate map (FIRM)"
means the official map on which the Federal Insurance Administrator has delineated both the special flood hazard areas and the risk premium zones applicable to the community. A FIRM that has been made available digitally is called a "digital flood insurance rate map (DFIRM)."
M. "Flood insurance study" or "flood elevation study"
means an examination, evaluation, and determination of flood hazards and, if appropriate, corresponding water surface elevations; or an examination, evaluation, and determination of mudslide (i.e., mudflow) and/or flood-related erosion hazards.
N. "Floodplain" or "flood-prone area"
means a land area susceptible to being inundated by water from any source.
O. "Floodplain administrator"
means the community official designated to administer and enforce the floodplain management regulations. The community development director (or designee) is the city's floodplain administrator.
P. "Floodproofing"
means any combination of structural and nonstructural additions, changes or adjustments to structures which reduce or eliminate risk of flood damage to real estate or improved real property, water and sanitary facilities, structures and their contents. Floodproofed structures are those that have the structural integrity and design to be impervious to floodwater below the base flood elevation.
Q. "Floodway"
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 a designated height. Also referred to as the "regulatory floodway."
R. "Functionally dependent use"
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 or ship repair facilities. The term does not include long-term storage or related manufacturing activities.
S. "Highest adjacent grade"
means the highest natural elevation of the ground surface prior to construction next to the proposed walls of a structure.
T. "Historic structure"1. 2. 3. 4.
means any structure that is:
Listed individually in the National Register of Historic Places, or preliminarily designated by the Secretary of the Interior as meeting the requirements for individual listing on the National Register; or
Certified or preliminarily designated by the Secretary of the Interior as contributing to the historical significance of a registered historic district or a district primarily determined by the Secretary to qualify as a registered historic district; or
Individually listed on the Washington State inventory of historic places; or
Individually listed on King County's or the city of Snoqualmie's inventory of historic places.
U. "Lowest floor"
means 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; provided, that such enclosure is not built so as to render the structure in violation of the applicable nonelevation design requirements of this chapter (i.e., provided there are adequate flood ventilation openings).
V. "Manufactured home"
means a structure, transportable in one or more sections, which is built on a permanent chassis and is designed for use with or without permanent foundation when attached to the required utilities. The term does not include a recreational vehicle.
W. "Manufactured home park" or "manufactured home subdivision"
means a parcel (or series of contiguous parcels) of land divided into two or more lots for sale or rent for the placement of manufactured homes.
X. "Market value"
means the value a structure would bring on the open market upon reasonable exposure to sale, excluding the value of the land itself, as determined by the floodplain administrator based on the improvement value published by the King County assessor. In no event, however, shall such value be less than the assessed value for tax purposes as determined by the King County assessor. The floodplain administrator shall also be guided by Section 4.5 – Determining Market Value of the Substantial Improvement/Substantial Damage Manual, FEMA P-758.
Y. "Mechanical equipment"
means electrical, heating, ventilation, plumbing, and air conditioning equipment and other service facilities (including ductwork).
Z. "Mean sea level"
means the vertical datum to which base flood elevations shown on a community's FIRM are referenced.
AA. "New construction"1. 2.
means:
For the purposes of determining insurance rates, structures for which the start of construction commenced on or after June 25, 1984, and includes any subsequent improvements to such structures.
For floodplain management purposes, structures for which the start of construction commenced on or after July 10, 1989, and includes any subsequent improvements to such structures.
BB. "Person"
includes any individual, or group of individuals, corporation, partnership, association, or other entity, including state and local governments and agencies.
CC. "Recreational vehicle"1. 2. 3. 4.
means a vehicle:
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.
DD. "Start of construction"
includes substantial improvement and means the date the building permit was issued; provided, the actual start of construction, repair, reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, placement, or other improvement was within 180 days of the permit issuance date. The "actual start of construction" 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 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.
EE. "Structure"
means a walled and roofed building, including a gas or liquid storage tank, that is principally above ground, as well as a manufactured home.
FF. "Substantial damage"
means 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 percent of the market value of the structure before the damage occurred.
GG. "Substantial improvement"1. 2.
means any reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, or other improvement of a structure, the cost of which equals or exceeds 50 percent of the market value of the 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 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 are the minimum necessary to assure 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.
HH. "Variance"
means a grant of relief from the requirements of this chapter.
(Ord. 1237 § 1, 2020)