Unless specifically defined below, words or
phrases used in this article shall be interpreted so as to give them
the meaning they have in common usage and to give this article its
most reasonable application.
APPEAL
A request for a review of the Construction Official's or
Borough Engineer's interpretation of any provision of this section
or a request for a flood variance.
AREA OF SHALLOW FLOODING
A designated AO, AH, or VO zone on a community's Flood Insurance
Rate Map (FIRM) with a 1% 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. Such flooding is characterized by ponding
or sheet flow.
AREA OF SPECIAL FLOOD HAZARD
The land in the floodplain within a community subject to
a one-percent or greater chance of flooding in any given year.
BASE FLOOD
The flood having a one-percent chance of being equaled or
exceeded in any given year.
BASEMENT
Any floor area of the building which is below adjacent ground
level for all of its perimeter.
BREAKAWAY WALL
A wall that is part of the structural system of the building,
part of which is intended through its design and construction to collapse
under specific lateral loading forces without causing damage to the
elevated portion of the building or supporting foundation system.
DEVELOPMENT
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,
or storage of equipment or materials located within the area of special
flood hazard.
ELEVATED BUILDING
A nonbasement building (1) built in the case of a building
in an area of special flood hazard to have the top of the elevated
floor elevated above the ground level by means of piling, columns,
posts, piers, or shear walls parallel to the flow of the water, and
(2) adequately anchored so as not to impair the structural integrity
of the building during a flood up to the magnitude of the base flood.
In an area of special flood hazard, 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.
FLOODPLAIN
The stream channel plus any adjacent area which may be covered
by a flood having a one-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded
in any given year.
FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT REGULATIONS
Zoning ordinances, subdivision regulations, building codes,
health regulations, special purpose ordinances (such as floodplain
ordinance, grading ordinance and erosion control ordinance) and other
applications of police power. The term describes such state or local
regulations, in any combination thereof, which provide standards for
the purpose of flood damage prevention and reduction.
FLOODPROOFING
Any combination of structural or nonstructural additions,
changes or adjustments to properties and structures which reduce or
eliminate flood damage to lands, water and sanitary facilities, structures
and contents of buildings.
FLOOD or FLOODING
A general and temporary condition of partial or complete
inundation of normally dry land areas from:
A.
The overflow of inland or tidal water; and/or
B.
The unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff
of surface waters from any source.
FLOOD INSURANCE RATE MAP (FIRM)
The official map on which the Federal Insurance Administration
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 in which the Federal Insurance
Administration has provided flood profiles, as well as the Flood Insurance
Rate Map and the water surface elevation of the base flood.
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
0.2 foot.
HISTORIC STRUCTURE
Any structure that is:
A.
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;
B.
Certified or preliminarily determined by the
Secretary of the Interior as contributing to the historical significance
of a registered historic district or an area preliminarily determined
by the Secretary to qualify as a registered historic district;
C.
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
D.
Individually listed on a local inventory of
historic places in communities with historic preservation programs
that have been certified either:
(1)
By an approved state program as determined by
the Secretary of the Interior; or
(2)
Directly by the Secretary of the Interior in
states without approved programs.
LOWEST FLOOR
The lowest floor of the lowest enclosed area (including basement).
An unfinished or flood-resistant enclosure, usable solely for the
parking of vehicles, building access or storage in an area other than
the basement, is not considered a building's lowest floor, provided
that such enclosure is not built so as to render the structure in
violation of other applicable nonelevation design requirements.
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 "manufactured home" does not include a recreational vehicle.
NEW CONSTRUCTION
Structures for which the start of construction commenced
on or after the effective date of a floodplain management regulation
adopted by a community and includes any subsequent improvements to
such structures.
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 the floodplain management regulations adopted by the municipality.
RECREATIONAL VEHICLE
A vehicle which is:
A.
Built on a single chassis;
B.
Four hundred square feet or less when measured
at the longest horizontal projections;
C.
Designed to be self-propelled or permanently
towable by a light-duty truck; and
D.
Designed primarily not for use as a permanent
dwelling but as temporary living quarters for recreational, camping,
travel, or seasonal use.
START OF CONSTRUCTION
Start of construction for other than new construction or
substantial improvements under the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (P.L.
No. 97-348) includes substantial improvements and means the date the
construction permit was issued, provided the actual start of construction,
repair, reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, 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 a 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 or 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 state 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
A walled and roofed building, a manufactured home, or a gas
or liquid storage tank, that is principally above ground.
SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE
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.
SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT
Any reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, or other improvement
of a structure, the cost of which exceeds 50% 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,
however, include either:
A.
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 officer and which are the minimum necessary to assure
safe living conditions; or
B.
Any alteration of a historic structure, provided
that the alteration will not preclude the structure's continued designation
as a historic structure.