Unless specifically defined below, words and phrases used in this chapter shall be interpreted so as to give them the same meaning as they have in common usage and so as to give this chapter its most reasonable application. As used in this chapter:
(a) "Base flood" means the flood having a one percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year.
(b) "Development" means any man-made change to improved or unimproved real estate, including, but not limited to, buildings or other structures and mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation and drilling operations.
(c) "Flood" means:
(1) A general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land areas from:
A. The overflow of inland or tidal waters; or
B. The unusual and rapid accumulation or run-off of surface waters from any source.
C. Mudflows; and,
(2) 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 section (l)A. of this definition.
(d) "Flood plain" and "flood-prone area" mean any land area susceptible to being inundated by water from any source (see definition of “Flood”).
(e) "Floodproofing" 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.
(f) "Habitable floor" means any floor usable for living purposes, which includes working, sleeping, cooking or recreation, or a combination thereof. A floor used only for storage purposes is not a "habitable floor."
(g) "Mobile home" means 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. It does not include recreational vehicles or travel trailers. The term includes, but is not limited to, the definition of "mobile home" as set forth in regulations governing the Mobile Home Safety and Construction Standards Program (24 CFR 3282.7(a)).
(h) "Person" includes any individual or group of individuals, corporation, partnership, association or any other entity, including State and local governments and agencies.
(i) "Responsible person" means the Superintendent of Building Inspection of the City or his authorized representative.
(j) "Riverine" means relating to, formed by, or resembling, a river (including tributaries), stream, brook, etc.
(k) "Structure" means, for plain management purposes, a walled and roofed building, including a gas or liquid storage tank, that is principally above ground, as well as a mobile home.
(l) "Substantial improvement" means any repair, reconstruction or improvement of a structure, the cost of which equals or exceeds fifty percent 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. 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 the alteration affects the external dimensions of the structure. The term does not, however, include either:
(1) 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
(2) Any alteration of a structure listed on the National Register of Historic Places or a State Inventory of Historic Places.
(m) "Variance" means a grant of relief by a community from the terms of a flood plain management regulation.
(n) "Flood Insurance Rate Map" (FIRM) means 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.
(o) "Flood Insurance Study" means the official report provided in which the Federal Insurance Administration has provided flood profiles, as well as the Flood Boundary-Floodway Map and the water surface elevation of the base flood.
(p) "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 .1 foot.
(q) "Flood Hazard Boundary Map" (FHBM) means an official map of a community, issued by the FEMA, where the boundaries of the flood, mudslide (i.e., mudflow) related erosion areas having special hazards have been designated as Zone A, M, and/or E.
(r) "Floodplain management" 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.
(s) "Floodplain management regulations" means zoning ordinances, subdivision regulations, building codes, health regulations, special purpose ordinances (such as a floodplain ordinance, grading ordinance and erosion control ordinance), and other applications of police power that provide standards for the purpose. Floodplain management regulations means zoning ordinances, subdivision regulations, building codes, health regulations, special purpose ordinances (such as a floodplain ordinance, grading ordinance and erosion control ordinance), and other applications of police power that provide standards for the purpose.
(Ord. 10-83. Passed 4-19-83; Ord. 01-2011. Passed 3-15-11.)