(a) Designation of Floodplain Administrator. The City of Bridgeport will incorporate a designation of Floodplain Administrator into its organizational structure. The Floodplain Administrator is vested with the responsibility, authority and means to implement the commitments made in our agreement with the Federal Government to administer and implement this local law by granting or denying floodplain development permits in accordance with its provisions. The Floodplain Administrator shall also be responsible for submitting all required reports to FEMA concerning the City of Bridgeport's participation in the National Flood Insurance Program. This position will be appointed by the City Manager. This designation can be in conjunction with another full-time position already established in the City.
(b) Development Permits and Site Plan Approvals Required. It shall be unlawful for any contractor, person, partnership, business, or corporation to undertake or cause to be undertaken, any development or the new construction, substantial improvement, repair of substantial damage, the placement or relocation of any structure (including manufactured homes) within City of Bridgeport, unless a permit application and standard site plan bas been completed, and a permit has been obtained from the Floodplain Administrator. In addition, where land that is either partially or fully in the special flood hazard area is to be subdivided, utilized for a manufactured home park or subdivision or otherwise developed, a detailed site plan shall be submitted to, and approved by, the Floodplain Administrator prior to any development.
(c) Approval of Permits and Plans.
(1) The Floodplain Administrator shall review, or shall cause to be reviewed; all permit applications and plans in order to determine whether proposed building sites are reasonably safe from flooding.
(2) All permits and plans shall be approved only after it has been determined that the proposed work to be undertaken will be in conformance with the requirements of the state and all other applicable codes and ordinances.
(3) The Floodplain Administrator shall not issue a permit to any person who does not possess a valid contractor's license when a contractor's license is required by West Virginia State Code §21-11-10.
(4) The Floodplain Administrator, before issuance of the permit, shall require the applicant to furnish satisfactory proof that such person is duly licensed as a contractor under the provisions of West Virginia State Code. If the applicant is not licensed a written affidavit that such person is not subject to licensure as a contractor or subcontractor as defined in §21-11-3 shall be provided to the Floodplain Administrator and placed in the permit file.
(5) The Floodplain Administrator shall require copies of all necessary permits from those governmental agencies from which Federal or State Law requires approval.
(6) The Floodplain Administrator shall provide a copy of all permits to the County Assessor as required by West Virginia State Code 11-3-3A.
(7) The Floodplain Administrator shall provide a copy of all permits for new structures to the County E-911 addressing coordinator.
(8) The County E-911 addressing coordinator shall provide a copy of all requests for addresses for new structures to the County Floodplain Administrator.
(9) The City of Bridgeport shall provide sufficient space to allow the Floodplain Administrator to keep on file in perpetuity, in a location safe from natural hazards, all information collected during the course of the administration of this ordinance.
(d) Application Procedures. Application for a permit and/or site plan approvals shall be made, in writing, on the forms supplied by the City of Bridgeport, and shall include all information stipulated under Section 1731.05.
(e) Changes. After the issuance of a permit or site plan approval by the Floodplain
Administrator, no changes of any kind shall be made to the application, permit, or any of the plans, specification or other documents submitted with the application without the written consent or approval of the Floodplain Administrator.
(f) Permit Placards. The Floodplain Administrator shall issue a permit placard, which shall be prominently displayed on the premises during the time construction is in progress. This placard shall show the number of the permit, the date of its issuance and be signed by the Floodplain Administrator.
(g) Start of Construction. Work on the proposed development shall begin within 180 days after the date of issuance of the permit or the permit shall expire unless a time extension is granted, in writing, by the Floodplain Administrator. All work on the proposed development shall be completed within 18 months of permit issuance, at which time the permit shall expire, unless a time extension is granted in writing by the Floodplain Administrator. The request for a time extension shall be in writing and shall state the reasons for the extension. When considering an extension, the Floodplain Administrator shall consider the following criteria:
(1) Has the developer diligently pursued the completion of the proposed development during the 18 months?
(2) Will the granting of the extension be detrimental to public safety, health, or welfare or injurious to other property?
(h) Inspections, Stop-Work Orders, Violation Notice and Revocations.
(1) Inspections.
A. Upon learning of a potential violation of this ordinance, the Floodplain Administrator or staff shall investigate to determine whether a violation has occurred.
B. During the construction period, the Floodplain Administrator or other authorized official may inspect the premises to determine that the work is progressing in compliance with the information provided on the permit application and with all applicable laws and ordinances.
C. The Floodplain Administrator or other authorized official may inspect any development covered by this or previous ordinance to determine whether any portion of the development has been altered to be in non-compliance with the requirements of this article.
(2) Stop-Work Orders.
A. The Floodplain Administrator shall immediately issue, or cause to be issued, a "Stop Work Order" for any development found ongoing without having obtained a floodplain determination or a permit. Disregard of a stop work order shall subject the violator to the penalties described in Section 1731.08(c).
(3) Violation Notice and Revocations. When it appears after investigation that a permitted development is non-compliant with the provisions of this law and/or the conditions of the permit, the Floodplain Administrator shall notify the violator by means of written violation notice. The violation notice shall specify the nature of the violation and request that the violation be corrected within fifteen (15) days from the date appearing on the notice. Failure to correct the violation within this time period shall be cause for revocation of the permit and the governing body, or authorized employee or agent to:
A. Seek an injunction in the Circuit Court of Harrison County to restrain the violator from continuing the violation, including but not limited to requests for the removal of structures or land uses from the property involved; and
B. Seek a misdemeanor conviction in magistrate court or circuit court.
(i) Certificate of Compliance.
(1) In areas of flood hazard it shall be unlawful to occupy, or to permit the use or occupancy, of any building or premises, or both, or part thereof hereafter created, erected, installed, changed, converted or wholly or partly altered or enlarged in its use or structure until a certificate of compliance has been issued by the Local Floodplain Administrator stating that the building or land conforms to the requirements of this local law. Occupying or using a building or premises in violation of this section shall subject the violator to the penalties described in Section 1731.08(c).
(2) In areas of flood hazard it shall be unlawful to inspect and approve a permanent utility connection to any building or premises, or both, or part thereof hereafter created, erected, installed or rebuilt until the inspector is in possession of a copy of the certificate of compliance issued by the Local Floodplain Administrator stating that the particular development being inspected conforms to the requirements of this local law. Inspection and approval of utilities in violation of this section shall subject the violator to the penalties described in Section 1731.08(c).
(3) In areas of flood hazard it shall be unlawful to install a permanent utility connection to any building or premises, or both, or part thereof hereafter created, erected, installed or rebuilt until a certificate of compliance has been issued by the Local Floodplain Administrator stating that the development conforms to the requirements of this local law. Installation of utilities in violation of this section shall subject the violator to the penalties described in Section 1731.08(c).
(4) A certificate of compliance shall be issued by the Local Administrator upon satisfactory completion of all development in areas of special flood hazard.
(5) Issuance of the certificate shall be based upon the inspections conducted as prescribed in this article or local administrative procedures, and any finished construction elevation certificate, hydraulic data, flood proofing certificate, or encroachment analyses which may have been required as a condition of permit approval.
(j) Fees.
(1) A Floodplain Determination fee shall be assessed on all proposed development. This shall be a flat fee approved by the City of Bridgeport.
(2) Proposed development determined to be occurring in a special flood hazard area regulated by this ordinance shall be assessed an additional fee, payable to the City of Bridgeport based upon a set schedule approved by the City of Bridgeport using the estimated value of the proposed construction as determined by the Floodplain Administrator.
(3) In addition, the applicant shall be responsible for reimbursing the City of Bridgeport for any additional costs for services necessary for review and/or inspection of proposed development. Services include, but are not limited to, professional engineering and surveying. The Floodplain Administrator may require a deposit towards these additional costs. Additional costs may include reimbursement for contracted services.
(4) Due to the increased cost of processing, when any work for which a permit is required by this ordinance is started or proceeded with prior to obtaining a permit the fees above specified shall be doubled. The additional fee is intended to partially reimburse the County for the additional cost of processing permits for work already underway. To more fully recover this cost the fees above shall be tripled for every subsequent occurrence by the same person. Payment of the increased fee shall not relieve any person from complying fully with the requirements of this ordinance in the execution of the work or from other penalties prescribed herein.
(Passed 3-11-19.)