For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions apply unless the context clearly requires a different meaning.
ACCESSORY STRUCTURE. A structure which is on the same parcel of property as the principal structure and the use of which is incidental to the use of the principal structure. Examples of ACCESSORY STRUCTURES include, but are not limited to, garages and storage sheds.
AREA OF SPECIAL FLOOD HAZARD. The land in the floodplain within the town which is subject to a 1% or greater chance of flooding in any given year.
BASE FLOOD. The flood having a 1% chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year.
BASE FLOOD ELEVATION or BFE. The elevation in feet above mean sea level of the base flood, or 1% chance flood.
BASEMENT. Any area of the building having its floor subgrade, or below ground level, on all sides.
C.F.R. The Code of Federal Regulations.
CRITICAL FEATURE. An integral and readily-identifiable part of a flood protection system, without which the flood protection provided by the entire system would be compromised.
DEVELOPMENT. Any human-made change in improved and unimproved real estate, including, but not limited to, buildings or other structures, mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation or drilling operations or the storage of equipment or materials.
DEVELOPMENT PERMIT. A permit issued by the Town Floodplain Administrator which authorizes development in a special flood hazard area in accordance with this chapter.
ELEVATED BUILDING.
(1) A nonbasement building built, in the case of a building in Zones AE, A or X, to have the top of the elevated floor adequately anchored so as not to impair the structural integrity of the building during a flood up to the magnitude of the base flood.
(2) In the case of Zones AE, A or X, 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.
EXISTING CONSTRUCTION. For the purpose of determining rates, structures for which the “start of construction” commenced before the effective date of the FIRM or, for FIRMs effective before that date, before January 1, 1975. EXISTING CONSTRUCTION may also be referred to as EXISTING STRUCTURES.
EXISTING 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, was completed before August 4, 1972.
EXPANSION TO AN EXISTING MANUFACTURED HOME PARK OR SUBDIVISION. 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.
FEMA. The Federal Emergency Management Agency.
FLOOD or FLOODING. A general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land areas from:
(1) The overflow of inland or tidal waters; or
(2) The unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source.
FLOOD INSURANCE RATE MAP or FIRM. An official map of the town on which FEMA has delineated both the areas of special flood hazards and the risk premium zones applicable to the town.
FLOOD INSURANCE STUDY. The official report provided by FEMA for the town, which contains flood profiles and the water surface elevation of the base flood, as well as the floodway width, section area and mean velocity.
FLOOD PROTECTION SYSTEM. Those physical structural works for which funds have been authorized, appropriated and expended and which have been constructed specifically to modify flooding in order to reduce the extent of the areas within the town subject to a “special flood hazard” and the extent of the depths of associated flooding. Such a system typically includes hurricane tidal barriers, dams, reservoirs, levees or dikes. These specialized flood-modifying works are those constructed in conformance with sound engineering standards.
FLOODPLAIN or FLOOD-PRONE AREA. Any land area susceptible to being inundated by water from any source. See the definition of “flood or flooding.”
FLOODPLAIN ADMINISTRATOR. A person accredited by the OWRB and designated by the Board of Trustees of the town to administer and implement laws, ordinances and regulations relating to the management of floodplains.
FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT. 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.
FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT REGULATIONS. Zoning codes and ordinances, subdivision regulations, building codes, health regulations, special purpose regulations and ordinances, such as floodplain, grading and erosion-control regulations and ordinances, 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.
FLOODWAY. The channel of a river or other watercourse and the adjacent land areas which must be reserved in order to discharge the base flood without cumulatively increasing the water surface elevation more than a designated height.
(1) A FLOODWAY is located within areas of special flood hazard as established in § 153.10 of this chapter.
(2) A FLOODWAY is an extremely hazardous area due to the velocity of floodwaters which carry debris and potential projectiles.
FUNCTIONALLY-DEPENDENT USE. 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 which are necessary for the loading and unloading of cargo or passengers and shipbuilding and ship repair facilities. The term does not include long-term storage or related manufacturing facilities.
HIGHEST ADJACENT GRADE. The highest natural elevation of the ground surface prior to construction next to the proposed walls of a structure.
HISTORIC STRUCTURE. Any structure which is:
(1) 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;
(2) 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;
(3) 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
(4) Individually listed on a local inventory of historic places in communities with historic preservation programs which have been certified either:
(a) By an approved state program, as determined by the Secretary of the Interior; or
(b) Directly by the Secretary of the Interior in states without approved programs.
LEVEE. A human-made structure, usually an earthen embankment, designed and constructed in accordance with sound engineering practices to contain, control or divert the flow of water so as to provide protection from temporary flooding.
LEVEE SYSTEM. A flood protection system which consists of a levee or levees and associated structures, such as closure and drainage devices, which are constructed and operated in accordance with sound engineering practices.
LOWEST FLOOR. The lowest floor of the lowest enclosed area, including a basement. An unfinished or flood-resistant enclosure usable solely for the 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 requirement of 44 C.F.R. § 60.3.
MANUFACTURED HOME. A structure transportable in one or more sections which is built on a permanent chassis and is designed for use either with or without a permanent foundation when connected to the required utilities. The term MANUFACTURED HOME does not include a recreational vehicle.
MANUFACTURED HOME PARK OR SUBDIVISION. A parcel, or contiguous parcels, of land divided into two or more manufactured home lots for rent or sale.
MEAN SEA LEVEL. For the purpose of the National Flood Insurance Program, the North American Vertical Datum (NAVD) of 1988 or other datum to which base flood elevations shown on the town’s flood insurance rate map are referenced.
NEW CONSTRUCTION.
(1) For the purpose of determining insurance rates, structures for which the “start of construction” commenced on or after the effective date of an initial FIRM or after December 31, 1974, whichever is later, including any subsequent improvements to such structures.
(2) For floodplain management purposes, NEW CONSTRUCTION means structures for which the “start of construction” commenced on or after the effective date of a floodplain management regulation adopted by the Town Board of Trustees, 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 Town Board of Trustees.
OWRB. The Oklahoma Water Resources Board.
RECREATIONAL VEHICLE. A vehicle which is:
(1) Built on a single chassis;
(2) Four hundred square feet or less when measured at the largest horizontal projections;
(3) Designed to be self-propelled or permanently towable by a light-duty truck; and
(4) Designed primarily not for use as a permanent dwelling but as temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, travel or seasonal use.
START OF CONSTRUCTION.
(1) For other than new construction or substantial improvements under the Coastal Barrier Resources Act, Pub. Law No. 97-348, being 16 U.S.C. §§ 3501 et seq., includes substantial improvements and means the date the building permit was issued, provided that the actual start of construction, repair, reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, placement or other improvement was within 180 days of the permit date.
(2) The actual start means either the first placement of the 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.
(3) Permanent construction does not include land preparation such as clearing, grading and filling, nor does it include the installation of streets 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 which are not occupied as dwelling units or not part of the main structure.
(4) For a 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.
STRUCTURE. A walled and roofed building, including a gas or liquid storage tank that is principally aboveground, as well as a manufactured home.
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.
(1) (a) Any reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition or other improvement of a structure the cost of which equals or exceeds 50% of the market value of the structure before the “start of construction” of the improvement.
(b) This includes structures which have incurred “substantial damage,” regardless of the actual repair work performed.
(2) The term does not, however, include either:
(a) Any project for the 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 which are the minimum necessary conditions; or
(b) Any alteration of a historic structure, provided that the alteration would not preclude the structure’s continued designation as a “historic structure.”
VARIANCE. A grant of relief by the Town Board of Trustees to a person from the terms of this chapter when specific enforcement would result in unnecessary hardship. A VARIANCE, therefore, permits construction or development in a manner otherwise prohibited by this chapter. For the full requirements, see 44 C.F.R. § 60.6.
VIOLATION. The failure of a structure or other development to be fully compliant with this flood damage prevention chapter.
WATER SURFACE ELEVATION. The height, in relation to the North American Vertical Datum (NAVD) of 1988, or to other datum, where specified, of floods of various magnitudes and frequencies in the floodplains of coastal or riverine areas.
(Prior Code, § 12-205) (Ord. 2010-07, passed 1-11-2011)