Coastal high hazard areas are special flood hazard areas established in § 151.16, and designated as Zones VE. These areas have special flood hazards associated with high velocity waters from storm surges or seismic activity and, therefore, all new construction and substantial improvements shall meet the following provisions in addition to the provisions of §§ 151.40 and 151.41:
(A) All new construction and substantial improvements shall:
(1) Be located landward of the reach of mean high tide; and
(2) Comply with all applicable CAMA setback requirements.
(B) All new construction and substantial improvements shall be elevated so that the bottom of the lowest horizontal structural member of the lowest floor (excluding pilings or columns) is no lower than the regulatory flood protection elevation. Floodproofing shall not be utilized on any structures in coastal high hazard areas to satisfy the regulatory flood protection elevation requirements.
(C) All new construction and substantial improvements shall have the space below the bottom of the lowest horizontal structural member of the lowest floor free of obstruction so as not to impede the flow of flood waters, with the following exceptions:
(1) Open wood or plastic latticework or insect screening may be permitted below the lowest floor for aesthetic purposes only and must be designed to wash away in the event of wave impact and in accordance with the provisions of § 151.41(D)(5)(a). Design plans shall be submitted in accordance with the provisions of § 151.31(A)(4)(c)2.; or
(D) All new construction and substantial improvements shall be securely anchored to pile or column foundations. All pilings and columns and the structure attached thereto shall be anchored to resist flotation, collapse, and lateral movement due to the effect of wind and water loads acting simultaneously on all building components.
(1) Water loading values used shall be those associated with the base flood.
(2) Wind loading values used shall be those required by the current edition of the North Carolina State Building Code.
(E) All elevators, vertical platform lifts, chair lifts, etc., the following is required:
(1) Elevator enclosures must be designed to resist hydrodynamic and hydrostatic forces as well as erosion, scour, and waves.
(2) Utility equipment in coastal high hazard areas (VE Zones) must not be mounted on, pass through, or be located along breakaway walls.
(3) The cab, machine/equipment room, hydraulic pump, hydraulic reservoir, counter weight and roller guides, hoist cable, limit switches, electric hoist motor, electrical junction box, circuit panel, and electrical control panel are all required to be above RFPE. When this equipment cannot be located above the RFPE, it must be constructed using flood damage-resistant components.
(4) If an elevator is designed to provide access to areas below the BFE, it shall be equipped with a float switch system that will activate during a flood and send the elevator cab to a floor above the RFPE.
(F) A registered professional engineer or architect shall certify that the design, specifications and plans for construction are in compliance with the provisions of § 151.31 and divisions (C) and (D) of this section, on the current version of the North Carolina V-Zone Certification form or equivalent local version. In addition, prior to the Certificate of Compliance/Occupancy issuance, a registered professional engineer or architect shall certify the finished construction is compliant with the design, specifications and plans for VE Zone construction.
(G) Fill/grading.
(1) Minor grading and the placement of minor quantities of nonstructural fill may be permitted for landscaping and for drainage purposes under and around buildings and for support of parking slabs, pool decks, patios and walkways.
(2) The fill material must be similar and consistent with the natural soils in the area.
(3) The placement of site-compatible, non-structural fill under or around an elevated building is limited to two feet. Fill greater than two feet must include an analysis prepared by a qualified registered design professional demonstrating no harmful diversion of floodwaters or wave runup and wave reflection that would increase damage to adjacent elevated buildings and structures.
(4) Nonstructural fill with finished slopes that are steeper than five units horizontal to one unit vertical shall be permitted only if an analysis prepared by a qualified registered design professional demonstrates no harmful diversion of floodwaters or wave runup and wave reflection that would increase damage to adjacent elevated buildings and structures.
(H) There shall be no alteration of sand dunes or mangrove stands which would increase potential flood damage.
(I) No manufactured homes shall be permitted except in an existing manufactured home park or subdivision. A replacement manufactured home may be placed on a lot in an existing manufactured home park or subdivision provided the anchoring and elevation standards of this section have been satisfied.
(J) Recreational vehicles may be permitted in coastal high hazard areas provided that they meet the recreational vehicle criteria of § 151.41(F)(1).
(K) A deck that is structurally attached to a building or structure shall have the bottom of the lowest horizontal structural member at or above the regulatory flood protection elevation and any supporting members that extend below the regulatory flood protection elevation shall comply with the foundation requirements that apply to the building or structure, which shall be designed to accommodate any increased loads resulting from the attached deck. The increased loads must be considered in the design of the primary structure and included in the V-Zone Certification required under § 151.16(C)(6).
(L) A deck or patio that is located below the regulatory flood protection elevation shall be structurally independent from buildings or structures and their foundation systems, and shall be designed and constructed either to remain intact and in place during design flood conditions or to break apart into small pieces to minimize debris during flooding that is capable of causing structural damage to the building or structure or to adjacent buildings and structures.
(M) In coastal high hazard areas, development activities other than buildings and structures shall be permitted only if also authorized by the appropriate state or local authority; if located outside the footprint of, and not structurally attached to, buildings and structures; and if analyses prepared by qualified registered design professionals demonstrate no harmful diversion of floodwaters or wave runup and wave reflection that would increase damage to adjacent buildings and structures. Such other development activities include but are not limited to:
(1) Bulkheads, seawalls, retaining walls, revetments, and similar erosion control structures;
(2) Solid fences and privacy walls, and fences prone to trapping debris, unless designed and constructed to fail under flood conditions less than the design flood or otherwise function to avoid obstruction of floodwaters.
(Ord. passed 8-28-18)