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The following minimum standards shall apply for all construction and development proposed within any identified floodplain area.
(A) Fill. If fill is used, it shall:
(1) Extend laterally at least 15 feet beyond the building line from all points;
(2) Consist of soil or small rock materials only. Sanitary landfills shall not be permitted;
(3) Be compacted to provide the necessary permeability and resistance to erosion, scouring or settling;
(4) Be no steeper than one vertical to two horizontal feet unless substantiated data justifying steeper slopes are submitted to, and approved by the Floodplain Administrator; and
(5) Be used to the extent to which it does not adversely affect adjacent properties.
(B) Drainage facilities. Storm drainage facilities shall be designed to convey the flow of stormwater runoff in a safe and efficient manner. The system shall ensure proper drainage along streets, and provide positive drainage away from buildings. The system shall also be designed to prevent the discharge of excess runoff onto adjacent properties.
(C) Water and sanitary sewer facilities and systems.
(1) All new or replacement water supply and sanitary sewer facilities and systems shall be located, designed and constructed to minimize or eliminate flood damages and the infiltration of flood waters.
(2) Sanitary sewer facilities and systems shall be designed to prevent the discharge of untreated sewage into flood waters.
(3) No part of any on-site waste disposal system shall be located within any identified floodplain area except in strict compliance with all state and local regulations for such systems. If any such system is permitted, it shall be located so as to avoid impairment to it, or contamination from it, during a flood.
(4) The design and construction provisions of the UCC and FEMA #348, “Protecting Building Utilities From Flood Damages” and “The International Private Sewage Disposal Code” shall be utilized.
(D) Other utilities. All other utilities such as gas lines, electrical and telephone systems shall be located, elevated (where possible) and constructed to minimize the chance of impairment during a flood.
(E) Streets. The finished elevation of all new streets shall be no more than one foot below the regulatory flood elevation.
(F) Storage. All materials that are buoyant, flammable, explosive or, in times of flooding, could be injurious to human, animal or plant life, and not listed in § 153.058, shall be stored at or above the regulatory flood elevation or floodproofed to the maximum extent possible.
(G) Placement of buildings and structures. All buildings and structures shall be designed, located and constructed so as to offer the minimum obstruction to the flow of water and shall be designed to have a minimum effect upon the flow and height of flood water.
(H) Anchoring.
(1) All buildings and structures shall be firmly anchored in accordance with accepted engineering practices to prevent flotation, collapse or lateral movement.
(2) All air ducts, large pipes, storage tanks and other similar objects or components located below the regulatory flood elevation shall be securely anchored or affixed to prevent flotation.
(I) Floors, walls and ceilings.
(1) Wood flooring used at or below the regulatory flood elevation shall be installed to accommodate a lateral expansion of the flooring, perpendicular to the flooring grain without causing structural damage to the building.
(2) Plywood used at or below the regulatory flood elevation shall be of a marine or water-resistant variety.
(3) Walls and ceilings at or below the regulatory flood elevation shall be designed and constructed of materials that are water-resistant and will withstand inundation.
(4) Windows, doors and other components at or below the regulatory flood elevation shall be made of metal or other water-resistant material.
(J) Paints and adhesives.
(1) Paints and other finishes used at or below the regulatory flood elevation shall be of marine or water-resistant quality.
(2) Adhesives used at or below the regulatory flood elevation shall be of a marine or water-resistant variety.
(3) All wooden components (doors, trim, cabinets and the like) used at or below the regulatory flood elevation shall be finished with a marine or water-resistant paint or other finishing material.
(K) Electrical components.
(1) Electrical distribution panels shall be at least three feet above the base flood elevation.
(2) Separate electrical circuits shall serve lower levels and shall be dropped from above.
(L) Equipment. Water heaters, furnaces, air conditioning and ventilating units, and other electrical, mechanical or utility equipment or apparatus shall not be located below the regulatory flood elevation.
(M) Fuel supply systems. All gas and oil supply systems shall be designed to prevent the infiltration of flood waters into the system and discharges from the system into flood waters. Additional provisions shall be made for the drainage of these systems in the event that flood water infiltration occurs.
(N) Uniform construction code coordination. The standards and specifications contained 34 Pa. Code (Chapters 401 through 405), as amended, and not limited to the following provisions shall apply to the above and other sections and divisions of this chapter, to the extent that they are more restrictive and supplement the requirements of this chapter.
(1) International Building Code (IBC) 2009, or the latest edition thereof, §§ 801, 1202, 1403, 1603, 1605, 1612, 3402 and Appendix G.
(2) International Residential Building Code (IRC) 2009, or the latest edition thereof, §§ R104, R105, R109, R322, Appendix E and Appendix J.
(Ord. 1534, passed 3-3-2014)
(A) In accordance with the state’s Floodplain Management Act, and the regulations adopted by the Department of Community and Economic Development as required by the Act, any new or substantially improved structure which:
(1) Will be used for the production or storage of any of the following dangerous materials or substances;
(2) Will be used for any activity requiring the maintenance of a supply of more than 550 gallons, or other comparable volume, of any of the following dangerous materials or substances on the premises; or
(3) Will involve the production, storage or use of any amount of radioactive substances; shall be subject to the provisions of this section, in addition to all other applicable provisions. The following list of materials and substances are considered dangerous to human life: acetone; ammonia; benzene; calcium carbide; carbon disulfide; celluloid; chlorine; hydrochloric acid; hydrocyanic acid; magnesium; nitric acid and oxides of nitrogen; petroleum products (gasoline, fuel oil and the like); phosphorus; potassium; sodium; sulphur and sulphur products; pesticides (including insecticides, fungicides, and rodenticides); radioactive substances, insofar as such substances are not otherwise regulated.
(B) Within any floodway area, any structure of the kind described in division (A) above shall be prohibited. Where permitted within any identified floodplain area, any new or substantially improved residential structure of the kind described in division (A) above shall be elevated to remain completely dry up to at least one and one-half feet above base flood elevation and built in accordance with §§ 153.055 through 153.057.
(a) Elevated or designed and constructed to remain completely dry up to at least one and one-half feet above base flood elevation; and
(b) Designed to prevent pollution from the structure or activity during the course of a base flood.
(2) Any such structure, or part thereof, that will be built below the regulatory flood elevation shall be designed and constructed in accordance with the standards for completely dry floodproofing contained in the publication Flood-Proofing Regulations (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers June 1972, as amended March 1992), or with some other equivalent water-tight standard.
(Ord. 1534, passed 3-3-2014)
All subdivision proposals and development proposals containing at least 50 lots or at least five acres, whichever is the lesser, in identified floodplain areas where base flood elevation data are not available, shall be supported by hydrologic and hydraulic engineering analyses that determine base flood elevations and floodway information. The analyses shall be prepared by a licensed professional engineer in a format required by FEMA for a conditional letter of map revision and letter of map revision. Submittal requirements and processing fees shall be the responsibility of the applicant.
(Ord. 1534, passed 3-3-2014)
(B) Where permitted within any identified floodplain area, all manufactured homes, and any improvements thereto, shall be:
(1) Placed on a permanent foundation;
(2) Elevated so that the lowest floor of the manufactured home is at least one and one-half feet above base flood elevation; and
(3) Anchored to resist flotation, collapse or lateral movement.
(C) Installation of manufactured homes shall be done in accordance with the manufacturers’ installation instructions as provided by the manufacturer. Where the applicant cannot provide the above information, the requirements of Appendix E of the 2009 International Residential Building Code or the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Permanent Foundations for Manufactured Housing, 1984 Edition, draft or latest revision thereto and 34 Pa. Code Chapter 401 through 405 shall apply.
(D) Consideration shall be given to the installation requirements of the 2009 IBC and the 2009 IRC, or the most recent revisions thereto, and 34 Pa. Code, as amended, where appropriate and/or applicable to units where the manufacturers’ standards for anchoring cannot be provided or were not established for the proposed unit(s) installation.
(Ord. 1534, passed 3-3-2014)
Recreational vehicles in Zones A, A1-30, AH and AE must either:
(A) Be on the site for fewer than 180 consecutive days;
(B) Be fully licensed and ready for highway use; or
(C) Meet the permit requirements for manufactured homes in § 153.060.
(Ord. 1534, passed 3-3-2014)
ACTIVITIES REQUIRING SPECIAL PERMITS
In accordance with the administrative regulations promulgated by the Department of Community and Economic Development to implement the state’s Floodplain Management Act, the following activities shall be prohibited within any identified floodplain area unless a special permit has been issued by the city.
(A) The commencement of any of the following activities or the construction, enlargement or expansion of any structure used, or intended to be used, for any of the following activities:
(1) Hospitals;
(2) Nursing homes; or
(3) Jails or prisons.
(B) The commencement of, or any construction of, a new manufactured home park or manufactured home subdivision or substantial improvement to an existing manufactured home park or manufactured home subdivision.
(Ord. 1534, passed 3-3-2014)
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