Unless specifically defined in this section, words or phrases used in this chapter shall be interpreted so as to give them the meanings they have in common usage and to give this chapter its most reasonable application.
APPEAL: A request for a review of the interpretation of any provision of this chapter or a request for a variance.
AREA OF SHALLOW FLOODING: A designated AO or AH zone on the flood insurance rate map (FIRM). The base flood depths range from one to three feet (3'); a clearly defined channel does not exist; the path of flooding is unpredictable and indeterminate; and velocity flow may be evident. AO is characterized as sheet flow, and AH indicates ponding.
AREA OF SPECIAL FLOOD HAZARD: The land in the floodplain within the city subject to a one percent (1%) or greater chance of flooding in any given year. Designation on maps always includes the letters A or V.
BASE FLOOD: The flood having a one percent (1%) chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year; also referred to as the "100-year flood". Designation on maps always includes the letters A or V.
BASEMENT: Any area of the building having its floor subgrade (below ground level) on all sides.
BREAKAWAY WALL: A wall that is not part of the structural support of the building and is intended, through its design and construction, to collapse under specific lateral loading forces, without causing damage to the elevated portion of the building or supporting foundation system.
CRITICAL FACILITY: A facility for which even a slight chance of flooding might be too great. Critical facilities include, but are not limited to, schools; nursing homes; hospitals; police, fire and emergency response installations; and installations which produce, use or store hazardous materials or hazardous waste.
DEVELOPMENT: Any manmade change to improved or unimproved real estate including, but not limited to, buildings or other structures, mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation or drilling operations located within the area of special flood hazard.
ELEVATED BUILDING: For insurance purposes, a nonbasement building which has its lowest elevated floor raised above ground level by foundation walls, shear walls, posts, piers, pilings, or columns.
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) is completed before the effective date hereof.
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).
FLOOD INSURANCE RATE MAP (FIRM): The official map on which the federal insurance administration has delineated both the areas of special flood hazard and the risk premium zones applicable to the city.
FLOOD INSURANCE STUDY: The official report provided by the federal insurance administration that includes flood profiles, the flood boundary-floodway map, and the water surface elevation of the base flood.
FLOOD OR FLOODING: A general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land areas from:
A. The overflow of inland waters; and/or
B. The unusual and rapid accumulation of runoff of surface waters from any source.
FLOODWAY: 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 one foot (1').
LOWEST FLOOR: The lowest floor of the lowest enclosed area (including basement). An unfinished or flood resistant enclosure, usable solely for 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 requirements of subsection
MANUFACTURED HOME: A structure, transportable in one or more sections, which is built on a permanent chassis and is designed for use with or without a permanent foundation when attached 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 (2) or more manufactured home lots for rent or sale.
NEW CONSTRUCTION: Structures for which the start of construction commenced on or after the effective date hereof.
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 hereof.
RECREATIONAL VEHICLE: A vehicle which is:
A. Built on a single chassis;
B. Four hundred (400) square feet or less when measured at the largest horizontal projection;
C. Designed to be self-propelled or permanently towable by a light duty truck; and
D. Designed primarily not for use as a permanent dwelling but as temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, travel, or seasonal use.
START OF CONSTRUCTION: Includes substantial improvement and means the date the building permit was issued, provided the actual start of construction, repair, reconstruction, placement or other improvement was within one hundred eighty (180) days of the permit date. The actual start means either the first placement of permanent construction of a structure on a site, such as the pouring of 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. Permanent construction does not include land preparation, such as clearing, grading and filling; nor does it include the installation of streets and/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 of the property or accessory buildings such as garages or sheds not occupied as dwelling units or not part of the main structure. 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.
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 fifty percent (50%) of the market value of the structure before the damage occurred.
SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT:
A. Any repair, reconstruction, or improvement of a structure, the cost of which equals or exceeds fifty percent (50%) of the market value of the structure either:
1. Before the improvement or repair is started; or
2. If the structure has been damaged and is being restored, before the damage occurred.
B. 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 that alteration affects the external dimensions of the structure.
C. 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 the state inventory of historic places.
VARIANCE: A grant of relief from the requirements of this chapter which permits construction in a manner that would otherwise be prohibited by this chapter.
WATER DEPENDENT: A structure for commerce or industry which cannot exist in any other location and is dependent on the water by reason of the intrinsic nature of its operations. (Ord. 335, 1-23-1997; amd. 2015 Code)