For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
BASE FLOOD. The flood having 1% chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year.
BASEMENT. Any area of the building having its floor subgrade (below ground level on all sides).
DEVELOPMENT. Any human-made 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 or storage of equipment or materials.
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 complete before the effective date of the floodplain management regulations adopted by a community.
EXPANSION OF 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 pouring of concrete pads.
FLOOD. A general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land areas from:
(1) The overflow or inland or tidal waters; and/or
(2) The usual and rapid accumulation of runoff of surface waters from any source.
FLOOD INSURANCE RATE MAP (FIRM). An official map of a community, on which the City Administrator has delineated both the special flood hazard areas and the risk premium applicable to the community.
FLOODPROOFING. The channel of the 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 a designated height.
HISTORIC STRUCTURE. Any structure that is:
(1) Listed individually in the National Register of Historic Place which is a listing maintained by the Department of 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 the 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 that 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.
LOWEST FLOOR. The lowest floor of the lowest enclosed area (including the 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 non-elevation design requirements of this chapter.
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 or more manufactured home lots for rent or sale.
NEW CONSTRUCTION. For floodplain management purposes, structures for which the start of construction commenced on or after the effective date of the floodplain management regulation adopted by a community 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 floodplain management regulations adopted by a community.
100-YEAR FLOOD. The condition of flooding having a 1% chance of an annual occurrence.
PRINCIPALLY ABOVE GROUND. That at least 51% of the actual cash value of the structure is above ground.
RECREATIONAL VEHICLE. A vehicle which is: built on a single chassis; 400 square feet or less when measured at the largest horizontal projection; designed to be self-propelled or permanently towable by a light duty truck; and designed primarily not for use as a permanent dwelling but as temporary living quarters for recreational, camping travel or seasonal use.
REGULATORY FLOOD ELEVATION. The water surface elevation of the 100-year flood.
SPECIAL FLOOD HAZARD AREA. The land in the floodplain within a community subject to a one percent or greater chance of flooding in any given year.
START OF CONSTRUCTION. For other than new construction or substantial improvements under the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (Pub. L. No. 970348), being 16 U.S.C. §§ 3501 et seq., includes substantial improvements and means the date the building permit was issued and provides the date for the actual start of construction, repair, reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, placement or other improvement was within 180 days of the permit date. The actual START means 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 the 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 on the property of 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 the alteration affects the external dimensions of the building.
STRUCTURE. A walled and roofed building that is principally above ground, as well as a manufactured home, and a gas or liquid storage tank that is principally above ground.
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) 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 “start of construction” of the improvement.
(2) This includes structures which have incurred “substantial damage,” regardless of the actual repair work performed.
(3) The term does not, however, include either: any project for 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 to assure safe living conditions; or any alteration of the “historic structure,” provided that the alteration will not preclude the structure’s continued designation as an “historic structure.”
VARIANCE. A grant of relief to a person from the terms of a floodplain management ordinance.
VIOLATION. The failure of a structure or other development to be fully compliant with the community’s floodplain management regulations.
(2000 Code, § 9-817)