(A) Every person, firm or corporation shall, before erecting, constructing, enlargening, altering, repairing, improving, moving or demolishing any building or structure within the city limits of the city, shall obtain a separate building permit for each building or structure from the City Clerk of the city before the beginning of said erecting, constructing, enlargening, altering, repairing, improving, moving or demolishing. This provision does not apply to residential structures and buildings that do not require footers.
(B) Each building permit that is issued by the City Clerk shall be issued only upon payment by the person, firm, or corporation applying for the permit of the following amounts calculated as follows:
(1) Fifteen cents ($0.15) per each square foot of the structure if it is residential.
(2) Thirty cents ($0.30) per each square foot for all commercial or industrial structures.
(3) A minimum of fifty dollars ($50.00) for all structures.
(C) To encourage industrial and commercial growth of the city, the City Commission may waive any and all fifty dollars ($50.00) for building permits over which it has jurisdiction for commercial, industrial, or public service buildings. The above fee will be paid directly to the City Clerk at the time the permit is obtained only in the case where the person, firm, or corporation is erecting, constructing, enlarging, or improving a building or structure.
(D) For the purpose of supervising and examining all plans and specifications and actual construction of buildings or structures within the city, a building inspector may be employed by the Mayor or City Council for the purpose of inspecting and examining all plans and specifications for proposed construction, and for inspecting all actual construction which is being carried on after the permit has been issued.
(E) (1) The city shall review all building permit applications for new construction or substantial improvements to determine whether proposed building sites will be reasonably safe from flooding. If a proposed building site is in a location that has flood hazard, any proposed new construction or substantial improvement (including prefabricated and mobile homes, new homes of which are hereby prohibited) must:
(a) Be designed or modified and anchored to prevent flotation, collapse, or lateral movement of the structure;
(b) Use construction materials and utility equipment that are resistant to flood damage;
(c) Use construction methods and practice that will minimize flood damage;
(d) Meet or exceed all state and federal building codes;
(2) Any home improvement that does not require a footer for foundation purposes shall be exempt from building permits.
(F) The City Clerk shall review subdivision proposals and other proposed new developments to assure that:
(1) All such proposals are consistent with the need to minimize flood damage;
(2) All public utilities and facilities, such as sewer, gas electrical, and water systems are located, elevated, and constructed to minimize or eliminate flood damage; and
(3) Adequate drainage is provided so as to reduce exposure to flood hazards. The City Building Inspector shall assist and approve all such proposals.
(G) The City Clerk shall require new or replacement water supply systems and/or sanitary sewage systems to be designed to minimize or eliminate infiltration of flood waters into the systems and discharges from the systems into flood waters, and require on-site waste disposal systems to be located so as to avoid impairment of them or contamination from them during flooding. The City Building Inspector shall assist and approve all such proposals.
(H) The City clerk may call upon the Building Inspector at any time for assistance in the duties that are required of the City Clerk herein, and may delegate authority to the Building Inspector in all cases except for actual issuance of the building permit and the acceptance of money be paid for the building permits.
(Ord. 950.5, passed 1-77; Am. Ord. 11-1980, passed 8-1-80; Am. Ord. 13-1989, passed 8-7-89; Am. Ord. 02-6, passed 6-18-02)