[Amended 8-27-2018 by Ord. No. 29-2018; 9-24-2018 by Ord. No. 40-2018; 3-28-2022 by Ord. No. 007-2022]
A. Unless specifically defined below, words or phrases used in this chapter shall be interpreted so as to give them the meaning they have in common usage and to give this chapter its most reasonable application.
B. As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
30 DAY PERIOD – The period of time prescribed by N.J.S.A. 40:49-5 in which a property owner is afforded the opportunity to correct zoning and solid waste disposal after a notice of violation pertaining to this chapter has been issued.
100 YEAR FLOOD ELEVATION – Elevation of flooding having a 1% annual chance of being equaled or exceeded in a given year which is also referred to as the Base Flood Elevation.
500 YEAR FLOOD ELEVATION – Elevation of flooding having a 0.2% annual chance of being equaled or exceeded in a given year.
A ZONES - Areas of 'Special Flood Hazard in which the elevation of the surface water resulting from a flood that has a 1% annual chance of equaling or exceeding the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) in any given year shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) zones A, AE, AH, A1-A30, AR, AR/A, AR/AE, AR/A1-A30, AR/AH, and AR/AO. When used in reference to the development of a structure in this chapter, A Zones are not inclusive of Coastal A Zones because of the higher building code requirements for Coastal A Zones.
AGRICULTURAL STRUCTURE – A structure used solely for agricultural purposes in which the use is exclusively in connection with the production, harvesting, storage, drying, or raising of agricultural commodities, including the raising of livestock. Communities must require that new construction or substantial improvements of agricultural structures be elevated or floodproofed to or above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) as any other nonresidential building. Under some circumstances it may be appropriate to wet-floodproof certain types of agricultural structures when located in wide, expansive floodplains through issuance of a variance. This should only be done for structures used for temporary storage of equipment or crops or temporary shelter for livestock and only in circumstances where it can be demonstrated that agricultural structures can be designed in such a manner that results in minimal damage to the structure and its contents and will create no additional threats to public safety. New construction or substantial improvement of livestock confinement buildings, poultry houses, dairy operations, similar livestock operations and any structure that represents more than a minimal investment must meet the elevation or dry-floodproofing requirements of 44 CFR 60.3(c)(3).
AH ZONE – Areas subject to inundation by one-percent-annual-chance shallow flooding (usually areas of ponding) where average depths are between one and three feet. Base Flood Elevations (BFEs) derived from detailed hydraulic analyses are shown in this zone.
ALTERATION OF A WATERCOURSE – A dam, impoundment, channel relocation, change in channel alignment, channelization, or change in cross-sectional area of the channel or the channel capacity, or any other form of modification which may alter, impede, retard or change the direction and/or velocity of the riverine flow of water during conditions of the base flood.
AO ZONE – Areas subject to inundation by one-percent-annual-chance shallow flooding (usually sheet flow on sloping terrain) where average depths are between one and three feet.
APPEAL – A request for a review of the Zoning Officer's interpretation of any provision of this chapter or a request for a variance.
AREA OF SHALLOW FLOODING – A designated Zone AO, AH, AR/AO or AR/AH (or VO) on a community's Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) with a one percent or greater annual chance of flooding to an average depth of one to three feet where a clearly defined channel does not exist, where the path of flooding is unpredictable, and where velocity flow may be evident. Such flooding is characterized by ponding or sheet flow.
AREA OF SPECIAL FLOOD HAZARD – The greater of the following: (1) Land in the floodplain within a community subject to a one percent or greater chance of flooding in any given year, shown on the FIRM as Zone V, VE, V1- 3-, A, AO, A1-30, AE, A99, or AH; (2) Land and the space above that land, which lies below the peak water surface elevation of the flood hazard area design flood for a particular water, as determined using the methods set forth in the New Jersey Flood Hazard Area Control Act in N.J.A.C. 7:13; (3) Riparian Buffers as determined in the New Jersey Flood Hazard Area Control Act in N.J.A.C. 7:13. Also referred to as the SPECIAL FLOOD HAZARD AREA.
ASCE 7 – The standard for the Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures, referenced by the building code and developed and published by the American Society of Civil Engineers, Reston, VA. which includes but is not limited to methodology and equations necessary for determining structural and flood-related design requirements and determining the design requirements for structures that may experience a combination of loads including those from natural hazards. Flood related equations include those for determining erosion, scour, lateral, vertical, hydrostatic, hydrodynamic, buoyancy, breaking wave, and debris impact.
ASCE 24 – The standard for Flood Resistant Design and Construction, referenced by the building code and developed and published by the American Society of Civil Engineers, Reston, VA. References to ASCE 24 shall mean ASCE 24-14 or the most recent version of ASCE 24 adopted in the UCC Code [N.J.A.C. 5:23].
BASE FLOOD – A flood having a one-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year.
BASE FLOOD ELEVATION (BFE) - The water surface elevation resulting from a flood that has a 1% or greater chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year, as shown on a published Flood Insurance Study (FIS), or preliminary flood elevation guidance from FEMA. May also be referred to as the "100-year flood elevation".
BASEMENT – Any area of the building having its floor Subgrade (below ground level) on all sides.
BEST AVAILABLE FLOOD HAZARD DATA – The most recent available preliminary flood risk guidance FEMA has provided. The Best Available Flood Hazard Data may be depicted on but not limited to Advisory Flood Hazard Area Maps, Work Maps, or Preliminary FIS and FIRM.
BEST AVAILABLE FLOOD HAZARD DATA AREA – The areal mapped extent associated with the most recent available preliminary flood risk guidance FEMA has provided. The Best Available Flood Hazard Data may be depicted on but not limited to Advisory Flood Hazard Area Maps, Work Maps, or Preliminary FIS and FIRM.
BEST AVAILABLE FLOOD HAZARD DATA ELEVATION – The most recent available preliminary flood elevation guidance FEMA has provided. The Best Available Flood Hazard Data may be depicted on but not limited to Advisory Flood Hazard Area Maps, Work Maps, or Preliminary FIS and FIRM.
BREAKAWAY WALL – Any type of wall subject to flooding that is not required to provide structural support to a building or other structure and that is designed and constructed such that, below the Local Design Flood Elevation, it will collapse under specific lateral loads such that (1) it allows the free passage of floodwaters, and (2) it does not damage the structure or supporting foundation system. Certification in the V Zone Certificate of the design, plans, and specifications by a licensed design professional that these walls are in accordance with accepted standards of practice is required as part of the permit application for new and substantially improved V Zone and Coastal A Zone structures. A completed certification must be submitted at permit application.
BUILDING – Per the FHACA, "building" means a structure enclosed with exterior walls or fire walls, erected and framed of component structural parts, designed for the housing, shelter, enclosure, and support of individuals, animals, or property of any kind. A building may have a temporary or permanent foundation. A building that is intended for regular human occupation and/or residence is considered a habitable building.
CONDITIONAL LETTER OF MAP REVISION – A Conditional Letter of Map Revision (CLOMR) is FEMA's comment on a proposed project that would, upon construction, affect the hydrologic or hydraulic characteristics of a flooding source and thus result in the modification of the existing regulatory floodway, the effective Base Flood Elevations (BFEs), or the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). The letter does not revise an effective NFIP map, it indicates whether the project, if built as proposed, would be recognized by FEMA. FEMA charges a fee for processing a CLOMR to recover the costs associated with the review that is described in the Letter of Map Change (LOMC) process. Building permits cannot be issued based on a CLOMR, because a CLOMR does not change the NFIP map.
CONDITIONAL LETTER OF MAP REVISION – FILL — A Conditional Letter of Map Revision – Fill (CLOMR-F) is FEMA's comment on a proposed project involving the placement of fill outside of the regulatory floodway that would, upon construction, affect the hydrologic or hydraulic characteristics of a flooding source and thus result in the modification of the existing regulatory floodway, the effective Base Flood Elevations (BFEs), or the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). The letter does not revise an effective NFIP map, it indicates whether the project, if built as proposed, would be recognized by FEMA. FEMA charges a fee for processing a CLOMR to recover the costs associated with the review that is described in the Letter of Map Change (LOMC) process. Building permits cannot be issued based on a CLOMR, because a CLOMR does not change the NFIP map.
CRITICAL BUILDING – Per the FHACA, "critical building" means that:
(1) It is essential to maintaining continuity of vital government operations and/or supporting emergency response, sheltering, and medical care functions before, during, and after a flood, such as a hospital, medical clinic, police station, fire station, emergency response center, or public shelter; or
(2) It serves large numbers of people who may be unable to leave the facility through their own efforts, thereby hindering or preventing safe evacuation of the building during a flood event, such as a school, college, dormitory, jail or detention facility, day care center, assisted living facility, or nursing home.
DEVELOPMENT – Any man-made change to improved or unimproved real estate, including but not limited to, buildings or other structures, tanks, temporary structures, temporary or permanent storage of materials, mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavations, drilling operations and other land-disturbing activities.
DIGITAL FLOOD INSURANCE RATE MAP (DFIRM) – 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 community.
DRY FLOODPROOFING – A combination of measures that results in a non-residential structure, including the attendant utilities and equipment as described in the latest version of ASCE 24, being watertight with all elements substantially impermeable and with structural components having the capacity to resist flood loads.
ELEVATED BUILDING – A building that has no basement and that has its lowest elevated floor raised above ground level by foundation walls, shear walls, posts, piers, pilings, or columns. Solid perimeter foundations walls are not an acceptable means of elevating buildings in V and VE Zones.
ELEVATION CERTIFICATE – An administrative tool of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) that can be used to provide elevation information, to determine the proper insurance premium rate, and to support an application for a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) or Letter of Map Revision based on fill (LOMR-F).
ENCROACHMENT – The placement of fill, excavation, buildings, permanent structures or other development into a flood hazard area which may impede or alter the flow capacity of riverine flood hazard areas.
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 of the floodplain management regulations adopted by a community.
FEMA PUBLICATIONS – Any publication authored or referenced by FEMA related to building science, building safety, or floodplain management related to the National Flood Insurance Program. Publications shall include but are not limited to technical bulletins, desk references, and American Society of Civil Engineers Standards documents including ASCE 24.
FLOOD OR FLOODING –
(1) A general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land areas from:
(a) The overflow of inland or tidal waters.
(b) The unusual and rapid accumulation of runoff or surface waters from any source.
(c) Mudslides (i.e. mudflows) which are proximately caused by flooding as defined in (1)(b) of this definition and are akin to a river or liquid and flowing mud on the surfaces of normally dry land areas, as when earth is carried by a current of water and deposited along the path of the current.
(2) The collapse or subsidence of land along the shore of a lake or other body of water as a result of erosion or undermining caused by waves or currents of water exceeding anticipated cyclical levels or suddenly caused by an unusually high water level in a natural body of water, accompanied by a severe storm, or by an unanticipated force of nature, such as flash flood or an abnormal tidal surge, or by some similarly unusual and unforeseeable event which results in flooding as defined in paragraph (1)(a) of this definition.
FLOOD HAZARD AREA DESIGN FLOOD ELEVATION – Per the FHACA, the peak water surface elevation that will occur in a water during the flood hazard area design flood. This elevation is determined via available flood mapping adopted by the State, flood mapping published by FEMA (including effective flood mapping dated on or after January 31, 1980, or any more recent advisory, preliminary, or pending flood mapping; whichever results in higher flood elevations, wider floodway limits, greater flow rates, or indicates a change from an A zone to a V zone or coastal A zone), approximation, or calculation pursuant to the Flood Hazard Area Control Act Rules at N.J.A.C. 7:13-3.1 - 3.6 and is typically higher than FEMA's base flood elevation. A water that has a drainage area measuring less than 50 acres does not possess, and is not assigned, a flood hazard area design flood elevation.
FLOOD INSURANCE RATE MAP (FIRM) – The official map on which the Federal Emergency Management Agency has delineated both the areas of special flood hazards and the risk premium zones applicable to the community.
FLOOD INSURANCE STUDY (FIS) – The official report in which the Federal Emergency Management Agency has provided flood profiles, as well as the Flood Insurance Rate Map(s) and the water surface elevation of the base flood.
FLOODPLAIN OR FLOOD PRONE AREA – Any land area susceptible to being inundated by water from any source. See "flood or flooding."
FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT REGULATIONS – Zoning ordinances, subdivision regulations, building codes, health regulations, special purpose ordinances (such as a Floodplain ordinance, grading ordinance and erosion control ordinance) and other applications of police power. The term describes such State or local regulations, in any combination thereof, which provides standards for the purpose of flood damage prevention and reduction.
FLOODPROOFING – Any combination of structural and nonstructural additions, changes, or adjustments to structures which reduce or eliminate flood damage to real estate or improved real property, water and sanitary facilities, structures and their contents.
FLOODPROOFING CERTIFICATE – Certification by a licensed design professional that the design and methods of construction for floodproofing a non-residential structure are in accordance with accepted standards of practice.to a proposed height above the structure's lowest adjacent grade that meets or exceeds the Local Design Flood Elevation. A completed floodproofing certificate is required at permit application.
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 0.2 feet.
FREEBOARD – A factor of safety usually expressed in feet above a flood level for purposes of flood plain management. "Freeboard" tends to compensate for the many unknown factors that could contribute to flood heights greater than the height calculated for a selected size flood and floodway conditions, such as wave action, bridge openings, and the hydrological effect of urbanization of the watershed.
FUNCTIONALLY DEPENDENT USE – A use that cannot perform its intended purpose unless it is located or carried out in close proximity to water, including only docking facilities, port facilities necessary for the loading or unloading of cargo or passengers, and shipbuilding and ship repair facilities. The term does not include long-term storage or related manufacturing facilities.
HABITABLE BUILDING – Pursuant to the FHACA Rules (N.J.A.C. 7:13), means a building that is intended for regular human occupation and/or residence. Examples of a habitable building include a single-family home, duplex, multi-residence building, or critical building; a commercial building such as a retail store, restaurant, office building, or gymnasium; an accessory structure that is regularly occupied, such as a garage, barn, or workshop; mobile and manufactured homes, and trailers intended for human residence, which are set on a foundation and/or connected to utilities, such as in a mobile home park (not including campers and recreational vehicles); and any other building that is regularly occupied, such as a house of worship, community center, or meeting hall, or animal shelter that includes regular human access and occupation. Examples of a non-habitable building include a bus stop shelter, utility building, storage shed, self-storage unit, construction trailer, or an individual shelter for animals such as a doghouse or outdoor kennel.
HARDSHIP – As related to § 147-20 of this chapter, meaning the exceptional hardship that would result from a failure to grant the requested variance. The Town of Hammonton requires that the variance be exceptional, unusual, and peculiar to the property involved. Mere economic or financial hardship alone is not exceptional. Inconvenience, aesthetic considerations, physical handicaps, personal preferences, or the disapproval of one's neighbors likewise cannot, as a rule, qualify as an exceptional hardship. All of these problems can be resolved through other means without granting a variance, even if the alternative is more expensive, or requires the property owner to build elsewhere or put the parcel to a different use than originally intended.
HIGHEST ADJACENT GRADE – The highest natural elevation of the ground surface prior to construction next to the proposed or existing walls of a structure.
HISTORIC STRUCTURE – Any structure that is:
(1) Listed individually in the National Register of Historic Places (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 a 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 and communities with historic preservation programs that have been certified either:
(a) By an approved State program as determined by the Secretary of Interior; or
(b) Directly by the Secretary of the Interior in States without approved programs.
LAWFULLY EXISTING – Per the FHACA, means an existing fill, structure and/or use, which meets all Federal, State, and local laws, and which is not in violation of the FHACA because it was established:
(1) Prior to January 31, 1980; or
(2) On or after January 31, 1980, in accordance with the requirements of the FHACA as it existed at the time the fill, structure and/or use was established.
Note: Substantially damaged properties and substantially improved properties that have not been elevated are not considered "lawfully existing" for the purposes of the NFIP. This definition is included in this chapter to clarify the applicability of any more stringent statewide floodplain management standards required under the FHACA.
LETTER OF MAP AMENDMENT – A Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) is an official amendment, by letter, to an effective National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) map that is requested through the Letter of Map Change (LOMC) process. A LOMA establishes a property's location in relation to the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). LOMAs are usually issued because a property has been inadvertently mapped as being in the floodplain but is actually on natural high ground above the base flood elevation. Because a LOMA officially amends the effective NFIP map, it is a public record that the community must maintain. Any LOMA should be noted on the community's master flood map and filed by panel number in an accessible location.
LETTER OF MAP CHANGE – The Letter of Map Change (LOMC) process is a service provided by FEMA for a fee that allows the public to request a change in flood zone designation in an Area of Special Flood Hazard on a Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). Conditional Letters of Map Revision, Conditional Letters of Map Revision - Fill, Letters of Map Revision, Letters of Map Revision-Fill, and Letters of Map Amendment are requested through the Letter of Map Change (LOMC) process.
LETTER OF MAP REVISION – A Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) is FEMA's modification to an effective Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). Letter of Map Revisions are generally based on the implementation of physical measures that affect the hydrologic or hydraulic characteristics of a flooding source and thus result in the modification of the existing regulatory floodway, the effective Base Flood Elevations (BFEs), or the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). The LOMR officially revises the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) and sometimes the Flood Insurance Study (FIS) report, and when appropriate, includes a description of the modifications. The LOMR is generally accompanied by an annotated copy of the affected portions of the FIRM or FIS report. Because a LOMR officially revises the effective NFIP map, it is a public record that the community must maintain. Any LOMR should be noted on the community's master flood map and filed by panel number in an accessible location.
LETTER OF MAP REVISION – FILL – A Letter of Map Revision Based on Fill (LOMR-F) is FEMA's modification of the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) based on the placement of fill outside the existing regulatory floodway may be initiated through the Letter of Map Change (LOMC) Process. Because a LOMR-F officially revises the effective Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) map, it is a public record that the community must maintain. Any LOMR-F should be noted on the community's master flood map and filed by panel number in an accessible location.
LICENSED DESIGN PROFESSIONAL – Licensed design professional shall refer to either a New Jersey Licensed Professional Engineer, licensed by the New Jersey State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors or a New Jersey Licensed Architect, licensed by the New Jersey State Board of Architects.
LICENSED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER – A licensed professional engineer shall refer to individuals licensed by the New Jersey State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors.
LOCAL DESIGN FLOOD ELEVATION (LDFE) – The elevation reflective of the most recent available preliminary flood elevation guidance FEMA has provided as depicted on but not limited to Advisory Flood Hazard Area Maps, Work Maps, or Preliminary FIS and FIRM which is also inclusive of freeboard specified by the New Jersey Flood Hazard Area Control Act and Uniform Construction Codes and any additional freeboard specified in a community's ordinance. In no circumstances shall a project's LDFE be lower than a permit-specified Flood Hazard Area Design Flood Elevation or a valid NJDEP Flood Hazard Area Verification Letter plus the freeboard as required in ASCE 24 and the effective FEMA Base Flood Elevation.
LOWEST ADJACENT GRADE – The lowest point of ground, patio, or sidewalk slab immediately next a structure, except in AO Zones where it is the natural grade elevation.
LOWEST FLOOR – In A Zones, the lowest floor is the top surface of the lowest floor of the lowest enclosed area (including basement). In V Zones and coastal A Zones, the bottom of the lowest horizontal structural member of a building is the lowest floor. An unfinished or flood resistant enclosure, usable solely for the parking of vehicles, building access or storage in an area other than a basement is not considered a building's lowest floor provided that such enclosure is not built so as to render the structure in violation of other applicable non-elevation design requirements of these regulations.
MANUFACTURED HOME – A structure that is transportable in one or more sections, eight feet or more in width and greater than 400 square feet, built on a permanent chassis, designed for use with or without a permanent foundation when attached to the required utilities, and constructed to the Federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards and rules and regulations promulgated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The term also includes mobile homes, park trailers, travel trailers and similar transportable structures that are placed on a site for 180 consecutive days or longer.
MANUFACTURED HOME PARK OR MANUFACTURED HOME SUBDIVISION – A parcel or contiguous parcels of land divided into two or more manufactured home lots for rent or sale.
MARKET VALUE- The price at which a property will change hands between a willing buyer and a willing seller, neither party being under compulsion to buy or sell and both having reasonable knowledge of relevant facts. As used in these regulations, the term refers to the market value of buildings and structures, excluding the land and other improvements on the parcel. Market value shall be determined by one of the following methods (1) Actual Cash Value (replacement cost depreciated for age and quality of construction), (2) tax assessment value adjusted to approximate market value by a factor provided by the Property Appraiser, or (3) established by a qualified independent appraiser.
NEW CONSTRUCTION – Structures for which the start of construction commenced on or after the effective date of the first floodplain regulation adopted by a community; includes any subsequent improvements to such structures. New construction includes work determined to be a substantial improvement.
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 the first floodplain management regulations adopted by the municipality.
NON-RESIDENTIAL – Pursuant to ASCE 24, any building or structure or portion thereof that is not classified as residential.
ORDINARY MAINTENANCE AND MINOR WORK – This term refers to types of work excluded from construction permitting under N.J.A.C. 5:23 in the March 5, 2018 New Jersey Register. Some of these types of work must be considered in determinations of substantial improvement and substantial damage in regulated floodplains under 44 CFR 59.1. These types of work include but are not limited to replacements of roofing, siding, interior finishes, kitchen cabinets, plumbing fixtures and piping, HVAC and air conditioning equipment, exhaust fans, built in appliances, electrical wiring, etc. Improvements necessary to correct existing violations of State or local health, sanitation, or code enforcement officials which are the minimum necessary to assure safe living conditions and improvements of historic structures as discussed in 44 CFR 59.1 shall not be included in the determination of ordinary maintenance and minor work.
RECREATIONAL VEHICLE – A vehicle that 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. A recreational vehicle is ready for highway use if it is on its wheels or jacking system, is attached to the site only by quick disconnect type utilities and security devices and has no permanently attached additions.
RESIDENTIAL – Pursuant to the ASCE 24:
(1) Buildings and structures and portions thereof where people live or that are used for sleeping purposes on a transient or non-transient basis;
(2) Structures including but not limited to one- and two-family dwellings, townhouses, condominiums, multi-family dwellings, apartments, congregate residences, boarding houses, lodging houses, rooming houses, hotels, motels, apartment buildings, convents, monasteries, dormitories, fraternity houses, sorority houses, vacation time-share properties; and
(3) Institutional facilities where people are cared for or live on a 24-hour basis in a supervised environment, including but not limited to board and care facilities, assisted living facilities, halfway houses, group homes, congregate care facilities, social rehabilitation facilities, alcohol and drug centers, convalescent facilities, hospitals, nursing homes, mental hospitals, detoxification facilities, prisons, jails, reformatories, detention centers, correctional centers, and prerelease centers.
SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL – "Solid Waste Disposal" shall mean the storage, treatment, utilization, processing or final disposition of solid waste as described in N.J.A.C. 7:26-1.6 or the storage of unsecured materials as described in N.J.A.C. 7:13-2.3 for a period of greater than 6 months as specified in N.J.A.C. 7:26 which have been discharged, deposited, injected, dumped, spilled, leaked, or placed into any land or water such that such solid waste may enter the environment or be emitted into the air or discharged into any waters, including groundwaters.
START OF CONSTRUCTION - The start of construction is as follows:
(1) For other than new construction or substantial improvements, under the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA), this is the date the building permit was issued, provided that the actual start of construction, repair, rehabilitation, addition, placement or other improvement was within 180 days of the permit date. The actual start means either the first placement of permanent construction of a building on site, such as the pouring of a slab or footing, the installation of piles, the construction of columns or any work beyond the stage of excavation; or the placement of a manufactured (mobile) home on a foundation. For a substantial improvement, 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.
(2) For the purposes of determining whether proposed construction must meet new requirements when National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) maps are issued or revised and Base Flood Elevation's (BFEs) increase or zones change, the start of construction includes substantial improvement, and means the date the building permit was issued, provided 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 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 on the property of accessory buildings, such as garages or sheds not occupied as dwelling units or not part of the main structure. Such development must also be permitted and must meet new requirements when National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) maps are issued or revised and Base Flood Elevations (BFEs) increase or zones change.
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.
For determining if new construction and substantial improvements within the Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS) can obtain flood insurance, a different definition applies.
STRUCTURE – A walled and roofed building, a manufactured home or 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 condition before damage would equal or exceed 50% of the market value of the structure before the damage occurred.
SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT – 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 the "start of construction" of the improvement. This term includes structures which have incurred "substantial damage", regardless of the actual repair work performed. The term does not, however, include either:
(1) 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 officer and which are the minimum necessary to assure safe living conditions; or
(2) Any alteration of a "historic structure", provided that the alteration will not preclude the structure's continued designation as a "historic structure".
UTILITY AND MISCELLANEOUS GROUP U BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES – Buildings and structures of an accessory character and miscellaneous structures not classified in any special occupancy, as described in ASCE 24.
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.
VIOLATION – The failure of a structure or other development to be fully compliant with this chapter. A new or substantially improved structure or other development without the elevation certificate, other certifications, or other evidence of compliance required in 44 CFR 2 § 60.3(b)(5), (c)(4), (c)(10), (e)(2), (e)(4), or (e)(5) is presumed to be in violation until such time as that documentation is provided.
WATER SURFACE ELEVATION – The height, in relation to the North American Vertical Datum (NAVD) of 1988, (or other datum, where specified) of floods of various magnitudes and frequencies in the flood plains of coastal or riverine areas.
WATERCOURSE – A river, creek, stream, channel, or other topographic feature in, on, through, or over which water flows at least periodically.
WET FLOODPROOFING – Floodproofing method that relies on the use of flood damage resistant materials and construction techniques in areas of a structure that are below the Local Design Flood Elevation by intentionally allowing them to flood. The application of wet floodproofing as a flood protection technique under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is limited to enclosures below elevated residential and non-residential structures and to accessory and agricultural structures that have been issued variances by the community.