For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
100-YEAR FLOOD. See BASE FLOOD.
ACCESSORY STRUCTURE. A structure that is on the same parcel of property as the principal structure to be insured and the use of which is incidental to the use of the principal structure.
ACTUARIAL RATES. See RISK PREMIUM RATES.
ADMINISTRATOR. The Federal Insurance Administrator.
AGENCY. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES. Agricultural products and livestock.
AGRICULTURAL STRUCTURE. Any structure used exclusively in connection with the production, harvesting, storage, drying, or raising of agricultural commodities.
APPEAL. A request for review of the Floodplain Administrator’s interpretation of any provision of this chapter or a request for a variance.
AREA OF SPECIAL FLOOD HAZARD. The land in the floodplain within a community subject to a 1% or greater chance of flooding in any given year.
BASE FLOOD. The flood having a 1% chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year.
BASEMENT. Any area of the structure having its floor subgrade (below ground level) on all sides.
BUILDING. See STRUCTURE.
COMMUNITY. Any state or area or political subdivision thereof that has authority to adopt and enforce floodplain management regulations for the areas within its jurisdiction.
DEVELOPMENT. Any human-made change to improved or unimproved real estate including, but not limited to, buildings or other structures, levees, levee systems, mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation or drilling operations, or storage of equipment or materials.
ELEVATED BUILDING. For insurance purposes, a non-basement building which has its lowest elevated floor raised above ground level by foundation walls, shear walls, posts, piers, pilings, or columns.
ELIGIBLE COMMUNITY or PARTICIPATING COMMUNITY. A community for which the Administrator has authorized the sale of flood insurance under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
EXISTING CONSTRUCTION. For the purposes of determining rates, structures for which the “start of construction” commenced before the effective date of the FIRM or before January 1, 1975, for FIRMs effective before that date, EXISTING CONSTRUCTION may also be referred to as “existing structures”.
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.
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 or FLOODING. A general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land areas from the overflow of inland and/or the unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source.
FLOOD BOUNDARY AND FLOODWAY MAP (FBFM). An official map of a community on which the Administrator has delineated both special flood hazard areas and the designated regulatory floodway.
FLOOD ELEVATION DETERMINATION. A determination by the Administrator of the water surface elevations of the base flood, that is, the flood level that has a 1% or greater chance of occurrence in any given year.
FLOOD ELEVATION STUDY. An examination, evaluation and determination of flood hazards.
FLOOD FRINGE. The area outside the floodway encroachment lines, but still subject to inundation by the regulatory flood.
FLOOD HAZARD BOUNDARY MAP (FHBM). An official map of a community, issued by the Administrator, where the boundaries of the flood areas having special flood hazards have been designated as (unnumbered or numbered) A zones.
FLOOD INSURANCE RATE MAP (FIRM). An official map of a community, on which the Administrator has delineated both the special flood hazard areas and the risk premium zones applicable to the community.
FLOOD INSURANCE STUDY (FIS). An examination, evaluation and determination of flood hazards and, if appropriate, corresponding water surface elevations.
FLOODPLAIN or FLOOD-PRONE AREA. Any land area susceptible to being inundated by water from any source (see FLOODING).
FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT. The operation of an overall program of corrective and preventive measures for reducing flood damage including, but not limited to, emergency preparedness plans, flood control works, and floodplain management regulations.
FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT REGULATIONS. Zoning ordinances, subdivision regulations, building codes, health regulations, special purpose ordinances (such as floodplain and grading ordinances) and other applications of police power. The term describes such state or local regulations, in any combination thereof, that provide standards for the purpose of flood damage prevention and reduction.
FLOOD-PROOFING. Any combination of structural and nonstructural additions, changes, or adjustments to structures that reduce or eliminate flood damage to real estate or improved real property, water and sanitary facilities, or structures and their contents.
FLOODWAY or REGULATORY 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.
FLOODWAY ENCROACHMENT LINES. The lines marking the limits of floodways on federal, state, and local floodplain maps.
FREEBOARD. A factor of safety usually expressed in feet above a flood level for purposes of floodplain 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 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. This term includes only docking facilities and facilities that are necessary for the loading and unloading of cargo or passengers, but does not include long-term storage or related manufacturing facilities.
HIGHEST ADJACENT GRADE. The highest natural elevation of the ground surface prior to construction next to the proposed 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 in communities with historic preservation programs that have been certified either by an approved state program as determined by the Secretary of the Interior or directly by the Secretary of the Interior in states without approved programs.
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 flood-proofing design requirements of this chapter.
MANUFACTURED HOME. A structure, transportable in one or more sections, that 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.
MAP. The flood hazard boundary map (FHBM), flood insurance rate map (FIRM), or the flood boundary and floodway map (FBFM) for a community issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
MARKET VALUE or FAIR MARKET VALUE. An estimate of what is fair, economic, just, and equitable value under normal local market conditions.
MEAN SEA LEVEL. For purposes of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), the National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD) of 1929 or other datum, to which base flood elevations shown on a community’s flood insurance rate map (FIRM) are referenced.
NEW CONSTRUCTION. For the purposes of determining insurance rates, structures for which the “start of construction” commenced on or after the effective date of an initial FIRM or after December 31, 1974, whichever is later, and includes any subsequent improvements to such structures. For floodplain management purposes, NEW CONSTRUCTION means structures for which the “start of construction” commenced on or after the effective date of the floodplain management regulations 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 lot 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 the community.
NFIP. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
PERSON. Includes any individual or group of individuals, corporation, partnership, association, or any other entity, including federal, state, and local governments and agencies.
PRINCIPALLY ABOVE GROUND. At least 51% of the actual cash value of the structure, less land value, is above ground.
RECREATIONAL VEHICLE. A vehicle which is:
(1) Built on a single chassis;
(2) Four hundred square feet or less when measured at the largest horizontal projections;
(3) Designed to be self-propelled or permanently towable by a light-duty truck; and
(4) Designed primarily not for use as a permanent dwelling but as temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, travel, or seasonal use.
REMEDY A VIOLATION. To bring the structure or other development into compliance with federal, state, or local floodplain management regulations; or, if this is not possible, to reduce the impacts of its noncompliance.
REPETITIVE LOSS. Flood-related damages sustained by a structure on two separate occasions during a ten-year period for which the cost of repairs at the time of each such flood event equals or exceeds 25% of the market value of the structure before the damage occurred.
RISK PREMIUM RATES. Those rates established by the Administrator pursuant to individual community studies and investigations which are undertaken to provide flood insurance in accordance with § 1307 of the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973, 42 U.S.C. §§ 4001 et. seq., and the accepted actuarial principles. RISK PREMIUM RATES include provisions for operating costs and allowances.
SPECIAL FLOOD HAZARD AREA. See AREA OF SPECIAL FLOOD HAZARD.
SPECIAL HAZARD AREA. An area having special flood hazards and shown on an FHBM, FIRM or FBFM as zones (unnumbered or numbered) A and AE.
START OF CONSTRUCTION. Includes substantial improvements and means the date the building permit was issued; provided the actual start of construction, repair, reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition placement, or other improvements were 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 slabs or footings, the installation of piles, the construction of columns, 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, the installation of streets and/or walkways, excavation for a basement, footings, piers, foundations, the erection of temporary forms, nor installation on the property of accessory structures, 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.
STATE COORDINATING AGENCY. The agency of the state government or other office designated by the Governor or by state statute at the request of the Administrator to assist in the implementation of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) in that state.
STRUCTURE. For floodplain management purposes, a walled and roofed building, including a gas or liquid storage tank, that is principally above ground, as well as a manufactured home. STRUCTURE for insurance purposes, means a walled and roofed building, other than a gas or liquid storage tank, that is principally above ground and affixed to a permanent site, as well as a manufactured home on a permanent foundation. For the latter purpose, the term includes a building while in the course of construction, alteration, or repair, but does not include building materials or supplies intended for use in such construction, alteration, or repair, unless such materials or supplies are within an enclosed building on the premises.
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. The term includes repetitive loss buildings (see definition).
(1) For the purposes of this definition, “repair” is considered to occur when the first repair or reconstruction of any wall, ceiling, floor, or other structural part of the building commences.
(2) The term does not apply to:
(a) Any project for improvement of a building required to comply with existing health, sanitary, or safety code specifications which have been identified by the Code Enforcement Official and which are solely necessary to assure safe living conditions;
(b) Any alteration of a historic structure; provided that the alteration will not preclude the structure’s continued designation as a historic structure; or
(c) Any improvement to a building.
SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT. Any combination of reconstruction, alteration, or improvement to a building, taking place during the life of the building, in which the cumulative percentage of improvement equals or exceeds 50% of the current market value of the building. For the purposes of this definition, an improvement occurs 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 building.
(1) This term includes structures, which have incurred repetitive loss or substantial damage, regardless of the actual repair work done.
(2) The term does not apply to:
(a) Any project for improvement of a building required to comply with existing health, sanitary, or safety code specifications which have been identified by the Code Enforcement Official and which are solely necessary to assure safe living conditions;
(b) Any alteration of a historic structure; provided that the alteration will not preclude the structure’s continued designation as a historic structure; or
(c) Any building that has been damaged from any source or is categorized as repetitive loss.
SUBSTANTIALLY IMPROVED EXISTING MANUFACTURED HOME PARKS OR SUBDIVISIONS. Where the repair, reconstruction, rehabilitation, or improvement of the streets, utilities, and pads equals or exceeds 50% of the value of the streets, utilities, and pads before the repair, reconstruction, or improvement commenced.
VARIANCE. A grant of relief by the community from the terms of a floodplain management regulation. Flood insurance requirements remain in place for any varied use or structure and cannot be varied by the community.
VIOLATION. The failure of a structure or other development to be fully compliant with the community’s floodplain management regulations. A structure or other development without the elevation certificate, other certifications, or other evidence of compliance required by this chapter is presumed to be in VIOLATION until such time as that documentation is provided.
WATER SURFACE ELEVATION. The height, in relation to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD) of 1929 (or other datum where specified), of floods of various magnitudes and frequencies in the floodplain.
(Ord. 11-006, passed 4-5-2011)