Located within the areas of special flood hazard established in § 152.06 are areas designated as coastal high hazard areas and Coastal A Zones. These areas have special flood hazards associated with wave wash; therefore, the following provisions apply:
(A) All new construction and substantial improvements shall be located landward of the reach of the mean high tide first line of stable natural vegetation and comply with all applicable Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM) setback requirements;
(B) All new construction and substantial improvements shall be elevated by piers, piles or other open foundation systems so that the bottom of the lowest supporting horizontal member (including pilings or columns) is located no lower than the design flood elevation;
(C) All new construction and substantial improvements shall be anchored on pilings or columns;
(D) All pilings and columns and the attached structures shall be anchored to resist flotation, collapse and lateral movement, due to the effect of wind and water loads acting simultaneously on the building components. The anchoring and support system shall be designed with wind and water loading values that equal or exceed the 100-year mean recurrence interval (1% annual chance flood) and the current edition of the International Building Code or International Residential Code as adopted by the State of South Carolina..
(E) There shall be no fill used as structural support. Non-compacted fill may be used around the perimeter of a building for landscaping/aesthetic purposes; provided the fill will wash out from storm surge, thereby rendering the building free of obstruction prior to generating excessive loading forces, ramping effects, or wave deflection. The Building Official shall approve design plans for landscaping/aesthetic fill, only after the applicant has provided an analysis by an engineer, architect and/or soil scientist, which demonstrates that the following factors have been fully considered:
(1) Particle composition of fill material does not have a tendency for excessive natural compaction;
(2) Volume and distribution of fill will not cause wave deflection to adjacent properties; and
(3) Slope of fill will not cause wave run-up or ramping;
(F) There shall be no alteration of sand dunes or vegetation that would increase the potential flood damage;
(G) The space below the lowest floor shall be either free of obstruction or constructed with non-supporting, breakaway, open latticework, open privacy slats or shutters, or insect screening intended to collapse under wind and water loads, without causing collapse, displacement or other structural damage to the elevated portion of the building or supporting foundation system. If used, the open latticework or open privacy slats or shutters (“open breakaway panels”) must be made of wood or plastic no thicker than one inch (nominal), and at least 40% of the area of the panels formed with these materials must be open. The panels must completely span the areas between piers or other vertical structural supports, in accordance with division (H) below, and meet the following design specifications:
(1) Design safe loading resistance of each wall shall be not less than ten nor more than 20 pounds per square foot; or
(2) If more than 20 pounds per square foot, a registered professional engineer or architect shall certify that the design wall collapse would result from a water load less than that which would occur during the base flood event, and the elevated portion of the building and supporting foundation system wall not be subject to collapse, displacement or other structural damage, due to the effects of wind and water loads acting simultaneously on all building components during the base flood event. Maximum wind and water loading values to be used in this determination shall each have 1% chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year (100-year mean recurrence interval).
(H) If open breakaway panels are utilized, such enclosed space shall not be designed to be usable for human habitation, but shall be designed to be usable only for parking of vehicles, building access, or limited storage. The open breakaway panels may be used only around the perimeter of the space below the elevated structure. Interior partitions or enclosures are prohibited, with the exception of elevator shaft enclosure walls as provided in division (I) below;
(I) Elevator shaft enclosure walls and access stairs attached to or beneath an elevated building may be excluded from the breakaway requirement, if the potential loads generated by these obstructions are considered in the design of the building. However, in all cases, they must be constructed of flood-resistant materials;
(J) Prior to construction, plans for any building that will have open breakaway panels must be submitted to the Building Official for approval;
(K) Any alteration, repair, reconstruction or improvement to a structure shall not enclose the space below the lowest floor, except with open breakaway panels, as provided for in divisions (G), (H) and (J);
(L) The placement of manufactured homes (mobile homes), except in an existing manufactured home (mobile home) park or subdivision are prohibited; provided, however, a replacement manufactured home may be placed on a lot in an existing manufactured home park or subdivision only if the anchoring standards of division (D) and the elevation standards of division (B) are met;
(M) A registered professional engineer or architect shall certify that the design, specifications and plans for construction are in compliance with the provisions contained in divisions (B), (C), (D), (E), (G) and (I) of this section.
(N) Appurtenant features, such as swimming pools, decks and patios, gazebos, fences, and other features as may be determined by the Building Official as potentially causing an obstruction, must comply with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Technical Bulletin 5-93, “Free-Of-Obstruction Requirements for Buildings Located in Coastal High Hazard Areas”, which is incorporated herein by reference, specifically including any subsequent revisions thereto.
(1) Other small, low value accessory structures may be allowed in the VE Zone; provided they also comply with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Technical Bulletin 5-93, “Free-Of-Obstruction Requirements for Buildings Located in Coastal High Hazard Areas”. For the purposes of this division, a SMALL ACCESSORY STRUCTURE is defined as one that has a footprint of less than 100 square feet, and a LOW VALUE ACCESSORY STRUCTURE as one that has a value of less than $1,000.
(2) Any and all other obstructions located in the VE Zone shall meet all applicable requirements of this section.
(‘81 Code, § 152.05 b.) (Ord. passed 3-5-84; Am. Ord. passed 6-11-91; Am. Ord. passed 12-17-91; Am. Ord. passed 5-19-92; Am. Ord. 07037, passed 6-12-07; Am. Ord. 07055, passed 9-11-07; Am. Ord. 18039, passed 6-14-18; Am. Ord. 20065, passed 11-10-20)