(a) Permit Required. It shall be unlawful for any person to begin construction or other development activity including but not limited to filling; grading; construction; alteration, remodeling, or expanding any structure; or alteration of any watercourse wholly within, partially within or in contact with any identified special flood hazard area, as established in Section 1305.02
(d), until a floodplain development permit is obtained from the Floodplain Administrator. Such floodplain development permit shall show that the proposed development activity is in conformity with the provisions of these regulations. No such permit shall be issued by the Floodplain Administrator until the requirements of these regulations have been met.
(b) Application for Permit. An application for a floodplain development permit shall be required for all development activities located wholly within, partially within, or in contact with an identified special flood hazard area. Such application shall be made by the owner of the property or his/her authorized agent, herein referred to as the applicant, prior to the actual commencement of such construction on a form furnished for that purpose. Where it is unclear whether a development site is in a special flood hazard area, the Floodplain Administrator may require an application for a floodplain development permit to determine the development's location. Such applications shall include, but not be limited to:
(1) Site plans drawn to scale showing the nature, location, dimensions, and topography of the area in question; the location of existing or proposed structures, fill, storage of materials, drainage facilities, and the location of the foregoing.
(2) Elevation of the existing, natural ground where structures are proposed.
(3) Elevation of the lowest floor, including basement, of all proposed structures.
(4) Such other material and information as may be requested by the Floodplain Administrator to determine conformance with, and provide enforcement of these regulations.
(5) Technical analyses conducted by the appropriate design professional registered in the State of Ohio and submitted with an application for a floodplain development permit when applicable:
A. Floodproofing certification for non residential floodproofed structure as required in Section 1305.09(e).
B. Certification that fully enclosed areas below the lowest floor of a structure not meeting the design requirements of Section 1305.09(d)(5) are designed to automatically equalize hydrostatic flood forces.
C. Description of any watercourse alteration or relocation that the flood carrying capacity of the watercourse will not be diminished, and maintenance assurances as required in Section 1305.09(i)(3).
D. A hydrologic and hydraulic analysis demonstrating that the cumulative effect of proposed development, when combined with all other existing and anticipated development will not increase the water surface elevation of the base flood by more than one foot in special flood hazard areas where the Federal Emergency Management Agency has provided base flood elevations but no floodway as required by Section 1305.09(i)(2).
E. A hydrologic and hydraulic engineering analysis showing impact of any development on flood heights in an identified floodway as required by Section 1305.09(i)(1).
F. Generation of base flood elevation(s) for subdivision and large scale developments as required by Section 1305.09(c).
(6) A floodplain development permit application fee of two hundred dollars ($200.00).
(c) Exemption from Permit Requirement. An application for a floodplain development permit shall not be required for:
(1) Maintenance work such as roofing, painting, and basement sealing, or for small nonstructural development activities (except for filling and grading) valued at less than five thousand dollars ($5,000).
(2) Development activities in an existing or proposed manufactured home park that are under the authority of the Ohio Department of Health and subject to the flood damage reduction provisions of the Ohio Administrative Code Section 3701.
(3) Major utility facilities permitted by the Ohio Power Siting Board under Section 4906 of the Ohio Revised Code.
(4) Hazardous waste disposal facilities permitted by the Hazardous Waste Siting Board under Section 3734 of the Ohio Revised Code.
(5) Development activities undertaken by a federal agency and which are subject to Federal Executive Order 11988 Floodplain Management, which order requires that no federally assisted activities be conducted in or have the potential to affect identified special flood hazard areas, unless there is no practicable alternative.
Any proposed action exempt from filing for a floodplain development permit is also exempt from the standards of these regulations.
(d) Review and Approval of a Floodplain Development Permit Application.
(1) After receipt of a complete application, the Floodplain Administrator shall review the application to ensure that the standards of these regulations have been met. No floodplain development permit application shall be reviewed until all information required in Section 1305.05(b) has been received by the Floodplain Administrator.
(2) The Floodplain Administrator shall review all floodplain development permit applications to assure that all necessary permits have been received from those federal, state or local governmental agencies from which prior approval is required. The applicant shall be responsible for obtaining such permits as required including permits issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act.
(3) Within thirty (30) days after the receipt of a complete application, the Floodplain Administrator shall either approve or disapprove the application. If an application is approved, a floodplain development permit shall be issued. All floodplain development permits shall be conditional upon the commencement of work within one (1) year. A floodplain development permit shall expire one (1) year after issuance unless the permitted activity has been substantially begun and is thereafter pursued to completion.
(e) Inspections. The Floodplain Administrator shall make periodic inspections at appropriate times throughout the period of construction in order to monitor compliance with permit conditions.
(f) Post Construction Certifications Required. The following as built certifications are required after a floodplain development permit has been issued:
(1) For new or substantially improved residential structures, or nonresidential structures that have been elevated, the applicant shall have a Federal Emergency Management Agency Elevation Certificate completed by a registered surveyor to record as built elevation data. For elevated structures in Zone A and Zone AO areas without a base flood elevation, the elevation certificate may be completed by the property owner or owner's representative.
(2) For all development activities subject to the standards of Section 1305.06(a), a Letter of Map Revision.
(g) Revoking a Floodplain Development Permit. A floodplain development permit shall be revocable, if among other things, the actual development activity does not conform to the terms of the application and permit granted thereon. In the event of the revocation of a permit, an appeal may be taken to the Appeals Board (Variance Board for Counties) in accordance with Section 1305.10
of these regulations.
(Ord. 2009-17. Passed 11-9-09.)