(A) In addition to the damage prevention requirements of § 152.36 of this chapter, all buildings to be located in the SFHA shall be protected from flood damage below the FPE. This building protection requirement applies to the following situations:
(1) Construction or placement of a new building valued at more than $1,000;
(2) Improvements made to an existing building that increase the first floor area by more than 20%;
(3) Reconstruction or repairs made to a damaged building that are valued at or more than 50% of the value of the building before the damage occurred; and
(4) Installing a manufactured home on a site or new manufactured home on an existing site. This building protection requirement does not apply to returning a manufactured home to the same site it formerly lawfully occupied.
(B) This building protection requirement may be met by any one of the following methods.
(1) A building may be constructed on permanent landfill in accordance with the following.
(a) The area to be filled shall be cleared of all standing trees, brush, down timber, trash and other growth or objects unsuitable for use as foundation material.
(b) The fill shall be placed in layers no greater than one foot deep before compaction.
(c) The surface of the fill shall be at or above the FPE. The fill shall extend at least ten feet beyond the foundation of the building before sloping below the FPE. The bottom of the lowest floor, including joists, if any, and all utility meters shall be located at or above the FPE.
(d) The fill shall be protected against erosion and scour during flooding by vegetative cover, riprap or bulk-heading. If vegetative cover is used, the slopes shall be no steeper than three horizontal to one vertical.
(e) The fill shall not adversely affect the flow of surface drainage from or onto neighboring properties.
(f) The Building Inspector shall maintain a record of the as-built elevation of the lowest floor of the building.
(2) A building may be elevated in accordance with the following.
(a) The building or improvements shall be elevated on stilts, piles, walls, crawl spaces or other foundation that is permanently open to flood waters and not subject to damage by hydrostatic pressures.
(b) All electrical, plumbing, ventilating, heating and air conditioning equipment, related ductwork and utility meters shall be located at or above the flood protection election beneath the lowest elevated floor of an elevated residential building.
(c) All elevated residential buildings shall have permanent openings no more than one foot above grade; all walls and floor must not be subject to damage by hydrostatic pressures of the base flood.
(d) The foundation and supporting members shall be anchored, shaped and aligned so as to minimize exposure to known hydrodynamic forces such as current, waves and floating debris. All manufactured homes in the SFHA shall be anchored to resist flotation, collapse or laterals movement by providing over-the-top and frame ties to around anchors. Specific requirements shall be that:
1. Over-the-top ties be provided at each of the four corners of the manufactured home, with two additional ties per side at intermediate locations and manufactured homes less than 50 feet long requiring one additional tie per side;
2. Frame ties be provided at each corner of the home with five additional ties per side at intermediate points and manufactured homes less than 50 feet long requiring four additional ties per side;
3. All components of the anchoring system be capable of carrying a force of 4,800 pounds; and
4. Any additions to the manufactured home be similarly anchored.
(e) All areas below the FPE shall be constructed of materials resistant to flood damage. The bottom of the lowest floor or joists, if any, and all utility meters shall be located at or above the FPE.
(f) The Building Inspector shall maintain a record of the building elevation of the lowest floor.
(g) No area below the FPE shall be used for storage of items or materials subject to flood damage unless the items or materials are declared property not covered by a standard flood insurance policy of the National Flood Insurance Program.
(h) Any future alteration of the area below the FPE that violates the requirements of this division (B)(2) shall be deemed a violation of this chapter. The Building Inspector shall inform the applicant that any alteration is considered a willful act to increase flood damages and therefore will cause coverage by a standard flood insurance policy to be suspended.
(i) No manufactured home may be placed on a new site located within an identified floodway.
(3) A non-residential building may be flood-proofed in accordance with the following.
(a) A registered professional engineer shall certify that the building has been designed so that below the FPE, the structure and attendant utility facilities are water-tight and capable of resisting the effects of the base flood. The building design shall take into account flood velocities, duration, rate of rise, hydrostatic and hydrodynamic forces, the effects of buoyancy and impacts from debris or ice.
(b) Flood-proofing measures shall be operable without human intervention and without an outside source of electricity.
(c) The Building Inspector shall maintain the Engineer’s certificate and record of the as-built elevation to which the building was flood-proofed.
(1994 Code, § 152.27) (Ord. 323, passed 3-28-1983)