For the purpose of this article, certain terms and words are defined as follows:
(a) "Base flood" means the flood which has been selected to serve as the basis upon which flood plain management provisions of this article and other ordinances have been prepared; for the purposes of this article the 100-year flood.
(b) "Base flood elevation" means the 100-year flood elevation. Within the approximated flood plain, the base flood elevation shall be established as a point on the boundary of the approximated flood plain which is nearest to the construction site in question.
(c) "Basement" means any area of the building having its floor subgrade (below ground level) on all sides.
(d) "Development" means any manmade change to improved or unimproved real estate, including but not limited to buildings or other structures, the placement of manufactured homes, streets and other paving, utilities, mining, dredging, filling, grading, excavation or drilling operations, or storage of equipment or materials, and the subdivision of land.
(e) "Flood" means a general and temporary inundation of normally dry land areas.
(f) "Flood plain" means:
(1) A relatively flat or low land area adjoining a river, stream or watercourse which is subject to partial or complete inundation;
(2) An area subject to the unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source.
(g) "Floodproofing" means any combination of structural and nonstructural additions, changes or adjustments to properties and structures which reduce or eliminate flood damage to lands, water and sanitary facilities, structures, and contents of buildings.
(h) "Lowest floor" means 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 nonelevation design requirements of this article.
(i) "Manufactured home" means a structure, transportable in one or more sections, which is built on a permanent chassis and is designed for use without a permanent foundation when connected to the required utilities. For flood plain management purposes, "manufactured home" also includes park trailers, travel trailer and other similar vehicles placed on a site for greater than 180 consecutive days. For insurance purposes, "manufactured home" does not include park trailers, travel trailers and other similar vehicles. "Manufactured home park or subdivision" means a parcel or contiguous parcels of land divided into two or more manufactured home lots for rent or sale.
(j) "New construction" means structures for which the "start of construction" as herein defined, commenced on or after the effective date of Zoning Ordinance 9-3-68. "New construction" does not apply to any work on a structure existing before the effective date of such ordinance. "One hundred year flood" means a flood that has one chance in one hundred or a one percent (1%) chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. "Person" means any individual or group of individuals, corporation, partnership, association or other entity, including State and local governments and agencies.
(k) "Principally above ground" means that at least fifty-one percent (51%) of the actual cash value of a structure, less land value, is above ground.
(l) "Start of construction" includes substantial improvement, and means the date the building permit was issued, provided the actual start of construction, repair, reconstruction, 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.
(m) "Structure" means a walled and roofed building, including a gas or liquid storage tank, that is principally above ground as well as a manufactured home.
(n) "Substantial improvement" means:
(1) Any repair, reconstruction or improvement of a structure, the cost of which equals or exceeds fifty percent (50%) of the market value of the structure either:
A. Before the improvement or repair is started, or
B. If the structure has been damaged, and is being restored, before the damage occurred. For the purposes of this definition, "substantial improvement" is considered to occur 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 structure.
(2) "Substantial improvement" does not, however, include either:
A. Any project for improvement of a structure to comply with existing State or local health, sanitary or safety code specifications which are solely necessary to assure safe living conditions, or
B. Any alteration of a structure listed on the National Register of Historic Places or a State Inventory of Historic Places.
(o) "Historic structure" means:
(1) Listed individually in the National Register of Historic Places (a listing maintained by the Department of the 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 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:
A. By an approved state program as determined by the Secretary of the Interior; or
B. Directly by the Secretary of the Interior in states without approved programs.
(p) "Recreational vehicle" means a vehicle which is:
(1) Built on a single chassis;
(2) 400 square feet or less when measured at the largest horizontal projection;
(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.
(q) "Substantial damage" means damage of any origin sustained by a structure whereby the cost of restoring the structure to its before damaged condition would equal or exceed fifty percent (50%) of the market value of the structure before the damage occurred. (Passed 7-24-00.)