Douglas County Unincorporated
City Zoning Code

A flood having a recurrence interval that has a 1% chance of being equaled or exceeded during any given year (1%-annual-chance flood).

The area of land susceptible to being inundated as the result of the occurrence of a 100-year flood.

A flood having a recurrence interval that has a 0.2% chance of being equaled or exceeded during any given year (0.2%-annual-chance flood).

The area of land susceptible to being inundated as the result of the occurrence of a 500-year flood.

Any activity that expands the enclosed footprint or increases the square footage of an existing structure.

A request for a review of the Floodplain Administrator's interpretation of any provisions of this section.

A designated Zone AO or AH on Douglas County's Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) with a 1% chance or greater annual chance of flooding to an average depth of one to three feet where a clearly defined channel does not exist, where the path of flooding is unpredictable and where velocity flow may be evident. Such flooding is characterized by ponding or sheet flow.

The elevation shown on a FIRM for Zones AE, AH, A1-A30, AR, AR/A, AR/AE, AR/A1-A30, AR/AH, AR/AO, V1-V30, and VE that indicates the water surface elevation resulting from a flood that has a 1% chance of equaling or exceeding that level in any given year.

Any area of a building having its floor sub-grade (below ground level) on all sides.

The physical confine of a stream or waterway consisting of a bed and stream banks, existing in a variety of geometries.

The artificial creation, enlargement, or realignment of a stream channel.

The codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the federal government. It is divided into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject to federal regulation.

FEMA's comment on a proposed project, which does not revise an effective floodplain map, that would, upon construction, affect the hydrologic or hydraulic characteristics of a flooding source and thus result in the modification of the existing regulatory floodplain.

A structure or related infrastructure, but not the land on which it is situated, that if flooded may result in significant hazards to public health and safety or interrupt essential services and operations for the community at any time before, during, and after a flood.

Any man-made change to improved or unimproved real estate, including but not limited to buildings or other structures, mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation or drilling operations or storage of equipment or materials.

FEMA Digital Floodplain Map. These digital maps serve as regulatory floodplain maps for insurance and floodplain management purposes.

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) was completed before the effective date of the floodplain management regulations adopted by a community.

The official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents.

Federal Emergency Management Agency, the agency responsible for administering the National Flood Insurance Program.

The official map on which the Federal Emergency Management Agency has delineated both the areas of special flood hazards and the risk premium zones.

The official report provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The report contains the Flood Insurance Rate Map as well as flood profiles for studied flooding sources that can be used to determine base flood elevations for some areas.

A general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land areas from the overflow of water from channels and reservoir spillways, the unusual and rapid accumulation or run-off of surface waters from any source, or mudslides or mudflows that occur from excess surface water that is combined with mud or other debris that is sufficiently fluid so as to flow over the surface of normally dry land areas.

The Douglas County Public Works Engineering Director or designated representative.

A permit required before construction or development begins within the Floodplain Overlay District. Permits are required to ensure that proposed projects or activities meet the minimum requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program and the Floodplain Overlay District.

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.

Any land area susceptible to being inundated as the result of a flood, including the area of land over which floodwater would flow from the spillway of a reservoir.

Any combination of structural and/or non-structural additions, changes, or adjustments to structures which reduce or eliminate flood damage to real estate or improved real property, water and sanitary facilities, structures and their contents.

The channel, river, or other watercourse and the adjacent land areas within the floodplain, that are subject to higher regulatory requirements. The floodway is determined through engineering analyses using the assumption of equal conveyance capacity loss on each side of the floodplain, which results in a theoretical rise in the base flood elevation, during discharge of the base flood, of no more than one-half foot.

The vertical distance in feet above a predicted water surface elevation intended to provide a margin of safety to compensate for unknown factors that could contribute to flood heights greater than the flood height calculated for a selected flood.

The highest natural elevation of the ground surface prior to construction next to the proposed walls of a structure.

Any structure that is listed individually in the National Register of Historic Places or preliminarily determined by the Secretary of the Interior as meeting the requirements for individual listing on the National Register, 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, 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 individually listed on a local inventory of historic places in communities with historic preservation programs that have been certified 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.

FEMA's official revision of an effective Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM), or Flood Boundary and floodway Map (FBFM), or both. LOMRs are generally based on the implementation of physical measures that affect the hydrologic or hydraulic characteristics of a flooding source and thus result in modification of the existing regulatory floodway, the effective base flood elevations, or the special flood hazard area.

FEMA's modification of the special flood hazard area shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map based on the placement of fill outside the existing regulatory floodway.

The lowest floor of the lowest enclosed area (including basement). Any floor used for living purposes which includes working, storage, sleeping, cooking and eating, or recreation or any combination thereof. This includes any floor that could be converted to such a use such as a basement or crawl space. The lowest floor is a determinate for the flood insurance premium for a building, home or business. 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 non-elevation design requirements of Section 60.3 of the National Flood Insurance Program regulations.

A structure transportable in one or more sections, which is built on a permanent chassis and is designed for use with or without a permanent foundation when connected to the required utilities. The term "manufactured home" does not include a "recreational vehicle."

A parcel (or contiguous parcels) of land divided into two or more manufactured home lots for rent or sale.

A form with data regarding the properties of a particular substance. An important component of product stewardship and workplace safety, it is intended to provide workers and emergency personnel with procedures for handling or working with that substance in a safe manner, and includes information such as physical data (melting point, boiling point, flash point, etc.), toxicity, health effects, first aid, reactivity, storage, disposal, protective equipment, and spill-handling procedures.

For purposes of the National Flood Insurance Program, the North American Vertical Datum (NAVD) of 1988 or other datum to which base flood elevations shown on a community's Flood Insurance Rate Map are referenced.

FEMA's program of flood insurance coverage and floodplain management administered in conjunction with the Robert T. Stafford Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.[1] The NFIP has applicable federal regulations promulgated in Title 44 of the Code of Federal Regulations. The U.S. Congress established the NFIP in 1968 with the passage of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968.[2]

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 pouring of concrete pads) is completed on or after the effective date of floodplain management regulations adopted by a community.

A record of the results of an engineering analysis conducted to determine whether a project will increase flood heights in a floodway. A "no-rise certification" must be supported by technical data and signed by a registered Colorado professional engineer. The supporting technical data shall be based on the standard step-backwater computer model used to develop the 100-year floodway shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map or Flood Boundary and Floodway Map.

A lot or parcel that lies mostly or entirely within the Floodplain Overlay District and does not allow for construction of a structure outside the Floodplain Overlay District.

A vehicle which is built on a single chassis, 400 square feet or less when measured at the largest horizontal projection, designed to be self propelled or permanently towable by a light duty truck, and designed primarily not for use as a permanent dwelling but as temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, travel, or seasonal use.

The date the building permit was issued, including substantial improvements, provided the actual start of construction, repair, reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, 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 a 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; installation of streets and/or walkways; excavation for a basement, footings, piers, or foundations or the erection of temporary forms; and installation on the property of accessory buildings, such as garages or sheds not occupied as dwelling units or not part of the main structure. For substantial improvements, the actual start of construction means the first alteration of any wall, ceiling, floor, or other structural part of the building, whether or not that alteration affects the external dimensions of the building.

A walled and roofed building, including a gas or liquid storage tank, which is principally above ground, as well as a manufactured home.

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 just prior to when the damage occurred.

Any reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, or other improvement of a structure, the cost of which equals or exceeds 50% of the market value of the structure before the start of construction of the improvement. The value of the structure shall be determined by Douglas County. This term includes structures which have incurred substantial damage, regardless of the actual repair work performed. The term does not, however, include either:

A quantity designated for each chemical on the list of extremely hazardous substances that triggers notification by facilities to the state that such facilities are subject to emergency planning requirements.

A grant of relief from the requirements of this section when specific enforcement would result in unnecessary hardship. A variance, therefore, permits construction or development in a manner that would otherwise be prohibited, as outlined in § 1-1818.

The failure of a structure or other development to be fully compliant with the Floodplain Overlay District.

The height, in relation to the North American Vertical Datum (NAVD) of 1988 (or other datum, where specified), of floods of various magnitudes and frequencies in the floodplains of coastal or riverine areas.