74 FLOOD DAMAGE PREVENTION ORDINANCE
The Legislature of the State of Utah has in Utah Code Unannotated 10-3-701 delegated the responsibility of local governmental units to adopt regulations designed to minimize flood losses. Therefore, the Emigration Canyon Metro Township council of Emigration Canyon, Utah does ordain as follows:
The Emigration Canyon Metro Township elects to comply with the requirements of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (P.L. 90-488, as amended). The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is a voluntary program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a component of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and Emigration Canyon community officials have elected to join the program, participate, and enforce this Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance and the requirements and regulations of the NFIP. The NFIP, established in the aforesaid act, provides that areas of the Incorporated Emigration Canyon Township having a special flood hazard be identified by FEMA, and that floodplain management measures be applied in such flood hazard areas. Furthermore, Emigration Canyon Metro Township may elect to administer the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance to areas not identified as Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) by FEMA on the community’s effective Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM), if the community has documentation to support that there is an inherent risk of flooding in such areas.
(§ 1 (part) of Ord. passed 11/13/85: prior code § 22-39-1)
It is the purpose of this ordinance to promote the public health, safety, and general welfare and to minimize public and private losses due to flood conditions in specific areas by provisions designed to:
(§ 1 (part) of Ord. passed 11/13/85: prior code § 22-39-2)
In order to accomplish its purposes, this ordinance uses the following methods:
(§ 1 (part) of Ord. passed 11/13/85: prior code § 22-39-3)
Unless specifically defined below, words or phrases used in this ordinance shall be interpreted to give them the meaning they have in common usage and to give this ordinance its most reasonable application.
100-Year Flood means a flood having a recurrence interval that has a 1-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded during any given year (1-percent-annual-chance flood). The terms “100-hundred-year flood” and “1-percent-annual-chance flood” are synonymous. The term does not imply that the flood will necessarily happen once every 100 hundred years. Mandatory flood insurance requirements may apply.
100-Year Floodplain means the area of land susceptible to being inundated due to the occurrence of a 1-percent-annual-chance flood.
500-Year Flood means a flood having a recurrence interval that has a 0.2-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded during any given year (0.2-percent-annual-chance flood). The term does not imply that the flood will necessarily happen once every 500 years and mandatory flood insurance requirement generally does not apply.
500-Year Floodplain means the area of land susceptible to being inundated due to the occurrence of a 0.2-percent-annual-chance flood.
Accessory Structure is a structure that is on the same parcel of property as a principal structure. Its use is incidental to the use of the principal structure the ownership of the accessory structure is the same owner as of the principal structure. An accessory structure is a non-residential structure of low value that is used solely for the parking of vehicles and storage of tools, materials, or equipment. No human habitation is allowed within an accessory structure.
Addition is any improvement that expands the enclosed footprint or increases the square footage of an existing structure. This includes lateral additions added to the side, front, or rear of a structure; vertical additions added on top of a structure; and enclosures added underneath a structure.
Alluvial Fan Flooding means flooding occurring on the surface of an alluvial fan or similar landform that originates at the apex. It is characterized by high-velocity flows; active processes of erosion, sediment transport, and deposition; and unpredictable flow paths.
Apex means a point on an alluvial fan or similar landform below which the flow path of the major stream that formed the fan becomes unpredictable and alluvial fan flooding can occur.
Appurtenant Structure—see Accessory Structure.
Area of Future-Conditions Flood Hazard means the land area that would be inundated by the 1-percent- annual-chance (100-year) flood, based on future-conditions hydrology.
Area of Shallow Flooding means a designated AO, AH, AR/AO, or AR/AH zone on a community's Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) with a 1 percent or greater annual chance of flooding to an average depth of 1 to 3 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.
Area of Special Flood-Related Erosion Hazard is the land within a community that is most likely to be subject to severe flood-related erosion losses. The area may be designated as Zone E on the Flood Hazard Boundary Map (FHBM). After the detailed evaluation of the special flood-related erosion hazard area, in preparation for publication of the FIRM, Zone E may be further refined.
Area of Special Flood Hazard is the land in the flood plain within a community subject to a 1 percent or greater chance of flooding in any given year. The area may be designated as Zone A on the FHBM. After detailed ratemaking has been completed in preparation for publication of the FIRM, Zone A usually is refined into Zones A, AO, AH, A1-30, AE, A99, AR, AR/A1-30, AR/AE, AR/AO, AR/AH, AR/A, or V1-30, VE, or V. For purposes of these regulations, the term “special flood hazard area” is synonymous in meaning with the phrase “area of special flood hazard”.
Base Flood means the flood having a 1-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year.
Base Flood Elevation (BFE) is the water surface elevation of the 1-percent-annual-chance flood event. It is the height in relation to mean sea level expected to be reached by the waters of the base flood at pertinent points in the floodplains of coastal and riverine areas. It is also the elevation shown on the FIRM and found in the accompanying Flood Insurance Study (FIS) for Zones A, AE, AH, A1-A30, AR, V1-V30, or VE that indicates the water surface elevation resulting from the flood that has a 1-percent chance of equaling or exceeding that level in any given year.
Basement means any area of the building having its floor subgrade (below ground level) on all sides. A walkout basement that does not require a step up to grade is not considered a basement.
Best Available Data is existing flood hazard information adopted by a community and reflected on an effective FIRM, FBFM, and/or within an FIS report; or draft or preliminary flood hazard information supplied by FEMA or from another source. Other sources may include, but are not limited to, state, other federal agencies, or local studies, the more restrictive of which would be reasonably used by the community.
Breakaway Wall means a wall that is not part of the structural support of the building and is intended through its design and construction to collapse under specific lateral loading forces, without causing damage to the elevated portion of the building or supporting foundation system. Any walls below the lowest floor in a building in a V or VE Zone should give way under wind and water loads without causing collapse, displacement, or other damage to the elevated portion of the building of the supporting pilings or columns. Breakaway walls apply only to V or VE Zones.
Building—see Structure.
Channelization means the artificial creation, enlargement, realignment, or alteration of a stream channel’s slope, shape, or alignment. Streambank restoration may be deemed as channelization.
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government.
Conditional Letter of Map Revision (CLOMR) is FEMA's comment on a proposed project that would, upon construction, affect the hydrologic and/or hydraulic characteristics of a flooding source and thus result in the modification of the existing regulatory floodway, the effective BFEs, and/or the SFHA. The letter does not revise an effective map; it indicates whether the project, if built as proposed, would be recognized by FEMA.
Conditional Letter of Map Revision Based on Fill (CLOMR-F) is FEMA's comment on a proposed structure or property. The letter does not revise an effective map; it indicates whether the project, if built as proposed, would be removed from the floodplain.
Crawlspace means an under-floor space that has its interior floor area (finished or not) no more than 4 feet from the bottom floor joist the next higher floor elevation, designed with proper openings that equalize hydrostatic pressures of flood water, and is not used for habitation. Reference: 19.74.060 H
Deed Restriction refers to a clause in a deed that limits the future use of the property in some respect. Deed restrictions may impose a vast variety of limitations and conditions. For example, they may limit the density of buildings, dictate the types of structures that can be erected, or prevent buildings from being used for specific purposes or from being used at all.
Detached Garage is a building that is used solely for storage of materials or vehicle parking for up to four housing occupants. If a detached garage is designed or used for habitation or conducting business, or has multiple stories, then the building is not considered a detached garage under the NFIP.
Development means any human-made change to improved or unimproved real estate, including but not limited to buildings or other structures, mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, demolition, excavation or drilling operations, or storage either temporary or permanent of equipment or materials.
Elevated Building is a non-basement building built, in the case of a building in Zone A1-30, AE, A, A99, AR, AO, AH, B, C, X and D, to have the top of the elevated floor above the ground level by means of pilings, columns (post and piers), or shear walls parallel to the flow of the water and adequately anchored so as not to impair the structural integrity of the building during a flood of up to the magnitude of the base flood. In the case of a building in Zone A1-30, AE, A, A99, AR, AO, AH, B, C, X and D, an “elevated building” also includes a building elevated by means of fill or solid foundation perimeter walls with openings sufficient to facilitate the unimpeded movement of flood waters.
Enclosure refers to an enclosed walled-in area below the lowest floor of an elevated building. Enclosures below the BFE may only be used for building access, vehicle parking, and storage.
Erosion means the process of the gradual wearing away of land masses by wind, water, or other natural agents.
Existing Construction refers to structures for which the “start of construction” commenced before the effective date of the FIRM or before January 1, 1975, for FIRMs effective before that date. It may also be referred to as Existing Structures.
Existing Manufactured Home Park or Subdivision means 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) is completed before the effective date of the floodplain management regulations adopted by a community.
Existing Structures—see Existing Construction.
Expansion to an Existing Manufactured Home Park or Subdivision means the preparation of additional sites by the construction of facilities for servicing the lots on which the manufacturing homes are to be affixed (including the installation of utilities, the construction of streets, and either final site grading or the pouring of concrete pads).
FEMA means the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Fill refers to the placement of materials, such as dirt, sand, or rock to elevate a structure, property, or portion of a property above the natural elevation of the site, regardless of where the material was obtained from. The common practice of removing unsuitable material and replacing with engineered material is not considered fill if the elevations are returned to the existing conditions. Any fill placed or used prior to the area being mapped as a flood hazard area is not deemed as fill.
Flood or Flooding means:
A general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land areas from:
Flood Insurance Manual is the document FEMA produces twice a year and is used to write flood insurance policies underwritten by the NFIP. The document contains definitions, policy rates, coverage and limitations, application and insurance policy forms.
Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) means an official map of a community, on which the Administrator has delineated both the SFHAs and the risk premium zones applicable to the community.
Flood Insurance Study (FIS) or Flood elevation study means an examination, evaluation, and determination of flood hazards and, if appropriate, corresponding water surface elevations, or an examination, evaluation and determination of mudslide (i.e., mudflow) and/or flood-related erosion hazards.
Floodplain Development Permit is a community issued permit or document that is used for any development that occurs within an SFHA identified by FEMA or the community. It is used to address the proposed development to ensure compliance with the community’s ordinance.
Floodplain or Flood-Prone Area means any land area susceptible to being inundated by water from any source whether or not identified by FEMA (see definition of Flooding).
Floodplain Management means 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, mitigation plans, and floodplain management regulations.
Floodplain Management Regulations means zoning ordinances, subdivision regulations, building codes, health regulations, special purpose ordinances (such as a floodplain ordinance, grading ordinance and erosion control ordinance) and other applications of police power. The term describes such state or local regulations, in any combination thereof, which provide standards for flood damage prevention and reduction.
Flood Opening refers to an opening in the wall of an enclosed structure that allows floodwaters to automatically enter and exit the enclosure. Refer to FEMA Technical Bulletin 1.
Flood Protection System means those physical structural works for which funds have been authorized, appropriated, and expended and which have been constructed specifically to modify flooding in order to reduce the extent of the area within a community subject to an SFHA and to reduce the depths of associated flooding. Such a system typically includes hurricane tidal barriers, dams, reservoirs, levees or dikes. These specialized, flood modifying works are those constructed in conformance with sound engineering standards. FEMA only accredits levees, both private and public, that have been certified by a professional engineer or firm in which the certification shows that the levee have met and continue to meet the minimum regulatory standards cited in Title 44, Chapter 1, Section 65.10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (44 CFR 65.10).
Floodproofing means any combination of structural and non-structural additions, changes, or adjustments to structures that reduce or eliminate flood damage to real estate or improved real property, water and sanitary facilities, structures and their contents. Floodproofing can either be accomplished in the form of dry floodproofing in which the structure is watertight below the levels that need flood protection, or wet floodproofing in permanent or contingent measures applied to a structure that prevent or provide resistance to damage from flooding, while allowing floodwaters to enter the structure or area.
Floodway—(Regulatory Floodway) - means the channel of a river or other watercourse and the adjacent land areas that must be reserved in order to discharge the base flood without cumulatively increasing the water surface elevation more than a designated height.
Floodway encroachment lines mean the lines marking the limits of floodways on federal, state, and local flood plain maps.
Freeboard means a factor of safety usually expressed in feet above a flood level for purposes of flood plain management. “Freeboard” tends to compensate for the many unknown factors that could contribute to flood heights greater than the height calculated for a selected size flood and floodway conditions, such as wave action, bridge openings, and the hydrological effect of urbanization of the watershed.
Functionally Dependent Use means a development that cannot perform its intended purpose unless it is located or carried out in close proximity to water. The term includes docking facilities, port facilities that are necessary for the loading and unloading of cargo or passengers, and ship building and repair facilities. It does not include long-term storage or related manufacturing facilities.
Highest Adjacent Grade (HAG) means the highest natural elevation of the ground surface prior to construction next to the proposed walls of a structure. In AO Zones, the highest adjacent grade is utilized by comparing the lowest floor elevation to that of the highest adjacent grade and the depth of the AO Zone. Reference: 19.74.060 L: Standards for Areas of Shallow Flooding (AO/AH Zones).
Historic Structure means any structure that is:
Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) means an official amendment, by letter, to an effective FIRM. A LOMA establishes a property’s location in relation to the SFHA. It is usually issued because a property or structure has been inadvertently mapped as being in the floodplain, when the property or structure is actually on natural high ground above the BFE.
Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) means FEMA's modification or revision to an entire or portion of the effective FIRM, or Flood Boundary and Floodway Map, 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 the modification of the existing regulatory floodway, the effective BFEs, or the SFHA.
Letter of Map Revision Based on Fill (LOMR-F) means FEMA’s amendment, by letter, to an effective FIRM where fill was brought in or used to elevate a property, portion of property or structure above the BFE.
Levee means a man-made structure usually an earthen embankment, designed and constructed in accordance with sound engineering practices to contain, control, or divert the flow of water so as to provide protection from temporary flooding.
Levee System means a flood protection system that consists of a levee, or levees, and associated structures, such as closure and drainage devices, which are constructed and operated in accordance with sound engineering practices.
Lowest Adjacent Grade (LAG) means the lowest natural elevation of the ground surface prior to construction next to the proposed walls of a structure. For an existing structure, it means the lowest point where the structure and ground touch, including but not limited to attached garages, decks, stairs, and basement windows.
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 non-elevation design requirements of Section 60.3.
Manufactured Home means 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 attached to the required utilities. The term “manufactured home” does not include a “recreational vehicle”; however, a manufactured home may be used for both residential and non-residential use.
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.
Map means the FHBM or the FIRM for a community issued by FEMA.
Mean Sea Level means, for purposes of the NFIP, the National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD) of 1929, North American Vertical Datum (NAVD) of 1988, or other datum, to which BFEs shown on a community's FIRM are referenced.
Mixed Use Structures are structures with both a business and a residential component, but where the area used for business is less than 50 percent of the total floor area of the structure.
New Construction means structures for which the start of construction commenced on or after the effective date of a floodplain management regulation adopted by a community and includes any subsequent improvements to such structures. For the purposes of determining insurance rates, structures for which the “start of construction” commenced on or after the effective date of an initial FIRM or after December 31, 1974, whichever is later, and includes any subsequent improvements to such structures.
New Manufactured Home Park or Subdivision means 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) is completed on or after the effective date of floodplain management regulations adopted by a community.
No-Rise Certifications are formal certifications signed and stamped by a professional engineer licensed to practice in the state, demonstrating through hydrologic and hydraulic analyses performed in accordance with standard engineering practice that a proposed development will not result in any increase (0.00 feet) in flood levels within the community during the occurrence of a base flood event.
Physical Map Revision (PMR) is FEMA’s action whereby one or more map panels are physically revised and republished.
Recreational Vehicle means a vehicle which is:
Riverine means relating to, formed by, or resembling a river (including tributaries), stream, brook, creek, etcetera, which can be intermittent or perennial.
Section 1316 refers to the section of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, as amended, which provides for the denial of flood insurance coverage for any property that the Administrator finds has been declared by a duly constituted State or local authority to be in violation of State or local floodplain management regulations. Section 1316 is issued for a property, not a property owner, and remains with the property even after a change of ownership.
Special Flood Hazard Area—see Area of Special Flood Hazard.
Start of Construction (for other than new construction or substantial improvements under the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (Pub. L. 97-348)) includes substantial improvement, and means the date the building permit was issued, 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 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. For a substantial improvement, the actual start of construction means the first alteration of any wall, ceiling, floor, or other structural part of a building, whether or not that alteration affects the external dimensions of the building.
Structure means, for floodplain management purposes, a walled and roofed building, culvert, bridge, dam, or a gas or liquid storage tank that is principally above ground, as well as a manufactured home.
Structure, for insurance purposes, means:
For insurance purposes, “structure” does not mean a recreational vehicle or a park trailer or other similar vehicle, except as described in paragraph (3) of this definition, or a gas or liquid storage tank.
Substantial Damage means damage of any origin sustained by a structure whereby the cost of restoring the structure to its pre-damaged condition would equal or exceed 50 percent of the market value of the structure before the damage occurred.
Substantial Improvement means any reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, or other improvement of a structure, the cost of which equals or exceeds 50 percent of the market value of the structure before the “start of construction” of the improvement. This term includes structures which have incurred “substantial damage”, regardless of the actual repair work performed.
The term does not, however, include:
Variance means grant a relief by a community from the terms of a flood plain management regulation. Reference: 19.74.050 E. Variance Procedures
Violation means the failure of a structure or other development to be fully compliant with the community's flood plain management regulations. A structure or other development without the elevation certificate, other certifications, or other evidence of compliance required in Sections 44 CFR 60.3(b)(5), (c)(4), (c)(10), (d)(3), (e)(2), (e)(4), or (e)(5) is presumed to be in violation until such time as that documentation is provided.
Water surface elevation means 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, such as the 1-percent-annual-chance flood event, in the flood plains of coastal or riverine areas.
Watercourse means the channel and banks of an identifiable water in a creek, brook, stream, river, ditch or other similar feature.
(Ord. 994 § 13, 1987)
74 FLOOD DAMAGE PREVENTION ORDINANCE
The Legislature of the State of Utah has in Utah Code Unannotated 10-3-701 delegated the responsibility of local governmental units to adopt regulations designed to minimize flood losses. Therefore, the Emigration Canyon Metro Township council of Emigration Canyon, Utah does ordain as follows:
The Emigration Canyon Metro Township elects to comply with the requirements of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (P.L. 90-488, as amended). The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is a voluntary program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a component of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and Emigration Canyon community officials have elected to join the program, participate, and enforce this Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance and the requirements and regulations of the NFIP. The NFIP, established in the aforesaid act, provides that areas of the Incorporated Emigration Canyon Township having a special flood hazard be identified by FEMA, and that floodplain management measures be applied in such flood hazard areas. Furthermore, Emigration Canyon Metro Township may elect to administer the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance to areas not identified as Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) by FEMA on the community’s effective Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM), if the community has documentation to support that there is an inherent risk of flooding in such areas.
(§ 1 (part) of Ord. passed 11/13/85: prior code § 22-39-1)
It is the purpose of this ordinance to promote the public health, safety, and general welfare and to minimize public and private losses due to flood conditions in specific areas by provisions designed to:
(§ 1 (part) of Ord. passed 11/13/85: prior code § 22-39-2)
In order to accomplish its purposes, this ordinance uses the following methods:
(§ 1 (part) of Ord. passed 11/13/85: prior code § 22-39-3)
Unless specifically defined below, words or phrases used in this ordinance shall be interpreted to give them the meaning they have in common usage and to give this ordinance its most reasonable application.
100-Year Flood means a flood having a recurrence interval that has a 1-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded during any given year (1-percent-annual-chance flood). The terms “100-hundred-year flood” and “1-percent-annual-chance flood” are synonymous. The term does not imply that the flood will necessarily happen once every 100 hundred years. Mandatory flood insurance requirements may apply.
100-Year Floodplain means the area of land susceptible to being inundated due to the occurrence of a 1-percent-annual-chance flood.
500-Year Flood means a flood having a recurrence interval that has a 0.2-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded during any given year (0.2-percent-annual-chance flood). The term does not imply that the flood will necessarily happen once every 500 years and mandatory flood insurance requirement generally does not apply.
500-Year Floodplain means the area of land susceptible to being inundated due to the occurrence of a 0.2-percent-annual-chance flood.
Accessory Structure is a structure that is on the same parcel of property as a principal structure. Its use is incidental to the use of the principal structure the ownership of the accessory structure is the same owner as of the principal structure. An accessory structure is a non-residential structure of low value that is used solely for the parking of vehicles and storage of tools, materials, or equipment. No human habitation is allowed within an accessory structure.
Addition is any improvement that expands the enclosed footprint or increases the square footage of an existing structure. This includes lateral additions added to the side, front, or rear of a structure; vertical additions added on top of a structure; and enclosures added underneath a structure.
Alluvial Fan Flooding means flooding occurring on the surface of an alluvial fan or similar landform that originates at the apex. It is characterized by high-velocity flows; active processes of erosion, sediment transport, and deposition; and unpredictable flow paths.
Apex means a point on an alluvial fan or similar landform below which the flow path of the major stream that formed the fan becomes unpredictable and alluvial fan flooding can occur.
Appurtenant Structure—see Accessory Structure.
Area of Future-Conditions Flood Hazard means the land area that would be inundated by the 1-percent- annual-chance (100-year) flood, based on future-conditions hydrology.
Area of Shallow Flooding means a designated AO, AH, AR/AO, or AR/AH zone on a community's Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) with a 1 percent or greater annual chance of flooding to an average depth of 1 to 3 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.
Area of Special Flood-Related Erosion Hazard is the land within a community that is most likely to be subject to severe flood-related erosion losses. The area may be designated as Zone E on the Flood Hazard Boundary Map (FHBM). After the detailed evaluation of the special flood-related erosion hazard area, in preparation for publication of the FIRM, Zone E may be further refined.
Area of Special Flood Hazard is the land in the flood plain within a community subject to a 1 percent or greater chance of flooding in any given year. The area may be designated as Zone A on the FHBM. After detailed ratemaking has been completed in preparation for publication of the FIRM, Zone A usually is refined into Zones A, AO, AH, A1-30, AE, A99, AR, AR/A1-30, AR/AE, AR/AO, AR/AH, AR/A, or V1-30, VE, or V. For purposes of these regulations, the term “special flood hazard area” is synonymous in meaning with the phrase “area of special flood hazard”.
Base Flood means the flood having a 1-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year.
Base Flood Elevation (BFE) is the water surface elevation of the 1-percent-annual-chance flood event. It is the height in relation to mean sea level expected to be reached by the waters of the base flood at pertinent points in the floodplains of coastal and riverine areas. It is also the elevation shown on the FIRM and found in the accompanying Flood Insurance Study (FIS) for Zones A, AE, AH, A1-A30, AR, V1-V30, or VE that indicates the water surface elevation resulting from the flood that has a 1-percent chance of equaling or exceeding that level in any given year.
Basement means any area of the building having its floor subgrade (below ground level) on all sides. A walkout basement that does not require a step up to grade is not considered a basement.
Best Available Data is existing flood hazard information adopted by a community and reflected on an effective FIRM, FBFM, and/or within an FIS report; or draft or preliminary flood hazard information supplied by FEMA or from another source. Other sources may include, but are not limited to, state, other federal agencies, or local studies, the more restrictive of which would be reasonably used by the community.
Breakaway Wall means a wall that is not part of the structural support of the building and is intended through its design and construction to collapse under specific lateral loading forces, without causing damage to the elevated portion of the building or supporting foundation system. Any walls below the lowest floor in a building in a V or VE Zone should give way under wind and water loads without causing collapse, displacement, or other damage to the elevated portion of the building of the supporting pilings or columns. Breakaway walls apply only to V or VE Zones.
Building—see Structure.
Channelization means the artificial creation, enlargement, realignment, or alteration of a stream channel’s slope, shape, or alignment. Streambank restoration may be deemed as channelization.
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government.
Conditional Letter of Map Revision (CLOMR) is FEMA's comment on a proposed project that would, upon construction, affect the hydrologic and/or hydraulic characteristics of a flooding source and thus result in the modification of the existing regulatory floodway, the effective BFEs, and/or the SFHA. The letter does not revise an effective map; it indicates whether the project, if built as proposed, would be recognized by FEMA.
Conditional Letter of Map Revision Based on Fill (CLOMR-F) is FEMA's comment on a proposed structure or property. The letter does not revise an effective map; it indicates whether the project, if built as proposed, would be removed from the floodplain.
Crawlspace means an under-floor space that has its interior floor area (finished or not) no more than 4 feet from the bottom floor joist the next higher floor elevation, designed with proper openings that equalize hydrostatic pressures of flood water, and is not used for habitation. Reference: 19.74.060 H
Deed Restriction refers to a clause in a deed that limits the future use of the property in some respect. Deed restrictions may impose a vast variety of limitations and conditions. For example, they may limit the density of buildings, dictate the types of structures that can be erected, or prevent buildings from being used for specific purposes or from being used at all.
Detached Garage is a building that is used solely for storage of materials or vehicle parking for up to four housing occupants. If a detached garage is designed or used for habitation or conducting business, or has multiple stories, then the building is not considered a detached garage under the NFIP.
Development means any human-made change to improved or unimproved real estate, including but not limited to buildings or other structures, mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, demolition, excavation or drilling operations, or storage either temporary or permanent of equipment or materials.
Elevated Building is a non-basement building built, in the case of a building in Zone A1-30, AE, A, A99, AR, AO, AH, B, C, X and D, to have the top of the elevated floor above the ground level by means of pilings, columns (post and piers), or shear walls parallel to the flow of the water and adequately anchored so as not to impair the structural integrity of the building during a flood of up to the magnitude of the base flood. In the case of a building in Zone A1-30, AE, A, A99, AR, AO, AH, B, C, X and D, an “elevated building” also includes a building elevated by means of fill or solid foundation perimeter walls with openings sufficient to facilitate the unimpeded movement of flood waters.
Enclosure refers to an enclosed walled-in area below the lowest floor of an elevated building. Enclosures below the BFE may only be used for building access, vehicle parking, and storage.
Erosion means the process of the gradual wearing away of land masses by wind, water, or other natural agents.
Existing Construction refers to structures for which the “start of construction” commenced before the effective date of the FIRM or before January 1, 1975, for FIRMs effective before that date. It may also be referred to as Existing Structures.
Existing Manufactured Home Park or Subdivision means 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) is completed before the effective date of the floodplain management regulations adopted by a community.
Existing Structures—see Existing Construction.
Expansion to an Existing Manufactured Home Park or Subdivision means the preparation of additional sites by the construction of facilities for servicing the lots on which the manufacturing homes are to be affixed (including the installation of utilities, the construction of streets, and either final site grading or the pouring of concrete pads).
FEMA means the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Fill refers to the placement of materials, such as dirt, sand, or rock to elevate a structure, property, or portion of a property above the natural elevation of the site, regardless of where the material was obtained from. The common practice of removing unsuitable material and replacing with engineered material is not considered fill if the elevations are returned to the existing conditions. Any fill placed or used prior to the area being mapped as a flood hazard area is not deemed as fill.
Flood or Flooding means:
A general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land areas from:
Flood Insurance Manual is the document FEMA produces twice a year and is used to write flood insurance policies underwritten by the NFIP. The document contains definitions, policy rates, coverage and limitations, application and insurance policy forms.
Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) means an official map of a community, on which the Administrator has delineated both the SFHAs and the risk premium zones applicable to the community.
Flood Insurance Study (FIS) or Flood elevation study means an examination, evaluation, and determination of flood hazards and, if appropriate, corresponding water surface elevations, or an examination, evaluation and determination of mudslide (i.e., mudflow) and/or flood-related erosion hazards.
Floodplain Development Permit is a community issued permit or document that is used for any development that occurs within an SFHA identified by FEMA or the community. It is used to address the proposed development to ensure compliance with the community’s ordinance.
Floodplain or Flood-Prone Area means any land area susceptible to being inundated by water from any source whether or not identified by FEMA (see definition of Flooding).
Floodplain Management means 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, mitigation plans, and floodplain management regulations.
Floodplain Management Regulations means zoning ordinances, subdivision regulations, building codes, health regulations, special purpose ordinances (such as a floodplain ordinance, grading ordinance and erosion control ordinance) and other applications of police power. The term describes such state or local regulations, in any combination thereof, which provide standards for flood damage prevention and reduction.
Flood Opening refers to an opening in the wall of an enclosed structure that allows floodwaters to automatically enter and exit the enclosure. Refer to FEMA Technical Bulletin 1.
Flood Protection System means those physical structural works for which funds have been authorized, appropriated, and expended and which have been constructed specifically to modify flooding in order to reduce the extent of the area within a community subject to an SFHA and to reduce the depths of associated flooding. Such a system typically includes hurricane tidal barriers, dams, reservoirs, levees or dikes. These specialized, flood modifying works are those constructed in conformance with sound engineering standards. FEMA only accredits levees, both private and public, that have been certified by a professional engineer or firm in which the certification shows that the levee have met and continue to meet the minimum regulatory standards cited in Title 44, Chapter 1, Section 65.10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (44 CFR 65.10).
Floodproofing means any combination of structural and non-structural additions, changes, or adjustments to structures that reduce or eliminate flood damage to real estate or improved real property, water and sanitary facilities, structures and their contents. Floodproofing can either be accomplished in the form of dry floodproofing in which the structure is watertight below the levels that need flood protection, or wet floodproofing in permanent or contingent measures applied to a structure that prevent or provide resistance to damage from flooding, while allowing floodwaters to enter the structure or area.
Floodway—(Regulatory Floodway) - means the channel of a river or other watercourse and the adjacent land areas that must be reserved in order to discharge the base flood without cumulatively increasing the water surface elevation more than a designated height.
Floodway encroachment lines mean the lines marking the limits of floodways on federal, state, and local flood plain maps.
Freeboard means a factor of safety usually expressed in feet above a flood level for purposes of flood plain management. “Freeboard” tends to compensate for the many unknown factors that could contribute to flood heights greater than the height calculated for a selected size flood and floodway conditions, such as wave action, bridge openings, and the hydrological effect of urbanization of the watershed.
Functionally Dependent Use means a development that cannot perform its intended purpose unless it is located or carried out in close proximity to water. The term includes docking facilities, port facilities that are necessary for the loading and unloading of cargo or passengers, and ship building and repair facilities. It does not include long-term storage or related manufacturing facilities.
Highest Adjacent Grade (HAG) means the highest natural elevation of the ground surface prior to construction next to the proposed walls of a structure. In AO Zones, the highest adjacent grade is utilized by comparing the lowest floor elevation to that of the highest adjacent grade and the depth of the AO Zone. Reference: 19.74.060 L: Standards for Areas of Shallow Flooding (AO/AH Zones).
Historic Structure means any structure that is:
Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) means an official amendment, by letter, to an effective FIRM. A LOMA establishes a property’s location in relation to the SFHA. It is usually issued because a property or structure has been inadvertently mapped as being in the floodplain, when the property or structure is actually on natural high ground above the BFE.
Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) means FEMA's modification or revision to an entire or portion of the effective FIRM, or Flood Boundary and Floodway Map, 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 the modification of the existing regulatory floodway, the effective BFEs, or the SFHA.
Letter of Map Revision Based on Fill (LOMR-F) means FEMA’s amendment, by letter, to an effective FIRM where fill was brought in or used to elevate a property, portion of property or structure above the BFE.
Levee means a man-made structure usually an earthen embankment, designed and constructed in accordance with sound engineering practices to contain, control, or divert the flow of water so as to provide protection from temporary flooding.
Levee System means a flood protection system that consists of a levee, or levees, and associated structures, such as closure and drainage devices, which are constructed and operated in accordance with sound engineering practices.
Lowest Adjacent Grade (LAG) means the lowest natural elevation of the ground surface prior to construction next to the proposed walls of a structure. For an existing structure, it means the lowest point where the structure and ground touch, including but not limited to attached garages, decks, stairs, and basement windows.
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 non-elevation design requirements of Section 60.3.
Manufactured Home means 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 attached to the required utilities. The term “manufactured home” does not include a “recreational vehicle”; however, a manufactured home may be used for both residential and non-residential use.
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.
Map means the FHBM or the FIRM for a community issued by FEMA.
Mean Sea Level means, for purposes of the NFIP, the National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD) of 1929, North American Vertical Datum (NAVD) of 1988, or other datum, to which BFEs shown on a community's FIRM are referenced.
Mixed Use Structures are structures with both a business and a residential component, but where the area used for business is less than 50 percent of the total floor area of the structure.
New Construction means structures for which the start of construction commenced on or after the effective date of a floodplain management regulation adopted by a community and includes any subsequent improvements to such structures. For the purposes of determining insurance rates, structures for which the “start of construction” commenced on or after the effective date of an initial FIRM or after December 31, 1974, whichever is later, and includes any subsequent improvements to such structures.
New Manufactured Home Park or Subdivision means 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) is completed on or after the effective date of floodplain management regulations adopted by a community.
No-Rise Certifications are formal certifications signed and stamped by a professional engineer licensed to practice in the state, demonstrating through hydrologic and hydraulic analyses performed in accordance with standard engineering practice that a proposed development will not result in any increase (0.00 feet) in flood levels within the community during the occurrence of a base flood event.
Physical Map Revision (PMR) is FEMA’s action whereby one or more map panels are physically revised and republished.
Recreational Vehicle means a vehicle which is:
Riverine means relating to, formed by, or resembling a river (including tributaries), stream, brook, creek, etcetera, which can be intermittent or perennial.
Section 1316 refers to the section of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, as amended, which provides for the denial of flood insurance coverage for any property that the Administrator finds has been declared by a duly constituted State or local authority to be in violation of State or local floodplain management regulations. Section 1316 is issued for a property, not a property owner, and remains with the property even after a change of ownership.
Special Flood Hazard Area—see Area of Special Flood Hazard.
Start of Construction (for other than new construction or substantial improvements under the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (Pub. L. 97-348)) includes substantial improvement, and means the date the building permit was issued, 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 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. For a substantial improvement, the actual start of construction means the first alteration of any wall, ceiling, floor, or other structural part of a building, whether or not that alteration affects the external dimensions of the building.
Structure means, for floodplain management purposes, a walled and roofed building, culvert, bridge, dam, or a gas or liquid storage tank that is principally above ground, as well as a manufactured home.
Structure, for insurance purposes, means:
For insurance purposes, “structure” does not mean a recreational vehicle or a park trailer or other similar vehicle, except as described in paragraph (3) of this definition, or a gas or liquid storage tank.
Substantial Damage means damage of any origin sustained by a structure whereby the cost of restoring the structure to its pre-damaged condition would equal or exceed 50 percent of the market value of the structure before the damage occurred.
Substantial Improvement means any reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, or other improvement of a structure, the cost of which equals or exceeds 50 percent of the market value of the structure before the “start of construction” of the improvement. This term includes structures which have incurred “substantial damage”, regardless of the actual repair work performed.
The term does not, however, include:
Variance means grant a relief by a community from the terms of a flood plain management regulation. Reference: 19.74.050 E. Variance Procedures
Violation means the failure of a structure or other development to be fully compliant with the community's flood plain management regulations. A structure or other development without the elevation certificate, other certifications, or other evidence of compliance required in Sections 44 CFR 60.3(b)(5), (c)(4), (c)(10), (d)(3), (e)(2), (e)(4), or (e)(5) is presumed to be in violation until such time as that documentation is provided.
Water surface elevation means 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, such as the 1-percent-annual-chance flood event, in the flood plains of coastal or riverine areas.
Watercourse means the channel and banks of an identifiable water in a creek, brook, stream, river, ditch or other similar feature.
(Ord. 994 § 13, 1987)