Unless specifically defined below, words or phrases used in
this chapter shall be interpreted so as to give them the meanings
they have in common usage and to give this chapter its most reasonable
application.
The elevation shown on a community's Advisory Flood
Hazard Map that indicates the advisory stillwater elevation plus wave
effect (ABFE = SWEL + wave effect) resulting from a flood that has
a one-percent or greater chance of being equaled or exceeded in any
given year.
The land in the floodplain within a community subject to
flooding from the one-percent annual chance event depicted on the
Advisory Flood Hazard Map.
The official map on which the Federal Emergency Management
Administration has delineated the areas of advisory flood hazards
applicable to the community.
A request for a review of the Floodplain Administrator's
interpretation of any provision of this chapter or a request for a
variance.
A designated AO or AH or VO Zone on a community's Flood
Insurance Rate Map, with a one-percent or greater 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 land in the floodplain within a community subject to
a one-percent or greater chance of flooding in any given year.
The flood having a one-percent chance of being equaled or
exceeded in any given year.
Any area of the building having its floor subgrade (below
ground level) on all sides.
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.
The portion of the special flood hazard area (SFHA) starting
from a Velocity (V) Zone and extending up to the landward limit of
the moderate wave action delineation. Where no V Zone is mapped, the
Coastal A Zone is the portion between the shore and the landward limit
of the moderate wave action delineation. Coastal A Zones may be subject
to wave effects, velocity flows, erosion, scour, or a combination
of these forces.
An area of special flood hazard extending from offshore to
the inland limit of a primary frontal dune along an open coast and
any other area subject to high-velocity wave action from storms or
seismic sources; also known as V Zones.
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 located within an area of special
flood hazard.
The official map on which the Federal Insurance Administration
has delineated both the areas of special flood hazard and the risk
premium zones applicable to the community.
A nonbasement building;
Built, in the case of a building in an area of special flood
hazard, to have the top of the elevated floor or, in the case of a
building in a coastal high-hazard area, to have the bottom of the
lowest horizontal structural member of the elevated floor elevated
above the ground level by means of piling, columns (posts 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 up to the magnitude of the base flood.
In an area of special flood hazard, "elevated building" also
includes a building elevated by means of solid foundation perimeter
walls with openings sufficient to facilitate the unimpeded movement
of floodwaters. In areas of coastal high-hazard, "elevated building"
also includes a building otherwise meeting the definition of "elevated
building" even though the lower area is enclosed by means of breakaway
walls.
The process of the gradual wearing away of land masses.
The official map on which the Federal Insurance Administration
has delineated both the areas of special flood hazard and the risk
premium zones applicable to the community.
The official report provided in which the Federal Insurance
Administration has provided flood profiles, as well as the Flood Insurance
Rate Map and the water surface elevation of the base flood.
A general and temporary condition of partial or complete
inundation of normally dry land areas from:
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
the purpose of flood damage prevention and reduction.
The channel of a river of 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
0.2 foot.
An open area, measured in feet, as set forth in § 104-16F, between the bottom of the lowest horizontal member and the base flood elevation (or ABFE). Freeboard is a margin of safety added to account for sea level rise, waves, debris, miscalculations, lack of data, or other environmental changes.
A use which cannot perform its intended purpose unless it
is located or carried out in close proximity to water. The term includes
only docking facilities, port facilities that are necessary for the
loading and unloading of cargo or passengers, and ship building and
ship repair facilities, but does not include long-term storage or
related manufacturing facilities.
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 on 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;
Certified or preliminarily determined by the Secretary of the
Interior as contributing to the historical significance of a registered
historic 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 either:
The inland limit of the area affected by waves greater than
1.5 feet during the base flood. Base flood conditions between the
V Zone and the LiMWA will be similar to, but less severe than, those
in the V Zone.
The lowest floor of the lowest enclosed area (including basement).
An unfinished or flood-resistant enclosure, usable solely for the
parking of vehicles, building access or storage in an area other than
a basement, is not considered a building's lowest floor, provided
that such enclosure is not built so to render the structure in violation
of other applicable nonelevation design requirements.
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.
Structures for which the start of construction commenced
on or after the effective date of a floodplain regulation adopted
by a community, and includes any subsequent improvements to such structures.
For other than new construction or substantial improvements
under the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (P.L. No. 97-348), includes
substantial improvements 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 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; nor does it include the installation
of streets and/or walkways; nor does it include excavation for a basement,
footings or 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.
A walled and roofed building, a manufactured home, or a gas
or liquid storage tank, that is principally above ground.
Damage of any origin sustained by a structure whereby the
cost of restoring the structure to it's before-damaged condition
would equal or exceed 50% of the market value of the structure before
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.
This term includes structures which have incurred "substantial damage,"
regardless of the actual repair work performed. The term does not,
however, include either:
Any project for improvement of a structure to correct existing
violations of state or local health, sanitary or safety code specifications
which have been identified by the local code enforcement officer and
which are the minimum necessary to assure safe living conditions;
or
Any alteration of an "historic structure," provided that the
alteration will not preclude the structure's continued designation
as an "historic structure."
A grant of relief from the requirements of this chapter which
permits construction in a manner that would otherwise be prohibited
by this chapter.
Flood zones are geographic areas that FEMA has defined according
to varying levels of flood risk. These zones are depicted on a community's
Flood insurance Rate Map (FIRM) and Advisory Maps. These zones are
defined as follows:
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A — Areas subject to inundation by the one-percent
annual chance flood event. Because detailed analyses are not performed
for such areas, no depths of base flood elevations are shown within
these zones.
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AEThe base floodplain where base flood elevations are provided.
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D — Areas with possible but undetermined flood
hazards, usually outside of the boundary of the two-hundredths-percent
annual chance flood area.
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V — Coastal high-hazard areas subject to inundation
by the one-percent annual chance flood event with additional hazards
associated with high-velocity wave action.
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VECoastal high-hazard areas where base flood elevations are provided.
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X — Area of moderate flood hazard, usually the
area between the limits of the one-hundred-year (1%) and five-hundred-year
(0.02%) flood.
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Where used in this chapter "A" shall include AE, "V" shall include
VE, and vice versa.
