The following words and terms shall, for the purposes of these
regulations, have the meanings shown herein. Other terms are defined
in the Uniform Construction Code, N.J.A.C. 5:23, and terms are defined
where used in the International Residential Code and International
Building Code (rather than in the definitions section). Where terms
are not defined, such terms shall have ordinarily accepted meanings
such as the context implies.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
Elevation of flooding having a 1% annual chance of being
equaled or exceeded in a given year, which is also referred to as
the "base flood elevation."
Elevation of flooding having a 0.2% annual chance of being
equaled or exceeded in a given year.
Areas of special flood hazard in which the elevation of the
surface water resulting from a flood that has a 1% annual chance of
equaling or exceeding the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) in any given
year shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) zones A, AE, AH,
A1-A30, AR, AR/A, AR/AE, AR/A1-A30, AR/AH, and AR/AO. When used in
reference to the development of a structure in this chapter, A Zones
are not inclusive of Coastal A Zones because of the higher building
code requirements for Coastal A Zones.
Accessory structures are also referred to as "appurtenant
structures." An accessory structure is a structure which is on the
same parcel of property as a principal structure and the use of which
is incidental to the use of the principal structure. For example,
a residential structure may have a detached garage or storage shed
for garden tools as accessory structures. Other examples of accessory
structures include gazebos, picnic pavilions, boathouses, small pole
barns, storage sheds, and similar buildings.
A structure used solely for agricultural purposes in which
the use is exclusively in connection with the production, harvesting,
storage, drying, or raising of agricultural commodities, including
the raising of livestock. Communities must require that new construction
or substantial improvements of agricultural structures be elevated
or floodproofed to or above the base flood elevation (BFE) as any
other nonresidential building. Under some circumstances, it may be
appropriate to wet-floodproof certain types of agricultural structures
when located in wide, expansive floodplains through issuance of a
variance. This should only be done for structures used for temporary
storage of equipment or crops or temporary shelter for livestock and
only in circumstances where it can be demonstrated that agricultural
structures can be designed in such a manner that results in minimal
damage to the structure and its contents and will create no additional
threats to public safety. New construction or substantial improvement
of livestock confinement buildings, poultry houses, dairy operations,
similar livestock operations and any structure that represents more
than a minimal investment must meet the elevation or dry-floodproofing
requirements of 44 CFR 60.3(c)(3).
Areas subject to inundation by 1%-annual-chance shallow flooding
(usually areas of ponding) where average depths are between one foot
and three feet. Base flood elevations (BFEs) derived from detailed
hydraulic analyses are shown in this zone.
A dam, impoundment, channel relocation, change in channel
alignment, channelization, or change in cross-sectional area of the
channel or the channel capacity, or any other form of modification
which may alter, impede, retard or change the direction and/or velocity
of the riverine flow of water during conditions of the base flood.
Areas subject to inundation by 1%-annual-chance shallow flooding
(usually sheet flow on sloping terrain) where average depths are between
one foot and three feet.
A designated Zone AO, AH, AR/AO or AR/AH (or VO) on a community's
Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) with a 1% or greater annual chance
of flooding to an average depth of one foot 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.
See "special flood hazard area."
The standard for the Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and
Other Structures, referenced by the building code and developed and
published by the American Society of Civil Engineers, Reston, VA,
which includes but is not limited to methodology and equations necessary
for determining structural and flood-related design requirements and
determining the design requirements for structures that may experience
a combination of loads including those from natural hazards. Flood-related
equations include those for determining erosion, scour, lateral, vertical,
hydrostatic, hydrodynamic, buoyancy, breaking wave, and debris impact.
The standard for flood-resistant design and construction,
referenced by the building code and developed and published by the
American Society of Civil Engineers, Reston, VA. References to ASCE
24 shall mean ASCE 24-14 or the most recent version of ASCE 24 adopted
in the UCC [N.J.A.C. 5:23].
The water surface elevation resulting from a flood that has
a 1% or greater chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year,
as shown on a published Flood Insurance Study (FIS), or preliminary
flood elevation guidance from FEMA. May also be referred to as the
"100-year flood elevation."
Any area of the building having its floor subgrade (below
ground level) on all sides.
The most recent available preliminary flood risk guidance
FEMA has provided. The best available flood hazard data may be depicted
on but not limited to Advisory Flood Hazard Area Maps, Work Maps,
or preliminary FIS and FIRM.
The area mapped extent associated with the most recent available
preliminary flood risk guidance FEMA has provided. The best available
flood hazard data may be depicted on but not limited to Advisory Flood
Hazard Area Maps, Work Maps, or Preliminary FIS and FIRM.
The most recent available preliminary flood elevation guidance
FEMA has provided. The Best Available Flood Hazard Data may be depicted
on but not limited to Advisory Flood Hazard Area Maps, Work Maps,
or Preliminary FIS and FIRM.
Any type of wall subject to flooding that is not required
to provide structural support to a building or other structure and
that is designed and constructed such that, below the local design
flood elevation, it will collapse under specific lateral loads such
that: (1) it allows the free passage of floodwaters; and (2) it does
not damage the structure or supporting foundation system. Certification
in the V Zone certificate of the design, plans, and specifications
by a licensed design professional that these walls are in accordance
with accepted standards of practice is required as part of the permit
application for new and substantially improved V Zone and Coastal
A Zone structures. A completed certification must be submitted at
permit application.
Per the FHACA, "building" means a structure enclosed with
exterior walls or fire walls, erected and framed of component structural
parts, designed for the housing, shelter, enclosure, and support of
individuals, animals, or property of any kind. A building may have
a temporary or permanent foundation. A building that is intended for
regular human occupation and/or residence is considered a habitable
building.
An area of special flood hazard 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 open coast 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. Construction and development in Coastal A Zones are
to be regulated similarly to V Zones/Coastal High Hazard Areas except
as allowed by ASCE 24.
An area of special flood hazard inclusive of the V Zone 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.
A Conditional Letter of Map Revision (CLOMR) is FEMA's
comment on a proposed project that would, upon construction, affect
the hydrologic or hydraulic characteristics of a flooding source and
thus result in the modification of the existing regulatory floodway,
the effective base flood elevations (BFEs), or the special flood hazard
area (SFHA). The letter does not revise an effective NFIP map, it
indicates whether the project, if built as proposed, would be recognized
by FEMA. FEMA charges a fee for processing a CLOMR to recover the
costs associated with the review that is described in the Letter of
Map Change (LOMC) process. Building permits cannot be issued based
on a CLOMR, because a CLOMR does not change the NFIP map.
A Conditional Letter of Map Revision - Fill (CLOMR-F) is
FEMA's comment on a proposed project involving the placement
of fill outside of the regulatory floodway that would, upon construction,
affect the hydrologic or hydraulic characteristics of a flooding source
and thus result in the modification of the existing regulatory floodway,
the effective Base Flood Elevations (BFEs), or the Special Flood Hazard
Area (SFHA). The letter does not revise an effective NFIP map, it
indicates whether the project, if built as proposed, would be recognized
by FEMA. FEMA charges a fee for processing a CLOMR to recover the
costs associated with the review that is described in the Letter of
Map Change (LOMC) process. Building permits cannot be issued based
on a CLOMR, because a CLOMR does not change the NFIP map.
Per the FHACA, "critical building" means that:
It is essential to maintaining continuity of vital government
operations and/or supporting emergency response, sheltering, and medical
care functions before, during, and after a flood, such as a hospital,
medical clinic, police station, fire station, emergency response center,
or public shelter; or
It serves large numbers of people who may be unable to leave
the facility through their own efforts, thereby hindering or preventing
safe evacuation of the building during a flood event, such as a school,
college, dormitory, jail or detention facility, day-care center, assisted-living
facility, or nursing home.
Per ASCE 24, deep foundations refer to those foundations
constructed on erodible soils in Coastal High Hazard and Coastal A
Zones which are founded on piles, drilled shafts, caissons, or other
types of deep foundations and are designed to resist erosion and scour
and support lateral and vertical loads as described in ASCE 7. Foundations
shall extend to 10 feet below mean water level (MWL) unless the design
demonstrates that pile penetration will provide sufficient depth and
stability as determined by ASCE 24, ASCE 7, and additional geotechnical
investigations if any unexpected conditions are encountered during
construction.
Any man-made change to improved or unimproved real estate,
including but not limited to, buildings or other structures, tanks,
temporary structures, temporary or permanent storage of materials,
mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavations, drilling
operations and other land-disturbing activities.
A combination of measures that results in a nonresidential
structure, including the attendant utilities and equipment as described
in the latest version of ASCE 24, being watertight with all elements
substantially impermeable and with structural components having the
capacity to resist flood loads.
A building that has no basement and that has its lowest elevated
floor raised above ground level by foundation walls, shear walls,
posts, piers, pilings, or columns. Solid perimeter foundations walls
are not an acceptable means of elevating buildings in V and VE Zones.
An administrative tool of the National Flood Insurance Program
(NFIP) that can be used to provide elevation information, to determine
the proper insurance premium rate, and to support an application for
a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) or Letter of Map Revision based on
fill (LOMR-F).
The placement of fill, excavation, buildings, permanent structures
or other development into a flood hazard area which may impede or
alter the flow capacity of riverine flood hazard areas.
Any publication authored or referenced by FEMA related to
building science, building safety, or floodplain management related
to the National Flood Insurance Program. Publications shall include
but are not limited to technical bulletins, desk references, and American
Society of Civil Engineers Standards documents including ASCE 24.
Per the FHACA, the peak water surface elevation that will
occur in a water during the flood hazard area design flood. This elevation
is determined via available flood mapping adopted by the state, flood
mapping published by FEMA (including effective flood mapping dated
on or after January 31, 1980, or any more recent advisory, preliminary,
or pending flood mapping; whichever results in higher flood elevations,
wider floodway limits, greater flow rates, or indicates a change from
an A zone to a V zone or Coastal A zone), approximation, or calculation
pursuant to the Flood Hazard Area Control Act Rules at N.J.A.C. 7:13-3.1
through 3.6 and is typically higher than FEMA's base flood elevation.
A water that has a drainage area measuring less than 50 acres does
not possess, and is not assigned, a flood hazard area design flood
elevation.
The official map on which the Federal Emergency Management
Agency has delineated both the areas of special flood hazards and
the risk premium zones applicable to the community.
The official report in which the Federal Emergency Management
Agency has provided flood profiles, as well as the Flood Insurance
Rate Map(s) 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:
The overflow of inland or tidal waters.
The unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters
from any source.
Mudslides (i.e., mudflows) which are proximately caused by flooding as defined in Subsection A(2) of this definition and are akin to a river or liquid and flowing mud on the surfaces of normally dry land areas, as when earth is carried by a current of water and deposited along the path of the current.
The collapse or subsidence of land along the shore of a lake or other body of water as a result of erosion or undermining caused by waves or currents of water exceeding anticipated cyclical levels or suddenly caused by an unusually high water level in a natural body of water, accompanied by a severe storm, or by an unanticipated force of nature, such as flash flood or an abnormal tidal surge, or by some similarly unusual and unforeseeable event which results in flooding as defined in Subsection A(1) of this definition.
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.
Any land area susceptible to being inundated by water from
any source. See "flood or flooding."
Any combination of structural and nonstructural 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.
Certification by a licensed design professional that the
design and methods of construction for floodproofing a nonresidential
structure are in accordance with accepted standards of practice to
a proposed height above the structure's lowest adjacent grade
that meets or exceeds the local design flood elevation. A completed
floodproofing certificate is required at permit application.
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
0.2 foot.
A factor of safety usually expressed in feet above a flood
level for purposes of floodplain 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.
A use that cannot perform its intended purpose unless it
is located or carried out in close proximity to water, including only
docking facilities, port facilities necessary for the loading or unloading
of cargo or passengers, and shipbuilding and ship repair facilities.
The term does not include long-term storage or related manufacturing
facilities.
Pursuant to the FHACA Rules (N.J.A.C. 7:13), means a building
that is intended for regular human occupation and/or residence. Examples
of a habitable building include a single-family home, duplex, multi-residence
building, or critical building; a commercial building such as a retail
store, restaurant, office building, or gymnasium; an accessory structure
that is regularly occupied, such as a garage, barn, or workshop; mobile
and manufactured homes, and trailers intended for human residence,
which are set on a foundation and/or connected to utilities, such
as in a mobile home park (not including campers and recreational vehicles);
and any other building that is regularly occupied, such as a house
of worship, community center, or meeting hall, or animal shelter that
includes regular human access and occupation. Examples of a nonhabitable
building include a bus stop shelter, utility building, storage shed,
self-storage unit, construction trailer, or an individual shelter
for animals such as a doghouse or outdoor kennel.
As related to Article VII of this chapter, meaning the exceptional hardship that would result from a failure to grant the requested variance. The City Council of the City of Somers Point requires that the variance be exceptional, unusual, and peculiar to the property involved. Mere economic or financial hardship alone is not exceptional. Inconvenience, aesthetic considerations, physical handicaps, personal preferences, or the disapproval of one's neighbors likewise cannot, as a rule, qualify as an exceptional hardship. All of these problems can be resolved through other means without granting a variance, even if the alternative is more expensive, or requires the property owner to build elsewhere or put the parcel to a different use than originally intended.
The highest natural elevation of the ground surface prior
to construction next to the proposed or existing walls of a structure.
Any structure that is:
Listed individually in the National Register of Historic Places
(a listing maintained by the Department of 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 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 either:
Per the FHACA, means an existing fill, structure and/or use,
which meets all federal, state, and local laws, and which is not in
violation of the FHACA because it was established:
Prior to January 31, 1980; or
On or after January 31, 1980, in accordance with the requirements
of the FHACA as it existed at the time the fill, structure and/or
use was established.
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Note: Substantially damaged properties and substantially improved
properties that have not been elevated are not considered "lawfully
existing" for the purposes of the NFIP. This definition is included
in this chapter to clarify the applicability of any more stringent
statewide floodplain management standards required under the FHACA.
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A Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) is an official amendment,
by letter, to an effective National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)
map that is requested through the Letter of Map Change (LOMC) process.
A LOMA establishes a property's location in relation to the Special
Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). LOMAs are usually issued because a property
has been inadvertently mapped as being in the floodplain but is actually
on natural high ground above the base flood elevation. Because a LOMA
officially amends the effective NFIP map, it is a public record that
the community must maintain. Any LOMA should be noted on the community's
master flood map and filed by panel number in an accessible location.
The Letter of Map Change (LOMC) process is a service provided
by FEMA for a fee that allows the public to request a change in flood
zone designation in an Area of Special Flood Hazard on a Flood Insurance
Rate Map (FIRM). Conditional Letters of Map Revision, Conditional
Letters of Map Revision - Fill, Letters of Map Revision, Letters of
Map Revision-Fill, and Letters of Map Amendment are requested through
the Letter of Map Change (LOMC) process.
A Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) is FEMA's modification
to an effective Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). Letters of Map Revision
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 Base Flood Elevations (BFEs), or the special flood hazard
area (SFHA). The LOMR officially revises the Flood Insurance Rate
Map (FIRM) and sometimes the Flood Insurance Study (FIS) report, and
when appropriate, includes a description of the modifications. The
LOMR is generally accompanied by an annotated copy of the affected
portions of the FIRM or FIS report. Because a LOMR officially revises
the effective NFIP map, it is a public record that the community must
maintain. Any LOMR should be noted on the community's master
flood map and filed by panel number in an accessible location.
A Letter of Map Revision Based on Fill (LOMR-F) is FEMA's
modification of the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) shown on the
Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) based on the placement of fill outside
the existing regulatory floodway may be initiated through the Letter
of Map Change (LOMC) Process. Because a LOMR-F officially revises
the effective Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) map, it is a public
record that the community must maintain. Any LOMR-F should be noted
on the community's master flood map and filed by panel number
in an accessible location.
Licensed design professional shall refer to either a New
Jersey licensed professional engineer, licensed by the New Jersey
State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors or a New
Jersey Licensed Architect, licensed by the New Jersey State Board
of Architects.
A licensed professional engineer shall refer to individuals
licensed by the New Jersey State Board of Professional Engineers and
Land Surveyors.
Inland limit of the area affected by waves greater than 1.5
feet during the base flood. Base flood conditions between the VE Zone
and the LiMWA will be similar to but less severe than those in the
VE Zone.
The elevation reflective of the most recent available preliminary
flood elevation guidance FEMA has provided as depicted on but not
limited to Advisory Flood Hazard Area Maps, work maps, or preliminary
FIS and FIRM, which is also inclusive of freeboard specified by the
New Jersey Flood Hazard Area Control Act and Uniform Construction
Codes and any additional freeboard specified in a community's
ordinance. In no circumstances shall a project's LDFE be lower
than a permit-specified Flood Hazard Area Design Flood Elevation or
a valid NJDEP Flood Hazard Area Verification Letter plus the freeboard
as required in ASCE 24 and the effective FEMA Base Flood Elevation.
The lowest point of ground, patio, or sidewalk slab immediately
next a structure, except in AO Zones, where it is the natural grade
elevation.
In A Zones, the lowest floor is the top surface of the lowest
floor of the lowest enclosed area (including basement). In V Zones
and Coastal A Zones, the bottom of the lowest horizontal structural
member of a building is the lowest floor. 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 as to render
the structure in violation of other applicable non-elevation design
requirements of these regulations.
In an elevated building in a Coastal A or Coastal High Hazard
Zone, the lowest beam, joist, or other horizontal member that supports
the building is the lowest horizontal structural member. Grade beams
installed to support vertical foundation members where they enter
the ground are not considered lowest horizontal members.
A structure that is transportable in one or more sections,
eight feet or more in width and greater than 400 square feet, built
on a permanent chassis, designed for use with or without a permanent
foundation when attached to the required utilities, and constructed
to the Federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards
and rules and regulations promulgated by the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development. The term also includes mobile homes, park trailers,
travel trailers and similar transportable structures that are placed
on a site for 180 consecutive days or longer.
A parcel (or contiguous parcels) of land divided into two
or more manufactured home lots for rent or sale.
The price at which a property will change hands between a
willing buyer and a willing seller, neither party being under compulsion
to buy or sell and both having reasonable knowledge of relevant facts.
As used in these regulations, the term refers to the market value
of buildings and structures, excluding the land and other improvements
on the parcel. Market value shall be determined by one of the following
methods:
Structures for which the start of construction commenced
on or after the effective date of the first floodplain regulation
adopted by a community; includes any subsequent improvements to such
structures. New construction includes work determined to be a substantial
improvement.
Pursuant to ASCE 24, any building or structure or portion
thereof that is not classified as residential.
This term refers to types of work excluded from construction
permitting under N.J.A.C. 5:23 in the March 5, 2018, New Jersey Register.
Some of these types of work must be considered in determinations of
substantial improvement and substantial damage in regulated floodplains
under 44 CFR 59.1. These types of work include but are not limited
to replacements of roofing, siding, interior finishes, kitchen cabinets,
plumbing fixtures and piping, HVAC and air-conditioning equipment,
exhaust fans, built-in appliances, electrical wiring, etc. Improvements
necessary to correct existing violations of state or local health,
sanitation, or code enforcement officials which are the minimum necessary
to assure safe living conditions and improvements of historic structures
as discussed in 44 CFR 59.1 shall not be included in the determination
of ordinary maintenance and minor work.
A vehicle that 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. A recreational vehicle is ready for highway use if it is on its
wheels or jacking system, is attached to the site only by quick-disconnect-type
utilities and security devices and has no permanently attached additions.
Pursuant to the ASCE 24:
Buildings and structures and portions thereof where people live
or that are used for sleeping purposes on a transient or nontransient
basis;
Structures, including but not limited to one- and two-family
dwellings, townhouses, condominiums, multifamily dwellings, apartments,
congregate residences, boarding houses, lodging houses, rooming houses,
hotels, motels, apartment buildings, convents, monasteries, dormitories,
fraternity houses, sorority houses, vacation time-share properties;
and
Institutional facilities where people are cared for or live
on a twenty-four-hour basis in a supervised environment, including
but not limited to board and care facilities, assisted-living facilities,
halfway houses, group homes, congregate care facilities, social rehabilitation
facilities, alcohol and drug centers, convalescent facilities, hospitals,
nursing homes, mental hospitals, detoxification facilities, prisons,
jails, reformatories, detention centers, correctional centers, and
prerelease centers.
The storage, treatment, utilization, processing or final
disposition of solid waste as described in N.J.A.C. 7:26-1.6 or the
storage of unsecured materials as described in N.J.A.C. 7:13-2.3 for
a period of greater than six months as specified in N.J.A.C. 7:26
which have been discharged, deposited, injected, dumped, spilled,
leaked, or placed into any land or water such that such solid waste
may enter the environment or be emitted into the air or discharged
into any waters, including groundwaters.
The greater of the following: (1) land in the floodplain
within a community subject to a 1% or greater chance of flooding in
any given year, shown on the FIRM as Zone V, VE, V1-3-, A, AO, A1-30,
AE, A99, or AH; (2) land and the space above that land, which lies
below the peak water surface elevation of the flood hazard area design
flood for a particular water, as determined using the methods set
forth in the New Jersey Flood Hazard Area Control Act in N.J.A.C.
7:13; (3) riparian buffers as determined in the New Jersey Flood Hazard
Area Control Act in N.J.A.C. 7:13. Also referred to as the "area of
special flood hazard."
The "start of construction" is as follows:
For other than new construction or substantial improvements,
under the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA),[1] this is the date the building permit was issued, provided
that the actual start of construction, repair, 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 building on site, such as the pouring of a slab or footing, the
installation of piles, the construction of columns or any work beyond
the stage of excavation; or the placement of a manufactured (mobile)
home on a foundation. For a substantial improvement, 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.
For the purposes of determining whether proposed construction
must meet new requirements when National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)
maps are issued or revised and Base Flood Elevations (BFEs) increase
or zones change, the start of construction 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. Such development must also be permitted
and must meet new requirements when National Flood Insurance Program
(NFIP) maps are issued or revised, and Base Flood Elevations (BFEs)
increase or zones change.
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.
For determining if new construction and substantial improvements
within the Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS) can obtain flood
insurance, a different definition applies.
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 its 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 taking place, 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 official
and which are the minimum necessary to assure safe living conditions;
or
Any alteration of a historic structure, provided that the alteration
will not preclude the structure's continued designation as a
historic structure.
The period of time prescribed by N.J.S.A. 40:49-5 in which
a property owner is afforded the opportunity to correct zoning and
solid waste disposal after a notice of violation pertaining to this
chapter has been issued.
Buildings and structures of an accessory character and miscellaneous
structures not classified in any special occupancy, as described in
ASCE 24.
A certificate that contains a certification signed by a licensed
design professional certifying that the designs, plans, and specifications
and the methods of construction in V Zones and Coastal A Zones are
in accordance with accepted standards of practice. This certificate
also includes an optional breakaway wall design certification for
enclosures in these zones below the best available flood hazard data
elevation. A completed certification is required at permit application.
Areas of special flood hazard in which the elevation of the
surface water resulting from a flood that has a 1% annual chance of
equaling or exceeding the base flood elevation in any given year shown
on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) zones V1-V30 and VE, and is
referred to as the "coastal high-hazard area."
A grant of relief from the requirements of this section which
permits construction in a manner otherwise prohibited by this section
where specific enforcement would result in unnecessary hardship.
A development that is not fully compliant with these regulations
or the flood provisions of the building code. A structure or other
development without the elevation certificate, other certifications,
or other evidence of compliance required in this chapter is presumed
to be in violation until such time as that documentation is provided.
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.
A river, creek, stream, channel, or other topographic feature
in, on, through, or over which water flows at least periodically.
Floodproofing method that relies on the use of flood damage
resistant materials and construction techniques in areas of a structure
that are below the local design flood elevation by intentionally allowing
them to flood. The application of wet floodproofing as a flood protection
technique under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is limited
to enclosures below elevated residential and nonresidential structures
and to accessory and agricultural structures that have been issued
variances by the community.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 16 U.S.C. § 3501 et seq.
