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City of Somers Point, NJ
Atlantic County
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Table of Contents
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These regulations, in combination with the flood provisions of the Uniform Construction Code (UCC), N.J.A.C. 5:23 (hereinafter "Uniform Construction Code"), consisting of the Building Code, Residential Code, Rehabilitation Subcode, and related codes, and the New Jersey Flood Hazard Area Control Act (hereinafter "FHACA"), N.J.A.C. 7:13, shall be known as the "Floodplain Management Regulations of the City of Somers Point" (hereinafter "these regulations").
These regulations, in combination with the flood provisions of the Uniform Construction Code and FHACA, shall apply to all proposed development in flood hazard areas established in Article II of these regulations.
The purposes and objectives of these regulations are to promote the public health, safety and general welfare and to minimize public and private losses due to flood conditions in specific flood hazard areas through the establishment of comprehensive regulations for management of flood hazard areas, designed to:
A. 
Protect human life and health.
B. 
Prevent unnecessary disruption of commerce, access, and public service during times of flooding.
C. 
Manage the alteration of natural floodplains, stream channels and shorelines;
D. 
Manage filling, grading, dredging and other development which may increase flood damage or erosion potential.
E. 
Prevent or regulate the construction of flood barriers which will divert floodwater or increase flood hazards.
F. 
Contribute to improved construction techniques in the floodplain.
G. 
Minimize damage to public and private facilities and utilities.
H. 
Help maintain a stable tax base by providing for the sound use and development of flood hazard areas.
I. 
Minimize the need for rescue and relief efforts associated with flooding.
J. 
Ensure that property owners, occupants, and potential owners are aware of property located in flood hazard areas.
K. 
Minimize the need for future expenditure of public funds for flood control projects and response to and recovery from flood events.
L. 
Meet the requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program for community participation set forth in Title 44, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 59.22.
Pursuant to the requirement established in N.J.A.C. 5:23, the Uniform Construction Code, that the City of Somers Point administer and enforce the State building codes, the City Council of the City of Somers Point does hereby acknowledge that the Uniform Construction Code contains certain provisions that apply to the design and construction of buildings and structures in flood hazard areas. Therefore, these regulations are intended to be administered and enforced in conjunction with the Uniform Construction Code.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 100, Construction Codes, Uniform.
Improvements defined as ordinary building maintenance and minor work projects by the Uniform Construction Code, including nonstructural replacement-in-kind of windows, doors, cabinets, plumbing fixtures, decks, walls, partitions, new flooring materials, roofing, etc., shall be evaluated by the Floodplain Administrator through the floodplain development permit to ensure compliance with § 146-3.14, Substantial improvement and substantial damage determinations, of this chapter.
The degree of flood protection required by these regulations is considered reasonable for regulatory purposes and is based on scientific and engineering considerations. Larger floods can and will occur. Flood heights may be increased by man-made or natural causes. Enforcement of these regulations does not imply that land outside the special flood hazard areas, or that uses permitted within such flood hazard areas, will be free from flooding or flood damage.
The provisions of these regulations shall not be deemed to nullify any provisions of local, state, or federal law.
A. 
No structure or land shall hereafter be constructed, relocated to, extended, converted, or altered without full compliance with the terms of this chapter and other applicable regulations. Violation of the provisions of this chapter by failure to comply with any of its requirements (including violations of conditions and safeguards established in connection with conditions) shall constitute a violation under N.J.S.A. 40:49-5. Any person who violates this chapter or fails to comply with any of its requirements shall be subject to one or more of the following: a fine of not more than $1,250, imprisonment for a term not exceeding 90 days, or a period of community service not exceeding 90 days.
B. 
Each day in which a violation of the chapter exists shall be considered to be a separate and distinct violation subject to the imposition of a separate penalty for each day of the violation as the court may determine, except that the owner will be afforded the opportunity to cure or abate the condition during a thirty-day period and shall be afforded the opportunity for a hearing before the court for an independent determination concerning the violation. Subsequent to the expiration of the thirty-day period, a fine greater than $1,250 may be imposed if the court has not determined otherwise, or if upon reinspection of the property, it is determined that the abatement has not been substantially completed.
C. 
Any person who is convicted of violating the chapter within one year of the date of a previous violation of the same and who was fined for the previous violation, shall be sentenced by a court to an additional fine as a repeat offender. The additional fine imposed by the court upon a person for a repeated offense shall not be less than the minimum or exceed the maximum fine fixed for a violation of the chapter but shall be calculated separately from the fine imposed for the violation of the chapter.
Any person who has unlawfully disposed of solid waste in a floodway or floodplain who fails to comply with this chapter or fails to comply with any of its requirements shall, upon conviction thereof, be fined not more than $2,500 or up to a maximum penalty by a fine not exceeding $10,000 under N.J.S.A. 40:49-5.
These regulations supersede any ordinance in effect in flood hazard areas. However, these regulations are not intended to repeal or abrogate any existing ordinances, including land development regulations, subdivision regulations, zoning ordinances, stormwater management regulations, or building codes. In the event of a conflict between these regulations and any other ordinance, code, or regulation, the more restrictive shall govern.