Definitions. For the purposes of this section, the following words shall have the meanings defined herein:
BASE FLOOD The flood having a one-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year, also referred to as the one-hundred-year flood, as published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as part of a Flood Insurance Study (FIS) and depicted on a Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM).
BASE FLOOD ELEVATION (BFE) The elevation of the crest of the base flood or one-hundred-year flood. 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.
BASEMENT Any area of the building having its floor subgrade (below ground level) on all sides.
BUILDING See definition for "structure."
COST As related to substantial improvements, the cost of any reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, alteration, repair or other improvement of a structure shall be established by a detailed written contractor's estimate. The estimate shall include, but not be limited to: the cost of materials (interior finishing elements, structural elements, utility and service equipment); sales tax on materials, building equipment and fixtures, including heating and air conditioning and utility meters; labor; built-in appliances; demolition and site preparation; repairs made to damaged parts of the building worked on at the same time; contractor's overhead; contractor's profit; and grand total. Items to be excluded include: cost of plans and specifications, survey costs, permit fees, outside improvements, such as septic systems, water supply wells, landscaping, sidewalks, fences, yard lights, irrigation systems, and detached structures, such as garages, sheds, and gazebos.
DEVELOPMENT 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.
FLOOD INSURANCE RATE MAP (FIRM) The official map of a community on which the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has delineated both the special flood hazard areas one-hundred-year floodplain) and the insurance risk premium zones applicable to a community.
FLOOD INSURANCE STUDY (FIS) The official study of a community in which the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has conducted a technical engineering evaluation and determination of local flood hazards, flood profiles and water surface elevations. The Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM), which accompany the FIS, provide both flood insurance rate zones and base flood elevations, and may provide the regulatory floodway limits.
FLOOD or FLOODING A general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land areas from either the overflow of inland or tidal waters, or the unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source.
FLOODWAY 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 1.0 foot. For the purposes of these regulations, the term "regulatory floodway" is synonymous in meaning with the term "floodway."
FUNCTIONALLY DEPENDENT USE OR FACILITY A use or facility that 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.
HIGHEST ADJACENT GRADE (HAG) The highest natural elevation of the ground surface prior to construction next to the proposed walls of a structure.
HISTORIC STRUCTURE Any structure that is:
(1) Listed individually in 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;
(2) Certified or preliminarily determined by the Secretary of the Interior as contributing to the historic significance of a registered historic district or a district preliminarily determined by the Secretary to qualify as a registered historic district;
(3) 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
(4) Individually listed on a local inventory of historic places in communities with historic preservation programs that have been certified either:
(a) By an approved state program as determined by the Secretary of the Interior; or
(b) Directly by the Secretary of the Interior in states without approved programs.
LOWEST FLOOR 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 area is not considered a building's lowest floor.
MANUFACTURED HOME A structure, transportable in one or more sections, which is built on a permanent chassis and is designed for use with a permanent foundation when attached to the required utilities.
MARKET VALUE The market value of the structure shall be determined by using a computer assisted mass appraisal incorporating the three approaches to value prior to the start of the initial repair or improvement, or in the case of damage, the value of the structure prior to the damage occurring.
MEAN SEA LEVEL (MSL) The North American Vertical Datum (NAVD) of 1988 or other datum, to which base flood elevations shown on a community's Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) are referenced. The NAVD is approximately equal to the National Geodetic Datum of 1929 minus 0.8 feet. The NAVD is also approximately equal to the Hartford Metropolitan District Commission Datum minus 2.9 feet.
NEW CONSTRUCTION Structures for which the start of construction commenced on or after October 28, 1969, and includes any subsequent improvements to such structures.
RECREATIONAL VEHICLE A vehicle which is:
(1) Built on a single chassis;
(2) Four hundred square feet or less when measured at the largest horizontal projection;
(3) Designed to be self-propelled or permanently towable by a light-duty truck; and
(4) Designed primarily not for use as a permanent dwelling but as a temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, travel, or seasonal use.
SPECIAL FLOOD HAZARD AREA (SFHA) The land in the floodplain within a community subject to a one-percent or greater chance of flooding in any given year. For purposes of this section, the term "special flood hazard area" is synonymous in meaning with the phrase "area of special flood hazard."
START OF CONSTRUCTION For other than new construction or substantial improvements under the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (P.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, substantial improvement 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 erections 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 A walled and roofed building, including a gas or liquid storage tank, that is principally above ground, as well as a manufactured home. A structure includes any attached additions, garages, decks, sunrooms, or any other structure attached to the main structure.
SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE Damage of any origin sustained by a structure, whereby the cost of restoring the structure to its predamaged condition would equal or exceed 50% of the market value of the structure before the damage occurred.
SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT 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:
(1) 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
(2) Any alteration of an historic structure, provided that the alteration will not preclude the structure's continued designation as an historic structure.
VIOLATION Failure of a structure or other development to be fully compliant with the community's floodplain management ordinance. A structure or other development without required permits, lowest floor elevation documentation, floodproofing certificates or required floodway encroachment calculations is presumed to be in violation until such time as that documentation is provided.
WATER SURFACE ELEVATION 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. The NAVD is approximately equal to the National Geodetic Datum of 1929 minus 0.8 feet. The NAVD is also approximately equal to the Hartford Metropolitan District Commission Datum minus 2.9 feet.