5.3.D Definitions

FP - Flood Protection Overlay Zone

For the purposes of this Section of the Regulations, the following words and terms shall be interpreted and applied as defined :

  • Basement - For floodplain management purposes, a basement is any area of the building having its floor sub grade (below ground level) on all sides. See "basement" for the general definition of basement.
  • Base Flood - The flood having a one% chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year, also referred to as the one hundred (100) 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 water-surface elevation of the base flood in relation to a standard set of geographic data in Areas of Special Flood Hazard. BFEs provided on a Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) are only approximate (rounded up or down) and should be verified with the BFEs published in the Flood Insurance Study for the City of Groton.
  • Breakaway Wall -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.
  • Building - See definition for "Structure".
  • Coastal AE Zone - The portion of the Coastal High Hazard Area with wave heights between 1.5 feet and 3.0 feet during the base flood and seaward of the line labeled the "Limit of Moderate Wave Action" (LiMWA) on a Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM).
  • Coastal High Hazard Area -The 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 waters caused by, but not limited to, hurricane wave wash. The area is designated on the FIRM as Zone VE and Coastal AE.
  • 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 estimate by a licensed contractor. 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 the construction of buildings or structures; the construction of additions, alterations or substantial improvements to buildings or structures; the placement of buildings or structures; mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation or drilling operations or storage of equipment; the storage, deposition, or extraction of materials; and the installation, repair or removal of public or private sewage disposal systems or water supply facilities.
  • Elevated Building -A non-basement building built to have the lowest floor elevated above the ground level by means of fill, solid foundation perimeter walls, pilings, columns (posts and piers), shear walls, or breakaway walls.
  • Existing Manufactured Home Park or Subdivision - A manufactured home park or subdivision for which the construction of facilities for servicing the lots on which the manufactured home are to be affixed (including, as a minimum, the installation of utilities, the construction of streets, and either final site grading or the pouring of concrete pads) is completed before April 21, 1980, the effective date of the floodplain management regulations adopted by the community.
  • Expansion to an Existing Manufactured Home Park or Subdivision - 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).
  • Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) - The federal agency that administers the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
  • Finished Living Space - As related to fully enclosed areas below the base flood elevation (BFE), a space that is, but is not limited to, heated and/or cooled, contains finished floors (tile, linoleum, hardwood, etc.), has sheetrock walls that may or may not be painted or wallpapered, and other amenities such as furniture, appliances, bathrooms, fireplaces and other items that are easily damaged by floodwaters and expensive to clean, repair or replace.
  • 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.
  • Floodproofing -Any combination of structural and nonstructural additions, changes, or adjustments to properties and structures, primarily for the reduction or elimination of flood damage to lands, water, and sanitary facilities, structures, and contents of buildings.
  • 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 foot.
  • Flood, 100 Year -A 100-year flood is a flood of such magnitude as can reasonably be expected to be equaled or exceeded on an average of once every 100 years; the term also means the level of flooding having a 1% probability of occurrence in any year.
  • Flood Hazard Area -The maximum area of the flood plain which is likely to be flooded by a 100-year flood, or any area for which mudslides can reasonably be anticipated.
  • Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) -An official map of a community on which the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has delineated both the Special Flood Hazard Areas and the risk premium zones applicable to the community.
  • Flood Insurance Study (FIS) -The official report by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which contains flood profiles, the water surface elevation of the base flood, and other flood data.
  • 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. The term does not include seafood processing facilities, long-term storage, manufacturing, sales or service facilities.
  • Historic Structure - Any structure that is:
    • 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;
    • 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;
    • 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: (1) By an approved state program as determined by the Secretary of the Interior or (2) Directly by the Secretary of the Interior in states without approved programs.
  • Limit of Moderate Wave Action (LiMWA) - The landward limit of the 1.5 foot breaking wave within a Coastal AE Zone. These areas are seaward of the line labeled "Limit of Moderate Wave Action" (LiMWA) on a Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM).
  • 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 provided that such an area meets the design requirements specified in Section 5.3.G.4 of this regulation.
  • Manufactured Home - 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 also includes park trailers, travel trailers, recreational vehicles and other similar vehicles or transportable structures placed on a site for one hundred and eighty (180) consecutive days or longer and intended to be improved property.
  • Manufactured Home Park or Subdivision - A parcel or contiguous parcels of land divided into two or more manufactured home lots for rent or sale.
  • Market Value - As related to substantial improvement and substantial damage, the estimated market value of the structure as determined by the Assessor or an independent appraiser as the appraised value of the structure:
  • Prior to the start of the initial repair or improvement; or
  • Prior to the damage occurring.
  • Mean Sea Level -For purposes of the National Flood Insurance Program, 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 are referenced.
  • Mobile Home - A transportable, single-family home, which may be towed on its own running gear, and which may be temporarily or permanently affixed to real estate, used for non-transient residential purposes, and constructed with the same, or similar, electrical, plumbing, and sanitary facilities as immobile housing. Any mobile home which remains on any lot within the limits of this City for more than forty-eight hours within any six-month period shall be construed to be a dwelling, and as such, shall be subject to the Zoning Regulations of the City of Groton. See "Building"
  • North American Vertical Datum (NAVD) - As corrected in 1988, this is a vertical control used as a reference for establishing varying elevations within the floodplain.
  • New Construction - Structures for which the "start of construction" commenced on or after April 21, 1980, the effective date of these Floodplain Regulations and includes and includes any subsequent improvements to such structures.
  • New Manufactured Home Park or Subdivision - 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 April 21, 1980, the effective date of the floodplain management regulation adopted by the community.
  • Recreational Vehicle - A vehicle which is:
    • Built on a single chassis;
    • Four hundred (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 a temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, travel, or seasonal use.
  • Sand Dunes - Naturally occurring accumulations of sand in ridges or mounds landward of the beach.
  • Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) - The land in the floodplain within a community subject to a one% or greater chance of flooding in any given year. SFHAs are determined utilizing the base flood elevations (BFE) provided on the flood profiles in the Flood Insurance Study (FIS) for a community. BFEs provided on Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) are only approximate (rounded up or down) and should be verified with the BFEs published in the FIS for a specific location. SFHAs include, but are not necessarily limited to, the land shown as Zones A, AE, and the Coastal High Hazard Areas shown as Zones VE and Coastal AE on a FIRM. The SFHA is also called the Area of Special Flood Hazard.
  • Start of Construction - Includes substantial improvement, and means the date that the building permit was issued, provided the actual start of construction, repair, reconstruction, or improvement was within 180 days of the building permit date (should the permittee fail to being work within this time frame, a new permit shall be required). The actual start means the first placement of permanent construction of a structure on a site, such as the pouring of slabs or footings, installation of piles, construction of columns, or any work beyond the stage of excavation. 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 -For floodplain management purposes, a walled and roofed building which is principally above ground, including a manufactured home, a gas or liquid storage tank, or other man-made facilities or infrastructures. See "Building vs Structure" for the general definition of structure.
  • Substantial Damage - 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. "Substantial Damage" also means flood-related damages sustained by a structure on two separate occasions during a 10-year period for which the cost of repairs at the time of each such flood event, on the average, equals or exceeds 25% of the market value of the structure before the damage occurred.
  • Substantial Improvement - Any combination of repairs, reconstruction, alteration, or improvements to a structure taking place during a one-year period, in which the cumulative cost 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 market value of the structure should be (1) the appraised value of the structure prior to the start of the "start of construction" of the initial repair or improvement; or (2) in the case of damage, the value of the structure prior to the damage occurring. For the purposes of this definition, "substantial improvement" is considered to occur when the first alteration of any wall, ceiling, floor, or other structural part of the building commences, whether or not that alteration affects the external dimensions of the structure. The term does not, however, include 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.
  • Variance, Floodplain- A grant of relief by a community from the terms of the floodplain management regulation that allows construction in a manner otherwise prohibited and where specific enforcement would result in unnecessary hardship.
  • Violation, Floodplain - A 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, flood-proofing certificates or required floodway encroachment calculations is presumed to be in violation until such time as that documentation is provided.
  • Water Surface Elevations - 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.