§ 15.36.020. Definitions
As used in this chapter:
"Actuarial rates" means risk premium rates established by the Federal Flood Insurance Administrator pursuant to individual community studies and investigations, which are undertaken to provide flood insurance in accordance with 42 U.S.C. 4014 and the accepted actuarial principles. Actuarial rates include provisions for operating costs and allowances.
"Channel" means a natural or artificial watercourse or perceptible extent, with a definite bed and banks to confine and conduct continuously or periodically flowing water. Channel flow, thus, is that water which is flowing within the limits of a defined channel.
"Development" means 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.
"Flood" means a temporary rise in a stream's flow or stage that results in water overlapping its banks and inundating areas adjacent to the channel; an unusual and rapid accumulation of runoff or surface waters from any source.
"Flood elevation determinations" means a determination of the water surface elevations of the one hundred (100) year flood; that is, the level of flooding that has a one percent chance of occurrence in any given year.
"Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM)" means an official map of a community on which the Flood Insurance Study has delineated the flood hazard boundaries and the zones establishing insurance rates applicable to the community.
"Flood Insurance Study (FIS)" means the official report provided by the Federal Insurance Administration. The report contains flood profiles, as well as the flood boundary floodway map and the water surface elevation of base flood.
"Floodplain management" means the operation of an overall program of corrective and preventive measures for reducing flood damage, including but not limited to emergency preparedness plan, flood control works and floodplain management regulations.
"Flood protection system" means those physical structural works constructed specifically to modify flooding in order to reduce the extent of the area within a community subject to a special flood hazard. Such a system typically includes levees or dikes. These specialized modifying works are those constructed in conformance with sound federal engineering standards.
"Floodproofing" means any combination of structural and nonstructural additions, changes or adjustments to structures, including utility and sanitary facilities, which would preclude the entry of water. Structural components shall have the capability of resisting hydrostatic and hydrodynamic loads and the effect of buoyancy.
"Floodway" means the channel of a river or other watercourse and the adjacent portion of the floodplain that must be reserved in order to discharge the one hundred (100) year flood without cumulatively increasing the water surface elevation more than one foot at any point, assuming equal conveyance reduction outside the channel from the two sides of the floodplain.
"Floodway fringe" means that area of the floodplain, outside of the floodway, that on the average is likely to be flooded once every one hundred (100) years (i.e., that has a one percent chance of flood occurrence in any one year).
"Lowest floor" means the lowest floor of the lowest enclosed area (including basement). An unfinished or flood-resistant enclosure, useable solely for 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 enclosure is not built so as to render the structure in violation of the applicable nonelevation design requirements of this chapter.
"Manufactured home" means 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 connected to the required utilities. For floodplain management purposes the term "manufactured home" also includes park trailers, travel trailers, and other similar vehicles placed on a site for greater than one hundred eighty (180) consecutive days. For insurance purposes the term "manufactured home" does not include park trailers, travel trailers, and other similar vehicles.
"Manufactured home park or subdivision" means a parcel (or contiguous parcels) of land divided into two or more manufactured home lots for rent or sale.
"New construction" means those structures where new construction or substantial improvements is begun after November 1, 1978, the effective date of the FIRM.
"Overlay district" means a district which acts in conjunction with the underlying zoning district or districts.
"Regulatory flood elevation" means elevation indicated on the FIRM as the elevation of the one hundred (100) year flood.
"Regulatory flood protection elevation" means elevation of one foot above the regulatory flood elevation.
"Structure" means a walled and roofed structure, including a gas or liquid storage tank, that is principally above the ground, including but without limitation to buildings, factories, sheds, cabins, manufactured homes, and other similar uses.
"Substantial damage" means damage of any origin sustained by a structure whereby the cost of restoring the structure to its before damaged conditions would equal or exceed fifty (50) percent of the market value of the structure before the damage occurred.
"Substantial improvement" means any reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition or other improvement of a structure, the cost of which equals or exceeds fifty (50) percent 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 a historic structure, provided that the alteration will not preclude the structure's continued designation as a historic structure.
One hundred (100) year flood means the base flood having a one percent chance of annual occurrence.
(Ord. 9112 §§ 1, 2, 1991; Ord. 8707 § 1 (part), 1987: prior code § 16-303)