A. Area of Shallow Flooding. Area of Shallow Flooding means a designated AO or AH Zone on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). The base flood depths range from one foot (1') to three feet (3'); a clearly defined channel does not exist; the path of flooding is unpredictable and indeterminate; and velocity flow may be evident. AO is characterized as sheet flow and AH indicates ponding.

B. Area of Special Flood Hazard. Area of Special Flood Hazard means the land in the flood plain within a community subject to a one percent (1%) or greater chance of flooding in any given year. Designation on maps always includes the letters A or V.

C. Base Flood. Base Flood means the flood having a one percent (1%) chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. Also referred to as the “100-year flood.” Designation on maps always includes the letters A or V.

D. Basement. Basement means any area of the building having its floor sub-grade (below ground level) on all sides.

E. Critical Facility. Critical Facility means a facility for which even a slight chance of flooding might be too great. Critical facilities include, but are not limited to, schools, nursing homes, hospitals, police, fire and emergency response installations, and installations which produce, use, or store hazardous materials or hazardous waste.

F. Development. Development means any manmade change to improved or unimproved real estate, including but not limited to, buildings or other structures, mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavating, or drilling operations or storage of equipment or materials located within the area of special flood hazard.

G. Flood or Flooding. Flood or Flooding means a general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land areas from the overflow of inland or tidal waters and/or the unusual and rapid accumulation of run-off of surface waters from any source.

H. Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). Flood Insurance Rate Map means the official map on which the Federal Insurance Administration has delineated both the areas of special flood hazards and the risk premium zones applicable to the community.

I. Flood Insurance Study. Flood Insurance Study means the official report provided by the Federal Insurance Administration that includes flood profiles, the Flood Insurance Rate Maps, and the water surface elevation of the base flood.

J. Floodway. Floodway means 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 one foot (1').

K. Lowest Floor. Lowest Floor means the lowest floor of the lowest enclosed area (including basement). An unfinished or flood resistant enclosure, usable 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 non-elevation design requirements of this ordinance found at Section 18.53.160(G)(2).

L. Manufactured Home. Manufactured Home means a structure, transportable in one (1) 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 flood plain 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.

M. Manufactured Home Park or Subdivision. Manufactured Home Park or Subdivision means a parcel (or contiguous parcels) of land divided into two (2) or more manufactured home lots for rent or sale.

N. New Construction. New Construction means structures for which the “start of construction” commenced on or after the effective date of this ordinance.

O. Recreation Vehicle. Recreational Vehicle means a vehicle 1) Built on a single chassis; 2) 400 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 temporary quarters for recreation, camping, travel, or seasonal use.

P. Start of Construction. Start of Construction includes substantial improvement, and means the date the building permit was issued, provided the actual start of construction, repair, reconstruction, placement, or other improvement was within one hundred eighty (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 foundation 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 substantial improvements, the start of construction means the first alteration of any wall, ceiling, floor, or other structural part of the building, whether or not that alteration affects the external dimensions of the building.

Q. Structure. Structure means a walled and roofed building including a gas or liquid storage tank that is principally above ground.

R. Substantial Damage. Substantial Damage means damage of any origin sustained by a structure whereby the cost of restoring the structure to its before damaged condition would equal or exceed fifty percent (50%) of the market value of the structure before the damage occurred.

S. Substantial Improvement: Substantial Improvement means any repair, reconstruction, or improvement of a structure, the cost of which equals or exceeds fifty percent (50%) of the market value of the structure either before the improvement or repair is started, or, if the structure has been damaged and is being restored, before the damage occurred. For the purpose 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 either:

T. Variance. Variance means a grant of relief from the requirements of this ordinance which permits construction in a manner that would otherwise be prohibited by this ordinance. (Ord. 2436, 2/10/09; Ord. 2212, 7/12/05; Ord. 2144, 12/9/03; Ord. 1348, 1988; Ord. 1012, 1981)