Unless specifically defined below, words or phrases used in
this chapter shall be interpreted so as to give them the meaning they
have in common usage.
"Appeal"
means a request for a review of the interpretation of any
provision of this chapter or a request for a variance.
"Area of shallow flooding"
means a designated Zone AO, AH, AR/AO or AR/AH or VO on a
community's Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) with a one-percent or
greater annual chance of flooding to an average depth of one to three
feet where a clearly defined channel does not exist, where the path
of flooding is unpredictable, and where velocity flow may be evident.
Such flooding is characterized by ponding or sheet flow.
"Area of special flood hazard"
means the land in the floodplain within a community subject
to a one-percent or greater chance of flooding in any given year.
It is shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) as Zones A, AO,
AH, A1-30, AE, A99, AR, V, VO, V1-30 and VE. "Special flood hazard
area" is synonymous in meaning and definition with the phrase "area
of special flood hazard".
"Base flood"
means the flood having a one-percent chance of being equaled
or exceeded in any given year.
"Basement"
means any area of the building having its floor subgrade
(below ground level) on all sides.
"Breakaway wall"
means 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.
"Coastal high hazard area"
means an 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 wave action from storms
or seismic sources.
"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 or storage of equipment or materials.
"Flood" or "flooding"
means:
1.
A general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation
of normally dry land areas from:
a.
The overflow of inland or tidal waters.
b.
The unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters
from any source.
c.
Mudslides (i.e., mudflows) which are proximately caused by flooding
as defined in paragraph (1)(b) of this definition and are akin to
a river of liquid and flowing mud on the surfaces of normally dry
land areas, as when earth is carried by a current of water and deposited
along the path of the current.
2.
The collapse or subsidence of land along the shore of a lake
or other body of water as a result of erosion or undermining caused
by waves or currents of water exceeding anticipated cyclical levels
or suddenly caused by an unusually high water level in a natural body
of water, accompanied by a severe storm, or by an unanticipated force
of nature, such as flash flood or an abnormal tidal surge, or by some
similarly unusual and unforeseeable event which results in flooding
as defined in paragraph (1)(a) of this definition.
"Flood elevation study"
means an examination, evaluation and determination of flood
hazards and, if appropriate, corresponding water surface elevations,
or an examination, evaluation and determination of mudslide (i.e.,
mudflow) and/or flood-related erosion hazards.
"Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM)"
means the official map of a community, on which the Federal
Insurance Administrator has delineated both the special hazard areas
and the risk premium zones applicable to the community. A FIRM that
has been made available digitally is called a Digital Flood Insurance
Rate Map (DFIRM).
"Flood proofing"
means any combination of structural and nonstructural additions,
changes, or adjustments to structures which reduce or eliminate risk
of flood damage to real estate or improved real property, water and
sanitary facilities, structures, and their contents.
"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 a designated height. Also referred to as "regulatory floodway."
"Functionally dependent use"
means a use which 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, and does not include long term storage
or related manufacturing facilities.
"Highest adjacent grade"
means the highest natural elevation of the ground surface
prior to construction next to the proposed walls of a structure.
"Historic structure"
means any structure that is:
1.
Listed individually in the National Register of Historic Places
(a listing maintained by the Department of 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 historical 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 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"
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 chapter.
"Manufactured dwelling"
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 attached to the required utilities.
The term "manufactured dwelling" does not include a "recreational
vehicle" and is synonymous with "manufactured home".
"Mean sea level"
means for purposes of the National Flood Insurance Program,
the National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD) of 1929 or other datum,
to which Base Flood Elevations shown on a community's Flood Insurance
Rate Map are referenced.
"New construction"
for floodplain management purposes means structures for which
the "start of construction" commenced on or after the effective date
of a floodplain management regulation adopted by City of Yachats and
includes any subsequent improvements to such structures.
"Recreational vehicle"
means 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
temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, travel, or seasonal
use.
"Start of construction"
includes substantial improvement and means the date the building
permit was issued, provided the actual start of construction, repair,
reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, placement, or other improvement
was within 180 days from the date of the permit. 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 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"
means for floodplain management purposes, a walled and roofed
building, including a gas or liquid storage tank, that is principally
above ground, as well as a manufactured dwelling.
"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 50% 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 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 a "historic structure," provided that the
alteration will not preclude the structure's continued designation
as a "historic structure."
"Variance"
means a grant of relief by City of Yachats from the terms
of a flood plain management regulation.
"Violation"
means the failure of a structure or other development to
be fully compliant with the community's floodplain management regulations.
A structure or other development without the elevation certificate,
other certifications, or other evidence of compliance required in
this chapter is presumed to be in violation until such time as that
documentation is provided.
(Add, 05/12/2003; Ord. 233, 2009; Ord. 287, 2009; Ord. 361 § 1,
2019)