§ 1006. Definitions.

Unless specifically defined below, words or phrases used in this section shall be interpreted so as to give them the meaning they have in common usage and to give this section its most reasonable application.

Accessory structure: A structure having minimal value and used for parking, storage and other non-habitable uses, such as garages, carports, storage sheds, pole barns, hay sheds and the like.

Addition (to an existing building): Any walled and roofed expansion to the perimeter of a building in which the addition is connected by a common load-bearing wall other than a firewall. Any walled and roofed addition, which is connected by a firewall or is separated by an independent perimeter load-bearing wall, shall be considered "new construction."

Administrator: The director of Public Development for Jackson County, Georgia.

Appeal: A request for a review of the public development director's interpretation of any provision of this article.

Area of shallow flooding: A designated AO or AH zone on a community's flood insurance rate map (FIRM) with base flood depths from one to three feet, and/or where a clearly defined channel does not exist, where the path of flooding is unpredictable and indeterminate, and where velocity flow may be evident.

Area of special flood hazard: The land in the floodplain within a community subject to a one percent or greater chance of flooding in any given year. In the absence of official designation by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, areas of special flood hazard shall be those designated by the local community and referenced in this article.

Base flood: The flood having a one percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year.

Base flood elevation (BFE): The elevation shown on the flood insurance rate map for zones AE, AH, A1-A30, AR, AR/A, AR/AE, AR/A1-A30, AR/AH, AR/AO, V1-V30, and VE that indicates the water surface elevation resulting from a flood that has a one percent chance of equaling or exceeding that level in any given year.

Basement: That portion of a building having its floor sub grade (below ground level) on all sides.

Building: Any structure built for support, shelter, or enclosure for any occupancy or storage.

Critical facility: Any public or private facility, which, if flooded, would create an added dimension to the disaster or would increase the hazard to life and health. Critical facilities include: structures or facilities that produce, use, or store highly volatile, flammable, explosive, toxic, or water-reactive materials; hospitals and nursing homes, and housing for the elderly, which are likely to contain occupants who may not be sufficiently mobile to avoid the loss of life or injury during flood and storm events; emergency operation centers or data storage centers which contain records or services that may become lost or inoperative during flood and storm events; and generating plants, and other principal points of utility lines.

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, excavating, drilling operations, and storage of materials or equipment.

Elevated building: A non-basement building built to have the lowest floor of the lowest enclosed area elevated above the ground level by means of fill, solid foundation perimeter walls, pilings, columns, piers, or shear walls adequately anchored so as not to impair the structural integrity of the building during a base flood event.

Existing construction: For the purposes of determining rates, structures for which the "start of construction" commenced before the effective date of the initial flood insurance rate maps for that community.

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 homes are to be affixed (including at a minimum the installation of utilities, the construction of streets, and final site grading or the pouring of concrete pads) is completed before June 19, 1986 (i.e., the effective date of the first floodplain management regulations adopted by Jackson County).

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 manufactured 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.

Flood or flooding: A general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land areas from: the overflow of inland or tidal waters; or the unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source.

Flood hazard boundary map (FHBM): An official map of a community, issued by the Federal Insurance Administration, where the boundaries of areas of special flood hazard have been defined as zone A.

Flood insurance rate map (FIRM): An official map of a community, issued by the Federal Insurance Administration, delineating the areas of special flood hazard and/or risk premium zones applicable to the community.

Flood insurance study: The official report by the Federal Insurance Administration evaluating flood hazards and containing flood profiles and water surface elevations of the base flood.

Floodplain: Any land area susceptible to flooding.

Flood proofing: Any combination of structural and non-structural additions, changes, or adjustments to structures, which reduce or eliminate flood damage to real estate or improved real property, water and sanitary facilities, structures and their contents.

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 a designated height.

Freeboard: A factor of safety usually expressed in feet above a flood level for purposes of floodplain management. "Freeboard" tends to compensate for the many unknown factors that could contribute to flood heights greater than the height calculated for a selected size flood and floodway conditions, such as wave action, bridge openings, and the hydrological effect of urbanization of the watershed.

Highest adjacent grade: The highest natural elevation of the ground surface, prior to construction, adjacent to the proposed foundation of a building.

Historic structure: Any structure that is: listed individually in the National Register of Historic Places (a listing maintained by the U.S. Department of 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 historical 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 and determined as eligible by 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 and determined as eligible by 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.

Lowest floor: The lowest floor of the lowest enclosed area, including basement. An unfinished or flood resistant enclosure, used solely for parking of vehicles, building access, or storage, in an area other than a basement, is not considered a building's lowest floor, provided that such enclosure is not built so as to render the structure in violation of other provisions of this section.

Manufactured home: A building, transportable in one or more sections, built on a permanent chassis and designed to be used with or without a permanent foundation when connected to the required utilities. The term also includes park trailers, travel trailers, and similar transportable structures placed on a site for 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.

Mean sea level: The average height of the sea for all stages of the tide. It is used as a reference for establishing various elevations within the floodplain. 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.

National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD): As corrected in 1929 is a vertical control used as a reference for establishing varying elevations within the floodplain.

New construction: For the purposes of determining insurance rates, structures for which the "start of construction" commenced after the effective date of the initial flood insurance rate map and includes any subsequent improvements to such structures. For floodplain management purposes, "new construction" means structures for which the "start of construction" commenced after June 19, 1986 (i.e., the effective date of the first floodplain management ordinance adopted by Jackson County) 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 after June 19, 1986 (i.e., the effective date of the first floodplain management ordinance adopted by Jackson County).

North American Vertical Datum (NAVD): Has replaced the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 in existing and future FEMA flood modernization maps.

Recreational vehicle: A vehicle, which is built on a single chassis; 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 temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, travel, or seasonal use.

Start of construction: The date the development permit was issued, provided the actual start of construction, repair, reconstruction, or improvement was within 180 days of the permit date. The actual start means the first placement of permanent construction of the structure such as the pouring of slabs or footings, installation of piles, construction of columns, or any work beyond the stage of excavation, and includes the placement of a manufactured home on a foundation. (Permanent construction does not include initial 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 buildings appurtenant to the permitted structure, such as garages or sheds not occupied as dwelling units or part of the main structure. (NOTE: accessory structures are NOT exempt from any ordinance requirements). 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 that is principally above ground, a manufactured home, a gas or liquid storage tank.

Subdivision: The division of a single lot into two or more lots for the purpose of sale or development.

Substantial damage: 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 percent of the market value of the structure before the damage occurred.

Substantial improvement: Any reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, or other improvement of a structure, taking place during a five-year period, in which the cumulative cost equals or exceeds 50 percent of the market value of the structure prior to the "start of construction" of the improvement. Note: The market value of the structure should be:

(1)

The appraised value of the structure prior to the start of the initial repair or improvement; or

(2)

In the case of damage, the value of the structure prior to the damage occurring. This term includes structures, which have incurred "substantial damage," regardless of the actual amount of repair work performed.

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 building. The term does not, however, include:

(1)

Those improvements of a structure required to comply with existing violations of state or local health, sanitary, or safety code specifications which are solely necessary to assure safe living conditions and which have been identified by the administrator or his or her designee, and not solely triggered by an improvement or repair project; or

(2)

Any alteration of a "historic structure" provided that the alteration will not preclude the structure's continued designation as a "historic structure."

Substantially improved existing manufactured home parks or subdivisions: Where the repair, reconstruction, rehabilitation or improvement of the streets, utilities and pads equals or exceeds 50 percent of the value of the streets, utilities and pads before the repair, reconstruction or improvement commenced.

Variance: A grant of relief from the requirements of this article, which permits construction in a manner otherwise prohibited by this section.

Violation: 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, or other certifications, or other evidence of compliance required by this UDC is presumed to be in violation until such time as that documentation is provided.

(Ord. No. 17-003 , § 1, 10-2-2017)