17.76.010 Definitions.
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 and to give this chapter its most reasonable application:
“Area of special flood hazard” means the land in the floodplain within the city subject to a one percent or greater chance of flooding in any given year.
“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) on all sides.
“Development” means any manmade change to improved or unimproved real estate, including but not limited to buildings or other structures, mining, dredging, filling, paving, excavation or drilling operations, or storage of equipment or materials located within the area of special flood hazard.
“Flood” or “flooding” means a general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land areas from:
A. The overflow of inland or tidal waters; and/or
B. The unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source.
“Flood Hazard Boundary Map (FHBM)” means the official map issued by the Federal Insurance Administration where the areas of special flood hazard have been designated Zone A.
“Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM)” 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.
“Flood Insurance Study (FIS)” 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.
“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.
“Lowest floor” means the lowest floor of the lowest enclosed area (including basement). An unfurnished 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 nonelevation design requirements of BMC 17.76.180(B).
“Manufactured home” means a structure that is transportable in one or more sections, upon the public streets or highways on its own running gear, which, when erected on site, is designed to be connected to required utilities and utilized as a dwelling, and which exceeds 32 feet in length and eight feet in width. It does not include recreational vehicles or travel trailers.
“Recreational vehicle” means a vehicle that is:
A. Built on a single chassis;
B. Four hundred square feet or less when measured at the largest horizontal projection;
C. Designed to be self-propelled or permanently towable by a light duty truck; and
D. 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, placement or other improvement was within 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 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 a walled and roofed building, a manufactured home, or a gas or liquid storage tank that is principally above ground.
“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 percent of the market value of the structure before the damage occurred.
“Substantial improvement” means any repair, reconstruction or improvement of a structure, the cost of which equals or exceeds 50 percent of the market value of the structure either:
A. Before the improvement or repair is started; or
B. If the structure has been damaged and is being restored, before the damage occurred. 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 either:
1. Any project for improvement of a structure to correct pre-cited existing violations of state or local health, sanitary, or safety code specifications which have been previously identified by the local code enforcement official and which are the minimum necessary to assure safe living conditions; or
2. Any alteration of a structure listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [Ord. 2018-07-012 § 2; Ord. 2003-08-055 § 1; Ord. 9740 § 1, 1987; Ord. 9136 § 1, 1982].