15.24.140 General construction and development standards.
In all areas of special flood hazard the following standards are required:
A. Anchoring.
1. All new construction and substantial improvements, including those related to manufactured homes, shall be anchored to prevent flotation, collapse or lateral movement of the structure resulting from hydrodynamic and hydrostatic loads including the effects of buoyancy.
2. All manufactured homes must likewise be anchored to prevent flotation, collapse, or lateral movement, and shall be installed using methods and practices that minimize flood damage. Anchoring methods may include, but are not limited to, use of over-the-top or frame ties to ground anchors (reference FEMA’s “Manufactured Home Installation in Flood Hazard Areas” guidebook for additional techniques).
B. Construction Materials and Methods.
1. All new construction and substantial improvements shall be constructed with materials and utility equipment resistant to flood damage.
2. All new construction and substantial improvements shall be constructed using methods and practices that minimize flood damage.
3. Electrical, heating, ventilation, plumbing and air-conditioning equipment and other service facilities shall be designed and/or otherwise elevated or located so as to prevent water from entering or accumulating within the components during conditions of flooding.
C. Utilities.
1. All new and replacement water supply systems shall be designed to minimize or eliminate infiltration of floodwaters into the systems;
2. New and replacement sanitary sewage systems shall be designed to minimize or eliminate infiltration of floodwaters into the systems and discharge from the systems into floodwaters;
3. On-site waste disposal systems shall be located to avoid impairment to them or contamination from them during flooding; and
4. Water wells shall be located on high ground that is not in the floodway.
D. Subdivision Proposals and Development.
1. All subdivision proposals, as well as new development, shall be consistent with the need to minimize flood damage;
2. All subdivision proposals, as well as new development, shall have public utilities and facilities such as sewer, gas, electrical and water systems located and constructed to minimize or eliminate flood damage;
3. All subdivision proposals, as well as well as new development, shall have adequate drainage provided to reduce exposure to flood damage; and
4. Where subdivision proposals and other proposed developments in which base flood elevation data has not been provided or is not available from another authoritative source, it shall be generated for subdivision proposals and other proposed developments which contain at least fifty lots or five acres (whichever is less).
E. Review of Building Permits. Where elevation data is not available either through the flood insurance study, flood insurance rate map, or from another authoritative source (CEMC Section 15.24.130(B)), applications for floodplain development permits shall be reviewed to assure that proposed construction will be reasonably safe from flooding. The test of reasonableness is a local judgment and includes use of historical data, high water marks, photographs of past flooding, etc., where available. Failure to elevate at least two feet above grade in these zones may result in higher insurance rates.
F. Storage of Materials and Equipment.
1. The storage or processing of materials that could be injurious to human, animal, or plant life if released due to damage from flooding is prohibited in special flood hazard areas.
2. Storage of other material or equipment may be allowed if not subject to damage by floods and if firmly anchored to prevent flotation, or if readily removable from the area within the time available after flood warning.