Sec. 30.3.2
Dimensional standards
Servicing
- Applies near
- Flood Insurance Rate Map
- Geographic extent
- All areas of the county within the special flood hazard areas delineated on the Flood Insurance Rate Map for Albemarle County, Virginia and Incorporated Areas and the Independent City of Charlottesville, most recently amended effective on and after May 16, 2016.
Uses
Permitted by right10
- agricultural uses (field crops, pasture, grazing, livestock, poultry, horticulture, viticulture, forestry)
- recreational uses (parks, swimming areas, golf courses, picnic areas, wildlife preserves, game farms, fish hatcheries, hunting, fishing, hiking, athletic fields, horse show grounds)
- flood warning aids and devices
- water monitoring devices
- flood control projects
- stormwater conveyance projects
- environmental restoration projects
- electric, gas, oil and communications facilities (excluding towers)
- water distribution and sewage collection lines
- fences
Conditional / special use10
- sod farming
- topsoil, sand, and gravel removal
- dams, levees and other structures for flood control or public drinking water supply
- engineered structures (retaining walls, revetments)
- water related uses (boat docks, boat liveries)
- pump stations for water or wastewater
- electrical transmission lines and related towers
- microwave and radio-wave transmission and relay towers
- bridges, ferries and culverts
- grading activities (with potential floodplain impact)
Prohibited7
- structures with habitable space (including manufactured homes)
- storage of gasoline, kerosene and other petroleum products
- storage of flammable liquids, dynamite, blasting caps and other explosives
- storage of pesticides and poisons
- storage of machinery and motor vehicles (except as accessory)
- storage of junk
- Tier III personal wireless service facilities
Extracted standards
21 individual requirements pulled out of this section’s prose, each with the sentence it came from.
Other
- AccessoryAccessory useA secondary activity customarily incidental to the main use of the lot — a garage, a home office. structures limited to 200 sq ftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000.200 sqftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000.
Be limited to no more than 200 square feet in total floor area.
- Anchoring to prevent flotation
New construction and substantial improvements shall be according to the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, and anchored to prevent flotation, collapse or lateral movement of the structure.
- Breakaway fence required for stream crossings
Any fence crossing a stream channel that, as determined by the floodplain administrator, may block the passage of floodwaters or may catch debris during a flood, shall be designed and constructed to be a breakaway fence that will give way on one end under a specified amount of pressure in order to swing parallel to the flow and minimize both resistance to floodwaters and catching debris.
- Enclosed area below freeboard limited to parking, access, storage
The enclosed area shall be used only for parking vehicles, building access, or the limited storage of maintenance equipment not otherwise prohibited by section 30.3.11 that is used in connection with the premises.
- FillGrading (cut & fill)Reshaping land by removing earth (cut) or adding it (fill), often capped by volume. protected against erosion
The fill shall be effectively protected against erosion by vegetative cover, riprap, gabions, bulkhead or another method acceptable to the floodplain administrator.
- FillGrading (cut & fill)Reshaping land by removing earth (cut) or adding it (fill), often capped by volume. material non-polluting
The fill shall be of a material that will not pollute surface water or groundwater.
- Flood openings required
The enclosed area shall include measures to automatically equalize hydrostatic flood forces on walls by allowing floodwaters to enter and exit.
- Flood damage-resistant materials required
New construction and substantial improvements shall be constructed with materials and utility equipment resistant to flood damage.
- FloodplainFloodplainLand expected to flood at a stated frequency, where building carries extra conditions. development permit required
A floodplain development permit for any development, including those for which other permits or certificates are required under subsections (B) through (E), issued by the floodplain administrator.
- Encroachment in floodway prohibitedProhibitedNot allowed in the district at all, short of rezoning or a variance. unless no rise
Any encroachment, including new construction, substantial improvements, fencing crossing a stream channel, or other development, but excluding fill, is prohibited unless the owner demonstrates in a floodplain impact plan that the proposed encroachment will not result in any increase in the water surface elevation of the base flood within the county during the occurrence of the base flood discharge.
- FillGrading (cut & fill)Reshaping land by removing earth (cut) or adding it (fill), often capped by volume. prohibitedProhibitedNot allowed in the district at all, short of rezoning or a variance. in regulatory floodway
Fill is prohibited in the regulatory floodway regardless of whether the owner demonstrates that the fill will not result in any increase in the water surface elevation of the base flood.
- GradingGrading (cut & fill)Reshaping land by removing earth (cut) or adding it (fill), often capped by volume. permit required for fillGrading (cut & fill)Reshaping land by removing earth (cut) or adding it (fill), often capped by volume. in floodway fringe
No grading permit shall be issued for fill in the floodway fringe unless the floodplain administrator determines that the proposed fill satisfies the requirements of section 30.3.14.
- Lowest floor elevation at or above freeboard elevation
Any substantial improvement of any residential building, including any manufactured home, shall have the lowest floor, including the basement, elevated to or above the freeboard elevation.
- Bottom of flood openings no higher than one foot above grade1 ft
The bottom of all required openings shall be no higher than one foot above the adjacent grade.
- Maximum cumulative rise in floodway fringe1 ft
Any encroachment, including fill, new construction, substantial improvements, fencing crossing a stream channel, or other development, is prohibited unless the owner demonstrates in a floodplain impact plan that the cumulative effect of the proposed encroachment, when combined with all other existing and anticipated development, will not result in an increase in water surface elevation of the base flood by more than one foot within the county during the occurrence of the base flood discharge.
- Minimum net area of flood openings1 sqin/sqftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000.
The total net area of all openings shall be at least one square inch for each square foot of enclosed area subject to flooding.
- Minimum two flood openings on different sides2 openings
Provide a minimum of two openings on different sides of each enclosed area.
- No expansion of nonconformingNonconformingLawful when built, but not compliant with the rules now in force; usually allowed to continue but not to expand. uses/structures
Existing uses or structures shall not be expanded or enlarged.
- Non-residential buildings elevated or flood-proofed
Any new construction or substantial improvement of any non-residential building shall: (i) have the lowest floor, including basement, elevated to or above the freeboard elevation; or (ii) in any Zone A1-30, AE, or AH, the building may be flood-proofed in lieu of being elevated.
- Recreational vehicle storage limited to 180 days180 days
Be stored on the lot for fewer than 180 consecutive days, be fully licensed and ready for highway use.
- Permit to relocate or alter a watercourse required
Prior to any proposed alteration or relocation of any channels or of any watercourse within the flood hazard overlay district, the owner shall obtain all required permits from the United States Corps of Engineers, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, and the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.
From the ordinance
The flood hazard overlay district shall be composed of all areas of the county within the special flood hazard areas delineated on the Flood Insurance Rate Map for Albemarle County, Virginia and Incorporated Areas and the Independent City of Charlottesville, most recently amended effective on and after May 16, 2016.