Article 10, Sections 10-13.D, 10-14, 10-15, 10-17
Dimensional standards
Servicing
- Applies near
- 100-year floodplainFloodplainLand expected to flood at a stated frequency, where building carries extra conditions.
- Geographic extent
- Lands within the 100-year floodplainFloodplainLand expected to flood at a stated frequency, where building carries extra conditions. as identified on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) dated August 5, 2025, specifically the Special FloodplainFloodplainLand expected to flood at a stated frequency, where building carries extra conditions. DistrictZoning districtA mapped area with one set of rules, identified by a code like R-1 or B-2. (AE zones) as delineated in the Flood Insurance Study.
Uses
Permitted by right4
- Agricultural uses (general farming, pasture, grazing, outdoor plant nurseries, horticulture, truck farming, forestry, sod farming, wild crop harvesting)
- Public and private recreational uses (parks, day camps, picnic grounds, golf courses, boat launching and swimming areas, horseback riding and hiking trails, wildlife and nature preserves, game farms, fish hatcheries, trap and skeet game ranges, hunting and fishing areas)
- Accessory residential uses (yard areas, gardens, play areas, pervious loading areas)
- Flood warning aids and water measurement devices
Accessory1
- Accessory structures (limited to 600 sq ft total floor area)
Extracted standards
9 individual requirements pulled out of this section’s prose, each with the sentence it came from.
Floodplain
- Cumulative effect restriction1 ft
No new construction, substantial improvements, or other development (including fill) shall be permitted within the areas of special flood hazard, designated as Zones A1-30 and AE on the Flood Insurance Rate Map, unless it is demonstrated that the cumulative effect of the proposed development, when combined with all other existing and anticipated development, will not increase the water surface elevation of the base flood more than one (1) foot at any point within Nelson County.
- Fence orientation relative to waterway
Fences shall be installed parallel to a waterway. When a fence crosses a waterway, it shall be designed as a drop-down fence or a suspended cable fence.
- Total net area of flood openings1 sqin per 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 must be at least one (1) square inch for each square foot of enclosed area subject to flooding.
- Flood openings required2 count
Provide a minimum of two (2) openings on different sides of each enclosed area subject to flooding.
- Hazardous materials storage restrictions
The storage of Acetone, Ammonia, Benzene, ... is prohibited in a SFHA. The storage of Acetylene gas containers, Storage tanks, Lumber/buoyant items, Gasoline, ... for any time period longer than thirty (30) days is prohibited in a SFHA.
- Lowest floor elevation above BFE1.5 ft
New construction or substantial improvement of any residential structure shall have the lowest floor, including basement, elevated eighteen (18) inches or more above the Base Flood Elevation.
- Maximum accessoryAccessory useA secondary activity customarily incidental to the main use of the lot — a garage, a home office. structure floor area600 sqftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000.
Accessory structures in the Special Flood Hazard Area shall comply with the elevation requirements... or, if not elevated or dry flood-proofed shall: ... Be limited to no more than six hundred (600) square feet in total floor area.
- Non-native 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.
No zoning permit shall be administratively issued by the Floodplain Administrator for the placement of any non-native fill materials (such as fly ash or other waste by-products) within any SFHA.
- Subdivision BFE data threshold5 acresacre43,560 square feet — about the size of an American football field without the end zones.
Base Flood Elevation data shall be provided for subdivision proposals and other development proposals (including manufactured home parks and subdivisions) that exceed eleven lots or five acres, whichever is the lesser.
From the ordinance
The following non-structural uses and activities are permitted in any floodplain district... Until a regulatory floodway is designated, no new construction, substantial improvements, or other development (including fill) shall be permitted within the areas of special flood hazard, designated as Zones A1-30 and AE on the Flood Insurance Rate Map, unless it is demonstrated that the cumulative effect of the proposed development... will not increase the water surface elevation of the base flood more than one (1) foot.