Sec. 90-709, 90-727, 90-728, 90-730

Other

• 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 SFHA shall comply with the elevation requirements and other requirements of 90-727(B) or, if not elevated or dry floodproofed, shall: (b) Be limited to no more than 600 square feet in total floor area;

• AccessoryAccessory useA secondary activity customarily incidental to the main use of the lot — a garage, a home office. structure use restrictions

  Accessory structures shall not be used for human habitation; be useable only for parking of vehicles or limited storage; be constructed with flood damage-resistant materials below the base flood elevation; be constructed and placed to offer the minimum resistance to the flow of floodwaters; be anchored to prevent flotation; have electrical service and mechanical equipment elevated to or above the base flood elevation; and be provided with flood openings meeting specific criteria.

• Flood opening requirements for enclosed areas

  Fully enclosed areas below the regulatory flood protection elevation shall: (1) Not be designed or used for human habitation, but only for parking, building access, or limited storage; (2) Be constructed entirely of flood resistant materials; (3) Include measures to automatically equalize hydrostatic flood forces, with a minimum of two openings on different sides, total net area at least one square inch per square foot of enclosed area, bottom of openings no higher than one foot above adjacent grade, and openings may be equipped with screens or louvers that permit automatic flow.

• Manufactured homeManufactured homeA dwelling built in a factory to a federal standard and transported to the site. requirements in SFHA

  In zones A, AE, AH, and AO, all manufactured homes placed, or substantially improved, on individual lots or parcels, must meet all the requirements for new construction, including the elevation and anchoring requirements in sections 90-725 through 90-727.

• Nonresidential lowest floor elevation1 ft

  New construction or substantial improvement of any commercial, industrial, or nonresidential building or manufactured home shall have the lowest floor, including the basement, elevated to at least one foot above the base flood level. Buildings located in all A1-30, AE, and AH zones may be flood-proofed in lieu of being elevated provided that all areas of the building components below the elevation corresponding to the BFE plus one foot are water tight...

• Recreational vehicle requirements

  All recreational vehicles placed on sites must either: (a) Be on the site for fewer than 180 consecutive days, be fully licensed and ready for highway use; or (b) Meet all the requirements for manufactured homes in section 90-725(e)(1).

• Residential lowest floor elevation1 ft

  New construction or substantial improvement of any residential structure, including manufactured homes, in zones A1-30, AE, AH and A with detailed base flood elevations shall have the lowest floor, including the basement, elevated to at least one foot above the base flood level.

• Subdivision proposals must minimize flood damage

  All subdivision proposals shall be consistent with the need to minimize flood damage; shall have public utilities and facilities such as sewer, gas, electrical and water systems located and constructed to minimize flood damage; shall have adequate drainage provided to reduce exposure to flood hazards; and base flood elevation data shall be obtained from other sources or developed using detailed methodologies for proposals exceeding 50 lots or five acres.

• No varianceVariancePermission to depart from a specific dimensional rule, granted on a showing of hardship. for accessoryAccessory useA secondary activity customarily incidental to the main use of the lot — a garage, a home office. structure exceeding 600 sq ftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000.600 sqftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000.

  No variance shall be granted for an accessory structure exceeding 600 square feet.

• VarianceVariancePermission to depart from a specific dimensional rule, granted on a showing of hardship. lot size limit0.5 acreacre43,560 square feet — about the size of an American football field without the end zones.

  While the granting of variances generally is limited to a lot size less than one-half acre, deviations from that limitation may occur. However, as the lot size increases beyond one-half acre, the technical justification required for issuing a variance increases.

• No varianceVariancePermission to depart from a specific dimensional rule, granted on a showing of hardship. for floodway encroachment causing increase

  No variance shall be granted for any proposed use, development, or activity within any floodway district that will cause any increase in the one-percent-chance flood elevation.

• Permits required for watercourse alteration

  Prior to any proposed alteration or relocation of any channels or of any watercourse, stream, etc., within this jurisdiction a permit shall be obtained from the Army Corps of Engineers, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, and the Virginia Marine Resources Commission and a joint permit application is available from any of these organizations.