Article XVI, § 165-121
Dimensional standards
Housing
Servicing
- Applies near
- Special Flood Hazard Areas
- Geographic extent
- All lands within the jurisdiction of Shenandoah County identified as areas of special flood hazard on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) or included in the Flood Insurance Study (FIS).
Uses
Permitted by right4
Conditional / special use7
Extracted standards
14 individual requirements pulled out of this section’s prose, each with the sentence it came from.
Other
- Floodway encroachment prohibition
No encroachments, including fill, new construction, substantial improvements, or other development shall be permitted unless it has been demonstrated through hydrologic and hydraulic analysis that the proposed encroachment will not result in any increase in flood levels within Shenandoah County during the occurrence of a base flood discharge.
Manufactured homes shall be anchored to prevent flotation, collapse, or lateral movement.
- Maximum opening bottom heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first.1 ft
The bottom of all required openings shall be no higher than one foot above the adjacent grade.
- Minimum drainfield trench depth18 in
The minimum depth from the ground surface to the bottom of the drainfield trench shall be 18 inches.
- Minimum enclosure openings2 openings
Provide a minimum of two openings on different sides of each enclosed area subject to flooding.
- Lowest floor elevation in AO zone2 ft
If no flood depth number is specified, the lowest floor, including basement, shall be elevated no less than two feet above the highest adjacent grade.
- Lowest floor elevation for residential
New construction or substantial improvement of any residential structure shall have the lowest floor, including basement, elevated to or above the BFE.
- Minimum opening area ratio1 sq in per sq ftsq 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 square inch for each square foot of enclosed area subject to flooding.
- Minimum separation between drainfields75 ft
No subsurface drainfield shall be located closer than 75 feet to another drainfield.
- Minimum separation between drainfields (no treatment)200 ft
No subsurface drainfield shall be located closer than 200 feet to another subsurface drainfield.
- Minimum separation from stream50 ft
No portion of any subsurface drainfield shall be located closer than 50 feet to the edge of a stream, river, or sinkhole.
- Nonresidential floodproofing
Non-residential buildings located in all AE and AH Zones may be floodproofed in lieu of being elevated.
- Recreational vehicle maximum stay30 days
All recreational vehicles placed on sites must be on the site for a period no greater than the lesser of 30 consecutive days or such shorter period as may be specified in the district regulations.
- Single-family dwellingSingle-family dwellingOne dwelling unit on its own lot, usually detached from its neighbours. special permit criteria
Single-family dwellings are permitted with the issuance of a special use permit on parcels that meet the following criteria: parcel zoned R-1, R-2, or R-3; building site cannot be found outside 100-year floodplain; parcel created before 1978 and purchased by current owner before February 25, 1997.
From the ordinance
These provisions shall apply to all lands within the jurisdiction of Shenandoah County and identified as areas of special flood hazard on the flood insurance rate map (FIRM) or included in the flood insurance study (FIS) that are provided to the County of Shenandoah by FEMA.