Article I, Section 1.2; Article III, Section 3.1.A

Other

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

  Be anchored to prevent flotation;

• Declaration of Land Restriction required for accessoryAccessory useA secondary activity customarily incidental to the main use of the lot — a garage, a home office. structure

  A signed Declaration of Land Restriction (Non-Conversion Agreement) shall be recorded on the property deed.

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

  Shall be provided with flood openings which shall meet the following criteria: (1) There shall be a minimum of two flood openings on different sides of each enclosed area; if a building has more than one enclosure below the lowest floor, each such enclosure shall have flood openings on exterior walls. (2) The total net area of all flood openings shall be at least one square inch for each square foot of enclosed area (non-engineered flood openings), or the flood openings shall be engineered flood openings that are designed and certified by a licensed professional engineer to automatically allow entry and exit of floodwaters; the certification requirement may be satisfied by an individual certification or an Evaluation Report issued by the ICC Evaluation Service, Inc. (3) The bottom of each flood opening shall be one foot or less above the higher of the interior floor or grade, or the exterior grade, immediately below the opening. (4) Any louvers, screens or other covers for the flood openings shall allow the automatic flow of floodwaters into and out of the enclosed area.

• Maximum accessoryAccessory useA secondary activity customarily incidental to the main use of the lot — a garage, a home office. structure floor area in SFHA600 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 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 restriction in SFHA

  Not be used for human habitation;

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

  Have electrical service and mechanical equipment elevated to or above the base flood elevation;

• Anchoring to prevent flotation, collapse, or lateral movement

  New construction and substantial improvements shall be built according to this ordinance and the VA USBC, and anchored to prevent flotation, collapse, or lateral movement of the structure.

• Enclosed area below flood protection elevation materials

  Be constructed entirely of flood resistant materials below the regulatory flood protection elevation;

• Enclosed area below flood protection elevation use restriction

  Not be designed or used for human habitation, but shall be used solely for parking of vehicles, building access, or limited storage of maintenance equipment used in connection with the premises.

• Flood carrying capacity maintained

  The flood carrying capacity within an altered or relocated portion of any watercourse shall be maintained.

• Flood damage-resistant materials required

  New construction and substantial improvements shall be constructed with materials and utility equipment resistant to flood damage.

• Flood opening area ratio1 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 must be at least one square inch for each square foot of enclosed area subject to flooding.

• Flood opening bottom heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first. above grade1 ft

  The bottom of all required openings shall be no higher than one foot above the adjacent grade.

• Minimum number of flood openings2 openings

  Provide a minimum of two openings on different sides of each enclosed area subject to flooding.

• Floodway encroachment restriction

  Within any floodway area, no encroachments, including fill, new construction, substantial improvements, or other development shall be permitted unless it has been demonstrated through hydrologic and hydraulic analysis performed in accordance with standard engineering practice that the proposed encroachment will not result in any increase in flood levels within the community during the occurrence of the base flood discharge.

• Manufactured homesManufactured homeA dwelling built in a factory to a federal standard and transported to the site. must meet new construction requirements

  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 Article III, Section 3.1.A.6 and Article IV, Sections 4.2 and 4.3.

• Construction methods to minimize flood damage

  New construction or substantial improvements shall be constructed by methods and practices that minimize flood damage.

• Non-residential lowest floor elevation (BFE + 18 inches)18 in

  New construction or substantial improvement of any commercial, industrial, or non-residential building (or manufactured home) shall have the lowest floor, including basement, elevated to or above the base flood level plus 18 inches.

• Non-residential floodproofing elevation (BFE + 2 feet)2 ft

  Non-residential buildings located in all A1-30, AE, and AH zones may be floodproofed in lieu of being elevated provided that all areas of the building components below the elevation corresponding to the BFE plus two feet are water tight

• Permit required for all development in floodplainFloodplainLand expected to flood at a stated frequency, where building carries extra conditions.

  All uses, activities, and development occurring within any floodplain district, including placement of manufactured homes, shall be undertaken only upon the issuance of a permit.

• Recreational vehicle maximum size400 sqftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000.

  400 square feet or less when measured at the largest horizontal projection;

• Recreational vehicle placement standard180 days

  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 (a recreational vehicle is ready for highway use if it is on its wheels or jacking system, is attached to the site only by quick disconnect type utilities and security devices and has no permanently attached additions); or b. Meet all the requirements for manufactured homes in Article IV, Section 4.3.E.1.

• Repetitive loss structure threshold25 pct

  A building covered by a contract for flood insurance that has incurred flood-related damages on two occasions in a ten-year period, in which the cost of the repair, on the average, equaled or exceeded 25 percent of the market value of the structure at the time of each such flood event

• Residential lowest floor elevation (BFE + 18 inches)18 in

  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 basement, elevated to or above the base flood level plus 18 inches.

• Sanitary sewage systems designed to minimize flood infiltration

  New and replacement sanitary sewage systems shall be designed to minimize or eliminate infiltration of flood waters into the systems and discharges from the systems into flood waters.

• Base flood elevation data required for large subdivisions50 lots

  Base flood elevation data shall be obtained from other sources or developed using detailed methodologies, hydraulic and hydrologic analysis, comparable to those contained in a Flood Insurance Study for subdivision proposals and other proposed development proposals (including manufactured home parks and subdivisions) that exceed 50 lots or five acres, whichever is the lesser.

• Subdivision drainage must reduce flood exposure

  All subdivision proposals shall have adequate drainage provided to reduce exposure to flood hazards, and

• Subdivision proposals must minimize flood damage

  All subdivision proposals shall be consistent with the need to minimize flood damage;

• Subdivision public utilitiesPublic utilitiesInfrastructure serving the wider area — substations, pump stations, towers. must minimize flood damage

  All subdivision proposals shall have public utilities and facilities such as sewer, gas, electrical and water systems located and constructed to minimize flood damage;

• Substantial damage threshold50 pct

  Damage of any origin sustained by a structure whereby the cost of restoring the structure to its before damaged condition would equal or exceed 50 percent of the market value of the structure before the damage occurred.

• Substantial improvement threshold50 pct

  Any reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, or other improvement of a structure, the cost of which equals or exceeds 50 percent of the market value of the structure before the start of construction of the improvement.

• Utility equipment designed to prevent water entry

  Electrical, heating, ventilation, plumbing, air conditioning equipment, and other service facilities, including duct work, shall be designed and/or located so as to prevent water from entering or accumulating within the components during conditions of flooding.

• 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.

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

• VarianceVariancePermission to depart from a specific dimensional rule, granted on a showing of hardship. lot size limit0.5 acresacre43,560 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.

• On-site waste disposal systems located to avoid impairment

  On-site waste disposal systems shall be located and constructed to avoid impairment to them or contamination from them during flooding.

• Water supply systems designed to minimize flood infiltration

  New and replacement water supply systems shall be designed to minimize or eliminate infiltration of flood waters into the system.

• Permit 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 U. S. Corps of Engineers, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, and the Virginia Marine Resources Commission