Tappahannock, Virginia · General provision

Article III, Section 3.1.A.6

Dimensional standards

Servicing

Geographic extent
Areas known as Coastal High Hazard areas, extending from offshore to the inland limit of a primary frontal dune along an open coast or other areas subject to high velocity waves

Extracted standards

9 individual requirements pulled out of this section’s prose, each with the sentence it came from.

Floodplain

  • Anchoring to resist flotation

    The pile or column foundation and structure attached thereto is anchored to resist flotation, collapse, and lateral movement due to the effects of wind and water loads.

  • Breakaway wall design safe loading20 psf

    A breakaway wall shall have a design safe loading resistance of not less than ten and no more than 20 pounds per square foot.

  • Elevation on pilings or columns

    All new construction and substantial improvements shall be elevated on pilings or columns so that the bottom of the lowest horizontal structural member is elevated to or above the base flood level plus 18 inches if parallel to wave approach, or at least two feet above BFE if perpendicular.

  • Enclosed space use

    The enclosed space below the lowest floor shall be used solely for parking of vehicles, building access, or storage. Such space shall not be partitioned into multiple rooms, temperature-controlled, or used for human habitation. The enclosed space shall be less than 300 square feet.

  • Engineer certification required

    A registered professional engineer or architect shall develop or review the structural design and certify that the design meets accepted standards.

  • The use of fill for structural support of buildings is prohibited.

  • Landward of mean high tide

    All new construction shall be located landward of the reach of mean high tide.

  • The man-made alteration of sand dunes, which would increase potential flood damage, is prohibited.

  • Space below lowest floor

    The space below the lowest floor shall be either free of obstruction or constructed with non-supporting breakaway walls, open wood-lattice work, or insect screening intended to collapse under wind and water loads.

From the ordinance

All new construction and substantial improvements in Zones V and VE, including manufactured homes, shall be elevated on pilings or columns so that the bottom of the lowest horizontal structural member of the lowest floor is elevated to or above the base flood level plus 18 inches, if the lowest horizontal structural member is parallel to the direction of wave approach or elevated at least two feet above the base flood level if perpendicular.
Article III, Section 3.1.A.6