Definitions.
Gilbert Town Code § 34-35
in effectSec. 34-35. - Definitions.
Unless specifically defined below, words or phrases used in this article shall be interpreted so as to give them the meaning they have in common usage and to give this article its most reasonable application.
Accessory structure. For floodplain management purposes, accessory structures are structures that are on the same parcel of property as a principal structure, the use of which is incidental to the use of the principal structure. Accessory structures must be used for parking or storage, be small and represent a minimal investment by owners, and have low damage potential. FEMA considers "small" to mean not larger than a one-story two-car garage. Examples of small accessory structures include, but are not limited to, detached garages, storage and tool sheds, and small boathouses.
(1) Structure size: The footprint of a typical two-car garage is about 600 square feet in area.
(2) Storage: Contents stored in wet floodproofed structures will get wet during flooding.
Appeal. A request for a review of the floodplain administrator's interpretation of any provision of this article or a request for a variance.
Area of shallow flooding. A designated AO or AH zone on a community's flood insurance rate map (FIRM) with a one percent or greater annual chance of flooding to an average depth of one to three feet where a clearly defined channel does not exist, where the path of flooding is unpredictable and where velocity flow may be evident. Such flooding is characterized by ponding or sheet flow.
Base flood. A flood which has a one percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year.
Base flood elevation (BFE). The computed elevation to which floodwater is anticipated to rise during the base flood.
Basement. Any area of the building having its floor sub-grade - i.e., below ground level - on all sides.
Building. See "structure."
Community. Any state, area or political subdivision thereof, or any Indian tribe or authorized tribal organization, or authorized native organization, which has authority to adopt and enforce floodplain management regulations for the areas within its jurisdiction.
Critical feature. An integral and readily identifiable part of a flood protection system without which the flood protection provided by the entire system would be compromised.
Development. Any manmade change to improved or unimproved real estate, including, but not limited to, buildings or other structures, mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation or drilling operations or storage of equipment or materials.
Encroachment. Encroachments are activities or construction within the floodway including fill, new construction, substantial improvements, and other development. These activities are prohibited within the adopted regulatory floodway unless it has been demonstrated through hydrologic and hydraulic analyses that the proposed encroachment would not result in any increase in flood levels.
Erosion. The process of the gradual wearing away of landmasses. This peril is not, per se, covered under the program.
Financial assistance. Any form of loan, grant, guaranty, insurance, payment, rebate, subsidy, disaster assistance loan or grant, or any other form of direct or indirect federal assistance, other than general or special revenue sharing or formula grants made to state.
Flood or flooding. A general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land areas from: (1) the overflow of floodwaters; (2) the unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source; and/or (3) the collapse or subsidence of land along the shore of a lake or other body of water as a result of erosion or undermining caused by waves or currents of water exceeding anticipated cyclical levels or suddenly caused by an unusually high water level in a natural body of water, accompanied by a severe storm or by an unanticipated force of nature, such as flash flood or an abnormal tidal surge, or by some similarly unusual and unforeseeable event which results in flooding as defined in this definition.
Flood insurance rate map (FIRM). The official map on which the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) or Federal Insurance Administration (FIA) has delineated both the special flood hazard areas and the risk premium zones applicable to the community.
Flood insurance study (FIS). The official report provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency that includes flood profiles, flood insurance rate maps, flood boundary and floodway maps and the water surface elevation of the base flood.
Floodplain or flood-prone area. Any land area susceptible to being inundated by water from any source. See "flood or flooding."
Floodplain administrator. The community official responsible to administer and enforce the floodplain management regulations.
Floodplain board. The Town Council of Gilbert, at such times as they are engaged in the enforcement of this article.
Floodplain management. The operation of an overall program of corrective and preventive measures for reducing flood damage and preserving and enhancing, where possible, natural resources in the floodplain, including, but not limited to, emergency preparedness plans, flood control works, floodplain management regulations, and open space plans.
Floodplain management regulations. This article and other zoning ordinances, subdivision regulations, building codes, health regulations, special purpose ordinances (such as grading and erosion control) and other application of police power which control development in floodprone areas. This term describes federal, state, or local regulations in any combination thereof, which provide standards for preventing and reducing flood loss and damage.
Flood protection system. Those physical structural works for which funds have been authorized, appropriated, and expended and which have been constructed specifically to modify flooding in order to reduce the extent of the area within a community subject to a special flood hazard and the extent of the depths of the associated flooding. Such a system typically includes dams, reservoirs, levees, or dikes. These specialized flood modifying works are those constructed in conformance with sound engineering standards.
Floodproofing. Any combination of structural and nonstructural additions, changes, or adjustments to structures which reduce or eliminate flood damage to real estate or improved real property, water and sanitary facilities, structures, and their contents by means other than elevation.
Flood-related erosion. The collapse or subsidence of land along the shore of a lake or other body of water as a result of undermining caused by waves or currents of water exceeding anticipated cyclical levels or suddenly caused by an unusually high water level in a natural body of water, accompanied by a severe storm, or by an unanticipated force of nature, such as a flash flood or an abnormal tidal surge, or by some similarly unusual and unforeseeable event which results in flooding.
Floodway. The channel of a river or other watercourse and the adjacent land areas that must be reserved in order to discharge the base flood without cumulatively increasing the water surface elevation more than a designated height. Also referred to as "regulatory floodway."
Functionally dependent use. A use which cannot perform its intended purpose unless it is located or carried out in close proximity to water. The term includes only docking facilities, port facilities that are necessary for the loading and unloading of cargo or passengers, and ship building and ship repair facilities, and does not include long-term storage or related manufacturing facilities.
Governing body. The local governing unit, i.e. county or municipality, that is empowered to adopt and implement regulations to provide for the public health, safety and general welfare of its citizenry.
Hardship. As related to division 5 of this article, the Gilbert Town Council requires that the hardship be exceptional, unusual, and peculiar to the property involved. Mere economic or financial hardship alone is not exceptional. Inconvenience, aesthetic considerations, physical handicaps, personal preferences, or the disapproval of one's neighbors likewise cannot, as a rule, qualify as an exceptional hardship. All of these problems can be resolved through other means without granting a variance, even if the alternative is more expensive, or requires the property owner to build elsewhere or put the parcel to a different use than originally intended.
Highest adjacent grade (HAG). The highest natural elevation of the ground surface prior to construction next to the proposed walls of a structure.
Historic structure. Any structure that is:
(1) Listed individually in the National Register of Historic Places (a listing maintained by the Department of Interior) or preliminarily determined by the Secretary of the Interior as meeting the requirements for individual listing on the National Register;
(2) Certified or preliminarily determined by the Secretary of the Interior as contributing to the historical significance of a registered historic district or a district preliminarily determined by the Secretary to qualify as a registered historic district;
(3) Individually listed on a state inventory of historic places in states with historic preservation programs which have been approved by the Secretary of Interior; or
(4) Individually listed on a local inventory of historic places in communities with historic preservation programs that have been certified either:
a. By an approved state program as determined by the Secretary of the Interior; or
b. Directly by the Secretary of the Interior in states without approved programs.
Levee. A manmade structure, usually an earthen embankment, designed and constructed in accordance with sound engineering practices to contain, control, or divert the flow of water so as to provide protection from temporary flooding.
Levee system. A flood protection system which consists of a levee, or levees, and associated structures, such as closure and drainage devices, which are constructed and operated in accordance with sound engineering practices.
Lowest floor. The lowest floor of the lowest enclosed area, including the basement. See "basement." An unfinished or flood-resistant enclosure, usable solely for parking of vehicles, building access or storage in an area other than a basement area is not considered a building's lowest floor, provided that such enclosure is not built so as to render the structure in violation of the applicable non-elevation design requirements of this article.
Manufactured home. A structure, transportable in one or more sections, which is built on a permanent chassis and is designed for use with or without a permanent foundation when attached to the required utilities. The term "manufactured home" does not include a "recreational vehicle."
Manufactured home park or subdivision. A parcel (or contiguous parcels) of land divided into two or more manufactured home lots for rent or sale.
Market value. Replacement cost of a structure less depreciation since construction.
Mean sea level. For purposes of the National Flood Insurance Program, the National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD) of 1929, North American Vertical Datum (NAVD) of 1988, or other datum, to which base flood elevations shown on a community's flood insurance rate map are referenced.
New construction. For the purposes of determining insurance rates, structures for which the "start of construction" commenced on or after the effective date of an initial flood insurance rate map or after December 31, 1974, whichever is later, and includes any subsequent improvements to such structures. For floodplain management purposes, "new construction" means structures for which the "start of construction" commenced on or after the effective date of a floodplain management regulation adopted by a community and includes any subsequent improvements to such structures.
Obstruction. Including, but not limited to, any dam, wall, wharf, embankment, levee, dike, pile, abutment, protection, excavation, channelization, bridge, conduit, culvert, building, wire, fence, rock, gravel, refuse, fill, structure, vegetation or other material in, along, across or projecting into any watercourse which may alter, impede, retard or change the direction and/or velocity of the flow of water, or due to its location, its propensity to snare or collect debris carried by the flow of water, or its likelihood of being carried downstream.
One-hundred-year flood or 100-year flood. The flood having a one-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. See "base flood."
Person. An individual or the individual's agent, a firm, partnership, association or corporation, or an agent of the aforementioned groups, or this state or its agencies or political subdivisions.
Program. The National Flood Insurance Program authorized by 42 U.S.C. 4001-4128.
Recreational vehicle. A vehicle which is:
(1) Built on a single chassis;
(2) Four hundred square feet or less when measured at the largest horizontal projection;
(3) Designed to be self-propelled or permanently towable by a light-duty truck; and
(4) Designed primarily not for use as a permanent dwelling but as temporary living quarters for recreational, camping, travel, or seasonal use.
Regulatory flood elevation (RFE). An elevation one foot above the base flood elevation.
Regulatory floodway. The channel of a river or other watercourse and the adjacent land areas that must be reserved in order to discharge the base flood without cumulatively increasing the water surface elevation more than a designated height.
Riverine. Relating to, formed by, or resembling a river (including tributaries), stream, brook, etc.
Sheet flow area. See "area of shallow flooding."
Special flood hazard area (SFHA). An area in the floodplain subject to a one-percent or greater chance of flooding in any given year. It is shown on a flood boundary and floodway map or flood insurance rate map as zone A, AO, A1-A30, AE, A99, and AH.
Start of construction. Includes substantial improvement and other proposed new development and means the date the building permit was issued, provided the actual start of construction, repair, reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, placement, or other improvement was within 180 days from the date of the permit. The actual start means either the first placement of permanent construction of a structure on a site, such as the pouring of slab or footings, the installation of piles, the construction of columns, or any work beyond the stage of excavation; or the placement of a manufactured home on a foundation. Permanent construction does not include land preparation, such as clearing, grading, and filling; nor does it include the installation of streets and/or walkways; nor does it include excavation for a basement, footings, piers, or foundations or the erection of temporary forms; nor does it include the installation on the property of accessory buildings, such as garages or sheds not occupied as dwelling units or not part of the main structure. for a substantial improvement, the actual start of construction means the first alteration of any wall, ceiling, floor, or other structural part of a building, whether or not that alteration affects the external dimensions of the building.
Structure. For floodplain management purposes, a structure is a walled and roofed building that is principally above ground, where walled is considered "two or more outside rigid walls" and roofed is "a fully secured roof." The term includes gas and liquid storage tanks and manufactured homes. The terms "structure" and "building" are used interchangeably in the NFIP regulations and this bulletin. Floodplain managers must use professional judgement to determine which proposed development projects are "walled and roofed," and thus regulated as structures, and which proposed projects are regulated as development.
Substantial damage. 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. 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. This term includes structures which have incurred "substantial damage", regardless of the actual repair work performed. The term does not, however, include either:
(1) Any project for improvement of a structure to correct existing violations or state or local health, sanitary, or safety code specifications which have been identified by the local code enforcement official and which are the minimum necessary to assure safe living conditions; or
(2) Any alteration of a "historic structure," provided that the alteration will not preclude the structure's continued designation as a "historic structure."
Variance. A grant of relief from the requirements of this article which permits construction in a manner that would otherwise be prohibited by this article.
Violation. The failure of a structure or other development to be fully compliant with the community's floodplain management regulations. A structure or other development without the elevation certificate, other certifications, or other evidence of compliance required in this article is presumed to be in violation until such time as that documentation is provided.
Water surface elevation. The height, in relation to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD) of 1929, North American Vertical Datum (NAVD) of 1988, or other datum, of floods of various magnitudes and frequencies in the floodplains of coastal or riverine areas.
Watercourse. A lake, river, creek, stream, wash, arroyo, channel, or other topographic feature on or over which waters flow at least periodically. Watercourse includes specifically designated areas in which substantial flood damage may occur.
(Ord. No. 2879, § 1, 8-15-23)
Source: Town of Gilbert, Arizona, Town Code (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/az/gilbert/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=CO_CH34FLMA_ARTIIFLDAPR_DIV1INGE_S34-35DEFetched: 11/1/2026