16.18.025 - Definitions.
Unless specifically defined below, words or phrases used in this chapter shall be interpreted so as to give them the meaning they have in common usage and to give this chapter it's most reasonable application. These definitions are for the purpose of this chapter, and are specific to this chapter, except as explicitly stated otherwise.
A zone see "Special flood hazard area".
Accessory structure means a structure that is either:
1. Solely for the parking of no more than two cars; or
2. A small, low cost shed for limited storage, less than 150 square feet and $1,500.00 in value.
Accessory use means a use which is incidental and subordinate to the principal use of the parcel of land on which it is located.
Alluvial fan means a geomorphologic feature characterized by a cone or fan shaped deposit of boulders, gravel, and fine sediments that have been eroded from mountain slopes, transported by flood flows, and then deposited on the valley floors, and which is subject to flash flooding, high velocity flows, debris flows, erosion, sediment movement and deposition, and channel migration.
Apex means a point on an alluvial fan or similar landform below which the flow path of the major stream that formed the fan becomes unpredictable and alluvial fan flooding can occur.
Appeal means a request for a review of any provision of this chapter.
Area of shallow flooding means a designated AO or AH Zone on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). The base flood depths range from one to three feet; a clearly defined channel does not exist; the path of flooding is unpredictable and indeterminate; and velocity flow may be evident. Such flooding is characterized by ponding or sheet flow.
Area of special flood hazard. See "Special flood hazard area."
Base flood means a flood which has a one percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year (also called the "100 year flood"). Base flood is the term used throughout this chapter.
Base flood elevation (BFE) means the elevation shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map for Zones AE, AH, A1-30, VE and V1-V30 that indicates the water surface elevation resulting from a flood that has a one percent or greater chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year.
Basement means any area of the building having its floor subgrade - i.e., below ground level on all sides.
Building see "Structure".
Development means any man made 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. "Development Permit" means a permit issued by the City of Riverside for any Development as defined in Title 19, Article × of this Code.
Encroachment means the advance or infringement of uses, plant growth, fill, excavation, buildings, permanent structures or development into a floodplain which may impede or alter the flow capacity of a floodplain.
Existing manufactured home park or subdivision means a manufactured home park or subdivision for which the construction of facilities for servicing the lots on which the manufactured homes are to be affixed (including, at a minimum, the installation of utilities, the construction of streets, and either final site grading or the pouring of concrete pads) was completed before 1983.
Expansion to an existing manufactured home park or subdivision means the preparation of additional sites by the construction of facilities for servicing the lots on which the manufactured homes are to be affixed (including the installation of utilities, the construction of streets, and either final site grading or the pouring of concrete pads).
Flood, flooding, or flood water means a general and temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land areas from the overflow of inland or tidal waters; the unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source; and/or mudslides (i.e., mudflows);.
Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) means the official map on which Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has delineated both the areas of special flood hazards and the risk premium zones applicable to the community.
Flood Insurance Study (FIS) means the official report provided by FEMA that includes flood profiles, the Flood Insurance Rate Map, and the water surface elevation of the base flood.
Floodplain or flood prone area means any land area susceptible to being inundated by water from any source - see "Flooding."
Floodplain Administrator is the community official designated by title to administer, implement, and enforce the floodplain management regulations, including granting or denying floodplain variances. The City Engineer is the Floodplain Administrator for the City of Riverside.
Floodplain management means 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 means this chapter and other zoning chapters, subdivision regulations, building codes, health regulations, special purpose chapters (such as grading and erosion control) and other application of police power which control development in flood prone areas. This term describes Federal, State or local regulations in any combination thereof which provide standards for preventing and reducing flood loss and damage.
Floodplain variance means a grant of relief from the requirements of this chapter which permits construction in a manner that would otherwise be prohibited by this chapter.
Floodproofing means 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. For guidelines on dry and wet floodproofing, see FEMA Technical Bulletins TB 1-93, TB 3-93, and TB 7-93.
Floodway means 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 one foot. Also referred to as "Regulatory Floodway."
Floodway fringe is that area of the floodplain on either side of the "Regulatory Floodway" where encroachment may be permitted.
Fraud and victimization means that the Floodplain variance granted must not cause fraud on or victimization of the public. In examining this requirement, the City Council will consider the fact that every newly constructed building adds to government responsibilities and remains a part of the community for 50 to 100 years. Buildings that are permitted to be constructed below the base flood elevation are subject during all those years to increased risk of damage from floods, while future owners of the property and the community as a whole are subject to all the costs, inconvenience, danger, and suffering that those increased flood damages bring. In addition, future owners may purchase the property, unaware that it is subject to potential flood damage, and can be insured only at very high flood insurance rates.
Functionally dependent use means 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.
Hardship means the exceptional hardship that would result from a failure to grant the requested Floodplain variance. The City Council requires that the Floodplain variance 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 Floodplain 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 means the highest natural elevation of the ground surface prior to construction next to the proposed walls of a structure.
Historic structure means any structure so defined in Title 20 of this Code, or 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; 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;
2. 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
3. Individually listed on a local inventory of historic places in communities with historic preservation programs that have been certified either by an approved state program as determined by the Secretary of the Interior or directly by the Secretary of the Interior in states without approved programs.
Levee means a man made 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 means 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 accord with sound engineering practices.
Lowest floor means the lowest floor of the lowest enclosed area, including basement (see "Basement" definition).
1. An unfinished or flood resistant enclosure below the lowest floor that is 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 it conforms to applicable non-elevation design requirements, including, but not limited to:
a. The flood openings standard in Section 16.18.100.C.4;
b. The anchoring standards in Section 16.18.100.A;
c. The construction materials and methods standards in Section 16.18.100.B; and
d. The standards for utilities in Section 16.18.105.
2. For residential structures, all subgrade enclosed areas are prohibited as they are considered to be basements (see "Basement" definition). This prohibition includes below-grade garages and storage areas.
Manufactured home means 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 means a parcel (or contiguous parcels) of land divided into two or more manufactured home lots for rent or sale.
Market value is determined by estimating the cost to replace the structure in new condition and adjusting that cost figure by the amount of depreciation which has accrued since the structure was constructed. See Section 16.18.050.
Mean sea level means, 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 floodplain management purposes, means structures for which the "start of construction" commenced on or after 1983, and includes any subsequent improvements to such structures.
New manufactured home park or subdivision means a manufactured home park or subdivision for which the construction of facilities for servicing the lots on which the manufactured homes are to be affixed (including at a minimum, the installation of utilities, the construction of streets, and either final site grading or the pouring of concrete pads) is completed on or after 1983.
Obstruction includes, but is 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. See "Base flood."
Person means an individual, firm, partnership, association or corporation, or an agent of the aforementioned, or this State or its agencies or political subdivisions.
Program deficiency means a defect in a community's floodplain management regulations or administrative procedures that impairs effective implementation of those floodplain management regulations.
Public safety and nuisance means that the granting of a Floodplain variance must not result in anything which is injurious to safety or health of an entire community or neighborhood, or any considerable number of persons, or unlawfully obstructs the free passage or use, in the customary manner, of any navigable lake, or river, bay, stream, canal, or basin.
Recreational vehicle means a vehicle which is:
1. Built on a single chassis;
2. 400 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 floodway means 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 one foot.
Remedy a violation means bring the structure or other development into compliance with State or local floodplain management regulations, or if this is not possible, to reduce the impacts of its noncompliance. Ways that impacts may be reduced include protecting the structure or other affected development from flood damages, implementing the enforcement provisions of the chapter or otherwise deterring future similar violations, or reducing State or Federal financial exposure with regard to the structure or other development.
Riverine means 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) means an area in the floodplain subject to a one percent or greater chance of flooding in any given year. It is shown on an FHBM or FIRM as Zone A, AO, A1-A30, AE, A99, or 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 manufacture 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 means a walled and roofed building that is principally above ground; this includes a gas or liquid storage tank or a manufactured home.
Substantial damage means either:
1. 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; or
2. Flood-related damages sustained by a structure on two separate occasions during a ten-year period for which the cost of repairs at the time of each such event, on the average, equals or exceeds 25 percent of the market value of the structure before the damage occurred. This is also known as "repetitive loss."
Substantial improvement means 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 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."
Violation means the failure of a structure or other development to be fully compliant with this chapter. A structure or other development without the elevation certificate, other certifications, or other evidence of compliance required in this chapter is presumed to be in violation until such time as that documentation is provided.
Water surface elevation means 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 means 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. 6997 §§5, 6, 2008; Ord. 5640 §1, 1988; Ord. 5039 §2, 1982)
