§ 26-24. Same—Criteria for evaluation.
(a)
The county, in reviewing all applications for new construction, substantial improvements, prefabricated buildings, placement of manufactured homes and other development(s) (as defined in section 26-29 of this article), and when reviewing the work being performed, will:
(1)
Obtain, review, and reasonably utilize, if available, any regulatory flood elevation and floodway data from federal, state or other sources, until such other data is provided by the Federal Insurance Administration in a flood insurance study;
(2)
Require the use of construction materials and utility equipment that are resistant to flood damage;
(3)
Require the use of construction methods and practices that will minimize flood damage;
(4)
Require buildings, manufactured homes and pre-fabricated buildings to be designed or anchored to prevent the flotation, collapse or lateral movement of the structure or portions of the structure due to flooding;
(5)
Assure electrical, heating, ventilation, plumbing and air conditioning equipment and other service facilities shall be designed and/or located so as to prevent water from entering or accumulating within the components during conditions of flooding;
(6)
Assure encroachments, including fill, new construction, substantial improvements and other development, shall be prohibited in any floodway unless approval is provided by the Central Valley Flood Protection Board and written documentation by a registered professional engineer demonstrates that the encroachments will not result in any increase in flood levels during the occurrence of the base flood discharge. Such written documentation shall be provided to the floodplain administrator or designee;
(7)
Require, for all new construction and substantial improvements, that fully enclosed areas below the lowest floor that are subject to flooding shall be designed to automatically equalize hydrostatic flood forces on exterior walls by allowing for the entry and exit of floodwaters. Openings in foundation walls shall comply with the requirements set forth in current FEMA Technical Bulletins and shall be certified by a registered professional engineer or architect. Such certification shall be provided to the Director of Development Services or designee; and
(8)
Require the completion and submittal of an Elevation Certificate, FEMA Form 81-31 or a more current comparable FEMA approved form, at three (3) stages in the process, as set forth in the Building Elevation Information (Survey Required) section of the form: a Construction Drawings Certificate to be submitted prior to the issuance of the building permit; a Building Under Construction Certificate to be submitted prior to the approval of framing inspections; and a Finished Construction Certificate to be submitted prior to the final inspection of the building permit. Such certification shall be provided to the Director of Development Services or designee. The following exception to this requirement applies to manufactured homes and pre-fabricated buildings: the Building Under Construction Certificate shall not be required.
(b)
The county, in addition to the requirements in subsection (a) of this section, will:
(1)
Require, within areas designated as Zones AE and AH on the official map, that the following standards are met:
a.
The lowest floor elevation of new residential structures and substantial improvements to residential structures shall be elevated a minimum of one (1) foot or more above the BFE.
b.
The lowest floor elevation of new or substantially improved nonresidential structures shall either meet section 26-24(b)(1)(a); or, such nonresidential structures, together with attendant utility and sanitary facilities, shall:
1.
Be floodproofed so that below the BFE the structure is watertight with walls substantially impermeable to the passage of water,
2.
Have structural components capable of resisting hydrostatic and hydrodynamic loads and effects of buoyancy, and
3.
Be certified by a registered professional engineer or architect that the design and methods of construction are in accordance with accepted standards of practice for meeting the provisions of this subsection. Such certification shall be provided to the Director of Development Services or designee;
(2)
Require within any area designated as Zone AO on the official map, that the following standards are met:
a.
The lowest floor elevation of new and substantially improved residential structures shall be elevated above the highest adjacent grade at least one (1) foot higher than the depth number specified in feet on the official map (at least three (3) feet if no depth number is specified).
b.
The lowest floor elevation of new or substantially improved nonresidential structures shall either meet section 26-24(b)(2)(a) or such nonresidential structures, together with attendant utility and sanitary facilities, shall:
1.
Be floodproofed below the elevation as specified under section 26-24(b)(2)(a) so that the structure is watertight with walls substantially impermeable to the passage of water,
2.
Have structural components capable of resisting hydrostatic and hydrodynamic loads and effects of buoyancy, and
3.
Be certified by a registered professional engineer or architect that the design and methods of construction are in accordance with accepted standards of practice for meeting the provisions of this subsection. Such certification shall be provided to the Director of Development Services or designee;
(3)
In an A Zone, without BFE's specified on the FIRM (unnumbered A Zone), all structures, residential and nonresidential, shall be elevated at least one (1) foot above the BFE as determined by methods comparable to those in a Flood Insurance Study or by using the detailed methods as described in the most current edition of FEMA publication, FEMA 265, "Managing Floodplain Development in Approximate Zone A Areas—A Guide for Obtaining and Developing Base (100-year) Flood Elevations" or any successor FEMA document.
(4)
Assure that in regard to manufactured homes that the following standards are met:
a.
Areas designated Zone AO:
1.
All manufactured homes that are placed or substantially improved shall be elevated on a permanent foundation system such that the lowest floor is elevated above the highest adjacent grade at least one (1) foot or more than the depth number specified in feet on the official map (at least three (3) feet if no depth number is specified),
2.
All manufactured homes that are placed or substantially improved shall be anchored to resist flotation, collapse or lateral movement, and installed in accordance with the requirements set forth in the current FEMA Publication entitled "Manufactured Home Installation in Flood Hazard Areas."
b.
Areas designated Zones A, AE and AH:
1.
Require that all manufactured homes to be placed or substantially improved be elevated on a permanent foundation system such that the lowest floor of the manufactured home is elevated one (1) foot or more above the regulatory flood elevation, and shall meet the provisions of subsection (b)(3)(a)(2) of this section;
(5)
Require, within Zones AH and AO, adequate drainage paths around structures on slopes, to guide floodwaters around and away from proposed structures.
(c)
In addition to the requirements in subsection (a) and subsection (b) above, the County will:
(1)
Require, in urban or urbanizing areas within the areas identified by the Official two hundred-year floodplain maps determined to have a potential flood depth of three (3) feet or greater, that a finding be made. The four (4) potential findings are:
a.
The project has an Urban Level of Flood Protection from flood management facilities that is not reflected in the most recent map of the two hundred-year floodplain;
b.
Conditions imposed on the project will provide for an Urban Level of Flood Protection;
c.
Adequate progress has been made toward construction of a flood protection system to provide an Urban Level of Flood Protection for the project, as indicated by the Central Valley Flood Protection Board for state projects, or by the floodplain administrator for local projects; or
d.
The project is a site improvement that would not result in the development of a habitable or non-habitable structure and would not increase risk of damage to neighboring development or alter the conveyance area of a watercourse in the case of a flood.
Findings shall be based on substantial evidence. Substantial evidence necessary to determine findings shall be consistent with criteria developed by the Department of Water Resources. These criteria are detailed in the report Urban Level of Flood Protection Criteria published in November 2013, but may be updated in the future. County staff should refer to the department's website for the latest information/criteria.
(d)
The Director of Development Services or designee shall, upon completion of building construction, certify to the floodplain administrator, compliance with the provisions of this section.
(e)
The floodplain administrator shall complete a biennial report and submit it to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
(Ord. No. 2343, § 1, 3-18-83; Ord. No. 2588, § 2, 4-7-87; Ord. No. 2775, § 3, 9-12-89; Ord. No. 3001, § 10, 5-5-92; Ord. No. 3270, § 4, 6-25-96; Ord. No. 3598, § 1, 4-11-00; Ord. No. 3909, § 2, 4-26-05)
(Ord. No. 4033, § 2, 9-13-11; Ord. No. 4041, § 2, 3-27-12; Ord. No. 4121 , § 8, 11-8-16)