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<br />Communities must assure that no construction or development take
<br />place in an identified flood hazard area without a permit. Issuance of
<br />permits enables the community to be sure that the proposed develop-
<br />ment meets the standards of state laws and the NFIP.
<br />It is important to note that for purposes of floodplain management
<br />the concept of "development" goes beyond the scope of the traditional
<br />building permit. Whereas the building permit is concerned only with
<br />buildings, the floodplain development permit also includes alterations to
<br />landscape such as excavation or the use of fill which would affect
<br />drainage patterns or the flood carrying capacity of the watercourse.
<br />Additionally it includes bridges and culverts, streets or roads in the
<br />floodplain, utilities projects and other activities which do not usually
<br />require a building permit.
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<br />C. When a Permit is Required
<br />A permit is required when building or enlarging a structure; placing a
<br />mobile home; or mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavating, or
<br />drilling within flood hazard areas, In other words, any structural or non-
<br />structural activity that may affect flooding or flood damage must have a
<br />permit.
<br />Specifically, all structural (buildings, mobile homes, storage facilities,
<br />dams, dikes, etc,) projects need a permit. Storage of flammable, toxic, or
<br />explosive materials shall not be permitted,
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<br />D. The Permit Application
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<br />Anyone wishing to develop in the floodplain must obtain a permit
<br />application form from the local floodplain administrator and submit it for
<br />approval before beginning any development activities. A sample
<br />development permit application is the Appendix. Communities may,
<br />however, adapt their existing permit systems to meet state and NFIP
<br />requirements and to fit into their current or proposed land use review
<br />process, Regardless of the form used, the following information, if
<br />applicable, must be supplied on a permit application for floodplain
<br />development:
<br />- A complete description of the proposed activity, Enough information
<br />must be included so that the local floodplain administrator can tell
<br />whether the proposed activity will be safe from flooding and whether it
<br />will increase flood hazards elsewhere, At a minimum, there should be
<br />plans drawn to scale showing the nature, location, dimension, and
<br />elevations of the area in question; existing or proposed structures, fill,
<br />storage of materials, drainage facilities; any other landscape alterations,
<br />, The mean sea level (MSL) elevation of the lowest floor including the
<br />basement of all proposed structures,
<br />. The MSL elevation to which any proposed nonresidential structures
<br />will be floodproofed,
<br />, Certification by a registered professional engineer of architect that the
<br />chosen floodproofing method meets NFIP floodproofing criteria,
<br />, Base flood elevation data for subdivisions of 50 lots or 5 acres or
<br />more, When not given on the FIRM, this data must be prOVided by the
<br />developer, When given on the FIRM, this data must be included in the
<br />application,
<br />. A description of the extent to which any watercourse (stream, river,
<br />drainage ditch) will be altered or relocated,
<br />On the permit application form in the Appendix, there is a section to be
<br />completed by the local floodplain administrator, In this section the
<br />administrator lists the data base he uses when reviewing the permit
<br />application, He also speCifies whether the proposed development is in
<br />the floodway of flood fringe, and verifies the base flood elevation for the
<br />proposed site, Having this listed on the application will be useful later,
<br />should the applicant question the technical basis for review of the
<br />permit.
<br />On the reverse side of the application form, there is a section called
<br />"Elevation Certification", This section should be completed after the
<br />developer has provided the local administrator with a certification from
<br />a registered professional engineer or land surveyor that the permitted
<br />structure was actually built at least to the elevation required by the
<br />permit.
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