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<br />This certificate declares that the particular building or project was
<br />completed in full compliance with local ordinances and other applicable
<br />laws and regulations,
<br />When the development project has been completed, the landowner
<br />applies for the Certificate of Occupancy, Before the certificate is Issued,
<br />all errors in construction or installation of equipment must be corrected,
<br />Changes in the project from the plans on file, must be processed as
<br />violations, In floodplain areas, the applicant must submit a certification
<br />by a registered professional engineer, architect or surveyor that the
<br />finished construction conforms to the fill and first floor elevation
<br />requirements as well as appropriate flood proofing standards. An
<br />uncorrected error is a violation, and the floodplain administrator must
<br />process it accordingly,
<br />D. Violations
<br />If a local floodplain administrator becomes aware that development is
<br />occurring in the floodplain without a permit or contrary to permitted
<br />plans, they should consult with the community's attorney, Together, they
<br />should try to persuade the developer to comply with the floodplain
<br />ordinance. If the developer refuses to comply, the attorney must take
<br />legal action.
<br />Enforcement of the floodplain ordinance must not be taken lightly.
<br />Communities that do not strictly maintain a permit system or that are
<br />lax in their enforcement responsibilities violate the agreement they have
<br />with the National Flood Insurance Program, The consequences of non-
<br />compliance for communities participating in the NFIP are listed below,
<br />E. Penalties For Noncompliance
<br />Communities opting not to participate in the National Flood
<br />Insurance Program (NFIP) or communities that are suspended from the
<br />NFIP for not fully enforcing an effective floodplain ordinance are subject
<br />to the following consequences:
<br />1. Flood insurance will not be available. No resident will be able
<br />to purchase a flood insurance policy,
<br />2, Federal agencies may not provide grants or loans for buildings
<br />in identified special flood hazard areas of communities not par-
<br />ticipating in the NFIP. This includes agenCies such as Housing
<br />and Urban Development, Small Business Administration, the
<br />Economic Development Administration, and the Environmental Pro-
<br />tection Agency,
<br />3, No Federal mortgage Insurance may be provided in identified
<br />flood hazard areas. This includes FHA, VA, and Farmers Home or
<br />federally backed mortgage guarantees,
<br />4, In the event of a federally declared flood disaster, no federal dis-
<br />aster assistance would be made available to identified flood
<br />hazard areas in nonparticipating communities,
<br />5, After FEMA establishes base flood elevation data, communities
<br />that delay entry into the program make all Interim construc-
<br />tion in flood hazard areas too expensive to Insure and
<br />therefore resell. If a community decides to enter or reenter the
<br />NFIP, subsidized insurance rates will be available only for those
<br />homes built before BFE data were received, When interim con-
<br />struction is up for sale, all federally insured lending institutions will
<br />require flood insurance before issuing loans if the construction is
<br />in a floodprone area, Prospective purchasers may find they cannot
<br />afford the NFIP insurance which may run as high as $25 per $100
<br />coverage,
<br />6, Finally, local governing bodies may be susceptible to some
<br />form of liability by not participating in the NFIP, Their decision
<br />denies citizens the opportunity to purchase flood insurance and
<br />can be seen as a choice not to reduce exposure of life and prop-
<br />erty to flood damage, even though authoritative scientific and
<br />technical data show flood damage is likely,
<br />Some factors that might make a community want to re-establish
<br />eligibility in the NFIP include:
<br />. A governing body with new policies,
<br />- Desire for a larger share of the mortgage market through FHA, VA,
<br />Farmers Home loans,
<br />- The desire for a federai grant or loan for a particular project (I.e" a
<br />sewage treatment plant),
<br />- A major disaster, triggering need for disaster aid,
<br />. Changed political pressures, or
<br />- Community support.
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