Source: https://www.ecode360.com/11071675
Timestamp: 2017-11-23 13:15:38
Document Index: 553880490

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 122', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 122', '§ 122', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133', '§ 133']

Town of Wappinger, NY Flood Damage Prevention
§ 133-1 Findings.
§ 133-2 Statement of purpose.
§ 133-3 Objectives.
§ 133-5 Applicability.
§ 133-6 Basis for establishing areas of special flood hazard.
§ 133-7 Interpretation and conflict with other laws.
§ 133-8 Penalties for noncompliance.
§ 133-9 Warning and disclaimer of liability.
§ 133-10 Designation of local administrator.
§ 133-11 Floodplain development permit.
§ 133-12 Application for permit.
§ 133-13 Duties and responsibilities of Code Enforcement Officer or Zoning Administrator.
§ 133-14 General standards.
§ 133-15 Standards for all structures.
§ 133-16 Residential structures.
§ 133-17 Nonresidential structures.
§ 133-18 Manufactured homes and recreational vehicles.
§ 133-19 Critical facilities.
§ 133-20 Appeals Board.
§ 133-21 Conditions for variances.
§ 133-22 Enforcement.
Chapter 133: Flood Damage Prevention
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Wappinger 3-12-2012 by L.L. No. 4-2012.[1] Amendments noted where applicable.]
Conservation Advisory Council — See Ch. 9.
Freshwater wetland waterbody and watercourse protection — See Ch. 137.
Sewers — See Ch. 196.
Editor's Note: This local law also repealed former Ch. 133, Flood Damage Prevention, adopted 9-25-1995 by L.L. No. 6-1995.
Chapter 133 : Flood Damage Prevention
The Town Board of the Town of Wappinger finds that the potential and/or actual damages from flooding and erosion may be a problem to the residents of the Town of Wappinger and that such damages may include destruction or loss of private and public housing, damage to public facilities, both publicly and privately owned, and injury to and loss of human life. This chapter is adopted in order to minimize the threat of such damages and to achieve the purposes and objectives hereinafter set forth.
It is the purpose of this chapter to promote the public health, safety, and general welfare, and to minimize public and private losses due to flood conditions in specific flood-prone areas by adopting provisions and regulations designed to:
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings as indicated below:
A request for a review of the Code Enforcement Officer's or Zoning Administrator's interpretation of any provision of this chapter or a request for a variance thereof.
The land in the floodplain within a community subject to a one-percent or greater chance of flooding in any given year. This area may be designated as Zone A, AE, AH, AO, A1-A30, A99, V, VO, VE, or V1-V30. It is also commonly referred to as the base floodplain or 100-year floodplain. For purposes of this chapter, the term "special flood hazard area (SFHA)" is synonymous in meaning with the phrase "area of special flood hazard."
In the case of Zones A1-A30, AE, A, A99, AO, AH, B, C, X, or D, elevated building also includes a building elevated by means of fill or solid foundation perimeter walls with openings sufficient to facilitate the unimpeded movement of floodwaters.
In the case of Zones V1-V30, VE, or V, elevated building also includes a building otherwise meeting the definition of "elevated building," even though the lower area is enclosed by means of breakaway walls that meet the federal standards.
The overflow of inland or tidal waters; and
Flood or flooding also means 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 a flash flood or an abnormal tidal surge, or by some similarly unusual and unforeseeable event which results in flooding as defined in Subsection (1) of this definition, above.
The person appointed by the community to administer and implement this chapter by granting or denying development permits in accordance with its provisions. The Town Board hereby designates any Code Enforcement Officer or the Town's Zoning Administrator as the local administrator of this chapter.
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 as determined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in a Flood Insurance Study or by other agencies as provided in § 133-13B of this chapter.
The actual start of construction means the first placement of permanent construction of a building (including a manufactured home) on a site, such as the pouring of a slab or footings, installation of pilings or construction of columns.
Permanent construction does not include land preparation (such as clearing, excavation, grading, or filling), or the installation of streets or walkways, or excavation for a basement, footings, piers or foundations, or the erection of temporary forms, or the installation of accessory buildings such as garages or sheds not occupied as dwelling units or not part of the main building. 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.
This chapter shall apply to all areas of special flood hazard within the jurisdiction of the Town of Wappinger, Dutchess County.
[Amended 5-27-2014 by L.L. No. 5-2014; 6-27-2016 by L.L. No. 3-2016]
The areas of special flood hazard for the Town of Wappinger, Community Number 361387, are identified and defined on the following documents prepared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency:
Flood Insurance Rate Map Panel Nos. 36027C0461E, 36027C0462E, 36027C0463E, 36027C0464E, 36027C0466E, 36027C0467E, 36027C0468E, 36027C0469E, 36027C0486E, 36027C0487E, 36027C0490E, 36027C0559E, 36027C0576E, 36027C0577E, 36027C0578E, 36027C0579E, 36027C0581E, 36027C0582E, 36027C0601E; the effective date of which is May 2, 2012, and any subsequent revisions to these map panels that do not affect areas under our community's jurisdiction.
Letter of Map Revision, Case Number 16-02-1320P, effective July 6, 2016, amending Panels 36027C0476E and 36027C0478E of the Flood Insurance Rate Map.
[Amended 9-12-2016 by L.L. No. 6-2016]
Letter of Map Revision, Case Number 16-02-1504P, effective July 6, 2016, amending Panels 36027C0458E, 36027C0459E, 36027C0466E and 36027C0467E of the Flood Insurance Rate Map.
The above documents are hereby adopted and declared to be a part of this chapter. The Flood Insurance Study and/or maps are on file at the office of the Town Clerk, Town of Wappinger, Town Hall, 20 Middlebush Road, Wappingers Falls, New York 12590.
No structure in an area of special flood hazard shall hereafter be constructed, located, extended, converted, or altered and no land shall be excavated or filled without full compliance with the terms of this chapter and any other applicable regulations. Any infraction of the provisions of this chapter by failure to comply with any of its requirements, including infractions of conditions and safeguards established in connection with conditions of the permit, shall constitute a violation. Any person who violates this chapter or fails to comply with any of its requirements shall, upon conviction thereof, be fined in the amount set forth in Chapter 122, Article V, § 122-20N of the Town of Wappinger Code or imprisoned for not more than 15 days, or both. Each day of noncompliance shall be considered a separate offense. Nothing herein contained shall prevent the Town of Wappinger from taking such other lawful action as necessary to prevent or remedy an infraction. Any structure found not compliant with the requirements of this chapter for which the developer and/or owner has not applied for and received an approved variance under §§ 133-20 and 133-21 will be declared noncompliant and notification sent to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The degree of flood protection required by this chapter is considered reasonable for regulatory purposes and is based on scientific and engineering considerations. Larger floods can and will occur on rare occasions. Flood heights may be increased by man-made or natural causes. This chapter does not imply that land outside the area of special flood hazards or uses permitted within such areas will be free from flooding or flood damages. This chapter shall not create liability on the part of the Town of Wappinger, any officer or employee thereof, or the Federal Emergency Management Agency, for any flood damages that result from reliance on this chapter or any administrative decision lawfully made thereunder.
The Code Enforcement Officer or the Zoning Administrator are hereby appointed local administrator to administer and implement this chapter by granting or denying floodplain development permits in accordance with its provisions.
Purpose. A floodplain development permit is hereby established for all construction and other development to be undertaken in areas of special flood hazard in this community for the purpose of protecting its citizens from increased flood hazards and insuring that new development is constructed in a manner that minimizes its exposure to flooding. It shall be unlawful to undertake any development in an area of special flood hazard, as shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map enumerated in § 133-6, without a valid floodplain development permit. Application for a permit shall be made on forms furnished by the Code Enforcement Officer or Zoning Administrator and may include, but not be limited to plans, in duplicate, drawn to scale and showing the nature, location, dimensions, and elevations of the area in question; existing or proposed structures, fill, storage of materials, drainage facilities, and the location of the foregoing.
Fees. All applications for a floodplain development permit shall be accompanied by an application fee as set forth in Chapter 122, Article IV, § 122-16F(1) of the Town of Wappinger Code. In addition, the applicant shall be responsible for reimbursing the Town of Wappinger for any additional costs necessary for review, inspection and approval of this project. The Code Enforcement Officer or Zoning Administrator shall require the applicant to fund and maintain an escrow account in accordance with Chapter 122, Article IV, § 122-16F(2) of the Town of Wappinger Code, to cover these additional costs.
[Amended 8-26-2013 by L.L. No. 12-2013]
The proposed elevation, in relation to mean sea level, of the lowest floor (including basement or cellar) of any new or substantially improved structure to be located in Zones A1-A30, AE or AH, or Zone A if base flood elevation data are available. Upon completion of the lowest floor, the permittee shall submit to the Code Enforcement Officer or Zoning Administrator the as-built elevation, certified by a licensed professional engineer or surveyor.
The proposed elevation, in relation to mean sea level, to which any new or substantially improved nonresidential structure will be floodproofed. Upon completion of the floodproofed portion of the structure, the permittee shall submit to the Code Enforcement Officer or Zoning Administrator the as-built floodproofed elevation, certified by a professional engineer or surveyor.
A certificate from a licensed professional engineer or architect that any utility floodproofing will meet the criteria in § 133-15C, Utilities.
A certificate from a licensed professional engineer or architect that any nonresidential floodproofed structure will meet the floodproofing criteria in § 133-17, Nonresidential structures.
A description of the extent to which any watercourse will be altered or relocated as a result of proposed development. Computations by a licensed professional engineer must be submitted that demonstrate that the altered or relocated segment will provide equal or greater conveyance than the original stream segment. The applicant must submit any maps, computations or other material required by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to revise the documents enumerated in § 133-6, when notified by the Code Enforcement Officer or Zoning Administrator, and must pay any fees or other costs assessed by FEMA for this purpose. The applicant must also provide assurances that the conveyance capacity of the altered or relocated stream segment will be maintained.
A technical analysis, by a licensed professional engineer, if required by the Code Enforcement Officer or Zoning Administrator, which shows whether proposed development to be located in an area of special flood hazard may result in physical damage to any other property.
Duties of the Code Enforcement Officer or Zoning Administrator shall include, but not be limited to the following:
Permit application review. The Code Enforcement Officer or Zoning Administrator shall conduct the following permit application review before issuing a floodplain development permit:
Review all applications for completeness, particularly with the requirements of § 133-12, Application for permit, and for compliance with the provisions and standards of this chapter.
Review subdivision and other proposed new development, including manufactured home parks, to determine whether proposed building sites will be reasonably safe from flooding. If a proposed building site is located in an area of special flood hazard, all new construction and substantial improvements shall meet the applicable standards of §§ 133-14 through 133-18 and, in particular, § 133-14A, Subdivision proposals.
Determine whether any proposed development in an area of special flood hazard may result in physical damage to any other property (e.g., stream bank erosion and increased flood velocities). The Code Enforcement Officer or Zoning Administrator may require the applicant to submit additional technical analyses and data necessary to complete the determination. If the proposed development may result in physical damage to any other property or fails to meet the requirements of §§ 133-14 through 133-18, regarding general standards, no permit shall be issued. The applicant may revise the application to include measures that mitigate or eliminate the adverse effects and resubmit the application.
When the Federal Emergency Management Agency has designated areas of special flood hazard on the community's Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) but has neither produced water surface elevation data (these areas are designated Zone A or V on the FIRM) nor identified a floodway, the Code Enforcement Officer or Zoning Administrator shall obtain, review and reasonably utilize any base flood elevation and floodway data available from a federal, state or other source, including data developed pursuant to § 133-12G, as criteria for requiring that new construction, substantial improvements or other proposed development meet the requirements of this chapter.
When base flood elevation data are not available, the Code Enforcement Officer or Zoning Administrator may use flood information from any other authoritative source, such as historical data, to establish flood elevations within the areas of special flood hazard, for the purposes of this chapter.
Any further work undertaken prior to submission and approval of the certification shall be at the permit holder's risk. The Code Enforcement Officer or Zoning Administrator shall review all data submitted. Deficiencies detected shall be cause to issue a stop-work order for the project unless immediately corrected.
Inspections. The Code Enforcement Officer or Zoning Administrator and/or the developer's engineer or architect shall make periodic inspections at appropriate times throughout the period of construction in order to monitor compliance with permit conditions and enable said inspector to certify, if requested, that the development is in compliance with the requirements of the floodplain development permit and/or any variance provisions.
The Code Enforcement Officer or Zoning Administrator shall issue, or cause to be issued, a stop-work order for any floodplain development found ongoing without a development permit. Disregard of a stop-work order shall subject the violator to the penalties described in § 133-8 of this chapter.
The Code Enforcement Officer or Zoning Administrator shall issue, or cause to be issued, a stop-work order for any floodplain development found noncompliant with the provisions of this chapter and/or the conditions of the development permit. Disregard of a stop-work order shall subject the violator to the penalties described in § 133-8 of this chapter.
In areas of special flood hazard, as determined by documents enumerated in § 133-6, it shall be unlawful to occupy or to permit the use or occupancy of any building or premises, or both, or part thereof hereafter created, erected, changed, converted or wholly or partly altered or enlarged in its use or structure until a certificate of compliance has been issued by the Code Enforcement Officer or Zoning Administrator stating that the building or land conforms to the requirements of this chapter.
A certificate of compliance shall be issued by the Code Enforcement Officer or Zoning Administrator upon satisfactory completion of all development in areas of special flood hazard.
Issuance of the certificate shall be based upon the inspections conducted as prescribed in § 133-13E, Inspections, and/or any certified elevations, hydraulic data, floodproofing, anchoring requirements or encroachment analyses which may have been required as a condition of the approved permit.
Information to be retained. The Code Enforcement Officer or Zoning Administrator shall retain and make available for inspection, copies of the following:
Certifications of as-built lowest floor elevations of structures, required pursuant to § 133-13D(1) and (2), and whether or not the structures contain a basement;
Floodproofing certificates required pursuant to § 133-13D(1), and whether or not the structures contain a basement;
Variances issued pursuant to §§ 133-20 and 133-21, regarding variance procedures; and
Notices required under § 133-13C, Alteration of watercourses.
The following standards apply to new development, including new and substantially improved structures, in the areas of special flood hazard shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map designated in § 133-6:
The Town of Wappinger agrees to apply to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for a conditional FIRM revision, FEMA approval is received and the applicant provides all necessary data, analyses and mapping and reimburses the Town of Wappinger for all fees and other costs in relation to the application. The applicant must also provide all data, analyses and mapping and reimburse the Town of Wappinger for all costs related to the final map revision.
On streams with a regulatory floodway, as shown on the Flood Boundary and Floodway Map or the Flood Insurance Rate Map adopted in § 133-6, no new construction, substantial improvements or other development in the floodway (including fill) shall be permitted unless:
A technical evaluation by a licensed professional engineer shows that such an encroachment shall not result in any increase in flood levels during occurrence of the base flood, or
The Town of Wappinger agrees to apply to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for a conditional FIRM and floodway revision, FEMA approval is received and the applicant provides all necessary data, analyses and mapping and reimburses the Town of Wappinger for all fees and other costs in relation to the application. The applicant must also provide all data, analyses and mapping and reimburse the Town of Wappinger for all costs related to the final map revisions.
New and replacement electrical equipment, heating, ventilating, air conditioning, plumbing connections, and other service equipment shall be located at least two feet above the base flood elevation or be designed to prevent water from entering and accumulating within the components during a flood and to resist hydrostatic and hydrodynamic loads and stresses. Electrical wiring and outlets, switches, junction boxes and panels shall also be elevated or designed to prevent water from entering and accumulating within the components unless they conform to the appropriate provisions of the electrical part of the Building Code of New York State or the Residential Code of New York State for location of such items in wet locations.
The following standards apply to new and substantially improved residential structures located in areas of special flood hazard, in addition to the requirements in § 133-14A, Subdivision proposals, and § 133-14B, Encroachments, and § 133-15, Standards for all structures:
Within Zone AO, new construction and substantial improvements shall have the lowest floor (including basement) elevated above the highest adjacent grade at least as high as two feet above the depth number specified in feet on the community's Flood Insurance Rate Map enumerated in § 133-6 (at least two feet if no depth number is specified).
The following standards apply to new and substantially improved commercial, industrial and other nonresidential structures located in areas of special flood hazard, in addition to the requirements in § 133-14A, Subdivision proposals, and § 133-14B, Encroachments, and § 133-15, Standards for all structures:
Together with attendant utility and sanitary facilities, be completely floodproofed to that level to meet the floodproofing standard specified in § 133-17A(2) above.
If the structure is to be floodproofed, a licensed professional engineer or architect shall develop and/or review structural design, specifications, and plans for construction. A floodproofing certificate or other certification shall be provided to the Code Enforcement Officer or Zoning Administrator that certifies the design and methods of construction are in accordance with accepted standards of practice for meeting the provisions of § 133-17A(2) above, including the specific elevation (in relation to mean sea level) to which the structure is to be floodproofed.
The following standards, in addition to the standards in § 133-14, General standards, and § 133-15, Standards for all structures, apply, as indicated, in areas of special flood hazard to manufactured homes and to recreational vehicles which are located in areas of special flood hazard:
Meet the requirements for manufactured homes in § 133-18B, C, D and E.
A manufactured home that is placed or substantially improved in Zones A1-A30, AE and AH that is on a site either outside an existing manufactured home park or subdivision as herein defined, in a new manufactured home park or subdivision as herein defined, in an expansion to an existing manufactured home park or subdivision as herein defined or in an existing manufactured home park or subdivision as herein defined on which a manufactured home has incurred substantial damage as the result of a flood shall be elevated on a permanent foundation such that the lowest floor is elevated to or above two feet above the base flood elevation and is securely anchored to an adequately anchored foundation system to resist flotation, collapse and lateral movement. Elevation on piers consisting of dry stacked blocks is prohibited. Methods of anchoring may include but are not limited to use of over-the-top or frame ties to ground anchors.
Elevated in a manner such as required in Subsection B of this section; or
Within Zone AO, the floor shall be elevated above the highest adjacent grade at least as high as two feet above the depth number specified on the Flood Insurance Rate Map enumerated in § 133-6 (at least two feet if no depth number is specified). Elevation on piers consisting of dry stacked blocks is prohibited.
In order to prevent potential flood damage to certain facilities that would result in serious danger to life and health, or widespread social or economic dislocation, no new critical facility shall be located within any area of special flood hazard, or within any five-hundred-year flood zone shown as a B zone or a shaded A zone on the Community's Flood Insurance Rate Maps.
The Zoning Board of Appeals as established by the Town of Wappinger shall hear and decide appeals and requests for variances from the requirements of this chapter.
The Zoning Board of Appeals shall hear and decide appeals when it is alleged there is an error in any requirement, decision, or determination made by the Code Enforcement Officer or Zoning Administrator in the enforcement or administration of this chapter.
Upon consideration of the factors of § 133-20D and the purposes of this chapter, the Zoning Board of Appeals may attach such conditions to the granting of variances as it deems necessary to further the purposes of this chapter.
The Code Enforcement Officer or Zoning Administrator shall maintain the records of all appeal actions, including technical information, and report any variances to the Federal Emergency Management Agency upon request.
Generally, variances may be issued for new construction and substantial improvements to be erected on a lot of 1/2 acre or less in size contiguous to and surrounded by lots with existing structures constructed below the base flood level, providing items in § 133-20D have been fully considered. As the lot size increases beyond the 1/2 acre, the technical justification required for issuing the variance increases.
The issuance of a variance to construct a structure below the base flood level will result in increased premium rates for flood insurance up to amounts as high as $25 for $100 of insurance coverage;
Such notification shall be maintained with the record of all variance actions as required in § 133-13H of this chapter.
This chapter will be enforced by the Code Enforcement Officer, Zoning Administrator, Fire Inspector or any police agency having jurisdiction within the Town of Wappinger.