§ 7.5-153. Permit procedures and requirements.

(a)

Permit application requirements.

(1)

No owner or developer shall perform any development activities on a site where an area of special flood hazard or area of future-conditions flood hazard is located without first meeting the requirements of this article prior to commencing the proposed activity.

(2)

Unless specifically excluded by this article, any landowner or developer desiring a permit for a development activity shall submit to the City of Cartersville a permit application on a form provided by the City of Cartersville for that purpose.

(3)

No permit will be approved for any development activities that do not meet the requirements, restrictions and criteria of this article.

(b)

Floodplain management plan requirements . An application for a development project with any area of special flood hazard or area of future-conditions flood hazard located on the site shall include a floodplain management/flood damage prevention plan. This plan shall include the following items:

(1)

Site plan drawn to scale, which includes but is not limited to:

a.

Existing and proposed elevations of the area in question and the nature, location and dimensions of existing and/or proposed structures, earthen fill placement, amount and location of excavation material, and storage of materials or equipment;

b.

For all proposed structures, spot ground elevations at building corners and twenty-foot or smaller intervals along the foundation footprint, or one-foot contour elevations throughout the building site;

c.

Proposed locations of water supply, sanitary sewer and utilities;

d.

Proposed locations of drainage and stormwater management facilities;

e.

Proposed grading plan;

f.

Base flood elevations and future-conditions flood elevations;

g.

Boundaries of the base flood floodplain and future-conditions floodplain;

h.

If applicable, the location of the floodway; and

i.

Certification of the above by a licensed professional engineer or surveyor.

(2)

Building and foundation design detail, including but not limited to:

a.

Elevation in relation to mean sea level (or highest adjacent grade) of the lowest floor, including basement, of all proposed structures;

b.

Elevation in relation to mean sea level to which any nonresidential structure will be floodproofed;

c.

Certification that any proposed nonresidential, floodproofed structure meets the criteria in subsection 7.5-155(b)(2);

d.

For enclosures below the base flood elevation, location and total net area of flood openings as required in subsection 7.5-155(a)(5); and

e.

Design plans certified by a licensed professional engineer or architect for all proposed structure(s).

(3)

Description of the extent to which any watercourse will be altered or relocated as a result of the proposed development;

(4)

Hard copies and digital files of computer models, if any, copies of work maps, comparison of pre- and post-development conditions base flood elevations, future-conditions flood elevations, flood protection elevations, special flood hazard areas and regulatory floodways, flood profiles and all other computations and other information similar to that presented in the FIS;

(5)

Copies of all applicable state and federal permits necessary for proposed development, including but not limited to, permits required by Section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, Amendments of 1972, 33 U.S.C. 1334; and

(6)

All appropriate certifications required under this article.

The approved floodplain management/flood damage prevention plan shall contain certification by the applicant that all development activities will be done according to the plan or previously approved revisions. Any and all development permits and/or use and occupancy certificates or permits may be revoked at any time if the construction and development activities are not in strict accordance with approved plans.

(c)

Construction stage submittal requirements.

(1)

For all new construction and substantial improvements on sites with a floodplain management/flood damage prevention plan, the permit holder shall provide to the building official a certified as-built elevation certificate or floodproofing certificate for nonresidential construction including the lowest floor elevation or floodproofing level immediately after the lowest floor or floodproofing is completed. A final elevation certificate shall be provided after completion of construction including final grading of the site. Any lowest floor certification made relative to mean sea level shall be prepared by or under the direct supervision of a licensed land surveyor or professional engineer and certified by same. When floodproofing is utilized for nonresidential structures, said certification shall be prepared by or under the direct supervision of a licensed professional engineer or architect and certified by same using the FEMA floodproofing certificate. This certification shall also include the design and operation/maintenance plan to assure continued viability of the floodproofing measures.

(2)

Any work undertaken prior to approval of these certifications shall be at the permit holder's risk. The city engineer shall review the above-referenced certification data submitted. Deficiencies detected by such review shall be corrected by the permit holder immediately and prior to further work being allowed to proceed. Failure to submit certification or failure to make the corrections required hereby shall be cause to issue a stop work order for the project.

(d)

Duties and responsibilities of the administrator. Duties of the ordinance administrator shall include, but shall not be limited to:

(1)

Review all development applications and permits to assure that the requirements of this article have been satisfied and to determine whether proposed building sites will be reasonably safe from flooding;

(2)

Review proposed development to assure that all necessary permits have been received from those governmental agencies from which approval is required by federal or state law, including but not limited to, Section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, Amendments of 1972, 33 U.S.C. 1334;

(3)

When base flood elevation data or floodway data have not been provided, then the ordinance administrator shall require the applicant to obtain, review and reasonably utilize any base flood elevation and floodway data available from a federal, state or other sources in order to meet the provisions of sections 7.5-154 and 7.5-155;

(4)

Review and record the actual elevation in relation to mean sea level (or highest adjacent grade) of the lowest floor, including basement, of all new and substantially improved structures;

(5)

Review and record the actual elevation, in relation to mean sea level to which any substantially improved structures have been floodproofed;

(6)

When floodproofing is utilized for a nonresidential structure, the ordinance administrator shall review the design and operation/maintenance plan and obtain certification from a licensed professional engineer or architect;

(7)

Notify affected adjacent communities and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GA DNR) prior to any alteration or relocation of a watercourse and submit evidence of such notification to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA);

(8)

Where interpretation is needed as to the exact location of boundaries of the areas of special flood hazard (e.g., where there appears to be a conflict between a mapped boundary and actual field conditions) the ordinance administrator shall make the necessary interpretation. Any person contesting the location of the boundary shall be given a reasonable opportunity to appeal the interpretation as provided in this article. Where floodplain elevations have been defined, the floodplain shall be determined based on flood elevations rather than the area graphically delineated on the floodplain maps;

(9)

All records pertaining to the provisions of this article shall be maintained in the office of the ordinance administrator and shall be open for public inspection;

(10)

Coordinate all FIRM revisions with the GA DNR and FEMA; and

(11)

Review variance applications and make recommendations to the board of zoning appeals (BZA).

(Ord. No. 04-15, § 1, 3-5-15)