The City’s floodplain management ordinance requires that new construction or substantially improved or substantially damaged existing buildings must comply with the following:
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Residential structures in A or AE Zones must have their lowest floor elevated to or above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) plus 1 foot or to the Design Flood Elevation (DFE), whichever is higher.
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Non-residential structures in A or AE Zones must have their lowest floor elevated to or above the BFE plus 1 foot or to the DFE, or they can be dry-floodproofed to or above the BFE plus 1 foot or the DFE, whichever is higher.
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In Coastal A Zones, because of the presence of damaging waves, V Zone design, construction, and certification practices are recommended.
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In VE Zones, the building must be elevated on piles and columns and the bottom of the lowest horizontal structural member supporting the lowest floor must be elevated to or above the BFE plus 1 foot or to the DFE, whichever is higher.
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In X Zones, no BFE’s are shown. However, the lowest floor must be at least 1.5’ (18 inches) above the centerline of the abutting roadway unless otherwise approved by the City.