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For the purpose of this ordinance, the following mean:

Agriculture – The term includes farming, dairying, pasturage, horticultural, floriculture, viticulture, apiaries, and animal and poultry husbandry; it does not include the operation of a feed lot or other commercial feeding of animals. [BC 9.05.015, added by Ordinance No. 4249, 4/7/03]

Area of shallow flooding – A designated AO or AH zone on the flood insurance rate map (FIRM) with a one percent or greater annual chance of flooding to an average depth of one to three feet where a clearly defined channel does not exist, where the path of flooding is unpredictable, and where velocity flow may be evident. Such flooding is characterized by ponding or sheet flow. [BC 9.05.015, added by Ordinance No. 3400, 9/10/84; amended by Ordinance No. 3564, 5/5/87]

Area of special flood hazard – The land in the floodplain within a community subject to a one percent or greater chance of flooding in any given year. The area may be designated as Zone A on the FHBM. After detailed ratemaking has been completed in preparation for publication of the flood insurance rate map, Zone A usually is refined into Zone A, AO, AH, A1-30, AE, A99, AR, A, VO, or V1-30, VE, or V. For purposes of these regulations, the term “special flood hazard area” is synonymous in meaning with the phrase “area of special flood hazard.” [BC 9.05.015, added by Ordinance No. 3564, 5/5/87; amended by Ordinance No. 4155, 4/9/01]

Base flood – The flood having a one percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. Also referred to as the “100-year flood.” Designation on maps always includes the letter “A” or “V.” [BC 9.05.015, amended by Ordinance No. 3564, 5/5/87]

Board – the board of Site and Design Review as established in BC 2.03.130. The board’s jurisdiction and powers are set out in the Development Code. [BC 9.05.015, added by Ordinance No. 3440, 4/2/85]

Channelization – The process of modifying a waterway to reduce its floodway and/or floodplain by increasing the cross-sectional area of the waterway, to realign the waterway so that the centerline of the water will follow a new alignment, or for any other purpose. [BC 9.05.015, added by Ordinance No. 3440, 4/2/85]

Development – Any human-made change to improved or unimproved real estate, including but not limited to buildings or other structures, mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation or drilling operations or storage of equipment or materials. [BC 9.05.015, amended by Ordinance No. 3487, 1/14/86; amended by Ordinances No. 3564, 5/5/87, Ordinance No. 4249, 4/7/03]

Elevated building – For insurance purposes, a nonbasement building which has its lowest elevated floor raised above ground level by foundation walls, shear walls, post, piers, pilings, or columns.

Engineer, City Engineer – The city engineer of the City of Beaverton. The city engineer has authority to interpret this ordinance pursuant to BC 9.05.016, and is the city manager’s designee for this purpose throughout this ordinance. The engineer is Beaverton’s floodplain administrator. [BC 9.05.015, added by Ordinance No. 3487, 1/14/86; amended by Ordinance No. 4794, 12/1/20]

Excavation – An act by which earth, sand, gravel, rock or any other similar material is cut into, dug, quarried, uncovered, removed, displaced, relocated or bulldozed, and includes the conditions resulting from the act.

Fill – An act by which earth, sand, gravel, rock or any other similar material is deposited, placed, pulled or transported, and includes the conditions resulting from the act.

FIRM – The flood insurance rate map. An official map of a community, on which the Federal Insurance Administrator has delineated both the special hazard areas and the risk premium zones applicable to the community. A FIRM that has been made available digitally is called a digital flood insurance rate map (DFIRM). [BC 9.05.015, added by Ordinance No. 3440, 4/2/85]

Flood insurance study – An examination, evaluation and determination of flood hazards and, if appropriate, corresponding water surface elevations, or an examination, evaluation and determination of mudslide (i.e., mudflow) and/or flood-related erosion hazards. [BC 9.05.015, amended by Ordinance No. 4249, 4/7/03]

Flood management area – (USA) – Pursuant to USA Design and Construction Standards and the City Development Code, Chapter 60, the area equal to the floodplain. [BC 9.05.015, added by Ordinance No. 4155, 4/9/01]

Floodplain – The area along a water course enclosed by the outer limits of land that is subject to inundation in its natural or lower revised contours by the base flood, inclusive of the floodway and the floodway fringe, and equal to the FIRM designation of an area of special hazard. [BC 9.05.015, amended by Ordinance No. 4155, 4/9/01]

Floodplain district – The overlay zoning district as established by the Development Code or as determined by a flood study. [BC 9.05.015, amended by Ordinance No. 4249, 4/7/03]

Floodway – The channel of a river or other water course 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 one foot. [BC 9.05.015, added by Ordinance No. 3440, 4/2/85; amended by Ordinance No. 3564, 5/5/87]

Floodway fringe – The area of the floodplain lying outside the floodway, which does not contribute appreciably to the passage of flood water, but serves as a retention area. [BC 9.05.015, added by Ordinance No. 4155, 4/9/01]

Grading – Excavation or fill or any combination of excavation or fill and includes the conditions resulting from any excavation or fill.

Grading, finish – The final grade of the site that conforms to the approved plan.

Grading, rough – The stage at which the grade approximately conforms to the approved plan.

Lowest floor – The lowest floor of the lowest enclosed area (including basement). An unfinished or flood resistant enclosure, usable solely for parking of vehicles, building access or storage, in an area other than a basement area, is not considered a building’s lowest floor; provided, that such enclosure is not built so as to render the structure in violation of the applicable nonelevation design requirements of this ordinance. [BC 9.05.015, added by Ordinance No. 3564, 5/5/87]

Manufactured home – A structure, transportable in one or more sections, which is built on a permanent chassis and is designed for use with or without a permanent foundation when connected to the required utilities. The term “manufactured home” does not include a “recreational vehicle.” A manufactured home may also be referred to as a “manufactured dwelling.” [BC 9.05.015, added by Ordinance No. 3564, 5/5/87]

Manufactured home park or subdivision – A parcel (or contiguous parcels) of land divided into two or more manufactured home lots for rent or sale. [BC 9.05.015, added by Ordinance No. 3564, 5/5/87]

Natural resource area, important natural resource area or significant natural resource area – The areas defined in the Comprehensive Plan and designated on the Plan’s Natural Resource Map as important or significant natural resource areas. [BC 9.05.015, added by Ordinance No. 3440, 4/2/85; amended by Ordinances No. 3487, 1/14/86, Ordinance No. 4155, 4/9/01]

New construction – Structures for which the “start of construction” commenced on or after the effective date of this ordinance and includes any subsequent improvements to such structures. [BC 9.05.015, added by Ordinance No. 3564, 5/5/87]

Public utilities – Service furnished by the City or other public agency including, but not limited to, water, sanitary sewer and storm sewer service, telephone, natural gas, cable and electricity. [BC 9.05.015, amended by Ordinance No. 3487, 1/14/86]

Site – A lot or parcel of land or a series of lots or parcels of land joined together under one ownership where development occurs. The term “site” also includes a subdivision that has received preliminary plat approval. [BC 9.05.015, amended by Ordinance No. 3487, 1/14/86]

Start of construction – Includes substantial improvement, and means the date the building permit was issued, provided the actual start of construction, repair, reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition placement or other improvement was within 180 days of the permit date. The “actual start” means either the first placement of permanent construction of a structure on a site, such as the pouring of a slab or footings, the installation of piles, the construction of columns, or any other work beyond the stage of excavation; or the placement of a manufactured home on a foundation. Permanent construction does not include land preparation, such as clearing, grading and filling; nor does it include the installation of streets and/or walkways; nor does it include excavation for a basement, footings, piers, or foundation or the erection of temporary forms; nor does it include the installation on the property of accessory buildings, such as garages or sheds not occupied as dwelling units or not part of the main structure. 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. [BC 9.05.015, added by Ordinance No. 3564, 5/5/87]

Structure – A walled and roofed building including a gas or liquid storage tank that is principally above ground, as well as a manufactured home. [BC 9.05.015, added by Ordinance No. 3564, 5/5/87]

Substantial damage – Any damage of any origin to a structure, whereby the cost of restoring the structure to its original condition would be equal to or exceed 50 percent of the assessed value of the structure before the alteration occurred.

Substantial improvement – Any reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, or other improvement of a structure, the cost of which equals or exceeds 50 percent of the market value of the structure before the “start of construction” of the improvement. This term includes structures which have incurred “substantial damage,” regardless of the actual repair work performed. The term does not, however, include either:

1. Any project for improvement of a structure to correct existing violations of State or local health, sanitary, or safety code specifications which have been identified by the local code enforcement official and which are the minimum necessary to assure safe living conditions; or

2. Any alteration of a “historic structure”; provided, that the alteration will not preclude the structure’s continued designation as a “historic structure.” [BC 9.05.015, added by Ordinance No. 3564, 5/5/87; amended by Ordinance No. 4249, 4/7/03]

Vegetative corridor – (CWS) – Pursuant to Clean Water Services District, Design and Construction Standards, a corridor adjacent to a water quality sensitive area that is preserved and maintained to protect the water quality functions of the water quality sensitive area. [BC 9.05.015, added by Ordinance No. 4155, 4/9/01; amended by Ordinance No. 4249, 4/7/03]

Water course – A channel, creek, stream, river, swale, or stone drain pipe in which a flow of water occurs for either storm runoff or intermittent or year-round stream flow. [BC 9.05.015, amended by Ordinance No. 4155, 4/9/01]

Water quality sensitive area or sensitive area – (CWS) – Pursuant to Clean Water Services District, Design and Construction Standards, shall include the following:

1. Existing or created wetlands;

2. Rivers, streams, and springs with year-round flow;

3. Impoundments (including natural lakes and ponds) with average water in the summer of one acre-foot or more, or with an average depth of three feet or more;

Sensitive areas shall not include: storm water treatment ponds or swales, detention ponds, storm water treatment wetlands, vegetative corridor adjacent to the sensitive area; off stream lake, lagoon, fire pond, reservoir, or upland ditches for the sole purpose of draining roads, lots and outfalls of storm drains. [BC 9.05.015, added by Ordinance No. 4155, 4/9/01]

Work (alone or as in “site development work” or “development work”) – Any construction, alteration or the bringing about of any physical change in the use or appearance of land or improvements thereon, including demolition of structures, pavement, or other site improvements that disturb the site outside of existing building footprints, disturbance of the existing surface of the site, multiple trips by vehicles over undisturbed ground, multiple-day parking of multiple construction vehicles on undisturbed ground, clearing or stripping of vegetation, groundcover, debris or topsoil, removal of trees or shrubs, depositing debris, depositing, stockpiling or storage of soil, sand, gravel, crushed rock, demolition materials, recycled concrete, asphalt or other recycled demolition materials, construction staging, grading, excavation or filling as defined herein, pot-holing, geotechnical test drilling, exploratory excavations or well-drilling. Additionally, this shall include physical changes to any structure in an area of special flood hazard. [BC 9.05.015, added by Ordinance No. 3440, 4/2/85; amended by Ordinance No. 4249, 4/7/03]

Zoning ordinance – Ordinance No. 2050 and amendments thereto. [BC 9.05.015, added by Ordinance No. 3487, 1/14/86]

[BC 9.05.015, amended by Ordinance No. 4078, 11/8/99; amended by Ordinances No. 4107, 5/1/00, Ordinance No. 4249, 4/7/03, Ordinance No. 4744, 10/17/18]