§ 12-32. Duties and responsibilities of the floodplain zoning administrator.

The duties and responsibilities of the floodplain zoning administrator shall include, but are not limited to:

(1)

Review applications for permits to determine whether proposed activities will be located in the special flood hazard area (SFHA).

(2)

Interpret floodplain boundaries and provide available base flood elevation and flood hazard information.

(3)

Review applications to determine whether proposed activities will be reasonably safe from flooding and require new construction and substantial improvements to meet the requirements of these regulations.

(4)

Review applications to determine whether all necessary permits have been obtained from the federal, state or local agencies from which prior or concurrent approval is required; in particular, permits from state agencies for any construction, reconstruction, repair, or alteration of a dam, reservoir, or waterway obstruction (including bridges, culverts, structures), any alteration of a watercourse, or any change of the course, current, or cross section of a stream or body of water, including any change to the 100-year frequency floodplain of free-flowing non-tidal waters of the state.

(5)

Verify that applicants proposing an alteration of a watercourse have notified adjacent communities, the department of conservation and recreation (division of dam safety and floodplain management), and other appropriate agencies (VADEQ, USACE) and have submitted copies of such notifications to FEMA.

(6)

Approve applications and issue permits to develop in flood hazard areas if the provisions of these regulations have been met, or disapprove applications if the provisions of these regulations have not been met.

(7)

Inspect or cause to be inspected, buildings, structures, and other development for which permits have been issued to determine compliance with these regulations or to determine if non-compliance has occurred or violations have been committed.

(8)

Review elevation certificates and require incomplete or deficient certificates to be corrected.

(9)

Submit to FEMA, or require applicants to submit to FEMA, data and information necessary to maintain FIRMs, including hydrologic and hydraulic engineering analyses prepared by or for the county, within six months after such data and information becomes available if the analyses indicate changes in base flood elevations.

(10)

Maintain and permanently keep records that are necessary for the administration of these regulations, including:

a.

Flood insurance studies, flood insurance rate maps (including historic studies and maps and current effective studies and maps) and letters of map change; and

b.

Documentation supporting issuance and denial of permits, elevation certificates, documentation of the elevation (in relation to the datum on the FIRM) to which structures have been floodproofed, other required design certifications, variances, and records of enforcement actions taken to correct violations of these regulations.

(11)

Enforce the provisions of these regulations, investigate violations, issue notices of violations or stop work orders, and require permit holders to take corrective action.

(12)

Advise the board of zoning appeals regarding the intent of these regulations and, for each application for a variance, prepare a staff report and recommendation.

(13)

Administer the requirements related to proposed work on existing buildings:

a.

Make determinations as to whether buildings and structures that are located in flood hazard areas and that are damaged by any cause have been substantially damaged.

b.

Make reasonable efforts to notify owners of substantially damaged structures of the need to obtain a permit to repair, rehabilitate, or reconstruct, and prohibit the non-compliant repair of substantially damaged buildings except for temporary emergency protective measures necessary to secure a property or stabilize a building or structure to prevent additional damage.

(14)

Undertake, as determined appropriate by the floodplain zoning administrator due to the circumstances, other actions which may include, but are not limited to, issuing press releases, public service announcements, and other public information materials related to permit requests and repair of damaged structures; coordinating with other federal, state, and local agencies to assist with substantial damage determinations; providing owners of damaged structures information related to the proper repair of damaged structures in special flood hazard areas; and assisting property owners with documentation necessary to file claims for increased cost of compliance coverage under NFIP flood insurance policies.

(15)

Notify the Federal Emergency Management Agency when the corporate boundaries of the county have been modified and:

a.

Provide a map that clearly delineates the new corporate boundaries or the new area for which the authority to regulate pursuant to these regulations has either been assumed or relinquished through annexation; and

b.

If the FIRM for any annexed area includes special flood hazard areas that have flood zones that have regulatory requirements that are not set forth in these regulations, prepare amendments to these regulations to adopt the FIRM and appropriate requirements, and submit the amendments to the town council for adoption; such adoption shall take place at the same time as or prior to the date of annexation and a copy of the amended regulations shall be provided to the department of conservation and recreation (division of dam safety and floodplain management) and FEMA.

(16)

Upon the request of FEMA, complete and submit a report concerning participation in the NFIP which may request information regarding the number of buildings in the SFHA, number of permits issued for development in the SFHA, and number of variances issued for development in the SFHA.

(17)

It is the duty of the floodplain zoning administrator to take into account flood, mudslide and flood-related erosion hazards, to the extent that they are known, in all official actions relating to land management and use throughout the entire jurisdictional area of the community, whether or not those hazards have been specifically delineated geographically (e.g. via mapping or surveying).