15.55.100 Floodplain development permit.
A. A floodplain development permit shall be obtained before construction or development begins within the SFHA. The permit shall be obtained for all development as defined in Section 15.55.060. The permit is not required within areas mapped Zone X.
B. Activities that do not meet the definition of “development” are allowed in the SFHA without the need for a floodplain development permit under this chapter, provided all other federal, state, and local requirements are met. The following are examples of activities not considered “development” or “manmade changes to improved or unimproved real estate”:
1. Routine maintenance of landscaping that does not involve grading, excavation, or filling;
2. Removal of noxious weeds and hazard trees and replacement of nonnative vegetation with native vegetation;
3. Normal maintenance of structures, such as reroofing and replacing siding, provided such work does not qualify as a substantial improvement;
4. Normal maintenance of above ground utilities and facilities, such as replacing downed power lines and utility poles;
5. Normal street and road maintenance, including filling potholes, repaving, and installing signs and traffic signals, but not including expansion of paved areas;
6. Plowing and other normal farm practices (other than structures or filling) on farms.
C. If there has been no start of construction, a floodplain development permit shall expire one hundred eighty (180) days after the date of issuance. Where the applicant documents a need for an extension beyond this period due to conditions beyond the applicant’s control, the floodplain administrator may authorize one or more extensions.