§ 26-19. Definitions.

Unless specifically defined below, words or phrases used in this article shall be interpreted so as to give them the same meaning as they have in common usage and so as to give this article its most reasonable application:

Areas of special flood hazards means the land within a community subject to a one percent or greater chance of flooding in any given year. This land is identified as zone A4 of the official map.

Building inspector means the County of Gratiot Building Inspector.

Development means any manmade 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.

Flood means a temporary rise in a stream's flow, a stage that results in water overflowing its banks and that inundates areas adjacent to the channel, or an unusual and rapid accumulation of runoff or surface waters from any sources.

Floodproofing means any combination of structural and nonstructural additions, changes or adjustments to structures, including utility and sanitary facilities, which would preclude the entry of water. Structural components shall have the capability of resisting hydrostatic and hydrodynamic loads and the effects of buoyancy.

Habitable floor means any floor used for living, which includes working, sleeping, eating, cooking or recreation or combination thereof. A floor used only for storage purposes is not a habitable floor.

Mobile home means a structure, transportable in one or more sections, which is built on a permanent chassis and designed to be used with or without a permanent foundation when connected to the required utilities. The term does not include recreational vehicles or travel trailers.

Mobile home park or mobile home subdivision means a parcel (or contiguous parcels) of land which has been divided into two or more lots for rent or sale and the placement of mobile homes.

100-year flood means the condition of flooding having a one percent chance of annual occurrence.

Regulatory flood elevation means the water surface elevation of the 100-year flood.

Structure means a walled and roofed structure, including a gas or liquid storage tank that is principally above the ground, including but without limitation to buildings, factories, sheds, cabins, mobile homes and other similar uses.

Substantial improvement means any repair, reconstruction or improvement of a structure, the cost of which equals or exceeds 50 percent of the market value of the structure either before the improvement is started or, if the structure has been damaged and is being restored, before the damage occured. For the purposes of this definition, the term "substantial improvement" is considered to occur when the first alteration of any wall, ceiling, floor or other structural part of the building commences, whether or not that alteration affects the external dimensions of the structure. The term does not, however, include any alteration to comply with existing state or local health, sanitary, building or safety codes or regulations as well as structures listed in national or state registers of historic places.

(Code 1961, § 7-711; Code 1984, § 14-1; Ord. No. 743, § 1, 8-23-2011)