CFM CFM Floodplain Development & Permitting 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under the NFIP, what threshold defines 'substantial improvement' to a structure in a Special Flood Hazard Area?
- 25% of market value
- 33% of market value
- 50% of market value (Correct answer)
- 75% of market value
Correct answer: 50% of market value
Substantial improvement means any reconstruction, rehabilitation, or improvement whose cost equals or exceeds 50% of the structure's pre-improvement market value.
Question 2: Which document must a floodplain administrator issue before any development occurs within a Special Flood Hazard Area?
- Certificate of Occupancy
- Elevation Certificate
- Floodplain Development Permit (Correct answer)
- Letter of Map Amendment
Correct answer: Floodplain Development Permit
A Floodplain Development Permit must be issued by the local floodplain administrator prior to any development activity within an SFHA.
Question 3: A community grants a variance to allow construction below the Base Flood Elevation. What notice must be provided to the applicant?
- Notice that flood insurance will be unavailable
- Written notice that the structure will be in a high-risk flood zone
- Written notice that the structure will be subject to increased flood insurance premiums (Correct answer)
- Notice that the building permit is automatically voided
Correct answer: Written notice that the structure will be subject to increased flood insurance premiums
NFIP regulations require that applicants receiving variances be notified in writing that flood insurance premiums will be substantially increased for structures built below BFE.
Question 4: What is the primary criterion for granting a variance from NFIP floodplain management standards?
- Good cause shown by the applicant
- Unique hardship due to the physical characteristics of the property (Correct answer)
- Community financial need
- Approval from FEMA Region office
Correct answer: Unique hardship due to the physical characteristics of the property
Variances may be granted when a property has unique physical characteristics that make strict compliance an exceptional hardship, not merely economic inconvenience.
Question 5: Which of the following is NOT considered 'development' under NFIP definitions?
- Grading and filling
- Drilling a well
- Installing a fence
- Routine lawn mowing and landscaping maintenance (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Routine lawn mowing and landscaping maintenance
Routine maintenance such as mowing does not constitute development; development includes any manmade change to improved or unimproved real estate including grading, filling, and construction.
Question 6: Under NFIP, what is the minimum lowest floor elevation requirement for a new residential structure in Zone AE?
- At or above the 500-year flood elevation
- At or above the Base Flood Elevation (Correct answer)
- One foot above the Base Flood Elevation
- Two feet above the Base Flood Elevation
Correct answer: At or above the Base Flood Elevation
NFIP minimum standards require the lowest floor of new residential construction in Zone AE to be at or above the Base Flood Elevation, though communities may adopt higher freeboard standards.
CFM CFM Floodplain Development & Permitting 1
Under the NFIP, what threshold defines 'substantial improvement' to a structure in a Special Flood Hazard Area?