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New construction and substantial improvement of any residential <br />structure shall have the lowest floor, including basement, elevated <br />to a minimum of one foot above the base flood elevation. <br />2. Fully enclosed areas below the lowest floor that are subject to <br />flooding are prohibited, or shall be designed to automatically <br />equalize hydrostatic flood forces on exterior walls by allowing for <br />the entry and exit of floodwaters. Designs for meeting this <br />requirement must either be certified by a registered professional <br />engineer or architect or must meet or exceed the following <br />minimum criteria: <br />a. A minimum of two openings having a total net area of not <br />less than one square inch for every square foot of enclosed <br />area subject to flooding shall be provided. <br />The bottom of all openings shall be no higher than one foot <br />above grade. <br />C. Openings may be equipped with screens, louvers, or other <br />coverings or devices provided that they permit the automatic <br />entry and exit of floodwaters. <br />(b) Nonresidential Construction. New construction and substantial <br />improvement of any commercial, industrial or other nonresidential <br />structure shall either have the lowest floor, including basement, elevated <br />to the level of the base flood elevation; or, together with attendant utility <br />and sanitary facilities, shall: <br />Be flood proofed so that below the base flood level the structure is <br />watertight with walls substantially impermeable to the passage of <br />water; <br />2. Have structural components capable of resisting hydrostatic and <br />hydrodynamic loads and effects of buoyancy; <br />3. Be certified by a registered professional engineer or architect that <br />the design and methods of construction are in accordance with <br />accepted standards of practice for meeting provisions of this <br />subsection based on their development and/or review of the <br />structural design, specifications and plans. Such certifications <br />shall be provided to the building official as required in section <br />9.6707. <br />4. Nonresidential structures that are elevated, not floodproofed, must <br />meet the same standards for space below the lowest floor as <br />described in subparagraph (2)(a)2. of this section. <br />2016 P1DS Manual, Appendix B-4 B-4-8 <br />