Certification: I hereby certify that I have examined this application and know the information contained
therein to be correct. I understand that the granting of a permit does not grant authority to violate or ignore any
law, that this permit authorizes only the work described herein and will expire, unless otherwise noted, in one
year from the date of issuance.
Applicant
Signature:___________________________________________ Date: ______________
STAFF USE ONLY
APPROVALS REQUIRED: APPROVED BY
THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS APPLY TO THIS APPROVAL:
APPROVED BY: _____________________________________________ DATE: __________________
ADMIN ID.: _______
General Building Permit Instructions
The flood plain development regulations are mandated the Federal
Emergency Management Agency and are common sense guidelines to
minimize the damage caused by a catastrophic flood and improve the
resiliency of City infrastructure.
However, given that these design guidelines can be costly when it comes to
existing structures, the guidelines do not apply to improvements to
existing buildings which are not a “substantial improvement”. A
“substantial improvement” is:
Any reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, or other improvement of a
structure, the cost of which equals or exceeds 50% of the market value of
the structure before the start of construction of the improvement. . . . . The
term does not, however, include either:
A. Any project for improvement of a structure to correct
existing violations of . . . code[s] . . . identified by the local
code enforcement official and which are the minimum necessary
to assure safe living conditions; or
B. Any alteration of an historic structure, provided that the
alteration will not preclude the structure's continued
designation as an historic structure.
An “historic structure” is any structure that is:
A. Listed individually in the National Register of Historic
Places . . . or preliminarily determined by the Secretary of the
Interior as meeting the requirements for individual listing on the
National Register;
B. Certified or preliminarily determined by the Secretary of the
Interior as contributing to the historical significance of a
registered historic district or a district preliminarily determined
by the Secretary to qualify as a registered historic district;
C. Individually listed on a state inventory of historic places . . . ; or
D. Individually listed on a local inventory of historic places in
communities with historic preservation programs that have been
certified either:
(1) By an approved state program as determined by the
Secretary of the Interior; or
(2) Directly by the Secretary of the Interior in states
without approved programs.
What follows here are the most often applicable provisions of the Albany
City Code development guidelines:
§ 375-168. Anchoring. New structures and substantial improvement to
structures in areas of special flood hazard shall be anchored . . . .
§ 375-169. Construction materials and methods.
A. New construction and substantial improvements to structures shall be
constructed with materials and utility equipment resistant to flood
damage.
. . .
C. Enclosed areas below lowest floor.
(1) For enclosed areas below the lowest floor of a structure within
Zones . . . AE . . . new and substantially improved structures shall
have fully enclosed areas below the lowest floor that
are usable solely for the parking of vehicles, building
access or storage in an area other than a basement and
which are subject to flooding, designed to
automatically equalize hydrostatic flood forces on
exterior walls by allowing for the entry and exit of
floodwaters. Designs . . . must either be certified by a licensed
professional engineer or architect or meet or exceed the following
minimum criteria:
a. A minimum of two openings having a total net area of not less
than one square inch for every square foot of enclosed area
subject to flooding; and
b. The bottom of all such openings no higher than one foot above
the lowest adjacent finished grade.
. . .
§ 375-170. Utilities.
A. New and replacement electrical equipment . . . shall be
located at least two feet above the base flood elevation or
be designed to prevent water from entering and
accumulating within the components during a flood and to
resist hydrostatic and hydrodynamic loads and stresses. Electrical
wiring and outlets, switches, junction boxes and panels
shall also elevated or designed to prevent water from entering and
accumulating within the components unless they conform to the
appropriate provisions of the electrical part of the Building Code of
New York State or the Residential Code of New York State for location
of such items in wet locations;
For a full explanation of the floodplain development guidelines and the
process by which you may obtain a variance from the guidelines, please see
our flood plain development guides.
BRC Form 025 Page 2 of 2
