Substantial Damage/Improvement Guidelines

Hillsborough County is a qualifying community under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) by adopting and enforcing regulations and codes that apply to all development within the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). As a result, our community participates in the Community Rating System (CRS) a credit criteria-based incentive program. The purpose of the CRS program is to support the NFIP regulations. The county’s participation requires strict adherence to implement floodplain management practices that exceed the Federal minimum program requirements of the NFIP to provide protection from flooding. In doing so, the CRS provides flood insurance premium rate reductions to policyholders. As an NFIP requirement, Hillsborough County has adopted a Floodplain Management Ordinance. Please reference Chapter 3 of the Hillsborough County Construction Code (HCCC), Flood Damage Control Regulations for development requirements within the SFHA.

Completed substantial improvement worksheets will be evaluated with the permit application to determine if the proposed scope of work constitutes a substantial improvement, or repair of substantial damage:

1. Complete the Substantial Improvement Substantial Damage Worksheet; Pages 1 through 10. Ensure all pages are legible. Indicate the owner’s name, property address and if the scope of work is an addition, remodeling, or repair and the year the structure was built. Information can be obtained from the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser website.
2. Complete and sign the Contractor and Owner Attestation. Include overhead and profit.
3. Complete the Substantial Improvement/Substantial Damage Cost Breakdown.
4. Complete the Substantial Improvement Calculator line items A-G on page 1 of the worksheet:
1. Part A: Building Market Value from the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser Website - FEMA 50% Rule (or provide a current Certified Appraisal).
2. Part B: Proposed Project Cost from the Contractor and Owner Attestation.
3. Part C: through E list the total cost of any past improvements during a 12-month period following the final inspection date.
4. Part F: total line items B) through E).
5. Part G: Enter 50% of the total building value from the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser - FEMA 50% Rule.

Substantial Improvement / Damage Cost Breakdown Items

Items to be included in estimating costs

The following list of costs that must be included is not intended to be exhaustive, but characterizes the types of costs that must be included:

• Material and labor, including the estimated value of donated or discounted materials and owner or volunteered labor
• Site preparation related to the improvement or repair
• Demolition and construction debris disposal
• Labor and other costs associated with demolishing, moving or altering building components to accommodate improvements, additions and making repairs
• Costs associated with complying with any other regulation or code required that is triggered by the work, including cost to comply with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• Contractors overhead and profit

Notice to property owners, contractors and design professionals; the value placed on all donated or discounted materials should be equal to the actual or estimated cost of such materials and must be included in the total cost of improvements. The value of donated or discounted materials should be equivalent to normal market values.

Property owners that undertake the improvements and repair project on their own must include the volunteer labor in the total cost of improvements. The rate should be equivalent to the normal market value or the going rate for labor. The value placed on labor should be estimated based on applicable minimum-hour wage scales for the skill and type of construction work that is done.

All structural elements and exterior finishes, including but not limited to:

• Foundations (e.g., excavation, spread or continuous foundation footings, perimeter walls, chain-walls, pilings, columns, posts, pilings etc.)
• Monolithic or other types of concrete slabs
• Bearing walls, tie beams and trusses
• Joists, beams, subflooring, framing and ceilings
• Interior non-bearing walls
• Exterior wall finishes (e.g., brick, stucco, siding, painting, trim and decorative molding)
• Windows and exterior doors
• Roofing, gutters and downspouts
• Hardware
• Attached decks and porches

All interior finish elements, including but not limited to:

• Floor finishes (e.g., hardwood, ceramic, vinyl, linoleum, stone and wall to wall carpet over sub-flooring)
• Bathroom tiling and fixtures
• Wall finishes (e.g., drywall, paint, stucco, plaster, paneling, marble or other decorative finishes)
• Built-in cabinets (e.g., kitchen, utility, entertainment, storage and bathroom)
• Interior doors
• Interior finish carpentry
• Built-in bookcases and furniture
• Hardware
• Insulation

All utility and service equipment, including but not limited to:

• Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment
• Plumbing fixtures and piping
• Electrical wiring, outlets and switches
• Light fixtures and ceiling fans
• Security systems
• Built-in appliances
• Central vacuum systems
• Water filtration, conditioning and recirculation system

Items that can be excluded

• Costs to obtain or prepare plans and specifications
• Land survey costs
• Permit fees and inspection fees
• Debris removal (e.g., removal of debris from building or lot, dumpster rental, transport fees to landfill and landfill tipping fees)
• Clean-up (e.g., dirt and mud removal, and building dry out)
• Carpeting and recarpeting installed over finished flooring such as wood or tiling
• Outside improvements, including landscaping, irrigation, sidewalks, driveways, fences, yard lights, swimming pools, pool enclosures and detached accessory structures (e.g., garages, sheds and gazebos)
• Plug in appliances (e.g., refrigerators, washing machines, dryers and stoves)
• Land value

Any project for improvement of a structure to correct existing violations of state or local health, sanitary, or safety code specifications which have been identified by the local code enforcement official and which are the minimum necessary to assure safe living conditions; or

Any alteration of a “historic structure” provided that the alteration would not preclude the structure’s continued designation as a “historic structure.”

The cost of any previous work (during a 12-month period following the date of final inspection) shall also be added to the cost of the improvement, to include overhead and profit.

If the cost of improvement equals or exceeds 50 percent of the market value of the structure before the “start of construction” of the improvement, the project will be deemed a substantial improvement; then the existing structure must be evaluated to determine if the structure must be brought into compliance with the HCCC Flood Damage Control Regulations, NFIP floodplain management (and building code) requirements.

Verify the applicable flood zone(s) and base flood elevation(s) (BFE) using the FEMA Flood Map Service Center.

Definitions

Substantial improvement (SI); as defined in Title 44 of the Code of Federal Regulations § 59.1, means any reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition or other improvement of a structure, the cost of which equals or exceeds 50 percent of the market value of the structure before the “start of construction” of the improvement. This term includes structures that have incurred “substantial damage,” regardless of the actual repair work performed.

The term does not include either:

1. Any project for improvement of a structure to correct existing violations of state or local health, sanitary, or safety code specifications which have been identified by the local code enforcement official and which are the minimum necessary to ensure safe living conditions or
2. Any alteration of a “historic structure”, provided that the alteration will not preclude the structure’s continued designation as a “historic structure”.

Substantial damage (SD); as defined in Title 44 of the Code of Federal Regulations § 59.1, means damage of any origin sustained by a structure whereby the cost of restoring the structure to its before damaged condition would equal or exceed 50 percent of the market value of the structure before the damage occurred.

Appraised value; appraised value is defined as either (1) one hundred and twenty percent (120%) of the assessed value of the structure as indicated by the County Property Appraiser’s Office or (2) the value as indicated in a certified uniform appraisal report based upon comparable sales, which is not a limited-summary appraisal report. For floodplain management purposes, the appraised market value is based on the County Property Appraiser’s assessed structure value or the commercially appraised depreciated structure value. When used for the purposes of determining substantial improvement, it pertains only to the value of the structure. It does not pertain to the land, landscaping, detached accessory structures, or other site improvements (for example, docks, seawalls, and gazebos). (Reference; HCCC Chapter 4 Definitions)

Market value; the term refers to the market value of buildings and structures, excluding the land and other improvements on the parcel. Market value may be established by a qualified independent appraiser, Actual Cash Value (replacement cost depreciated for age and quality of construction), or one hundred and twenty percent (120%) of the tax assessment value as indicated by the County Property Appraiser’s Office. (Reference; HCCC Chapter 4 Definitions)

Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) effective date; The date on which Flood Insurance Rate Maps were made effective for unincorporated Hillsborough County is June 18, 1980. (Reference; HCCC Chapter 4 Definitions)

Pre-FIRM construction; for floodplain management purposes, is associated with structures for which the “start of construction” commenced before June 18, 1980 (unincorporated Hillsborough County effective date of the Flood Insurance Rate Map(s). This term may also be referred to as “existing structures”. (Reference; HCCC Chapter 4 Definitions)

Design Flood Elevation; the elevation of the “design flood,” including wave height, relative to the datum specified on the community’s legally designated flood hazard map. In areas designated as Zone AO, the design flood elevation shall be the elevation of the highest existing grade of the building’s perimeter plus the depth number (in feet) specified on the flood hazard map. In areas designated as Zone AO where the depth number is not specified on the map, the depth number shall be taken as being equal to 2 feet. (Reference; HCCC Chapter 4 Definitions)

• Complete the Substantial Improvement Substantial Damage Worksheet