Section 12-10-300.3 - Coastal High Hazard Areas (V Zones) Locations within the areas of special flood hazard are areas designated as Coastal High Hazard Areas. These areas have special flood hazard associated with wave wash. The following provisions shall apply:
1. All new buildings or structures shall be located landward of the reach of the mean high tide, and shall be securely anchored on pilings or columns; 2. All new buildings or structures shall be elevated so that the bottom of the lowest supporting horizontal member (excluding pilings or columns) is located no lower than one (1) foot above the base flood elevation level, with all space below the lowest supporting member open so as not to impede the flow of water. Breakaway walls may be permitted and must be designed to wash away in the event of abnormal wave action; 3. All buildings or structures shall be securely anchored on pilings or columns; 4. All pilings and columns and the attached structures shall be anchored to resist flotation, collapse, and lateral movement due to the effect of wind water loads acting simultaneously on all buildings components. The anchoring and support systems shall be designed with wind and water loading values which equal or exceed the 100 year mean recurrence interval (one percent annual chance flood); 5. A professional engineer or architect (registered in Mississippi) shall certify that the design, specifications and plans for construction are in compliance with the provisions contained in Section 300, Paragraph 300.2 of these regulations; 6. There shall be no fill used as structural support. Non-compacted fill may be used around the perimeter of a building for landscaping / aesthetic purposes provided the fill will wash out from storm surge, (thereby rendering the building free of obstruction) prior to generating excessive loading forces, ramping effects or wave deflection; 7. The State Property Floodplain Manager shall approve design plans for landscaping/aesthetic fill only after the applicant has provided an analysis by an engineer, architect, and/or soil scientist (registered in Mississippi), which demonstrates that the following factors have been fully considered: i. Particle composition of fill material does not have a tendency for excessive natural compaction; ii. Volume and distribution of fill will not cause a wave deflection to adjacent properties; iii. Slope of fill will not cause wave rum-up or ramping; 8. There shall be no alteration of sand dunes or mangrove stands which would increase potential flood damage; 9. "Non-supporting breakaway walls, open lattice-work, or mesh screening shall be allowed below the base of flood elevation provided they are not part of the structural support of the building and are designed so as to breakaway, under abnormally high tides or wave action, without damage to the structural integrity of the building on which they are to be used and provided the following design specifications are met: i. Design safe loading resistance of each wall shall not less than 10 nor more than 20 pounds per square foot: or ii. If more than 20 pounds per square foot, a registered (in Mississippi) professional engineer or architect shall certify that the design wall collapse would result from water load less than that which would occur during the base flood event and the elevated portion of the building and supporting foundation system shall not be subject to collapse, displacement, or other structural damage due to the effects of wind and water loads acting simultaneously on all building components during the base flood event; iii. If breakaway walls are utilized, such enclosed space shall not be designed to be used for human habitation, but shall be designed to be used for parking of vehicles, building access, or limited storage of maintenance equipment used in connection with premises; iv. Prior to construction, plans for any structures that will have breakaway walls, lattice work or decorative screening must be submitted to the State Property Floodplain Manager for approval; v. Any alteration, repair, reconstruction or improvement to a structure shall nit except with breakaway walls, lattice work it decorative screening as provided for decorative screening as provided for in Section 300. 10. The placement of manufactured homes (mobile homes) in V Zones is prohibited. 11. All new structures shall be located on the lot so as to minimize exposure to coastal hazards and shoreline erosion, and to accommodate primary frontal sand dunes. Structures should be located outside of the V-Zone, to the greatest extent possible. Building setback requirements should consider predicted future erosion rates, or historical erosion rates. 12. Retaining walls, landscaping, dune crossovers and other non-essential accessory structures shall be designed and located to minimize impacts to sand dunes. Primary frontal dunes shall not be altered unless a qualified engineer demonstrates and certifies that flood risk will not be increased to the subject, or other, properties. Activities which reduce the volume of sand on the dunes or beach can generally be presumed to increase flood risk to landward locations. Adding sand volume to the dune or beach can generally be presumed to not increase flood risk. 12 Miss. Code. R. 10-300.3