

[Federal Register: November 23, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 225)]
[Notices]               
[Page 70868-70873]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr23no05-118]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Federal Emergency Management Agency

 
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of 
Homeland Security.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Emergency Management Agency, as part of its 
continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites 
the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity 
to comment on proposed revision of a currently approved information 
collection. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 
U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), this notice seeks comments concerning the 
community inspection report, which is the subject of this information 
collection submission. The community inspection report will be used in 
the implementation of the inspection procedure in the Monroe County, 
the City of Marathon, and the Village of Islamorada, Florida and any 
other community that incorporates in Monroe County on or after January 
1, 1999. The inspection procedure has two major purposes: (1) To help 
the communities of Monroe County, City of Marathon, the Village of 
Islamorada, Florida, and any other communities in Monroe County that 
incorporate after January 1, 1999 verify that structures in their 
communities (those built after the effective date of the Flood 
Insurance Rate Map (FIRM), referred to as Post-FIRM) comply with the 
community's floodplain management ordinance; and (2) to ensure that 
property owners pay flood insurance premiums commensurate with their 
flood risk.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The community inspection report, which is 
the subject of this information collection submission, will be used in 
the implementation of the inspection procedure in the Monroe County, 
the City of Marathon, and the Village of Islamorada, Florida and any 
other community that incorporates in Monroe County on or after January 
1, 1999. The inspection procedure has two major purposes: (1) To help 
the communities of Monroe County, City of Marathon, the Village of 
Islamorada, Florida, and any other communities in Monroe County that 
incorporate after January 1, 1999 verify that structures in their 
communities (those built after the effective date of the Flood 
Insurance Rate Map (FIRM), referred to as Post-FIRM) comply with the 
community's floodplain management ordinance; and (2) to ensure that 
property owners pay flood insurance premiums commensurate with their 
flood risk.
    The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) was established by the 
National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (Pub. L. 90-448), as amended. The 
Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 (Pub. L. 93-234) and the National 
Flood Insurance Reform Act of 1994 (Pub. L. 103-325) made significant 
changes to the program. The primary purposes of the NFIP are to: (1) 
Better indemnify individuals for flood losses through insurance; (2) 
reduce future flood damages through state and community floodplain 
management regulations; and (3) reduce federal expenditures for 
disaster assistance and flood control. The NFIP makes Federally-backed 
flood insurance coverage available only in those communities that adopt 
and enforce a floodplain management ordinance to regulate new 
development in flood hazard areas. Over 19,000 communities participate 
in the NFIP.
    The concept behind the program is that the communities would join 
the NFIP to make their citizens eligible to purchase subsidized flood 
insurance for existing buildings. It was recognized that insurance for 
many of these buildings would be prohibitively expensive if the premium 
were not subsidized. It was also recognized that most of these flood 
prone buildings were built by individuals that did not have sufficient 
knowledge of the hazard to make informed decisions.
    In exchange for the availability of this subsidized insurance, 
communities would protect new construction through adoption and 
enforcement of community floodplain management ordinances. Owners of 
these new buildings (those built after the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency (FEMA) had identified flood hazards in the community) would pay 
actuarial rates for flood insurance that fully reflect the risk to the 
building.
    Community floodplain management regulations require that 
residential buildings be elevated to or above the elevation of the base 
flood (the flood that has a 1 percent chance of occurring during any 
given year, also known as the 100-year flood). Non-residential 
buildings can either be elevated or flood proofed (made watertight) to 
the base flood. Without community oversight of building activities and 
development in the floodplain, the best efforts of some to reduce flood 
losses could be undermined or destroyed by the careless building of 
others. Community enforcement of a floodplain management ordinance is 
critical in protecting a building from future flood damages, in 
reducing taxpayer funded disaster assistance, and also in keeping flood 
insurance rates affordable.
    The purpose of the inspection procedures is to require owners of 
insured buildings (policyholders) to obtain an inspection from 
community floodplain management officials and submit a community 
inspection report as a condition of renewing the Standard Flood 
Insurance Policy (SFIP) on the building. The community inspection 
report, which is the subject of this information collection submission, 
will materially assist in reducing the number of buildings at risk to 
flood losses. The inspection procedure has two major purposes: (1) To 
help the pilot

[[Page 70869]]

communities for this inspection procedure, Monroe County, City of 
Marathon, and the Village of Islamorada, Florida, and any community 
that incorporates after January 1, 1999 verify that structures in their 
communities (those built after the effective date of the FIRM, or post-
FIRM) comply with the community's floodplain management ordinance; and 
(2) to ensure that property owners pay flood insurance premiums 
commensurate with their flood risk. Post-FIRM construction is charged 
an actuarial rate that must fully reflect the risk of flooding. The 
community inspection report will be needed to effectively implement the 
inspection procedure. The community inspection report will be used to 
document whether the insured building is in compliance with the 
community's floodplain management ordinance. The inspection report will 
also assist FEMA to ensure that property owners are paying flood 
insurance premiums commensurate with their flood risk.
    Under the NFIP Floodplain Management Regulations at 44 CFR 60.3, 
all new construction and substantial improvements of structures in A 
Zones on the community's FIRM must have any enclosed areas below the 
lowest floor of an elevated building designed to include openings to 
equalize hydrostatic flood pressure on exterior walls by allowing for 
the automatic entry and exit of floodwaters. In V Zones, new 
construction and substantial improvements must have the space below the 
lowest floor either free of obstruction or constructed with open wood 
lattice-work, insect screening, or non-supporting breakaway walls, 
intended to collapse under wind and water loads without causing 
collapse, displacement, or other structural damage to the elevated 
portion of the building or supporting foundation system. In both A and 
V Zones on the community's FIRM, the area below the lowest floor of an 
elevated building can only be used for parking of vehicles, building 
access, or storage.
    In addition, owners must build the area below the lowest floor of 
an elevated building using flood resistant materials and must use 
construction methods and practices that minimize flood damages. Owners 
must also build with electrical, ventilation, plumbing, and air 
conditioning equipment and other service facilities that are designed 
or located so as to prevent water from entering or accumulating within 
the components during conditions of flooding.
    FEMA conducted a Community Assistance Visit (CAV) in Monroe County, 
Florida, in 1982, 1987, and in 1995. The purpose of a CAV is to assess 
an NFIP community's floodplain management program and to provide 
whatever assistance the community needs to administer its floodplain 
management ordinance effectively when program deficiencies or 
violations are identified. One of the more serious problems that FEMA 
identified through the CAVs was the apparent widespread use of the 
enclosed area below the lowest floor of elevated buildings for uses 
other than parking of vehicles, building access, or storage. Follow-up 
contacts with Monroe County had indicated that it was unable to 
identify possible violations and remedy violations identified.
    There are several factors that have limited Monroe County's ability 
to determine whether a building with an enclosure complies with the 
county's floodplain management ordinance: (1) A provision in Florida 
laws exempts ``owner-occupied family residences'' from the 
administrative warrant inspection procedure provided under State law 
for identifying building-safety issues. Under Florida State law, entry 
by local officials into owner-occupied single family homes without 
consent of the owner requires a search warrant, which is extremely 
difficult to obtain. (2) It is often difficult from the street to 
determine whether the enclosed area below an elevated building contains 
uses other than parking of vehicles, building access, or storage. 
Although the County can seek consent and approval of the owner to 
inspect their property, the community has had limited success in 
identifying violations using this method. (3) The volume of possible 
violations is also a contributing factor in the community's ability to 
address this problem. Monroe County estimated that there are several 
thousand buildings with illegal enclosures below the lowest floor of an 
elevated building. Consequently, the community has had little success 
in identifying possible violations so that it could then require 
actions to remedy the violations to the maximum extent possible.
    Given these circumstances, Monroe County indicated its interest in 
participating in an inspection procedure. In January 1997, a Monroe 
County Citizen's Task Force, which was appointed by the Monroe County 
Board of County Commissioners to address the issue of illegal 
enclosures below the lowest floor of an elevated building, recommended 
establishment of a procedure to require an inspection and a compliance 
report prior to the renewal of a flood insurance policy. On June 11, 
1998, the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, Florida, 
passed a resolution that requested FEMA to establish an inspection 
procedure for the County as a means of verifying that insured buildings 
in the Special Flood Hazard Area under the NFIP comply with the 
County's floodplain management ordinance.
    The Village of Islamorada incorporated as a separate community 
within Monroe County in January 1998 and became a separate 
participating NFIP community on October 1, 1998. The Village of 
Islamorada encompasses four of the Florida Keys that would have been 
included as part of the inspection procedure in Monroe County. Because 
of possible illegal enclosures in the Village of Islamorada, the 
community indicated its interest in participating in the pilot 
inspection procedure in a letter dated September 24, 1998, in its 
application to join the NFIP.
    The City of Marathon incorporated as a separate community within 
Monroe County on November 2, 1999 and became a separate participating 
NFIP community on October 16, 2000. The City of Marathon encompasses 12 
miles of the Florida Keys that would have been included as part of the 
inspection procedure in Monroe County. Because of possible illegal 
enclosures in the City of Marathon, the community indicated its 
interest in participating in the pilot inspection procedure in a 
resolution titled, ``A Resolution of the City Council of the City of 
Marathon, Florida, Providing for Approval of the City's Participation 
in the National Flood Insurance Program's Pilot Inspection Program and 
Providing for an Effective Date'', which was passed and adopted on 
September 13, 2000.
    An interim final rule was published in the Federal Register on 
March 8, 2002 (67 FR 10631) that amended the NFIP regulations to 
clarify that areas of Monroe County that incorporate on or after 
January 1, 1999, and become eligible for the sale of flood insurance 
must participate in the inspection procedures as a condition of joining 
the NFIP. This requirement was specifically stated in the supplementary 
of the proposed rule (published in the Federal Register on May 5, 1999, 
64 FR 24256) and in the final rule (published in the Federal Register 
on June 27, 2000, 65 FR 39726) establishing the inspection procedure. 
However, this requirement was not clearly stated in the Appendices 
(A)(4), (A)(5), and (A)(6) of 44 CFR part 61, the endorsements to the 
Standard Flood Insurance Policy. The interim final rule amended 44 CFR 
59.30 and the appendices to make clearer that participation in the 
inspection

[[Page 70870]]

procedures is a requirement for any area within Monroe County that 
incorporates on or after January 1, 1999. FEMA will publish notices in 
the Federal Register when communities in Monroe County incorporate, 
agree to implement the pilot inspection procedure, and become eligible 
for the sale of flood insurance.
    Due to the fact that there has been widespread use of the enclosed 
area below the lowest floor of elevated buildings for uses other than 
parking of vehicles, building access or storage, the community 
inspection report will materially assist the communities in identifying 
and remedying the violation, thereby reduce the number of buildings 
exposed to significant flood losses. Furthermore, the collection of 
information will help FEMA ensure that the policyholders of buildings 
with illegal enclosures are paying premiums commensurate with their 
flood risk.
    The inspection procedure will be conducted in the communities of 
Monroe County, City of Marathon, the Village of Islamorada, and any 
other community in Monroe County that incorporates after January 1, 
1999. FEMA would make any decision to implement the inspection 
procedure in NFIP participating communities outside Monroe County only 
after completing the pilot inspection procedure within the selected 
communities and after an evaluation to determine how effective the 
procedure is in achieving NFIP building compliance. Implementation of 
the inspection procedure beyond Monroe County would require separate 
rulemaking and preparation of supporting materials for Paperwork 
Reduction Act submissions.

Collection of Information

    Title: Inspection of Insured Structures by Communities.
    Type of Information Collection: Extension of a currently approved 
collection.
    OMB Number: 1660-0045.
    Abstract: The purpose of the inspection procedure and need for the 
community inspection report is to:
    (1) To help the communities of Monroe County, City of Marathon, the 
Village of Islamorada, Florida, and any other community in Monroe 
County that incorporates after January 1, 1999 verify and document that 
post-FIRM structures in their communities comply with the community's 
floodplain management ordinance; and
    (2)To ensure that property owners pay flood insurance premiums 
commensurate with their flood risk due to the increased exposure to 
flood damages.
    The final rule (published in the Federal Register on June 27, 2000, 
65 FR 39726) and the interim final rule (published in the Federal 
Register on March 8, 2002, 67 FR 10631) established an inspection 
procedure in Monroe County, City of Marathon, the Village of 
Islamorada, Florida and any other community in Monroe County that 
incorporates after January 1, 1999 that would be built around the flood 
insurance policy renewal process. The requirement that a building be 
inspected by the community, as a condition of renewing the flood 
insurance policy on the building, would only apply to NFIP insured 
buildings in Special Flood Hazard Areas that are identified as possible 
violations by the community in which the property is located. The 
Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA) is an area that is based on a flood 
that would have a 1-percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any 
given year, referred to as the 100-year flood.
    Policyholders that have a flood insurance policy with a renewal 
effective date on and after the implementation date of the pilot 
inspection procedure would receive, along with their policy renewal 
notice, an endorsement established in Appendices (A)(4), (A)(5), and 
(A)(6) of 44 CFR part 61. The endorsement would provide that an 
inspection by the community may be required before a subsequent renewal 
of the flood insurance policy. Policies issued as new policies after 
the effective date for implementing the pilot inspection procedure 
would also contain the endorsement established in Appendices (A)(4), 
(A)(5), and (A)(6). The endorsement amended all flood insurance 
policies (pre-FIRM and post-FIRM) on buildings in Monroe County, City 
of Marathon, and the Village of Islamorada, Florida (there are 
approximately 28,771 flood insurance policies in these communities at 
the time of this submission). Pre-FIRM insured buildings are included 
for the endorsement since there may be some policies within this 
category that should be rated post-FIRM because they were misrated or 
substantially improved after the effective date of the community's 
FIRM. A notice describing the purpose of the inspection procedure would 
accompany the new endorsement to the Standard Flood Insurance Policy 
regarding the inspection procedure.
    Monroe County, City of Marathon, and the Village of Islamorada 
would identify possible violations and forward the list to FEMA. There 
are an estimated 2,000-4,000 number of insured buildings within the 
three communities that may be subject to an inspection based on the 
identification as possible violations. This estimate was reported to 
FEMA from the communities. Based on FEMA's review of floodplain 
development in these communities, FEMA is comfortable with this 
estimate.
    Monroe County, City of Marathon, and the Village of Islamorada 
would identify possible violations through a review of the pre-FIRM and 
post-FIRM flood insurance policies provided by FEMA and from a visual 
street inspection of the building, from tax records, and through a 
review of other documents on file in the community pertaining to the 
property and through other community procedures. For buildings 
identified by Monroe County, City of Marathon, and the Village of 
Islamorada as possible violations, the insurer of the flood insurance 
policy would send a notice to policyholders approximately 6 months 
before the policy expiration date. This notice would state that the 
policyholder must obtain an inspection from the community and submit 
the results of the property inspection as part of the renewal of the 
flood insurance policy by the end of the renewal grade period (30 days 
after date of the policy expiration). The insurer would send a reminder 
notice to the policyholder with the Renewal Notice about 45 to 60 days 
before the policy expires.
    The policyholder would be responsible for contacting the community 
to arrange for an inspection. The community would inspect the building 
to determine whether it complies with the community's floodplain 
management ordinance and document its findings in an inspection report. 
The community would provide two copies of the inspection report to the 
policyholder.
    If the policyholder obtained a timely inspection and sent the 
community's inspection report and the renewal premium payment to the 
insurer by the end of the renewal grace period, the insurer would renew 
the flood insurance policy whether or not the building has been 
identified as a violation by the community. The insurer would review 
the insurance policy for rerating upon review of the community 
inspection report. If the building was not properly rated to reflect 
the building's risk of flooding, the policy would be rerated to reflect 
that risk. If the community's inspection found a violation, the 
community would undertake an enforcement action in accordance with its 
floodplain management ordinance.
    If the policyholder did not obtain an inspection and submit an 
inspection report with the renewal premium

[[Page 70871]]

payment by the end of the renewal grace period (30 days after date of 
expiration), the flood insurance policy would not be renewed. The 
insurer would send a notice to the insured that the flood insurance 
policy expired and cannot be re-issued without the community inspection 
report.
    The communities will not be using a FEMA designed form in 
documenting the inspection of an insured structure. FEMA consulted with 
local officials from the communities participating in the inspection 
procedure on the type of existing building inspection reports they use 
to implement their floodplain management ordinance and we determined 
that the current community inspection documents could be used for 
purposes of implementing the inspection procedure and for purposes of 
determining whether the building's flood insurance policy needs to be 
rerated by insurer.
    The community inspection report is critical to the effective 
implementation of the inspection procedure. Without the inspection 
procedure, the Village of Islamorada, City of Marathon, and Monroe 
County would continue to have limited ability to inspect properties for 
illegal enclosures that violate their floodplain management ordinance 
and as a result, both communities would be unable to undertake 
appropriate actions to remedy the violations. There are several 
potential serious consequences if these structures continue to be in 
violation of the community's floodplain management ordinance.
    Allowing uses other than parking of vehicles, building access, or 
storage in the enclosed area below the Base Flood Elevation (elevation 
of the 100-year flood) significantly increases the flood damage 
potential to the area below the lowest floor of the elevated building. 
Improperly constructed enclosure walls and utilities can tear away and 
damage the upper portions of the elevated building exposing the 
building to greater damage. Improperly constructed enclosures can also 
result in flood forces being transferred to the elevated portion of the 
building with the potential for catastrophic damage. If a flood 
disaster occurs, the impact will go beyond the building itself. If the 
ground level enclosure is finished with living spaces, there is an 
increased risk to lives. Residents who live in these ground level 
enclosures may not be fully aware of the flood risk.
    Furthermore, there is limited coverage in this area for elevated 
post-FIRM buildings, as provided for in the Standard Flood Insurance 
Policy (SFIP) under Article 6--Property Not Covered. This provision of 
the SFIP, effective since October 1, 1983, limits coverage for 
enclosures, including personal property contained therein. FEMA does 
not cover such items as finished enclosure walls, floors, ceilings, and 
personal property such as rugs, carpets, and furniture. In 1983, FEMA 
limited the coverage for enclosed areas below elevated buildings due to 
the financial losses experienced in the NFIP when FEMA provided full 
coverage in these areas. Consequently, property owners and residents 
that may live in these lower enclosed areas may have significant 
uninsured losses in the event of a flood for finished items and 
contents below the lowest floor.
    However, in spite of the limited coverage afforded for these 
enclosed areas, they do affect the rating of the policy. Because of the 
increase in flood damage potential to the building resulting from flood 
forces being transferred to the elevated portion of the building, the 
damage potential must be recognized in the rates by adding rate 
loadings based on the size of the enclosure. In addition, the rates 
must also reflect whether the enclosure contains essential building 
elements which are covered, namely, sump pumps, well water tanks and 
pumps, electrical junction and circuit breaker boxes, elevators, 
natural gas tanks, pumps or tanks related to solar energy, cisterns, 
stairways and staircases attached to the building, and foundation 
elements that support the building. The collection of information from 
the policyholder in the inspection procedure will ensure that the 
policyholders of buildings with enclosures are paying premiums 
commensurate with their flood risk.
    Along with significant flood damages to the building and the 
potential for loss of life, the community, the State, and the Federal 
Government will be faced with costly outlays for flood fighting and 
rescue operations, response, and recovery as well as taxpayer funded 
disaster assistance.
    Under the inspection procedure, the policyholder will be required 
to obtain an inspection in order to renew the policy. This will be a 
one-time collection of information during the period of time for which 
the inspection procedure is to be implemented. Since the primary 
purpose of the inspection is to provide communities with a mechanism to 
ensure compliance with the floodplain management ordinance and for FEMA 
to verify flood insurance rates, less frequent collection of the 
information through the inspection report is not possible.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households and business or other 
for-profit.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: We expect a total of 2,000 to 
4,000 respondents (policyholders) to obtain an inspection from the 
community in which the property is located. This is the total estimated 
number of insured buildings that are possible violations of the 
community's floodplain management ordinance in Monroe County, City of 
Marathon, and the Village of Islamorada. The burden hours are 
calculated based on the maximum number of estimated respondents (4,000 
insured buildings). Monroe County, City of Marathon, and the Village of 
Islamorada will identify which insured buildings are possible 
violations of the community's floodplain management ordinance. It is 
anticipated that the inspection procedure will be implemented over a 
multi-year period in each community in order to inspect several hundred 
insured buildings identified as possible violations each year.
    It is estimated that Monroe County will inspect 500-700 insured 
buildings per year, the City of Marathon will inspect 200-400 insured 
buildings per year, and the Village of Islamorada will inspect 200-400 
insured buildings per year.
    The policyholders of insured buildings identified as possible 
violations by the community will receive a notice from their insurer 
approximately 6 months before the policy expiration date. This notice 
will state that the policyholder must obtain an inspection from the 
community and submit the results of the inspection as part of the 
renewal of the flood insurance policy by the end of the renewal grace 
period (30 days after date of the policy expiration). In addition, for 
each of the 2,000-4,000 insured buildings identified as a possible 
violation of the community's floodplain management ordinance, the 
following will apply:
     The policyholder will receive a reminder notice from the 
insurer regarding the inspection with the Renewal Notice about 45 to 60 
days before the policy expires.
     The policyholder is responsible for contacting the 
community to arrange for an inspection by a local official in the 
community in which the property is located.
     The policyholder will receive two copies of the inspection 
report from the community and submit one copy of the inspection report 
as part of the policy renewal process, which includes the payment of 
the premium.

[[Page 70872]]

     If the policyholder did not obtain an inspection and 
submit an inspection report with the renewal payment by the end of the 
renewal grade period (30 days after date of expiration), the flood 
insurance policy would not be renewed. The insurer would send a notice 
at expiration or shortly thereafter to the policyholder that the flood 
insurance policy expired and cannot be re-issued without the community 
inspection report.
    The flood insurance renewal notice and flood insurance application 
have previously been approved by OMB (OMB 1660-0045).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                 Frequency of                                      Total burden
    Number of respondents/Type of response         response               Burden hours                 hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4,000 policyholders to receive & read a notice               1  15 minutes (total for both                  1000
 that an inspection is required in order for                     notices).
 the flood insurance policy to be renewed.
 These 4,000 policyholders will also receive a
 reminder notice about 45-60 days before the
 policy expires.
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤-----------------
4,000 policyholders contact respective                       1  1-2.5 hours **..................          10,000
 community to arrange for an inspection of the
 property. Local official inspects the
 property with the policyholder or his/her
 designee. (Note: In any given year we expect
 several hundred policyholders to receive the
 notice and contact their community.)
 Compliant buildings should take less time to
 inspect compared to an insured building that
 is non-compliant.
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤-----------------
4,000 policyholders submit a copy of the                     1  8 minutes.......................             533
 inspection report with the renewal premium                  1  8 minutes.......................             107
 payment. 800 estimated no. of respondents
 that did not obtain an inspection. These
 respondents will be sent a notice at time of
 policy expiration that their flood insurance
 policy expired. (FEMA estimates that less
 than 20% of the 4,000 respondents will not
 obtain an inspection and as a result their
 flood insurance policy will not be renewed.)
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤-----------------
    *Total number of Burden Hours to implement  ..............                                            11,640
     the inspection procedure over a multi-
     year period.
        Annual (one-time) total burden hours    ..............                                                 3
         for each policyholder is
         approximately.
        Total annual burden for approximately   ..............                                             2,100
         500-700 inspections per year in
         Monroe County.
        Total annual burden for approximately   ..............                                             1,200
         200-400 inspections per year in the
         Village of Islamorada.
        Total annual burden for approximately   ..............                                            1,200
         200-400 inspections per year in the
         City of Marathon.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**FEMA has estimated that the amount of time to contact the community to arrange for the inspection and for the
  policyholder or his/her designee to be available to let the community official into the building to conduct
  the inspection will range from 1 hour to 2.5 hours.
*It is estimated that 2,000-4,000 buildings will need to be inspected over a multi-year period. On an annual
  basis, it is estimated that 900-1,500 buildings will be inspected each year when you combine the estimated
  annual inspections to be conducted by each community. The total number of inspections would not change with
  the incorporation of any community within Monroe County that joins the National Flood Insurance Program and
  agrees to participate in the inspection procedure after January 1, 1999. The estimated total number of
  inspections (2,000-4,000) remains the same. The addition of any other community only offsets the total number,
  burden hours, and costs in Monroe County.

    Estimated Cost: Communities generally charge a fee for permits and 
inspections as part of their administration of their zoning ordinance, 
building code, and floodplain management ordinance. It is estimated 
that it will cost the policyholder on average between $35 to $50.00 for 
each inspection. There may be expenses related to telephone calls and 
arranging for someone to be available at the property so that local 
officials can inspect the building. These expenses are estimated to be 
on average $15.00 per respondent. Therefore, policyholders who are 
required to obtain an inspection as a condition of renewing the flood 
insurance policy and who obtain that inspection, it is estimated to 
cost on average $65.00 per policyholder. For approximately 900 to 1,500 
inspections per year, the total annual cost burden to respondents is 
estimated to be between $58,500 and $97,500.

COMMENTS: Written comments are solicited to (a) Evaluate whether the 
proposed data collection is necessary for the proper performance of the 
agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; 
(b) evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used; (c) enhance the quality, utility, and 
clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) minimize the burden 
of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including 
through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or 
other technological collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses. 
Comments should be received within 60 days of the date of this notice.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons should submit written comments to Chief, 
Records Management Section, Information Resources Management Branch, 
Information Technology Services Division, Federal Emergency Management 
Agency, Department of Homeland Security, 500 C Street, SW., Room 316, 
Washington, DC 20472.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Rachel Sears, Program 
Specialist, Mitigation Division, (202)646-2977 for additional 
information. You may contact the Records Management Branch for copies 
of the proposed collection of information at facsimile number (202) 
646-3347 or e-mail address: FEMA-Information-Collections@dhs.gov.


[[Page 70873]]


    Dated: November 3, 2005.
Darcy Bingham,
Branch Chief, Information Resources Management Branch, Information 
Technology Services Division.
[FR Doc. 05-23135 Filed 11-22-05; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 9110-11-P
