Terms Used In Arizona Laws > Title 48 > Chapter 21 - Flood Control Districts

• Action: includes any matter or proceeding in a court, civil or criminal. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Adjourn: A motion to adjourn a legislative chamber or a committee, if passed, ends that day's session.
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Appraisal: A determination of property value.
• Area of jurisdiction: means the incorporated and unincorporated areas of the county, including public lands, excluding those incorporated areas of cities or towns which have elected to assume floodplain management powers and duties pursuant to section 48-3610. See Arizona Laws 48-3601
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• base flood: means a flood that has a one per cent chance of being equalled or exceeded in a one year period, based on the criteria established by the director of water resources. See Arizona Laws 48-3601
• Board: means the board of directors of a flood control district organized under this article. See Arizona Laws 48-3601
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Development: means any man-made change to improved or unimproved real estate, including buildings or other structures, mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation or drilling operations or storage of equipment or materials. See Arizona Laws 48-3601
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• District: means a flood control district organized pursuant to this article. See Arizona Laws 48-3601
• District: means a district organized pursuant to article 1 of this chapter. See Arizona Laws 48-3641
• Emergency: means a situation that creates an immediate threat to the health or safety of a person or property caused by flood, earthquake, hurricane, tornado, explosion, fire or other catastrophe. See Arizona Laws 48-3641
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Ex officio: Literally, by virtue of one's office.
• Federal Reserve System: The central bank of the United States. The Fed, as it is commonly called, regulates the U.S. monetary and financial system. The Federal Reserve System is composed of a central governmental agency in Washington, D.C. (the Board of Governors) and twelve regional Federal Reserve Banks in major cities throughout the United States. ^{Source: OCC}
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Floodplain: means any areas in a watercourse which have been or may be covered partially or wholly by floodwater from the one hundred-year flood. See Arizona Laws 48-3601
• Floodplain regulations: means the codes, ordinances and other regulations adopted pursuant to this article relating to the use of land and construction within the floodway and floodplain areas. See Arizona Laws 48-3601
• floodwaters: means a temporary rise in water level including groundwater or overflow of water onto lands not normally covered by water. See Arizona Laws 48-3601
• Floodway: means the area of a river or other watercourse and the adjacent land areas necessary in order to discharge the one hundred-year flood without cumulatively increasing the water surface elevation more than one foot. See Arizona Laws 48-3601
• Grantee: includes every person to whom an estate or interest in real property passes, in or by a deed. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• including: means not limited to and is not a term of exclusion. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• License: includes the whole or part of any district permit, certificate, approval, registration, charter or similar form of permission required by law. See Arizona Laws 48-3641
• Licensing: includes the district process respecting the grant, denial, renewal, revocation, suspension, annulment, withdrawal or amendment of a license. See Arizona Laws 48-3641
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• Month: means a calendar month unless otherwise expressed. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Person: means an individual or the individual's agent, a firm, partnership, association or corporation, or an agent of the aforementioned groups, or this state or its agencies or political subdivisions. See Arizona Laws 48-3601
• Person: means an individual, partnership, corporation, association, governmental subdivision or unit of a governmental subdivision or a public or private organization of any character. See Arizona Laws 48-3641
• Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
• Population: means the population according to the most recent United States decennial census. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Process: means a citation, writ or summons issued in the course of judicial proceedings. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Property: includes both real and personal property. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Regulatory flood elevation: means the elevation which is one foot above the base flood elevation for a watercourse for which the base flood elevation has been determined and shall be as determined by the criteria developed by the director of water resources for all other watercourses. See Arizona Laws 48-3601
• Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
• Request for corrections: means seeking a technical or clarifying correction from an applicant who has submitted an administratively complete application for a license. See Arizona Laws 48-3641
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Substantive policy statement: means a written expression that is only advisory and that informs the general public of a district's current approach to, or opinion of, the requirements of the ordinances or regulations, including, if appropriate, the district's current practice, procedure or method of action based on that approach or opinion. See Arizona Laws 48-3641
• Temporary restraining order: Prohibits a person from an action that is likely to cause irreparable harm. This differs from an injunction in that it may be granted immediately, without notice to the opposing party, and without a hearing. It is intended to last only until a hearing can be held.
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• United States: includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Watercourse: means a lake, river, creek, stream, wash, arroyo, channel or other topographic feature on or over which waters flow at least periodically. See Arizona Laws 48-3601
• Writing: includes printing. See Arizona Laws 1-215