What does PACT mean to me?
Suppose your family is lucky enough to own a modest cottage in Ocean City. It may not be anything fancy, but it’s home.
Scroll down to see what will happen if the state enacts its proposed new “Protecting Against Climate Threat” (PACT) rules.
You decide to replace windows.
-
New rules come in play.
"Ordinary maintenance and minor work," like the replacement of in-kind windows, doors, cablnets and decks, never before required permits. But now municipalities must add that type of work to the running tab they have been keeping on every improvement you make ...
-
The count is on.
... Remember, the floodplain administrator is watching. If your improvements reach 50 percent of the market value of your house (not including the value of your land), you will have to elevate your home. The assessed value of your cottage is about $80,000, so if you make $40,000 worth of improvements within a 1-year period, it's game on.
-
You need new kitchen cabinets.
That doesn't seem like too much to ask ...
-
Starting to play with fire.
... But now you've made $30,000 worth of improvements ... and the floodplain administrator is counting.
-
And the back deck was in bad shape.
It wasn't really something you could ignore ...
-
Uh-oh
... You've reached the threshold.
