(B) Definitions
(1) "Agency" means
the state, state agency, or person
any entity utilizing federal funds or federal financial
assistance for a project or program that acquires real property or
displaces a person.
(a) "Acquiring agency" means a state
agency, person, private agency or public agency which has the authority to
acquire property by eminent domain under state law, and a state agency, private
agency or public agency or person which does not have such
authority.
(b)(a) "Displacing agency"
means any state agency, person, private agency or public agency or person
carrying out a program or project with federal financial assistance, which
causes a person to be a displaced person.
(c)(b) "Federal agency"
means any department, agency or instrumentality in the executive branch of the
United States government, any wholly owned
United States government corporation, the
architect of the capitol, the federal reserve banks, and branches thereof, and
any person who has the authority to acquire property by eminent domain under
federal law.
(d)(c) "State agency"
means any department, agency or instrumentality of the state or of a political
subdivision of the state, any department, agency, or instrumentality of two or
more states or of two or more political subdivisions of a state or states, and
any person who has the authority to acquire property by eminent domain under
state law.
(e)(d) "Public agency"
means any governmental corporation, unit, organization, or officer authorized
by law to appropriate property in the courts of this state. "Private agency"
means any other corporation, firm, partnership, voluntary association,
joint-stock association, or company authorized by law to appropriate property
in the courts of this state. "Agency" includes any public agency or private
agency.
(2)
Alien not lawfully present in the United
States.
"Alien not lawfully present in the
United States" means:
The phrase "alien not lawfully
present in the United States" means an alien who is not "lawfully
present" in the United States as defined in 8 CFR
103.12 (2011)
and includes:
(a) An alien present in
the United States who has not been admitted or paroled into the United States
pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act
8 U.S.C.
1101 et seq. (2013) and whose stay in the
United States has not been authorized by the
United
States attorney
secretary of homeland
securitygeneral; and,
(b) An alien who is present in the United
States after the expiration of the period of stay authorized by the United
States attorney general or who otherwise violates the terms and conditions of
admission, parole or authorization to stay in the United States.
(c)
When an agency
has reason to believe a person's certification is invalid, an agency must
obtain verification of the person's status by using the "Systematic Alien
Verification for Entitlements" (SAVE) program administered by USCIS to verify
immigration status rather than the previous requirement to contact the local
bureau of citizenship and immigration services.
(3) "Appraisal" means a written statement
independently and impartially prepared by a qualified appraiser setting forth
an opinion of defined value of an adequately described property as of a
specific date, supported by the presentation and analysis of relevant market
information.
(4) "Business" means
any lawful activity, except a farm operation, that is conducted:
(a) Primarily for the purchase, sale, lease
and/or rental of personal and/or real property, and/or for the manufacture,
processing, and/or marketing of products, commodities, and/or any other
personal property;
(b) Primarily
for the sale of services to the public; or
(c) By a nonprofit organization that has
established its nonprofit status under applicable federal or state
law.
(5)
"Citizen.
Citizen" means:
The term citizen for purposes of
this part includes both citizens of the United States and noncitizen
nationals.
(6) "Comparable
replacement dwelling" means a dwelling which is:
(a) Decent, safe and sanitary;
(b) Functionally equivalent to the acquired
displacement dwelling. The term "functionally equivalent" means that it
performs the same function and provides the same utility. While a comparable
replacement dwelling need not possess every feature of the displacement
dwelling, the principal features must be present. Generally, functional
equivalency is an objective standard, reflecting the range of purposes for
which the various physical features of a dwelling may be used. However, in
determining whether a replacement dwelling is functionally equivalent to the
displacement dwelling, the agency may consider reasonable tradeoffs for
specific features when the replacement unit is equal to or better than the
displacement dwelling.
(c) Adequate
in size to accommodate the occupants;
(d) In an area not subject to unreasonable
adverse environmental conditions;
(e) In a location generally not less
desirable than the location of the displaced person's dwelling with respect to
public utilities and commercial and public facilities, and reasonably
accessible to the person's place of employment;
(f) On a site that is typical in size for
residential development with normal site improvements including customary
landscaping. The site need not include special improvements such as
outbuildings, swimming pools, or greenhouses;
(g) Currently available to the displaced
person on the private market. However, a comparable replacement dwelling for a
person receiving government housing assistance before displacement may reflect
similar government housing assistance. In such cases any requirements of the
government housing assistance program relating to the size of the replacement
dwelling shall apply; and
(h)
Within the financial means of the displaced person.
(i) A replacement dwelling, purchased by a
homeowner in occupancy at the displacement dwelling for at least ninety days
prior to initiation of negotiations, is considered to be within the homeowner's
financial means if the homeowner will receive the full price differential as
described in paragraph (A)(2) of rule
5501:2-5-04 of the
Administrative Code, all increased interest costs as described in paragraph
(A)(4) of rule
5501:2-5-04 of the
Administrative Code, and all incidental expenses as described in paragraph
(A)(5) of rule
5501:2-5-04 of the
Administrative Code, plus any additional amount required to be paid under
paragraph (D) of rule
5501:2-5-04 of the
Administrative Code.
(ii) A
replacement dwelling rented by a displacee is considered to be within his/her
financial means if, after receiving the rental assistance payment as described
in paragraph (B)(2)(a) of rule
5501:2-5-04 of the
Administrative Code, the displacee's monthly rent and estimated average monthly
utility costs for the replacement dwelling do not exceed the person's base
monthly rental cost for the displacement dwelling as described in paragraph
(B)(2)(b) of rule
5501:2-5-04 of the
Administrative Code.
(iii) For a
displaced person who is not eligible to receive a replacement housing payment
because of the person's failure to meet length-of-occupancy requirements,
comparable replacement rental housing is considered to be within the person's
financial means if an agency pays that portion of the monthly housing costs of
a replacement dwelling which exceeds the person's base monthly rent for the
displacement dwelling. Such rental assistance must be paid as described in
paragraph (D) of rule
5501:2-5-04 of the
Administrative Code.
(i)
For a person receiving government housing assistance before displacement, a
dwelling that may reflect similar housing assistance. In such cases any
requirements of the government housing assistance program relating to the size
of the replacement dwelling shall apply.
(7) "Contribute materially" means that during
the two taxable years prior to the taxable year in which displacement occurs,
or during such other period as the agency determines to be more equitable, a
business or farm operation:
(a) Had average
annual gross receipts of at least five thousand dollars; or
(b) Had average annual net earnings of at
least one thousand dollars; or
(c)
Contributed at least one third of the owner's or operator's average annual
gross income from all sources.
(d)
If the application of the above criteria creates an inequity or hardship in any
given case, the agency may approve the use of other criteria as determined
appropriate.
(8)
"Decent, safe, and sanitary dwelling" means a dwelling which meets applicable
housing and occupancy codes. However, any of the following standards that are
not met by an applicable code shall apply unless waived by the federal agency
funding the project. The dwelling shall:
(a)
Be structurally sound, weather-tight, and in good repair.
Many local housing and occupancy codes require the
abatement of deteriorating paint, including lead-based paint and lead-based
paint dust, in protecting the public health and safety. Where such standards
exist, they must be honored.
(b) Contain a safe electrical wiring system
adequate for lighting and other devices.
(c) Contain a heating system capable of
sustaining a healthful temperature (of approximately seventy degrees) for a
displaced person.
(d) Be adequate
in size with respect to the number of rooms and area of living space needed to
accommodate the displaced person. There shall be a separate, well-lighted and
ventilated bathroom that provides privacy to the user, and contains a sink,
bathtub or shower stall and toilet, all in good working order, and properly
connected to appropriate sources of water and to a sewage drainage system. In
the case of a housekeeping dwelling, there shall be a kitchen area that
contains a fully usable sink, properly connected to potable hot and cold water
and to a sewage drainage system, and adequate space and utility service
connections for a stove and refrigerator.
(e) Contains unobstructed egress to safe,
open space at ground level. If the replacement dwelling unit is on the second
story or above, with access directly from or through a common corridor, the
common corridor must have at least two means of egress.
(f) For a displaced person who is
handicapped, be free of any barriers which would preclude reasonable ingress,
egress, or use of the dwelling by such displaced person.
(9) "Displaced person" means
, except as provided in paragraph (D) of this rule,
any person who moves from the real property or moves his or her personal
property from the real property as a direct result of:
(a) A written notice of intent to acquire,
the initiation of negotiations for, or the acquisition of such real property,
in whole or in part, for a project;
(b) Rehabilitation or demolition for a
project;
(c) A written notice of
intent to acquire, or the acquisition, rehabilitation or demolition of, in
whole or in part, other real property on which the person conducts a business
or farm operation for a project. However, eligibility for such person under
this paragraph applies only for purposes of obtaining relocation advisory
services under paragraph (E)(3) of rule
5501:2-5-02 of the
Administrative Code and moving expenses under paragraphs (A)(1) and (A)(2) and
paragraph (B) of rule 5502:2-5-03 of the Administrative Code
.
; or
(d)
A requirement to move temporarily. The determination
that a person is not required to relocate permanently as a direct result of a
project shall be made by the agency in accordance with any requirement, policy,
or guidance established by the federal agency funding the project. At a
minimum, for persons required to move on a temporary basis agencies must ensure
that required services and assistance are provided.
(10) "Person not displaced" means a person
who does not qualify as a displaced person under rules
5501:2-5-01 to
5501:2-5-05 of the
Administrative Code. The following is a non-exclusive listing of persons who do
not qualify as displaced persons:
(a) A person
who moves before the initiation of negotiations, unless the agency determines
that the person was displaced as a direct result of the program or project;
(b) A person who initially enters
into occupancy of the property after the date of its acquisition for the
project;
(c) A person who has
occupied the property for the purpose of obtaining assistance under the Uniform
Act;
(d) A person who is not
required to relocate permanently as a direct result of a project. Such
determination shall be made by the agency in accordance with any guidelines
established by the federal agency funding the project;
(e) An owner-occupant who moves as a result
of a voluntary transaction. (See paragraph (B)(34) of this rule for definition
of a voluntary transaction);
(f)
Acquisitions for programs or projects undertaken by an agency or person that
receives federal financial assistance but does not have authority to acquire
property by eminent domain, provided that such agency or person shall:
(i) Prior to making an offer for the
property, clearly advise the owner that it is unable to acquire the property in
the event negotiations fail to result in an amicable agreement; and
(ii) Inform the owner of what it believes to
be fair market value of the property.
(g) A person whom the agency determines is
not displaced as a direct result of a partial acquisition;
(h) A person who, after receiving a notice of
relocation eligibility, is notified in writing that he or she will not be
displaced for a project. Such notice shall not be issued unless the person has
not moved and the agency agrees to reimburse the person for any expenses
incurred to satisfy any binding contractual relocation obligations entered into
after the effective date of the notice of relocation eligibility;
(i) An owner-occupant who voluntarily conveys
his or her property, after being informed in writing that if a mutually
satisfactory agreement on terms of the conveyance cannot be reached, the agency
will not acquire the property. In such cases, however, any resulting
displacement of a tenant is subject to rules
5501:2-5-01 to
5501:2-5-05 of the
Administrative Code;
(j) A person
who retains the right of use and occupancy of the real property for life
following its acquisition by the agency;
(k) A person who is determined to be in
unlawful occupancy prior to or after the initiation of negotiations, or a
person who has been evicted for cause under applicable law as provided in
paragraph (F) of rule
5501:2-5-02 of the
Administrative Code. However, advisory assistance may be provided to unlawful
occupants at the option of the agency in order to facilitate the
project;
(l) A person who is not
lawfully present in the United States and who has been determined to be
ineligible for relocation assistance in accordance with paragraph (H) of rule
5501:2-5-02 of the
Administrative Code;
(m)
Tenants required to move as a result of the sale of their
dwelling to a displaced person using federal down payment assistance funds as
they are defined in 49 CFR
Section 24.2(a);
or
(n)
Occupants of a temporary, daily or emergency shelter.
Temporary, daily, or emergency shelter occupants are in most cases typically
not considered displaced persons. However, agencies may determine that a person
occupying a shelter is a displaced person due to factors which could include
reasonable expectation of a prolonged stay, or other extenuating circumstances.
At a minimum, agencies shall provide advisory assistance to all occupants at
initiation of negotiations.
(11) "Dwelling" means the place of permanent
or customary and usual residence of a person, according to local custom or law,
including a single-family house; a single-family unit in a two family,
multi-family, or multi-purpose property; a unit of a condominium or cooperative
housing project; a non-housekeeping unit; a mobile home; or any other
residential unit.
(12) "Dwelling
site" means a land area that is typical in size for similar dwellings located
in the same neighborhood or rural area.
(13) "Farm operation" means any activity
conducted solely or primarily for the production of one or more agricultural
products or commodities, including timber, for sale or home use, and
customarily producing such products or commodities in sufficient quantity to be
capable of contributing materially to the operator's support.
(14) "Federal financial assistance" means a
grant, loan, or contribution provided by the United States, except any federal
guarantee or insurance and any interest reduction payment to an individual in
connection with the purchase and occupancy of a residence by that
individual.
(15) "Financial
information" means information concerning the assets and liabilities, of the
displaced person. Financial information includes, but is not limited to, bank
statements, mortgage statements, federal or state tax documents, check stubs
and payroll records.
(16)
"Household income" means total gross income received for a twelve month period
from all sources (earned and unearned) including, but not limited to wages,
salary, child support, alimony, unemployment benefits, workers compensation,
social security, or the net income from a business. It does not include income
received or earned by dependent children and full time students less than
eighteen years of age.
(17)
"Initiation of negotiations" means
(a) The
delivery of the initial written offer of just compensation, by the agency, to
the owner or owner's representative, to purchase the real property for the
project whenever displacement results from the acquisition of the real property
by a state agency. However, if the agency issues a notice of its intent to
acquire the real property, and a person moves after that notice, but before
delivery of the initial written purchase offer, the "initiation of
negotiations" means the actual move of the person from the property.
(b) Whenever the displacement is caused by
rehabilitation, demolition or privately undertaken acquisition of the real
property (and there is no related acquisition by a federal agency or a state
agency), the "initiation of negotiations" means the notice to the person that
he or she will be displaced by the project or, if there is no notice, the
actual move of the person from the property.
(c) In the case of a permanent relocation to
protect the public health and welfare, under the Comprehensive Environmental
Response Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (Pub.L.
96-510, or "Superfund")
(CERCLA) the "initiation of negotiations" means the formal announcement of such
relocation or the federal or federally coordinated health advisory where the
federal government later decides to conduct a permanent relocation.
(d) In the case of permanent relocation of a
tenant as a result of an acquisition of real property described in paragraph
(B)(34) of this rule, the initiation of negotiations means the actions
described in paragraphs (B)(17)(a) and (B)(17)(b) of this rule, except that
such initiation of negotiations does not become effective, for purposes of
establishing eligibility for relocation assistance for such tenants under this
part, until there is a written agreement between the agency and the owner to
purchase the real property.
(18) "Lead agency" means the Ohio department
of transportation unless otherwise designated by the governor.
(19) "Mobile home" includes manufactured
homes and recreational vehicles used as residences.
(20) "Mortgage" means such classes of liens
as are commonly given to secure advances on, or the unpaid purchase price of,
real property, under the laws of a state in which the real property is located,
together with the credit instruments, if any, secured thereby.
(21) "Nonprofit organization" means an
organization that is incorporated under the applicable laws of a state as a
nonprofit organization, and exempt from paying federal income taxes under
section
501 of the Internal Revenue Code
26 U.S.C.
501 (2010).
(22) "Owner of a dwelling" means that a
person is considered to have met the requirement to own a dwelling if the
person purchases or holds any of the following interests in real property;
(a) Fee title, a life estate, a land
contract, ninety-nine-year lease, or a lease including any options for
extension with at least fifty years to run from the date of acquisition;
(b) An interest in a cooperative
housing project which includes the right to occupy a dwelling;
(c) A contract to purchase any of the
interests or estates described in paragraph (B)(22)(a) or (B)(22)(b) of this
rule; or
(d) Any other interest,
including a partial interest, which in the judgment of the agency warrants
consideration as ownership.
(23)
"Owner's
designated representative" means that a property owner may designate a
representative to receive all required notifications and documents from the
agency. The owner must provide the agency a written notification which states
that they will be designating a representative, provide that person's name and
contact information and what, if any, notices or information the representative
is not authorized to receive.
(24)
"Recipient"
means a non-federal entity that receives a federal award directly from a
federal awarding agency to carry out an activity under a federal program. The
recipient is accountable to the federal- funding agency for the use of the
funds and for compliance with applicable federal requirements. The term
recipient does not include subrecipients.
(23)(25) "Person" means
any individual, family, partnership, corporation, or association.
(24)(26)
"Program or project" means any activity or series of activities undertaken with
federal or state financial assistance received or anticipated in any phase of
an undertaking in accordance with the federal or state funding agency
guidelines.
(25)(27) "Salvage value"
means the probable sale price of an item offered for sale to knowledgeable
buyers with the requirement that it be removed from the property at a buyer's
expense (i.e., not eligible for relocation assistance). This includes items for
re-use as well as items with components that can be re-used or recycled when
there is no reasonable prospect for sale except on this basis.
(26)(28)
"Small business" is a business having not more than five hundred employees
working at the site being acquired or displaced by a program or project, which
site is the location of economic activity.
(27)(29) "Tenant" means a
person who has the temporary use and occupancy of real property owned by
another.
(28)(30) "Uneconomic
remnant" means a parcel of real property in which the owner is left with an
interest after the partial acquisition of the owner's property and which the
acquiring agency has determined has little or no value or utility to the
owner.
(29)(31) "Uniform act"
means the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Act of
1970 (42 U.S.C.
4601 et seq.), and amendments
thereto.
(30)(32) "Unlawful
occupant" means a person is considered to be in unlawful occupancy if the
person has been ordered to move by a court of competent jurisdiction prior to
the initiation of negotiations or is determined by the agency to be a squatter
who is occupying the real property without the permission of the owner and
otherwise has no legal right to occupy the property under state law. A
displacing agency may, at its discretion, consider such a squatter to be in
lawful occupancy.
(31)(33) "Utility costs"
means expenses for electricity, gas, other heating and cooking fuels, water and
sewer.
(32)(34) "Utility
facility" means any electric, gas, water, steam power, or materials
transmission or distribution system; any transportation system; any
communications system, including cable television; and any fixtures, equipment,
or other property associated with the operation, maintenance, or repair of any
such system. A utility facility may be publicly, privately, or cooperatively
owned.
(33)(35) "Utility
relocation" means the adjustment of a utility facility required by the program
or project undertaken by the displacing agency. It includes removing and
reinstalling the facility, including necessary temporary facilities; acquiring
necessary right-of-way on new location; moving, rearranging or changing the
type of existing facilities; and taking any necessary safety and protective
measures. It shall also mean constructing a replacement facility that has the
functional equivalence of the existing facility and is necessary for the
continued operation of the utility service, the project economy, or sequence of
project construction.
(34)(36) "Voluntary
transactions" means a transaction that meets all of the following conditions:
(a) No specific site or property needs to be
acquired, although the agency may limit its search for alternative sites to a
general geographic area. Where an agency wishes to purchase more than one site
within a geographic area on this basis, all owners are to be treated
similarly.
(b) The property to be
acquired is not part of an intended, planned, or designated project area where
all or substantially all of the property within the area is to be acquired
within specific time limits.
(c)
The agency will not acquire the property in the event negotiations fail to
result in an amicable agreement, and the owner is so informed in
writing.
(d) The agency will inform
the owner of what it believes to be the fair market value of the
property.
(35)(37) "Waiver
valuation" means the valuation process used and the product produced when the
agency determines that an appraisal is not required, pursuant to appraisal
waiver provisions in paragraph (B)(3)(b) of rule
5501:2-5-06 of the
Administrative Code.
(36)(38) "Displacement
Date" means the date of the move, or for large complex moves, the date the move
commences.
(37)(39) "Low Cost or
Uncomplicated Moves" means a move with an estimated cost that is less than
two
five
thousand five hundred dollars.