For the purposes of this title certain terms and words are hereby defined as follows: Words used in the present tense include the future; the singular number shall include the plural; and the word "shall" is mandatory and not directory.
ABUTTING: Having a common property line or district line.
ACCESSORY USE OR STRUCTURE: A structure or use that: a) is subordinate to and serves a principal building or a principal use, except for a drive-in facility; b) is subordinate in area, extent, and purpose to the principal structure or principal use served; c) contributes to the comfort, convenience, or necessity of the occupants, business, or industry of the principal structure or principal use served; and d) is located on the same lot as the principal structure or principal use served, except as may otherwise be expressly authorized by the provisions of this title. An accessory structure attached to a principal building in a substantial manner by a wall or roof shall be considered part of the principal building.
AUTOMOBILE SERVICE STATION: Any building or premises used for the dispensing, sale or offering for sale at retail of any automobile fuels or oils.
BASEMENT: A story having part but not more than one-half (1/2) its height below grade. A basement is counted as a story for the purpose of height regulations if subdivided and used for business or dwelling purposes other than by a janitor employed on the premises.
BLOCK: A tract of land bounded by streets or by a combination of one or more streets and public parks, cemeteries, railroad rights of way, bulkhead lines or shorelines of waterways, or corporate boundary lines.
BOARDING HOUSE: A building other than a hotel where, for compensation, meals or lodging and meals, are provided for three (3) but not more than twenty (20) persons.
BUILDING: A structure designed or intended for the support, enclosure, shelter or protection of persons, animals, or property. When a structure is divided into separate parts by unpierced walls extending from the ground up, each part is deemed a separate building.
BUILDING AREA: The maximum horizontal projected area of a building and its accessory buildings, excluding chimneys, open steps, balconies, buttresses, terraces, open porches, cornices, and other minor ornamental features projecting from the walls of the building and not supported by the ground.
BUILDING, HEIGHT OF: The vertical distance from the grade to the highest point of the coping of a flat roof or to the deckline of a mansard roof, or to the mean height level between eaves and ridge for gable, hip and gambrel roofs.
BUILDING, PRINCIPAL: A building in which the business of the principal use of the lot on which the building is located is conducted.
CELLAR: A story having more than one-half (1/2) of its height below grade, a cellar is not included in computing the number of stories for the purpose of height measurement.
DISTRICT: A section or sections of the city for which the zoning regulations are uniform.
DWELLING: Any building, or portion thereof, which is designed or used for residential purposes.
DWELLING, MULTIPLE: A building or portion thereof designed for or occupied by more than two (2) families.
DWELLING, SINGLE-FAMILY: A building designed for or occupied by one family.
DWELLING, TWO-FAMILY: A building designed for or occupied by two (2) families.
FAMILY: One or more individuals using common cooking facilities and living and eating together on the same premises as a single housekeeping unit.
GARBAGE: Any odorous, putrescible or combustible waste materials.
GRADE: The average level of the ground surface adjacent to the exterior building walls.
HOTEL: A building in which lodging is provided and offered to the public for compensation and which is open to transient or permanent guests, in contradistinction to a boarding house or lodging house.
IMPROVED SURFACE: An improved surface consisting of not less than four inches (4") of compacted commercially prepared road gravel or crushed rock.
LOT: A parcel of land located within a single block which shall be either a "lot of record" or a "zoning lot" and shall have frontage upon a "street".
LOT AREA: The area of horizontal plane bounded by the vertical planes through front, side, and rear lot lines.
LOT, CORNER: A lot situated at the junction of and abutting on two (2) or more intersecting streets; or a lot at the point of deflection in alignment of a single street, the interior angle of which does not exceed one hundred thirty five degrees (135°).
LOT COVERAGE, BUILDING: The ratio between the ground floor areas of all buildings or structures on a lot and the total area of the lot.
LOT DEPTH: The mean horizontal distance between the front lot line and the rear lot line of a lot, measured within the lot boundaries.
LOT LINE: A line dividing one lot from another lot or from a street or alley.
LOT LINE, FRONT: A lot line that is a street lot line. Any street lot line of a corner lot may be established by the owner as the front lot line, provided, a proposed front lot line on a corner lot shall not be permitted if fifty percent (50%) or more of the buildings on the same street frontage do not have a front lot line established thereupon.
LOT LINE, REAR: That boundary of a lot that is most distant from and is, or is approximately, parallel to the front lot line. If the rear lot line is less than ten feet (10') in length, or if the lot forms a point at the rear, the rear lot line shall be deemed to be a line ten feet (10') in length within the lot, parallel to and at the maximum distance from the front lot line.
LOT LINE, SIDE: Any boundary of a lot that is not a front or rear lot line. On a corner lot, a side lot line may be a street lot line.
LOT OF RECORD: A lot that is part of a subdivision, the plat of which has been recorded in the office of the recorder of deeds of Mercer County, or a parcel of land, the deed to which was recorded in the office of said recorder of deeds prior to the original January 18, 1954, adoption of the zoning ordinance.
LOT, THROUGH: A lot with lot lines on two (2) streets, that is not a corner lot. Either street lot line in this case may be established by the owner as the front lot line, provided, a proposed front lot line shall not be permitted if fifty percent (50%) or more of the buildings on the same street frontage do not have a front lot line established thereupon.
LOT WIDTH: The distance between the side lot lines measured across the rear of the required front yard.
LOT, ZONING: A single tract of land located within a single block that, at the time of filing for a building permit, is designated by its owner or developer as a tract to be used, developed, or built upon as a unit, under single ownership or control. Therefore, a "zoning lot or lots" may or may not coincide with a lot of record.
NOT FOR PROFIT ORGANIZATION: An agency or organization or activity operating under the 501(c)(3) regulations of the internal revenue service.
REAR YARD: An open space on the same lot with a main building, unoccupied except for accessory buildings, extending the full width of the lot and lying between the rear lot line and the rear line of the main building projected to the side lot lines.
ROOMING HOUSE: A building where lodging only is provided for compensation to three (3) or more but not more than twenty (20) persons.
SIDE YARD: An open space on the same lot with a main building, unoccupied except for accessory buildings, situated between the side line of the main building and the adjacent side line of the lot and extending from the rear line of the main building extended to the front line of the main building extended.
SIGNS: All signs or billboards displayed on a building or separate structure, but not including names of owners, farm or business names, and signs on the interior of windows.
STORY: That portion of a building, other than a cellar, included between the surface of any floor and the surface of the floor next above it or, if there be no floor above it, then the space between the floor and the ceiling next above it.
STORY, HALF: A space under a sloping roof which has the line of intersection of roof decking and wall face not more than three feet (3') above the top floor level, and in which space not more than two-thirds (2/3) of the floor area is finished off for use. A half-story containing independent apartment or living quarters shall be counted as a full story.
STREET LOT LINE: A line forming the boundary of the right of way of an existing or dedicated street.
STRUCTURAL ALTERATIONS: Any change in the supporting members of a building, such as bearing walls or partitions, columns, beams or girders, or any substantial change in the roof or in the exterior walls.
STRUCTURE: Anything constructed or erected, the use of which requires permanent location on the ground or attached to something having a permanent location on the ground.
TOURIST CAMP: An area containing one or more structures used for accommodation of automobile transients.
TRAILER CAMP: An area containing facilities for and used to accommodate automobile trailers arranged as dwelling units.
USED: Shall be deemed to include the words "arranged", "designed", or "intended to be used".
WEDDING/EVENT FACILITY: A facility which is utilized by individuals or groups to accommodate private functions including, but not limited to, banquets, weddings, celebrations, corporate functions and other like events. The facility is considered supplemental to the principal residence within residential districts.
YARD: An open space on a lot that is unoccupied and unobstructed from its lowest level to the sky, except as otherwise permitted in this title. A required yard extends along a lot line and at right angles to such line to a minimum depth or width specified in the yard regulations for the district in which such lot is located.
YARD, FRONT: A yard extending along the full width of a front lot line between side lot lines and from the front lot line to the front building line in depth.
YARD, REAR: The portion of the yard on the same lot with the principal building located between the building and the rear lot line extending for the full width of the lot.
YARD, SIDE: A yard extending along a side lot line between the front and rear yards, except that a side yard abutting a street shall be defined as the yard extending along a side lot line between the front yard and the rear lot lines. (Ord. 8/53, 1-18-1954; amd. Ord. 11-19-07-3, 12-17-2007; Ord. 12/2014, 6-16-2014; Ord. 09/2015, 9-21-2015)