(A) Interpretation. For the purpose of interpreting this chapter, certain words or terms are defined as follows:
(1) Words used in the present tense include the future.
(2) Words in the singular include the plural, and the plural includes the singular.
(B) Definitions. Except as defined herein all other words used in this chapter shall have their customary dictionary definition.
ADMINISTRATOR. The official charged with the enforcement of the zoning ordinance, who is by formal resolution designated to the position by the governing body. He or she may serve with or without compensation as determined by the governing body.
AGRICULTURE. The tilling of the soil, the raising of crops, horticulture, forestry and gardening, including the keeping of livestock and poultry, and including any agricultural industry or business, such as fruit packing plants, dairies or similar use.
ALLEY. A public thoroughfare less than 30 feet wide.
AUTOMOBILE GRAVEYARD. Any lot place which is exposed to the weather upon which more than 5 motor vehicles of any kind, incapable of being operated, and which it would not be economically practical to make operative, are placed, located or found.
BILLBOARD. Any notice or advertisement, pictorial or otherwise, with any area of more than 180 square feet, and also all those used as an outdoor display for the purpose of making anything known, the origin or place of sale of which is not on the lot with the display.
BOARDING HOUSE. A building where, for compensation, lodging and/or meals are provided for at least 5 but not exceeding 14 persons.
BUILDING. Any structure having a roof supported by columns or by walls and intended for shelter, housing or enclosure of persons, animals or chattels.
BUILDING, ACCESSORY. A building subordinate to the main building on a lot and used for purposes customarily incidental to the main or principal building and located on the same lot therewith.
BUILDING, HEIGHT OF. The vertical distance measured from the level of the curb or the established curb grade opposite the middle of the front of the building to the highest point of the roof if a flat roof, to the deck line of a mansard roof, or to the mean height level between the eaves and ridges of a gable, hip or gambrel roof; for buildings set back from the street line, the height shall be measured from the average elevation of the ground surface along the front of the building.
BUILDING, PRINCIPAL. A building in which is conducted the main or principal use of the lot on which the building is situated.
CAMPGROUND or TOURIST CAMP. Any plot of land used, maintained or held out to the public as a place for use for camping or lodging purposes, whether or not equipped with tents, tent houses, huts, cabins or cottages, or not so equipped, and by whatsoever the same may be called, whether any fee is charged for the use thereof or not. These words shall not be construed to include a hotel or tourist home.
CUSTOMARY HOME OCCUPATIONS. Any use conducted entirely within a dwelling and carried on by the occupants thereof, which use is clearly incidental and secondary to the use of the dwelling for residence purposes and does not change the character thereof, and in connection with which there is no display and not more than 1 person, not a resident on the premises, is employed specifically in connection with the CUSTOMARY HOME OCCUPATION. Provided further, that no mechanical equipment is installed or used except such that is normally used for domestic or professional purposes, and that not over 25% of the total floor space of any structure is used for home occupations.
DWELLING. A building designed, arranged or used for permanent living quarters for 1 or more persons.
DWELLING, MULTI-FAMILY. A structure arranged or designed to be occupied by more than 1 family.
DWELLING, SINGLE-FAMILY. A building arranged or designed to be occupied by 1 family, the structure having only 1 dwelling unit.
DWELLING UNIT. A building or portion thereof providing living facilities for 1 family.
FAMILY. One or more persons occupying the premises and living as a single housekeeping unit, but not including a group occupying a boarding house, lodging house, club, fraternity house or similar type dwelling.
FARM WINERY. As defined by the town, irrespective of any other definition means an establishment located on land in the town limits possibly with a producing vineyard, orchard, or similar growing area but always with facilities for processing, fermenting and bottling wine on the premises where the owner or lessee manufactures wine that contains not more than 18% alcohol by volume. A farm winery by definition can only be so designated by way of special use permit within the town limits and is not permitted by right in any land use district; no farm winery shall be permitted in town limits on sites of less than 25 contiguous acres of land owned or controlled by special use permit applicant. Note: a LICENSED FARM WINERY shall comply with VA Code § 15.2-2288.3; there may be a distinction between FARM WINERY and LICENSED FARM WINERY.
FARM WINERY EVENT. An event conducted at a farm winery on 1 or more days where the purpose is agritourism or to promote wine sales including, wine fairs, receptions where wine is sold or served, wine club meetings and activities, wine tasting, educational seminars, wine tasting luncheons, business meetings, and corporate luncheons with a focus on selling wines, gatherings with the purpose of promoting sales to the trade, such as restaurants, distributors, and local chamber of commerce activities, winemakers’ dinners where wine is paired with foods, agritourism promotions, and fundraisers and charity events.
GENERAL STORE. A store which offers for sale generally groceries, dry goods and general hardware articles. Gasoline may also be offered for sale but only as a secondary activity of a GENERAL STORE.
HOTEL. A building designed or occupied as the more or less temporary abiding place of 15 or more individuals who are for compensation lodged, with or without meals, and in which provision is not generally made for cooking in individual rooms or suites.
JUNKYARD. An establishment or place of business which is maintained, operated or used for storing, keeping buying or selling junk, or for the maintenance or operation of an automobile graveyard. The term shall include garbage dumps and sanitary fills.
LOT. A parcel of land occupied or capable of being occupied by a building or group of buildings devoted to a common use, together with the customary accessories and open spaces belonging to the same.
LOT, CORNER. A lot abutting on 2 or more streets at their intersection.
LOT, DEPTH OR. The average horizontal distance between the front and rear lot lines.
LOT WIDTH. The mean horizontal distance between the side lot lines.
LOT OF RECORD. A lot which has been recorded in the office of the County Clerk of Court.
MOBILE HOME. A structure, trans- portable in 1 or more sections, which in the traveling mode is 8 body feet or more in width or 40 feet or more in length, or, when erected onsite, is 320 or more square feet, and which is built on a permanent chassis and designed to be used as a dwelling with or without a permanent foundation when connected to the required utilities, and includes the plumbing, heating, air conditioning and electrical systems contained therein.
MOBILE HOME PARK. Any area designed to accommodate 5 or more mobile homes on a minimum area of 2 acres intended for residential use when residence is in mobile homes exclusively.
MANUFACTURE AND/OR MANU- FACTURING. The processing and/or converting of raw, unfinished or finished materials or products.
NONCONFORMING USE. A structure or land lawfully occupied by an existing use which does not conform with the permitted uses for the zoning district in which it is situated, either at the effective date of this chapter or as a result of subsequent amendments to this chapter.
PUBLIC GROUNDS. Area reserved, by deed or otherwise, for public use only.
SETBACK. The distance by which any building or structure must be separated from the front lot line.
SIGN. Any outdoor sign, display, device, figure, painting, drawing, message, placard, poster, billboard or other thing which is designed, intended or used to advertise or inform, any part of the advertising or informative contents of which is visible from any highway.
(a) Business. A sign which directs attention to a product, commodity or service available on the premises.
(b) Home occupation. A sign not exceeding 4 square feet in area directing attention to a product, commodity or service available on the premises, but which product, commodity or service is clearly a secondary use of the dwelling.
(c) General advertising. Same as BILLBOARD definition.
(d) Location. A sign which directs attention to the approximate location of an establishment from which the advertised product may be obtained.
(e) Directional. A directional sign is one (1 end of which is pointed, or on which an arrow may be painted, indicating the direction to which attention is called), 4 square feet or less in area, giving the name only of the farm or business responsible for the erection of same.
STREET. A dedicated and accepted public right-of-way for vehicular traffic which affords the principal means of access to abutting properties.
STREET LINE. The dividing line between a street or road and the contiguous property; the right- of-way line.
STRUCTURE. Anything constructed or erected, the use of which required a more or less permanent location on the ground or which is attached to something having more or less permanent location on the ground.
TOURIST COURT, AUTO COURT, MOTEL, AUTEL or MOTOR LODGE. A group of buildings containing individual sleeping rooms, designed for or used temporarily by automobile tourists or transients, with garage or parking space conveniently located to each unit. Cooking facilities may be provided for each unit.
TOURIST HOME. A dwelling where lodging only is provided for compensation for not exceeding 14 persons, in contradistinction to hotels and boarding houses, and open to transients.
TRAVEL TRAILER. Vehicular structure mounted on wheels which is designed as temporary living accommodations for recreation, camping and travel use. Can be easily towed by automobile or small truck and does not require special highway movement permits.
USE, ACCESSORY. A subordinate use, customarily incidental and located upon the same lot occupied by the main use.
VINEYARD. A physical space, a place of land wherein grapes or other similar crops which customarily grown in rows along and among raised trellises are planted, cultivated and harvested, primarily as a product for juice, wines, or other food and drink products, a vineyard is not the same thing necessarily as a FARM WINERY. A winery is a processing, converting and manufacturing operation; a vineyard may exist separate and apart from a winery operation; a vineyard used for business or “for-profit” shall only be permitted by way of special use permit in town limits and shall only be approved on sites of at least 25 contiguous acres.
YARD. An open space on a lot other than a court, unoccupied and unobstructed from the ground upward, except as otherwise provided herein.
YARD, FRONT. An open, unoccupied space on the same lot with a principal building, extending the full width of the lot and situated between the street and the front line of the building, projected to the side lines of the lot.
YARD, REAR. An open unoccupied space on the same lot with a principal building, extending the full width of the lot and situated between the rear line of the lot and the rear line of the building projected to the side lines of the lot.
YARD, SIDE. An open, unoccupied space on the same lot with a principal building, situated between the building and the side line of the lot and extending from the rear line of the front yard to the front line of the rear yard.
ZONE OR ZONING DISTRICT. That area or territory divided and marked for a specified use or purpose.
(1997 Code, § S9-2) (Am. Ord. passed - - )