Within the Districts established by this Ordinance or amendments that may later be adopted there exist:
A. Nonconforming Lots;
B. Nonconforming Structures;
C. Nonconforming Uses of land;
D. Nonconforming Uses of land and Structures in combination; and
E. Nonconforming Characteristics of Use; which were lawful before this Ordinance was passed or amended, but which would be prohibited, regulated or restricted under the terms of this Ordinance* or future amendments thereto. “Nonconforming” shall include in its definition any legal use, Structure, or parcel of land already in existence, recorded, or authorized before the effective date* of this Zoning Ordinance* or any amendment hereto, that would not have been permitted to become established under the terms of this Zoning Ordinance as now written, if the Ordinance had been in effect at the time of the establishment of the use. It is the intent of this Article to regulate nonconformities and to provide for their gradual elimination.
[§ 7A-400, amended by Ord. No. 90-1, effective May 18, 1990.]
[*Clerk’s note: References in the text of the Code to “...the effective date of this Ordinance...” or to “...the effective date of the Zoning Ordinance...” are references to Ord. No. 900 which was effective July 25, 1979.]