(a) For the purposes of this section, conveyance means a railway coach or car, streetcar, bus, airplane, trailer, or similar structure, vehicle, or device originally intended for transporting people or goods.
(b) A person shall not place or use a conveyance as a building for the operation of a use. It is a defense to prosecution that the use of a conveyance is permitted under this section.
(c) A person may obtain permission to use a conveyance as a building for the operation of a use at a location properly zoned for the use if the device contributes to a theme or period development. The person shall submit an application to the director requesting approval of the proposal. Within 60 days of receipt of the application, the commission shall submit its recommendation of approval or disapproval to the city council which may approve or reject a resolution authorizing the use. The conveyance must comply with all applicable ordinances and regulations.
(d) A person may use a conveyance as a temporary office, but not as a residence, in connection with the sale of real estate within a specific development project, after obtaining a building permit and certificate of occupancy from the building official. The following measures to assure sanitary conditions must be taken:
(1) If sanitary sewer facilities are available, temporary plumbing connections must be made as prescribed by the Dallas plumbing code. No permanent plumbing connection is permitted.
(2) If sanitary sewer facilities are not available, sanitation facilities must be provided in accordance with the rules and regulations of the department of code compliance. No building permit or certificate of occupancy may be issued by the building official without the approval of the department of code compliance.
(3) Electrical service in connection with the use described in this subsection must be limited to temporary pole service.
(e) Governmental agencies and civic organizations may conduct a use in a conveyance in accordance with this subsection.
(1) The use must be sponsored by and under the direct control of a governmental agency or civic organization.
(2) The use must be a function relating to the public health, safety, and welfare such as driver training, consumer and homemaking education, dental hygiene, mobile library, mobile x-ray unit, or other similar public service use that due to the equipment involved, logistics of scheduling locations and the times needed in a specific community, the use is not appropriate for a permanent location.
(3) The conveyance must be self-contained requiring only electrical service. Only one electrical hook-up station served by a separate electrical service accommodating not more than two conveyances is permitted on any premise. The hook-up station must be a permanent installation installed under permit. Temporary electrical or plumbing connections to existing facilities are not permitted.
(4) The conveyance may be located in any zoning district; however, in residential districts, the location is restricted to properties owned and operated by sponsoring agencies. A sponsoring agency may by agreement reciprocate with other sponsoring agencies to use their premises.
(5) The conveyance must comply with setback requirements of this chapter and the building code.
(6) One sign that does not exceed 30 square feet in size may be attached to each side of the conveyance.
(f) A person shall not place or use a conveyance as a dwelling unit. It is a defense to prosecution under this subsection that:
(1) the person uses a railroad work car, caboose, or converted freight car as a dwelling unit when it is confined to rails and located on the right-of-way of a railway doing business as a common carrier; or
(2) the person uses a manufactured home or self-propelled recreational vehicle as a dwelling unit in a properly zoned district.
(g) A person may use a conveyance as a building for the operation of a recycling collection center.
(h) A person may use a conveyance as a building for the operation of x-ray or other imaging equipment provided it is used in conjunction with a medical clinic or ambulatory surgical center use or a hospital use.
(i) A person may use a conveyance as a building for the purpose of storing food products provided:
(1) the conveyance is used in conjunction with a permitted use;
(2) a temporary food service permit is obtained from the Department of Health and Human Services; and
(3) the use of the conveyance is limited to no more than twice each calendar year for a maximum period of 15 consecutive days.
(j) A person may use a conveyance as a building for food preparation from mobile vans and trucks provided:
(1) the conveyance is only allowed in the CS, LI, IR, and IM districts;
(2) the conveyance meets the standards of the department of code compliance;
(3) the conveyance is operated as a temporary use which is accessory to the main use on the property for the purpose of cooking, wrapping, packaging, processing, or portioning ready-to-eat food for service, sale, or distribution; and
(4) all required permits are obtained from the department of code compliance. (Ord. Nos. 19455; 19786; 20360; 21398; 21895; 22759; 23694; 27697)