The floor area of a building is the sum of the gross horizontal areas of all floors of a building or other enclosed structure, measured from the outside perimeter of the exterior walls and/or the centerline of interior walls.
(A) Floor area includes, but is not limited to, all habitable space (as defined in the town's construction codes) that is below the roof and within the outer surface of the main walls of principal or accessory buildings, the centerlines of party walls separating such buildings or portions thereof, or lines drawn parallel to and two feet within the roof line of any building without walls. In the case of a multi-story building that has covered or enclosed stairways, stairwells, or elevator shafts, the horizontal area of such features shall be counted only once at the floor level of their greatest area of horizontal extent.
(B) Floor area does not include the following: mechanical, electrical, and communication equipment rooms that do not exceed two percent of the building's gross floor area; bay windows, decks, or other architectural projections where the vertical distance between the lowest surface of the projection and the finished floor is 30 inches or greater; areas that qualify as usable open space; and, in non-residential buildings, areas used for off-street parking spaces or loading spaces, driveways, ramps between floors of a multi-level parking garage, and maneuvering aisles that are located below the finish grade of the property.
(C) For non-residential uses, gross floor area includes interior walkways interior courtyards, walkways, paseos, and corridors covered by a roof or skylight. Non-residential gross floor area does not include arcades, porticoes, and similar open areas that are located at or near street level and are accessible to the general public but are not designed or used as sales, display, storage, service, or production areas.
(Ord. 885, passed 11-1-2023)