For the purpose of this subchapter the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning. The word LOT includes the word PLOT; the word BUILDING includes the word STRUCTURE; the words SHALL and MUST are mandatory and not directory; and the term USED FOR includes the meaning DESIGNED FOR and INTENDED FOR.
ACCESSORY BUILDING or USE. A subordinate building, a portion of the main building, or a use customarily incident to and located on the lot occupied by the main building or use of the property.
ALLEY. A public way which affords only a secondary means of access to abutting property.
APARTMENT. A room or suite of rooms within an apartment house or other multi-use building arranged, intended, designed for, or used as the place of residence of a single-family or group of individuals living together as a single housekeeping unit.
APARTMENT HOTEL. An apartment house which furnishes for the use of its tenants services ordinarily furnished by hotels, but the privileges of which are not primarily available to the public.
APARTMENT HOUSE. A building arranged, intended, designed for or occupied by more than two families.
AREA OF LOT. The net area of the lot and shall not include portions of streets and alleys.
BASEMENT. A story one-half or more of which is located below the average ground level. A BASEMENT will not be included as a story for purposes of height measurement.
BLOCK. A piece or parcel of land entirely surrounded by public highways or streets, other than alleys. In cases where the platting is incomplete or disconnected, the City Engineer shall determine the outline of the block.
BOARDING HOUSE or LODGING HOUSE. A building other than a hotel, occupied as a single housekeeping unit, where lodging or meals are provided for five or more persons for compensation, pursuant to previous arrangements, but not for the public or transients.
BUILDING. Any structure built for the support, shelter and enclosure of persons, animals, chattels or movable property of any kind.
CURB LEVEL. The mean level of the curb in front of the lot, or in case of a corner lot, along that abutting street where the mean curb level is the highest. Where no curb has been established, the City Engineer shall authorize and approve the establishment of the curb or its equivalent.
DEPTH OF LOT. The mean horizontal distance between the front and rear lot lines.
DWELLING. Any building or portion thereof which is designed and used exclusively for residential purposes.
DWELLING, SINGLE-FAMILY. A building having accommodations for and occupied exclusively by one family.
DWELLING, TWO-FAMILY or DUPLEX. A building with accommodations for and occupied exclusively by two families.
DWELLING, MULTI-FAMILY. A building having accommodations for and occupied exclusively by more than two families.
FAMILY. Any number of individuals living together as a single housekeeping unit as distinguished from a group occupying a boarding house, lodging house, hotel, fraternity or sorority house.
FRONT YARD DEPTH. The minimum horizontal distance from the front line of the building to the front street line of the lot.
FRONTAGE. All the property on one side of a street between intersecting streets (crossing or terminating), measured along the line of the street, or if the street is dead-ended, then all the property abutting on one side between an intersecting street and the dead-end of the street.
GARAGE, PRIVATE. An accessory building or portion thereof in which privately owned motor vehicles are stored by occupants of the premises.
GARAGE, PUBLIC. Any building or premises used for the storage, care or repair of motor vehicles, which is operated for commercial purposes.
GARAGE, STORAGE. Any building or portion thereof, other than a private garage, providing storage for motor vehicles with facilities for washing, but no other service.
HEIGHT OF BUILDINGS. The vertical distance measured from the highest of the following three levels:
(1) From the street curb level;
(2) From the established or mean street grade in case the curb has not been constructed; and
(3) From the average finished ground, level adjoining the building where it sets back from the street line; to the level of the highest point of the roof beams of flat roof or roofs inclining not more than one inch to the foot, and to the mean height level of the top of the main plate and highest ridge for other roofs.
HEIGHT OF COURT or YARD. The vertical distance from the lowest level of the yard or court to the highest point of any boundary wall.
HOTEL. A building occupied or used as a more or less temporary abiding place for individuals or groups of individuals who are lodged, with or without meals, and in which there are more than 12 sleeping rooms, and no provisions for cooking in individual rooms.
LOT. A parcel of land occupied or to be occupied by a building and its accessory buildings, and including the open spaces as are required under this chapter, and having its principal frontage upon a public street or place.
LOT, CORNER. A lot abutting upon two or more streets at their intersection. A CORNER LOT shall be deemed to front on that street on which it has its least dimension, unless otherwise specified by the City Engineer.
LOT, DEPTH OF. The mean horizontal distance between the front and rear lot lines.
LOT, INTERIOR. A lot whose side lines do not abut upon any street.
LOT, THROUGH. Any interior lot having frontage on two streets.
LOT LINES. The lines abounding a lot as defined herein.
MANUFACTURED HOME. A structure constructed according to the rules of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, transportable in one or more sections, which in the traveling mode is eight body feet or more in width, and 40 body feet or more in length, or when erected on site is 320 feet or more square feet, and which is built on a permanent chassis and is designed to be used with or without permanent foundation when connected to the required utilities, and includes plumbing, heating, air-conditioning and electrical systems.
MOBILE HOME. A structure that was constructed before June 15, 1976, transportable in one or more sections, which in the traveling mode is eight body feet or more in width, or 40 body feet or more in length, or when erected on site is 320 feet or more square feet, and which was built on a permanent chassis and designed to be used with or without a permanent foundation when connected to the required utilities and including the plumbing, heating, air-conditioning and electrical systems.
MOTEL. A group of attached, semi-detached or detached buildings containing individual sleeping or living units, designed for or used temporarily by automobile tourists, or transients, with garage attached or parking space conveniently located to each unit and offering to the public daily as well as other longer term rental rates, and maintaining a register of guests and/or their vehicles.
NONCONFORMING USE, BUILDING or YARD. One that does not, by reason of design, or use, conform to the regulations of the district in which it is situated.
PLACE. An open, unoccupied space other than a street or alley permanently established or dedicated as the principal means of access to property abutting thereon.
REAR LINE. The boundary line which is opposite and most distant from the front street line; except that in the case of uncertainty, the City Engineer shall determine the rear line.
REAR YARD. An open space, unoccupied (except as hereinafter provided) between the rear lot line and the rear line of the principal building and the side lot lines.
REAR YARD DEPTH. The minimum horizontal distance from the rear line of the principal building to rear lot line.
SIDE LINE. Any lot boundary line not a front or rear line thereof. A SIDE LINE may be a party lot line, a line bordering on an alley or place, or a side street line.
SIDE YARD. Any open space, unoccupied (except as hereinafter provided) between the main building and the adjacent side line of the lot, and extending through from the front yard to the rear yard.
STORY. That portion of a building 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 surface of the floor and the ceiling next above it.
STORY, HALF. That portion of a building having an average height of not more than eight feet and which covers a floor area of not more than 75% of the area of the floor next below.
STREET. A public thoroughfare or place which affords principal means of access to property abutting thereon.
STRUCTURAL ALTERATIONS. Any change in the supporting members of a building, such as bearing walls or partitions, columns, beams or girders, or any complete rebuilding of the roof or the exterior walls.
YARD. An open space of the same lot with a building, unoccupied and unobstructed by any portion of a structure from the ground upward, except as otherwise provided herein. In measuring a YARD for the purpose of determining the width of a side yard, the depth of a front yard, or the depth of a rear yard, the horizontal distance between the lot line and the main building shall be used.
YARD, FRONT. A yard extending across the front of a lot between the side yard lines, and being the minimum horizontal distance between the street line and the main building or any projections thereof other than the projection of the usual steps, unenclosed balconies or open porch. On corner lots, the FRONT YARD shall be considered as parallel to the street upon which the lot has its least dimension.
YARD, REAR. A yard extending across the rear of a lot, measured between the side lot lines, and being the minimum horizontal distance between the rear lot line and the rear of the main building or any projections other than steps, unenclosed balconies or unenclosed porches. On corner lots, the REAR YARD shall be considered as parallel to the street upon which the lot has its least dimension. On both corner lots and interior lots, the REAR YARD shall in all cases be at the opposite end of a lot from the front yard.
YARD, SIDE. A yard between the main building and the side line of the lot, and extending from the front lot line to the rear yard line.
(Ord. 3-86, passed 6-12-1986)