For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning. Words used in the present tense include the future, words in the singular number include the plural, and words in the plural number include the singular.
ACCESSORY USE OR STRUCTURE. A use or structure subordinate to the principal use or building on the same lot and serving a purpose customarily incidental thereto.
AFFIDAVIT. An oath in writing, swore to and attested by an individual who has the authority to administer such an oath.
AGRICULTURE. The use of land for agricultural purposes. This includes necessary building and structures which shall be used for agriculture including, but not limited to, farming, dairying, pasturage, agriculture, horticulture, floriculture, viticulture and animal and poultry husbandry and the necessary accessory uses for packing, treating or storing the produce; provided, however, that the operation of any such accessory uses shall be secondary to that of the normal agriculture activities. Building occupied as residences shall not be considered to be used for AGRICULTURAL purposes.
AIRPORT. Any area of land or water which is used or intended for use for the landing and taking off of aircraft; and any appurtenant areas which are used or intended for use for airport building or other airport facilities or rights-of-way, together with all airport buildings and facilities located thereon.
ALLEY. A public or private way less than 21 feet in width affording secondary means of access to abutting property.
ANIMAL HOSPITAL. Any building or portion thereof, designated or used for the care, observation or treatment of domestic animals.
APPLICANT. Any person making application for a building or special use permit under the terms of this chapter.
AUTOMOBILE REPAIR, MAJOR. General repair, rebuilding or reconditioning of engines, motor vehicles or trailers; collision service, including body, frame or fender straightening or repair; overall painting or paint shop; vehicle steam cleaning.
AUTOMOBILE REPAIR, MINOR. Minor repairs, incidental body and fender work, painting and upholstering, replacement of parts and motor service to passenger automobiles and trucks not exceeding one and one-half tons capacity, but not including any operation specified under “Automobile Repairs, Major”.
AUTOMOBILE WRECKING YARD. Any area of land where two or more motor vehicles, not in running condition, or parts thereof, are stored in the open and not being restored to operation; or any land, building or structure used for the wrecking or storing of such motor vehicles, or parts thereof, not in running condition.
BASEMENT. A story having part, but not more than 50% of its height below the average grade of the adjoining ground (as distinguished from a “cellar”). A BASEMENT shall be counted as a story for purpose of height measurement.
BILLBOARD or SIGNBOARD. Any structure or portion thereof, situated on private premises, on which lettered, figured or pictorial matter is, or intended to be, displayed for advertising purposes, other than the name and occupation of the user of, or the nature of, the business conducted on such premises, or the products primarily sold or manufactured thereon. This definition shall not be held to include a real estate sign advertising for sale or rent the property upon which it stands.
BUILDING. Any structure for the shelter or enclosure of persons, animals or chattels.
CELLAR. A story having 50% or more of its height below the average grade of the adjoining ground.
COURT. An open, unoccupied and unobstructed space other than a yard on the same lot with a building.
COURT, INNER. Any court other than an outer court.
COURT, OUTER. A court open for its full width on a street or other permanent open space; its width being the horizontal dimension substantially parallel to the principal open end thereof, and its depth the horizontal distance between the principal open end and the end opposite thereto.
DEPENDENT MOBILE HOME. A mobile home which does not have a toilet, and a bath or shower facility.
DRIVE-IN ESTABLISHMENT. An establishment which accommodates patron’s automobiles, from which the occupants may purchase or watch.
DWELLING. A building or portion thereof occupied or intended to be occupied exclusively for residence purposes, but not including a tent, cabin, trailer or trailer coach, or a room in a hotel or motel.
DWELLING GROUP. Two or more detached dwellings located on a parcel of land in one ownership and conforming to the special conditions and requirements set forth in § 155.217.
ESSENTIAL SERVICES. The erection, construction, alteration or maintenance, by public utilities or municipal or other governmental agencies, or underground or overhead gas, electrical, steam or water transmission or distribution systems, collection, communication, supply or disposal systems, elevated and underground water storage tanks, including pipes, wires, mains, drains, sewers, pipes, conduits, cables, fire alarm boxes, police call boxes, traffic signals, hydrants and other similar equipment and accessories in connection therewith; reasonable necessary for the furnishing of adequate service by such public utilities or municipal or other governmental agencies or for the public health or safety or general welfare, but not including buildings.
FAMILY. One or more persons related by blood, marriage or adoption, together with his, her or their domestic servants, maintaining a common household in a dwelling.
FLOODPLAIN. Lands in the community, or as may be annexed, or within one and one-half miles of the corporate limits which are low-lying difficult to drain or subject to flood.
GARAGE, PRIVATE. A detached accessory building or portion of a principal building used for the storage of self-propelled passenger vehicles or trailers of the occupants of the premises and/or not more than one truck of a rated capacity not exceeding one and one-half tons.
GARAGE, PUBLIC. Any building where automotive vehicles are painted, rebuilt, reconstructed and/or stored for compensation.
HEIGHT. In the case of a wall, or part of a building, the vertical distance from the average established curb grade in front of the lot or from the average finished grade at the building line, if higher, to the average height of the top of the cornice of a flat roof, or roof line, or to the deck line of a mansard roof, or to the middle height of the highest gable or dormer in a pitched or hipped roof, or if there are no gables or dormers, to the middle height of such pitched or hipped roof.
HIGHWAY or PRIMARY THOROUGHFARE. An officially designated federal or state numbered highway or other road designated as a highway or primary thoroughfare on the thoroughfare plan as officially adopted and amended from time to time by the Planning Commission.
IMMOBILIZED MOBILE HOME. A mobile home resting on a permanent foundation with wheels, towing tongue and hitch permanently removed and connected to local water, sewer and electrical systems.
INDEPENDENT MOBILE HOME. A mobile home which has a self-contained toilet and a bath or shower facility.
JUNK YARD. An open area or fenced enclosure, where used or second hand materials are bought, sold, exchanged, stored, baled, packed, dissembled or handled, including, but not limited to, scrap iron and other metals, paper, rags, rubber tires and bottles. A JUNK YARD includes an automobile wrecking yard, but does not include uses established entirely within enclosed building.
KENNEL. Any structure or premises where three or more dogs over four months of age are kept.
LAND USE PLAN. The comprehensive long-range plan for the desirable use of land in the community and those lands within one and one-half miles of the community as officially adopted and as amended from time to time by the Planning Commission; the purpose of such plan being, among other things, to serve as a guide to the zoning and progressive changes in the zoning of land to meet changing community needs, in the subdividing and use of undeveloped land, and in the acquisition of land for such public purposes as streets, parks, schools and other public buildings or public uses.
LOT. A parcel of land, abutting on a street, whose area, in addition to the parts thereof occupied or hereafter to be occupied by a building and its accessory buildings, is sufficient to provide the yards and courts required by this report.
LOT, CORNER. A lot situated at the intersection of two streets, provided that the interior angle made by the front lot lines at the intersection is less than 135 degrees.
LOT, INTERIOR. A lot other than a corner lot.
LOT AREA. The horizontal area within the lot lines of the lot, except in the case of a corner lot as provided in § 155.238.
LOT, DEPTH. The mean horizontal distance between the front and rear lot lines.
LOT, WIDTH. The mean horizontal distance across the lot between side lot lines at the building line measured at the right angles to the depth.
LOT LINE, FRONT. The boundary of a lot which is along an existing or dedicated street or road. The owner of a corner lot will have two FRONT LOT LINES.
LOT LINE, REAR. The boundary of a lot which is most distant from, and is, or most nearly, parallel to, the front lot line.
LOT LINE, SIDE. Any boundary of a lot which is not a front or rear lot line.
LOT OF RECORD. A lot which is part of a subdivision, the plat of which has been recorded in the office of the Recorder of Deeds for the county; or a parcel of land, the deed to which was recorded in the office of the Recorder prior to adoption of the zoning ordinance.
MOBILE HOME. A structure designed for the permanent habitation as a single-family dwelling, and so constructed as to permit its transport on wheels temporarily or permanently attached to its frame, from place of its construction or manufacture to the location at which it is intended to be a permanent habitation.
MOBILE HOME PARK. A tract of land or two or more contiguous tracts of land upon which five or more independent mobile homes are located for permanent habitation either free of charge or for revenue purposes, and shall include any building, structure, tent, vehicle or enclosure used or intended for use as part of the equipment of such mobile home park.
MOTOR FUEL STATION. A place where gasoline, diesel oil, kerosene or any other motor fuel or lubricating oil or grease for operating motor vehicles is offered for sale to the public and deliveries are made directly into motor vehicles, including greasing and oiling and the sale of automobile accessories on the premises.
NONCONFORMING USE. A building, structure or premises lawfully occupied at the time of the enactment of the Zoning Code by a use that does not conform with the provisions of the ordinance for the district in which it is located; also such use resulting from changes in zoning districts or in textual provisions made hereafter.
OFF-STREET PARKING. An area on the owners lot, tract or parcel of land where automobiles and/or other vehicles may be parked without blocking traffic on any adjacent roadway, street or alley.
OWNER. The person to whom the special use permit is issued.
PARKING AREA, ACCESSORY. An area of one or more parking spaces located on the same property as the building, structure or premises it is intended to serve, or on adjoining or nearby property, and of such shape and nature as to be appropriate and usable for the parking or storage, loading and unloading of self-propelled vehicles.
PERMANENT HABITATION. A consecutive period of three months or more.
PERSON. Any individual, group of individuals, associations, trust or partnership.
REVOCATION. To declare invalid a permit issued to the applicant by the city.
SETBACK LINE. The minimum horizontal distance permitted between the front or side of a structure and the nearest street line.
SIGN. Any structure or device for visual communication that is used for the purpose of bringing the subject thereof to the attention of the public, but not including any flag, badge or insignia or any government or governmental agency, or of any civic, charitable, religious, patriotic, fraternal or similar organization, or any sign indicating address. Each display surface of a sign shall be considered a SIGN.
SIGN, GROSS SURFACE AREA OF. The entire area within a single continuous perimeter enclosing the extreme limits of such sign and in no case passing through or between any adjacent elements of the same; however, such perimeter shall not include any structural elements lying outside the limits of such sign and not forming an integral part of the display.
SITE, MOBILE HOME. The lot, tract or parcel of land upon which the mobile home is located as a dwelling place.
SPACE. Shall be synonymous with site.
SPECIAL USE PERMIT. A certificate issued by the city to allow a person to set up and use as a dwelling place a mobile home as defined in this chapter.
STORY. The portion of a building included between the upper surface of any floor and the upper surface of the floor next above, or the ceiling or roof next above such floor; provided that, for the purpose of determining the required dimensions of yards and courts, when the average story height of a building exceeds 12 feet, each 12 feet or fractional thereof of the total building height shall be considered a separate full STORY or fractional STORY respectively, except the first STORY, which may be 15 feet high.
STORY, HALF. A partial story under a gable, hip or gambrel roof, the wall plates of which on at least two opposite exterior walls are not more than four feet above the floor of such story; provided, however, that any partial story used for residence purposes, other than for a janitor or caretaker and his or her family, shall be deemed a full story.
STREET. Any public or private way set aside as a permanent right-of-way for vehicular or pedestrian access 21 feet or more in width if it existed at the time of the enactment of the Zoning Code; and any such public or private way created after enactment of this ordinance, provided it is 50 feet or more in width.
STRUCTURAL ALTERATION. Any change in the supporting members of a building including but not limited to, bearing walls, load-bearing partitions, columns, beams or girders, or any substantial change in the roof or in the exterior walls.
STRUCTURE. Anything constructed, the use of which required permanent location on the ground, or attached to something having permanent location on the ground.
SUSPENSION. To temporarily declare invalid a permit issued to the applicant by the city.
TIEDOWN or ANCHORING. A method of securing a mobile home to its foundation in accordance to the specifications of 210 ILCS 120/1 et seq., the Illinois Mobile Home Tiedown Act of 1990 (Revised), and the Mobile Home Owners Tiedown Guide, prepared by the State Department of Public Health, as amended.
TRAILER (MOBILE HOME). Any vehicle, house car, camp car or any portable or mobile vehicle on wheels, skids or rollers or blocks, either self-propelled or propelled by other means, which is designated to be used for living, sleeping or commercial purposes.
YARD, FRONT. An open space extending the full width of the lot between a building and the front lot line, unoccupied and unobstructed from the ground upward, except as hereinafter specified.
YARD, FRONT, LEAST DEPTH. The shortest distance measured horizontally, between any part of a building, other than such parts as hereinafter excepted, and the front lot line.
YARD, REAR. An open space extending the full width of a lot between a building and the rear lot line, unoccupied and unobstructed from the ground upward, except as hereinafter specified.
YARD, REAR, LEAST DEPTH. The shortest distance measured horizontally, between any part of a building, other than such parts as hereinafter excepted, and the rear lot line. In the case of an irregular, triangular or gore-shaped lot, a line ten feet in length entirely within the lot, parallel to and a maximum distance from the front lot line, shall be considered the rear lot line.
YARD, SIDE. An open space extending from the front yard to the rear yard between a building and the side lot line, unoccupied and unobstructed from the ground upward, except as hereinafter specified.
(1999 Code, § 40-2-1) (Ord. 334, passed 10-26-1964; Ord. 11-94, passed 5-25-1994)