(A) Use definitions. See Chapter 7 of this Ordinance for use-related definitions.
(B) General rules of language. See Section Chapter 1 of this Ordinance for information about general use of language and ordinance construction.
(C) General definitions. The words and terms expressly defined in this section have the specific meanings assigned, unless the context expressly indicates another meaning. Words that are not expressly defined have their common dictionary meaning.
ABUT or ABUTTING: | To touch or to share a contiguous boundary or border. |
ACCESSORY BUILDING: | See ACCESSORY STRUCTURE OR USE. |
ACCESSORY STRUCTURE OR USE: | An accessory structure or accessory use is one that: |
a. Is subordinate to the principal building or principal use in terms of area and function; | |
b. Is customarily found in association with the principal use or principal building. | |
ADJACENT: | Lying near or in the immediate vicinity. |
ADJOIN or ADJOINING: | Touching or contiguous, as distinguished from lying near. |
AGENT: | A person duly authorized to act on behalf of the subject property owner. |
ALLEY: | A public or private way, at the rear or side of property, permanently reserved as a means of secondary access to abutting property. Frontage on an alley may not be counted toward satisfying the requirements of this zoning ordinance related to frontage on a dedicated street. |
ANTENNA: | Communications equipment that transmits or receives electromagnetic radio frequency signals used in the provision of wireless communications services. An antenna includes any exterior apparatus designed for telephonic, radio or television communications through the sending and/or receiving of electromagnetic waves. |
ANTENNA SUPPORT STRUCTURE: | Any pole, telescoping mast, tower, tripod, or other freestanding structure which supports an antenna. For purposes of this ordinance, a building is not an antenna support structure. |
APPLICANT: | Any authorized person, firm, corporation or agency who submits an application. |
AQUATIC RECREATION FACILITIES: | A facility that is designed for free-form aquatic play and recreation. The facilities may include, but are not limited to, wave or surf action pools, leisure rivers, sand bottom pools, vortex pools, activity pools, inner tube rides, body slides, and interactive play attractions. |
AWNING: | A roof-like structure typically made of cloth, metal or other material attached to a frame that extends from and is supported by a building. Awnings are typically erected over a window, doorway or building front and they may be raised or retracted to a position adjacent to the building. |
BASEMENT: | The part of a building that is wholly or partly below ground level. |
BERM: | An earthen mound designed to provide visual interest, screen views from a less intensive use to a more intensive use, and/or decrease noise. |
BUFFER: | A combination of physical space and vertical elements, such as plants, berms, fences or walls, the purpose of which is to separate and screen incompatible land uses from each other. |
BUILDING: | A structure having a roof, supported by columns or walls for the shelter, support or enclosure of persons, animals or chattel. |
BUILDING, NONCONFORMING: | See NONCONFORMING STRUCTURE in Chapter 10 of this Zoning Ordinance. |
CALIPER: | A measurement of the size of a tree equal to the diameter of its trunk measured six inches above natural ground for trees having calipers less than or equal to six inches diameter and measured 12 inches above grade for tree calipers greater than six inches diameter. |
CERTIFY or CERTIFICATION: | Formally attesting that the specific inspections and tests where required have been performed and that such tests comply with the applicable requirements of this Zoning Ordinance. |
COLLOCATE OR COLLOCATION: | To install, mount, maintain, modify, operate, or replace a wireless telecommunications facilities on or adjacent to an existing antenna support structure or utility pole. |
COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLE: | A motor vehicle that is used or intended to be used primarily for commercial purposes. |
CORNER LOT: | See LOT, CORNER. |
DECIDUOUS: | A plant with foliage that is shed annually. |
DENSITY: | The numerical value obtained by dividing the total dwelling units in a development by the gross area of the tract of land upon which the dwelling units are located. Dedicated streets are counted in the calculation of gross density. |
DEVELOPMENT: | Any human change to land, including: |
a. Construction, reconstruction, repair, or placement of a building or any addition to a building. | |
b. Drilling, mining, installing utilities, construction of roads, bridges, or similar projects. | |
c. Construction or erection of, grading, excavating, paving, or other alterations of the ground surface; storage of materials; deposit of solid or liquid waste. | |
DEVELOPMENT does not include maintenance of existing buildings and facilities such as re-roofing or re-surfacing of roads when there is no increase in elevation, or gardening, plowing, and similar agricultural practices that do not involve filling, grading, or construction of levees. | |
DIAMETER AT BREAST HEIGHT (DBH): | The diameter of a tree measured at a point 4.5' above grade. |
DISABLED or DISABILITY: | A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. |
DRIP LINE: | The outer perimeter of the largest branches or limbs of a tree, as measured on the ground around the base of the tree. |
DRIVEWAY: | That portion of a lot used to provide access from the street to a place of residence or business and which has been graded and surfaced with concrete, or other hard and dustless material. |
DWELLING: | A building or portion thereof, designed or used exclusively for residential occupancy. |
DWELLING UNIT: | One or more rooms in a dwelling designed for occupancy by a single household for living purposes and having its own permanently installed cooking and sanitary facilities. |
ELECTRIC VEHICLE (EV): | Any vehicle that is licensed and registered for operation on public and private highways, roads, and streets; either partially or exclusively, on electrical energy from the grid or an off-board source, that is stored on-board via a battery. “Electric vehicle” includes: battery electric vehicles; and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. |
ELECTRIC VEHICLE, BATTERY: | Any electric vehicle that operates exclusively on electrical energy from an off-board source that is stored in the vehicle’s batteries and that produces zero tailpipe emissions or pollution when stationary or operating. |
ELECTRIC VEHICLE, PLUG-IN HYBRID: | An electric vehicle that contains an internal combustion engine and also allows power to be delivered to drive wheels by an electric motor; charges its battery primarily by connecting to the grid or other off-board electrical source; may additionally be able to sustain battery charge using an on-board internal- combustion-driven generator; and has the ability to travel powered by electricity. |
ELECTRIC VEHICLE (EV) CHARGING STATION: | A public or private parking space that is served by battery charging station equipment. |
ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATION, PRIVATE: | An EV charging station that is not available for use by the general public. Examples include electric vehicle charging stations that serve residential homeowners or renters, executive parking areas, designated employee parking areas and fleet parking areas. |
ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATION, PUBLIC: | An EV charging station that is accessible to and available for use by the general public. |
ELECTRIC VEHICLE PARKING SPACE: | Any parking space that is clearly identified to be used exclusively for the parking of an electric vehicle. |
EVERGREEN: | A plant with foliage that persists and remains green year-round. |
FACILITY: | All structures, devices, objects, and materials (including, but not limited to, track and rails, wires, ducts, fiber optic cable, antennas, vaults, boxes, equipment enclosures, cabinets, pedestals, poles, conduits, grates, covers, pipes, cables, small wireless facilities, as defined in this chapter, and appurtenances thereto) located on, over, above, along, upon, under, across, or within rights-of-way under this chapter. For purposes of this chapter, the term “facility” shall not include any facility owned or operated by the Village. |
FACILITY HEIGHT: | The vertical distance measured from the base of the antenna support structure at grade to the highest point of the facility even if said highest point is an antenna. If the facility is on a sloped grade, then the average between the highest and lowest grades shall be used in calculating the facility height. |
FENCE: | Any construction of wood, metal, wire mesh, masonry, or other material erected to create a barrier for the purpose of assuring privacy, protection, screening, or restraining animals. |
FILL: | Any act by which earth, sand, gravel, rock or any other material is deposited, placed, replaced, pushed, dumped, pulled, transported, or moved by man to a new location and include the conditions resulting from fill activities. |
FRONTAGE: | A lot line or the length of a lot line that is also the line of any public street right-of- way other than an alley. |
GEOTHERMAL ENERGY SYSTEM: | Equipment that transfers thermal energy to and/or from the ground for the purposes of heating and/or cooling a building. Geothermal energy systems consists of a closed-loop system of pipes filled with liquid, a heat exchanger and heat pump. This includes vertical closed loop, horizontal closed loop and water body closed loop systems. |
GRADE: | The average level of the finished surface of the ground adjacent to the building or structure. |
HEIGHT OF ELECTRIC- GENERATING WIND DEVICE: | The height above grade of the system including the fixed portion of the tower, generating unit, and the highest vertical extend of any blades or rotors. |
HEIGHT (OF BUILDING): | See Section 5-20-4(A) of this Zoning Ordinance. |
HOME OCCUPATION: | Any ongoing activity conducted on the property with the intent to gain income whether it be the primary source of income or secondary source of income and incidental to the primary use of the property as residential. |
HOUSEHOLD: | One or more related persons occupying a premises and living together as a single housekeeping unit, provided, however, that: |
1. No housekeeping unit consisting of all unrelated persons may exceed 3 persons. | |
2. No housekeeping unit consisting of related and unrelated persons may consist of more than the related family and no more than 2 other unrelated persons. | |
For the purpose of this definition of “household,” the phrase “living together as a single housekeeping unit” means that all members of the household share common meals, that all members have the equal right to use, in common with each other, the areas customarily considered to be common area in a dwelling unit, including ingress and egress, and that all members share customary household obligations. | |
LANDSCAPING: | Any combination of living plants (such as grass, ground cover, shrubs, vines, hedges, or trees) and nonliving landscape material (such as rocks, pebbles, sand, mulch, walls, fences, or decorative paving materials). |
LAWFULLY ESTABLISHED: | A use, structure, lot or sign (as the context indicates) that was established in conformance with all applicable zoning regulations in effect at the time of its establishment or which becomes lawful after its establishment due to an amendment to zoning regulations. |
LIGHT TRESPASS: | Light that is emitted into an unintended area. |
LOT: | A legally divided area or portion of land under a single ownership or control that is intended to be occupied by a use or group of uses, and/or a principal building or structure. |
LOT AREA: | See Section 5-20-1(A). |
LOT, CORNER: | A lot at the intersection of two streets or a lot bounded on two sides by a curving street and any two chords of which form an angle of 120 degrees or less measured on the lot side. |
LOT, DOUBLE FRONTAGE: | A lot other than a corner lot having frontage on two or more streets. Note: An alley is not considered a street for purposes relating to determination of a double frontage lot. |
LOT FRONTAGE: | See Section 5-20-1(B). |
LOT LINE: | An imaginary line at the edge or boundary of a zoning lot or a line at the boundary of a lot of record. |
LOT LINE, FRONT STREET: | The property line abutting or within a street that is legally accessible for ingress and egress to the property. On a corner lot, lot lines along streets are considered to be front street lot lines. |
LOT LINE, INTERIOR: | A lot line shared with another lot other than a street or rear lot line. |
LOT LINE, REAR: | The lot line most nearly parallel to and most removed from the street lot line. |
LOT LINE, SIDE: | Lot lines other than street or rear lot lines. |
LOT OF RECORD: | A lot that is part of a subdivision, the plat of which has been legally recorded or a parcel of land with a legally recorded deed in accordance with the Plat Act. |
LOT, THROUGH: | See LOT, DOUBLE FRONTAGE. |
LOT, ZONING: | A tract of land, composed of one or more recorded lots or a parcel of land described by metes and bounds, that is of sufficient size to meet the minimum district requirements of this Zoning Ordinance concerning use, coverage, width, area, setbacks, or other district requirements of this Zoning Ordinance and having frontage on an improved public street, and which is designated by its owner or developer as a tract of land to be used, developed, or built upon as a unit, under single ownership or control. A “zoning lot” may or may not coincide with the definition of a “lot of record.” |
MOBILE HOME: | A factory-built, single- household structure that is manufactured under the authority of 42 U.S.C. § 5401, the National Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards Act. |
NONCONFORMITY: | Any nonconforming lot, nonconforming use, nonconforming structure, nonconforming development feature or nonconforming sign. |
NONRESIDENTIAL ZONING DISTRICT: | Any business, office, light industrial / business park, or college university zoning district. |
NUDE: | Exposing to view specified anatomical areas or any device, costume, or covering that gives the appearance of or simulates any specified anatomical areas. |
NUISANCE: | A condition that interferes with the use or enjoyment of another’s property, or that affects the health, safety, welfare or comfort of the public at large. |
OPEN-AIR USES: | Uses of land that do not involve buildings or that involve buildings that are incidental and accessory to the open-air use of the lot. Typical examples include storage yards, vehicle impound yards, auto salvage uses. |
OUTDOOR STORAGE: | The keeping of any inventory, goods, material, machinery, equipment or merchandise, including raw, semi-finished and finished materials, and vehicles weighing more than 8,000 pounds for any period of time outside of an enclosed building. |
PARAPET or PARAPET WALL: | A wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof that acts as a vertical extension of an exterior building wall extending above the roof height of the building. Parapets may serve as a safety or architectural feature. |
PERSON: | Any individual, firm, or corporation, public or private, the State of Illinois and its agencies or political subdivisions, and the United States of America, its agencies and instrumentalities, and any agent, servant, officer or employee of any of the foregoing. |
PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT: | A development approved in accordance with the planned unit development procedures of Chapter 18 of this Zoning Ordinance or the planned unit development procedures in effect at the time the development was approved. |
PORCH: | A roofed-over structure projecting out from the wall or walls of a main structure and commonly open to the weather in part. |
PRINCIPAL BUILDING: | A building or combination of buildings of chief importance or function on a lot. In general, the principal use is carried out in a principal building. |
PRINCIPAL USE: | An activity or combination of activities of chief importance on a lot. One of the main purposes for which the land, buildings or structures are intended, designed, or ordinarily used. |
PROPERTY LINE: | See LOT LINE. |
PUBLIC WAY: | Any sidewalk, street, alley, highway, or other public thoroughfare. |
RAILROAD RIGHT-OF-WAY: | Strip of land with tracks and auxiliary facilities for track operation, but not including freight depots, stations, loading platforms, train sheds, warehouses, car or locomotive shops, or car yards. |
RENEWABLE ENERGY: | Energy from resources that are quickly replenished, such as sunlight, wind, water, biomass, geothermal resources. |
ROTOR: | Rotating member of the small wind energy system that actually captures the wind. A typical rotor has two or three blades that spin on a horizontal axis. |
RUNOFF: | The water derived from melting snow or rain falling on the land surface, flowing over the surface of the ground or collected in channels or conduits. |
SCREENING: | A structure or evergreen vegetation maintained for the purpose of concealing from view the area behind the structure or evergreen vegetation. |
SEMI-NUDE: | Exposing to view, with less than a fully opaque covering, any portion of the female breast below the top of the areola or any portion of the buttocks. This definition shall include the entire lower portion of the female breast, but shall not include any portion of the cleavage of the female breast exhibited by a dress, blouse, shirt, leotard, bathing suit, or other clothing, provided that the areola is not exposed in whole or in part. |
SETBACK: | Open space areas required between buildings and lot lines. See Section 5-20-2 of this Zoning Ordinance. |
SHADE TREE: | Deciduous trees planted primarily for their high crown of foliage or overhead canopy. |
SHOOTING RANGE: | A facility designed for the purpose of providing a place for the discharge of various types of firearms. |
SHRUB: | A woody plant, smaller than a tree, consisting of several small stems from the ground, or small branches near the ground. May be deciduous or evergreen. |
SITE: | A lot or parcel of land, or a contiguous combination thereof, where grading work is performed as a single unified operation. |
SITE DEVELOPMENT: | Altering terrain and/or vegetation and construction improvements. |
SMALL WIRELESS FACILITY: | A wireless telecommunications facility that meets both of the following qualifications: a) each antenna is located inside an enclosure of no more than six (6) cubic feet in volume or, in the case of an antenna that has exposed elements, the antenna and all of its exposed elements could fit within an imaginary enclosure of no more than six (6) cubic feet; and b) all other wireless equipment attached directly to a utility pole associated with the facility is cumulatively no more than twenty five (25) cubic feet in volume. The following types of associated ancillary equipment are not included in the calculation of equipment volume: electric meter, concealment elements, telecommunications demarcation box, ground-based enclosures, grounding equipment, power transfer switch, cut-off switch, and vertical cable runs for the connection of power and other services. |
SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEM: | A system intended to convert solar energy into thermal, mechanical or electrical energy. |
SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEM, BUILDING - INTEGRATED: | A solar energy system that is an integral part of a principal or accessory building, rather than a separate mechanical device, replacing or substituting for an architectural or structural part of the building. Building-integrated systems include, but are not limited to, photovoltaic or hot water systems that are contained within roofing materials, windows, skylights, shading devices and similar architectural components. |
SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEM, BUILDING - MOUNTED: | A solar energy system that is mounted on the façade or roof of either a principal or accessory building. |
SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEM, GROUND- MOUNTED: | A solar energy system mounted on the ground and not attached to any other structure other than structural supports. |
SPA: | A product intended for the immersion of persons in temperature-controlled water circulated in a closed system, and not intended to be drained and filled with each use. |
SPECIFIED ANATOMICAL AREA: | The human genitals, pubic area, perineum, anus, anal cleft or cleavage, pubic hair, any portion of the areola of the female breast if less than fully and opaquely covered; and the male genitals in a discernibly turgid state, even if entirely covered by an opaque covering. In determining whether any of the foregoing portions of the anatomy are fully and opaquely covered, coverage by makeup, paint, or similar matter applied directly to the skin, shall not be considered to be fully and opaquely covered. |
SPECIFIED SEXUAL ACTIVITIES: | Any of the following, whether actual or simulated: |
1. The fondling or other erotic touching of human genitals, pubic area, perineum, anus, anal cleft or cleavage, pubic hair, buttocks, or female breasts, regardless of whether the performer or recipient is clothed, in a state of nudity or in a state of semi nudity; | |
2. The manipulation of the human body of another, including massage, by the use of any portion of manipulator’s body, whether covered or uncovered, or by any device, if the person performing the manipulation or the person receiving the manipulation is in a state of nudity or semi nudity; | |
3. Sex acts, normal or perverted, heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual, including, without limitation, intercourse, fellatio, cunnilingus, analingus, masturbation, bestiality, sodomy, bondage and discipline, sadism and masochism, and any other act intended to cause sexual arousal; | |
4. Sex acts between animals when offered or displayed for the purpose or with the intent of causing the sexual arousal of a human viewer. | |
STREET: | All property dedicated or intended for public highway, freeway, or roadway purposes or subject to public easements. |
STRUCTURE: | The results of a human change to the land constructed on or below the ground. |
SWIMMING POOL: | Any structure, basin, chamber or tank containing an artificial body of water for swimming or wading, having a depth of two feet or more at any point. This definition includes in-ground, above and on-ground swimming pools but does not include hot tubs, spas, or other structures for recreational bathing. |
TREE: | A large, woody plant having one or several self-supporting stems or trunks and numerous branches. May be classified as shade, ornamental or evergreen. |
USE: | The purpose for which land or a building thereon is designed, arranged, or intended, or for which it is occupied, maintained, let or leased. |
USE, PERMITTED: | A use which may be lawfully established in a particular district or districts, provided it conforms with all requirements, regulations, and performance standards (if any) of such districts. |
USE, PRINCIPAL: | The main use of land or buildings as distinguished from a subordinate or accessory use. A principal use may be either a permitted use or a special use. |
VACANT: | Land on which there are no structures or only structures that are secondary to the use or maintenance of the land itself. |
VEHICLE: | See VEHICLE, MOTOR. |
VEHICLE, COMMERCIAL: | Any vehicle operated for the transportation of persons or property in the furtherance of any commercial or industrial enterprise, for-hire or not-for-hire. |
VEHICLE, MOTOR: | Any passenger vehicle, truck, tractor, recreational vehicle, commercial vehicle, tractor-trailer, truck-trailer, trailer or semitrailer propelled or drawn by mechanical power. |
VEHICLE, RECREATIONAL: | A travel trailer, camping trailer, truck camper, camper shell, motor home, tent trailer, boat, houseboat, boat trailer, snowmobile, personal watercraft, or similar vehicle. Camper shells that are attached to a pickup truck are not considered a recreational vehicle. |
VEHICLE FUELS, ALTERNATIVE: | Electricity, CNG (compressed natural gas), LNG (liquefied natural gas), LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), and hydrogen. |
VEHICLE FUELS, CONVENTIONAL: | Gasoline and diesel fuel. |
WIRELESS TELE- COMMUNICATIONS FACILITY: | That part of the signal distribution system used or operated by a telecommunications carrier or AM broadcast station under a license from the FCC consisting of one or more antennas; an antenna support structure and the hardware by which antennas are attached; equipment housing; or ancillary equipment such as signal transmission cables and miscellaneous hardware. |
WOODY PLANT: | A plant that uses wood as part of its structural support. |
YARD: | The actual (as opposed to “required”) horizontal distance that exists between a principal building and a property line. See also SETBACK. |
ZONING ADMINISTRATOR: | The Development Services Director or individual designated by the Development Services Director.(Ord. 2021-4931, 11-15-2021; amd. Ord. 2023-5042, 12-18-2023) |