For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning. All words used in the present tense shall include the future tense; all words in the plural number shall include the singular number, and all words in the singular number shall include the plural number, unless the natural construction of the wording indicates otherwise.
ACCESSORY. A building, part of a building or structure or use which is subordinate to, and the use of which is incidental to that of the main building, structure or use on the same lot. Where an accessory building has a wall or a portion of a wall not less than four feet in length in common with a main building, such accessory building shall be considered a part of the main building.
ALLEY. Any public thoroughfare, not exceeding 30 feet in width, for the use of pedestrians and/or vehicles which affords only a secondary means of access to abutting property.
APARTMENT. A room or suite of two or more rooms which is designed for, intended for, and/or occupied by one family doing its own cooking therein.
BOARDING HOUSE. A dwelling other than a hotel or a residential care home, wherein lodging and meals are provided for compensation for more than five but not more than ten persons other than the immediate members of the proprietor's family.
BUILDING (includes the word STRUCTURE). Any structure having a roof supported by columns and/or walls and intended for the shelter, housing and/or enclosure of any persons, animal or chattel. When any portion thereof is completely separated from every other portion thereof by a masonry division or fire wall without any window, door or any other opening therein, which wall extends from the ground to the upper surface of the roof at every point, then such portion shall be deemed to be a separate building.
BUILDING, ACCESSORY. A subordinate building, the use of which is incidental to that of a main building on the same lot. Signs and fences are not to be considered as accessory buildings. Where an accessory building does not have a common wall of at least four feet in length with the main building on the same lot, it shall be considered detached.
BUILDING HEIGHT. The vertical distance measured from the average level of the highest and lowest point of that building site covered by the building to the ridge or peak of the roof.
BUILDING LINE. A line parallel to the front lot line and at a distance therefrom equal to the required depth of the front yard and extending across the full width of the lot.
BUILDING, MAIN. A building in which is conducted the principal use of the lot upon which it is situated. In any R district, any dwelling shall be deemed to be a main building upon the lot upon which the same is situated.
BUSINESS or COMMERCE. The purchase, sale or other transaction involving the handling or disposition (other than as included in the term INDUSTRY as defined herein) of any article, substance or commodity for profit or livelihood, including office buildings, offices, shops for the sale of personal services, garages, outdoor advertising signs, automobile parts, automobile courts and recreational and amusement enterprises conducted for profit, but not including junk yards.
CARNIVAL. A traveling or itinerant commercial amusement enterprise consisting of sideshows, vaudeville, games, merry-go-rounds or other mechanical amusement devices temporarily located within the city. A CARNIVAL shall not be construed to include or mean a festival or amusement.
CIRCUS. A traveling or itinerant commercial amusement enterprise utilizing an enclosure of any kind, but usually circular or rectangular, partially surrounded by seats, used for exhibition or horsemanship, acrobatic performances, acts of clowns, feats of animal training or the like, temporarily located in the city.
CLUB. An association of persons for some common, nonprofit purpose but not including groups organized primarily to render a service which is customarily carried on as a business.
COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT BUILDING. A building housing electrical and mechanical equipment necessary for the conduct of a public utility communications business, with or without personnel.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR. The Community Development Director of the City of Riverbank.
DAY CARE CENTER. Day care center means a dwelling or building or structure in which persons not of the immediate family are provided with care for compensation for a portion of the day not exceeding 12 hours in any 24-hour period. A day care shall not include 24-hour care and shelter.
DWELLING. A building or portion of a building designed for residential purposes, including one-family, two-family and multiple family dwelling but not including hotels, motels, boarding houses and lodging houses.
DWELLING GROUP. A group of two or more or detached or semi-detached single-family, two-family or multiple dwellings occupying a parcel of land in one ownership.
DWELLING, MULTIPLE. A building or portion thereof used or designed as a residence for three or more families living independently of each other, and doing their own cooking in the building.
DWELLING, SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENCE. A residential building containing one dwelling unit on one lot. All rooms within the single-family attached dwelling shall be interconnected. Single-family dwelling shall include a dwelling that is constructed for the purposes of providing supportive and transitional housing.
DWELLING, TINY HOUSE. A detached single-family residence within a tiny house village. A tiny house dwelling is defined as having a maximum floor area square footage of 800 square feet and a minimum floor area square footage of 150 square feet.
DWELLING, TWO FAMILY (DUPLEX). A detached building designed for and/or occupied exclusively for two families living independently of each other, but under one roof.
DWELLING UNIT. One or more rooms in a dwelling designed for occupancy by one family for living or sleeping purposes, and having only one kitchen.
DWELLING UNIT, ACCESSORY. An attached or detached residential dwelling unit which provides complete independent living facilities for one or more persons. It shall include permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking, and sanitation on the same parcel as the single-family dwelling is situated. An accessory dwelling unit also includes the following: (A) an efficiency unit; and (B) a manufactured home.
DWELLING UNIT, JUNIOR ACCESSORY. A unit that is no more than 500 square feet in size and contained entirely within a single-family residence. A junior accessory dwelling unit may include separate sanitation facilities, or may share sanitation facilities with the existing structure.
E-CIGARETTE. Any electronic or battery-operated device, the use of which may resemble smoking, that can be used to deliver an inhaled dose of vapors, including nicotine or other substances, this includes but is not limited to an electronic cigar, an electronic cigarillo, an electronic pipe, an electronic hookah, a vapor cigarette or any other product name or descriptor.
EFFICIENCY KITCHEN. Means a kitchen that includes each of the following:
(1) A cooking facility with appliances.
(2) A food preparation counter and storage cabinets that are of reasonable size in relation to the size of the junior accessory dwelling unit.
EFFICIENCY UNIT. Has the same meaning as defined in Cal. Health & Safety Code § 17958.1.
EMERGENCY SHELTERS. Housing with minimal supportive services for homeless persons that is limited to occupancy of six months or less by a homeless person. No individual or household may be denied emergency shelter because of an inability to pay.
EMPLOYEE HOUSING. Defined the same as labor camp per Cal. Health & Safety Code § 17021.5 and § 17021.6.
FAMILY. One or more persons occupying a dwelling unit and living as a single housekeeping unit, and distinguished from a group occupying a boarding house, lodging house, motel or hotel.
FAMILY DAY CARE CENTER. A day care center which also serves as the residence of the licensee.
FLOOR AREA. The sum of the gross horizontal areas of several floors of the building, excluding areas used for accessory garage purposes, and such basement and cellar areas as are devoted exclusively to uses accessory to the operations of the building. All horizontal dimensions shall be taken from the exterior faces of walls including walls or other enclosures or enclosed porches. Whenever the term is used in this title as a basis of requiring off-street parking for any structure, it shall be assumed that, unless otherwise stated, FLOOR AREA applies not only to the ground floor area but also to any additional stories or basement of the structure.
FLOOR AREA RATIO. The ratio of gross building floor area to total lot area expressed as such. Example: two square feet of gross floor area for each three square feet of total lot area would result in a floor area ratio of .66:1.
(Ord. 87-11, passed 7-27-87)
GARAGE. An accessory building or an accessory portion of the main building, enclosed on all sides, and with a clear vertical opening not to exceed nine feet and designed or used for the shelter or storage of passenger vehicles and located on the same lot as the dwelling to which it is accessory.
(Ord. 88-14, passed 11-28-88)
GARAGE, PARKING. A building used for the parking of more than three automobiles or trucks, whether free, for compensation, or as an accommodation.
GARAGE, PUBLIC. A building other than a private garage, enclosed on all sides and used for the care, repair or equipping of automobiles, or where such vehicles are kept for hire, sale or equipping.
GARAGE SALES, YARD SALES, MOVING SALE, PATIO SALES and SIMILAR USES. The retail sale of used or secondhand goods or merchandise in connection with a lawfully existing dwelling unit on property within any zoning district provided that:
(1) No such sale shall be conducted upon the same premises for more than three consecutive days nor on more than two separate occasions within any one calendar year.
(2) No such sale shall result in the use of more than two unlighted signs not exceeding three square feet each in area. The signs to be displayed only during such times as the sale is actually being conducted.
GUEST HOUSE. Living quarters within an accessory building for temporary use by guests of the occupants of the premises. The quarters shall have no kitchen facilities and shall not be rented or otherwise used as a separate dwelling.
HOME OCCUPATION. Any occupation conducted primarily within a dwelling unit and carried on by persons residing in the dwelling unit, which use is clearly incidental and secondary to the use of the dwelling for dwelling purposes and does not change the residential character thereof and in connection with which there is no display nor stock in trade or commodities sold except those which are produced on the premises. The home occupation must meet the requirements of §§ 153.265 through 153.267.
HOOKAH LOUNGE. Any facility, building, structure or location, whether fixed or mobile, where customers share a pipe commonly, but not always, made of glass, used for vaporizing and smoking tobacco, flavored tobacco, shisha, dried fruits, or other substances in which vapor or smoke is passed through a water basin before inhalation. Hookah lounge includes, but is not limited to the use of a communal hookah, waterpipe, shisha, narghile, or other such smoking device.
HOSPITAL, MENTAL. An institution licensed by the state to care for or treat persons having mental or nervous disorders.
HOTEL. Any building or portion thereof, containing six or more guest rooms used, designed or intended to be used by paying guests. A motel shall be considered a hotel.
HOUSEHOLD PETS. Animals or fowl ordinarily permitted in the home and kept for company or pleasure and not for profit, such as dogs, cats and canaries, but not including a sufficient number of dogs or cats to constitute a kennel. Household pets may also include not more than a total of 12 chinchillas, hamsters, white mice or similar animals in combination.
JUNK YARD. The use of more than 200 square feet of the area of any parcel, lot, or contiguous lots or parcels for the storage or keeping of junk, including but not limited to scrap materials, surplus material, secondhand material or for the dismantling or wrecking of automobiles or other vehicles or machinery.
KENNEL. A place where four or more dogs or cats (or any combination of four or more dogs and cats) of four months of age or older are kept.
KITCHEN. Any room or space used, intended or designed to be used for cooking or for the preparation of food for one family.
LABOR CAMP. Any living quarters, dwelling, boarding house, tent, bunk house, camper, mobile home or other housing accommodation, maintained for five or more persons employed in connection with any agricultural work.
LOT (includes the word PLOT). Land occupied or to be occupied by a building and its accessory buildings or by a dwelling group and its accessory buildings, together with such open spaces as are required under the provisions of this title, having not less than the minimum area required by this title for a building site in the district in which such lot is situated, and having its principal frontage on a street.
LOT, AREA. The total horizontal area included within the lot lines.
LOT, CORNER. A lot situated at the intersection of two or more streets, or bounded on two or more adjacent sides by street lines.
LOT, DEPTH. The average distance from the street line of the lot to its rear line measured in the general direction of the side lines of the lot.
LOT, FRONTAGE. That portion of a lot abutting a public street.
LOT LINES. The lines bounding a lot.
LOT, WIDTH. The distance between the side lines of a lot measured at the building setback line.
MOBILE HOME. A vehicle designed and equipped for human habitation as defined by the Cal. Health & Safety Code § 18008.
MOBILE HOME PARK. A lot or parcel of land which is used exclusively for the parking thereon of ten or more mobile homes for a rental charge or for rent or lease of mobile homes, and for appurtenant facilities for the exclusive use of the occupants such as laundry, rest rooms, recreation and storage facilities, and mobile home, dwelling or office facility for the owner or manager.
MOTEL. Any building or group of buildings containing sleeping rooms, with or without cooking facilities, designed for temporary use by tourists or transients, with garage attached or parking space conveniently located to each unit, including auto parks, motor lodges, and tourist courts.
NONCONFORMING USE. A building or land occupied by a use that does not conform to the regulations for the district in which it is situated.
OUTDOOR ADVERTISING SIGN. Any card, cloth, paper, metal, painted glass, wooden, plaster, stone or other sign of any kind or character whatsoever placed for advertising purposes on the ground or on any tree, wall, bush, post, fence, building, structure or thing whatsoever.
OUTDOOR ADVERTISING STRUCTURE. Any structure of any kind or character erected or maintained for outdoor advertising purposes, upon which any outdoor advertising sign may be placed, including outdoor advertising statuary.
(Ord. 87-11, passed 7-27-87)
PARKING SPACE. An accessible and usable space on a building site of at least nine-feet by 19-feet with access for the parking of automobiles. The length of the space may be reduced by two feet if landscaped planters of sufficient width are used as curb stops.
(Ord. 90-01, passed 1-22-90)
PLANNING COMMISSION. The City Planning Commission of the City of Riverbank.
PUBLIC TRANSIT. Means a location, including, but not limited to, a bus stop or train station, where the public may access buses, trains, subways, and other forms of transportation that charge set fares, run on fixed routes, and are available to the public.
RECREATION VEHICLE. Either of the following:
(1) A motor home, travel trailer, truck camper, or camping trailer, with or without motive power, designed for human habitation for recreational, emergency, or other occupancy, which meets all of the following criteria:
(a) It contains less than 320 square feet of internal living room area, excluding built-in equipment, including but not limited to wardrobe, closets, cabinets, kitchen units or fixtures, and bath or toilet rooms.
(b) It contains 400 square feet or less of gross area measured at maximum horizontal projections.
(c) It is built on a single chassis.
(d) It is either self-propelled, truck-mounted, or permanently towable on the highways without a permit.
(2) A park trailer designed for human habitation for recreational or seasonal use only, which meets all of the following criteria:
(a) It contains 400 square feet or less of gross floor area measured at the maximum horizontal projections. However, it may not exceed 12 feet in width or 40 feet in length in the traveling mode.
(b) It is built on a single chassis.
(c) It may only be transported upon the public highways with a permit.
(Cal. Health & Safety Code § 18010)
RESIDENTIAL CARE HOME. A home operated as a boarding home and in which nursing, dietary and other personal services are furnished to convalescent, invalid or aged persons in return for compensation; but in which are performed no surgical or other primary treatments such as are customarily provided in sanitariums or hospitals and in which no persons are kept or served who normally would be admissible to a mental hospital.
ROOMING HOUSE. A dwelling, building or structure occupied by five or more persons who have agreed to pay a specific rent for a specific space as distinguished from guests subject to innkeeper's liability.
SAWMILL. Any structure or land used for the manufacture or remanufacturing of lumber or lumber products by the use of power equipment.
SERVICE STATION. A structure or area which is provided for the servicing, washing and fueling of motor vehicles, including minor repairs, and the storage and sale of merchandise and supplies, incidental thereto, provided, however, that the washing of automobiles shall be permitted only when no chain conveyor, blower or steam cleaning device is involved.
SHALL. Is mandatory and not directory.
STORY. The portion of a building included between the surface of any floor and the surface of the floor next above it. If there is no floor above it, then the space between such floor and the ceiling next above it shall be considered a story. A basement shall not be considered a story when computing the height of a building.
STREET. A thoroughfare which has been dedicated or abandoned to the public and accepted by proper public authority for a thoroughfare, not less than 30-feet wide, which has been made public by right of use and which affords the principal means of access to abutting property.
STRUCTURAL ALTERATIONS. Any changes in the supporting member of a building, such as bearing walls, columns, beams or girders.
STRUCTURE. Anything constructed or erected which requires location on the ground or attached to something having a location on the ground but not including fences or walls used as fences not more than six feet in height or free-standing signs.
SUPPORTIVE HOUSING. Housing with no limit on length of stay, that is occupied by the target population, and that is linked to an onsite or offsite service that assists the supportive housing resident in retaining the housing, improving his or her health status, and maximizing his or her ability to live and, when possible, work in the community.
TANDEM PARKING. Means that two or more automobiles are parked on a driveway or in any other location on a lot, lined up behind one another.
TARGET POPULATION. Persons with low incomes who have one or more disabilities, including mental illness, HIV or AIDS, substance abuse, or other chronic health condition, or individuals eligible for services provided pursuant to the Lanterman Development Disabilities Services Act (Division 4.5 (commencing with §§ 4500 et seq. of the Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code)) and may include, among other populations, adults, emancipated minors, families with children, elderly persons, young adults aging out of the foster care system, individuals exiting from institutional settings, veterans, and homeless people.
TINY HOUSE VILLAGE. A minimum of five tiny house dwellings on either a single parcel or individual parcels for each tiny house dwelling as part of the same subdivision.
TRANSITIONAL HOUSING. Buildings configured as rental housing developments, but operated under program requirements that require the termination of assistance and recirculating of the assisted unit to another eligible program recipient at a predetermined future point in time that shall be no less than six months from the beginning of the assistance.
TRUCK TERMINAL. The storage of one or more commercial trucks which have a body exceeding 12 feet in length in rear of the cab, or the storage of more than one truck of any type. A truck shall not be normally construed as a means of transportation in lieu of an automobile and not normally an accessory use to a dwelling.
USE. The purpose for which land or a building is designed, arranged, or intended or for which it is or may be occupied or maintained.
USE, ACCESSORY. A use incidental and secondary to the principal use of a lot or building located on the same lot as the accessory use.
USED CAR. Any automobile, pickup truck of no more than a one ton load rating or any van of no more than a one ton load rating.
VAPOR BAR. Any facility building, structure of location, whether fixed or mobile, where customers utilize a heating element that vaporizes liquid solution that releases nicotine or flavored vapor, including the use of e-cigarettes.
VETERINARY HOSPITAL. An establishment for the care and treatment of animals, including household pets, livestock and commercial poultry, all facilities to be within a completely enclosed building except for exercising runs and parking of automobiles.
WRECKING YARD. The use of more than 200 square feet of the area of and lot for the storage of immobile vehicles or the dismantling or wrecking of automobiles or other vehicles or machinery.
YARD. An open space other than a court on the same lot with a building, which open space is unoccupied and unobstructed from the ground upward except as otherwise provided in this title.
YARD, FRONT. A yard extending across the front of the lot and lying between the front line and a line parallel thereto, and having a distance between such parallel lines equal to the required front yard depth as prescribed in each district.
YARD, REAR. A yard extending across the full width of the lot and lying between the rear line of the lot and the nearest line of the buildings as prescribed for the district.
YARD, SIDE. An area extending from the front lot line to the rear lot line, and lying parallel thereto, within the lot and having a distance between such parallel lines equal to the side yard width as prescribed in each district.
(Ord. 87-11, passed 7-27-87)
(`67 Code, § 10-1-3) (Am. Ord. 2015-002, passed 2-24-15; Am. Ord. 2015-009, passed 4-14-15; Am. Ord. 2017-010, passed 10-24-17; Am. Ord. 2021-007, passed 12-14-21; Am. Ord. 2023-003, passed 1-24-23)