§ 26-33. Terms defined.  


Latest version.
  • The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this chapter, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:

    Accessory building means a building subordinate to the main use of the premises not for use or occupancy by persons as a residence or business.

    Alley means a minor public thoroughfare upon which the rear of building lots generally abut and which is generally used for service purposes.

    Basement means that habitable part of a structure below an upper floor and in excess of five feet below normal or average grade. Structures designed to be located entirely or substantially underground, without an upper floor above grade, shall be considered the same as any other above grade structure for the purposes of this chapter.

    Boardinghouse and roominghouse mean a building or portion thereof which is principally used to accommodate, for compensation, five or more boarders or roomers, not including members of the occupant's immediate family who might be occupying such building. The compensation shall include compensation in money, services or other things of value.

    Building means any permanent principal or accessory structure built for the shelter or enclosure of persons, animals, chattels or property of any kind, and not including advertising sign boards or fences. A "principal building" is a building which is ordinarily primary and essential to the occupancy and principal use of the property, such as a dwelling unit or complex or commercial building. An "accessory building" is a building used for a purpose which is auxiliary, incidental and secondary to the principal use of the property, such as a garage building or storage structure.

    Dwelling means any building or portion thereof which is used as the private residence or sleeping place of one or more human beings, but not including hotels, motels, tourist courts, resort cabins, clubs, hospitals, or similar uses.

    Dwelling, multiple-family, means a building, or portion thereof, designed for or occupied by three or more families living independently of each other.

    Dwelling, one-family, means a detached building designed exclusively for occupancy by one family.

    Dwelling, two-family, means a detached building designed exclusively for occupancy by two families living independently of each other.

    Dwelling unit means one or more rooms in a dwelling, apartment house or apartment hotel designed for occupancy by one family for living or sleeping purposes and having not more than one kitchen.

    Factory-built housing means housing which is partially or entirely manufactured in a factory and designed for long-term residential use. It is built in either single or multiple sections and transported on a chassis or trailer to its occupancy site. Factory-built housing must be constructed to the standards of the building codes adopted by the town or to the standards of the state division of housing and bear the department insignia of approval as factory-built housing.

    Family means an individual or two or more persons related by blood or marriage or a group of not to exceed five persons (excluding servants) living together as a single house-keeping unit in a dwelling unit.

    Garage means a building or portion thereof used for housing or care of vehicles. An attached garage is a garage having at least one common wall with the main building.

    Hospital means any building or portion thereof used for the accommodation and medical care of sick, injured or infirm persons and including sanitariums, but not including clinics, rest homes and convalescent homes.

    Lot means a portion or parcel of land (whether a portion of a platted subdivision or otherwise) occupied or intended to be occupied by a building or use and its accessories, together with such yards as are required under the provisions of this chapter, having not less than the minimum area, width and depth required by this chapter for a lot in the zoning district in which such land is situated, and having frontage on a street or avenue or on such other means of access as permitted in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.

    Lot area means the total horizontal area within the lot lines of a lot.

    Lot, corner, means a lot situated at the junction of two or more streets, and/or avenues, but not including a reversed corner lot, as defined herein.

    Lot, improved, means land occupied by a building and its accessory buildings, together with such open spaces as are provided for in this chapter.

    Lot, interior, means a lot other than a corner lot.

    Lot line means the lines bounding a lot as herein defined.

    Lot, reversed corner, means a corner lot, the side street line of which is substantially a continuation of the front lot line of the first lot to its rear unbroken or uninterrupted by a street or alley.

    Manufactured home means a single-family dwelling which:

    (1)

    Is partially or entirely manufactured in a factory and designed for long-term residential use and is built in either single or multiple sections that allows it to be transported to its occupancy site;

    (2)

    Is not less than 24 feet in width and 36 feet in length;

    (3)

    Is installed on an engineered permanent foundation constructed in accordance with applicable building code provisions;

    (4)

    Has the appearance of a traditional site-built home by having brick, wood, or cosmetically equivalent exterior siding and a pitched roof; and

    (5)

    Is certified pursuant to the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974, 42 USC 5401 et seq., as amended.

    Mobile home means a movable or portable single-family dwelling unit suitable for permanent year-round occupancy at least ten feet in width, so constructed to be towed on its own permanent chassis, connected to utilities and designed to be used as a dwelling without a permanent foundation, and having kitchen and sanitary facilities. It may consist of one or more units which can be telescoped when towed and expanded later for additional capacity, or of two or more units separately towable but designed to be joined into one integral unit.

    Mobile home park means a tract of land, consisting of at least five acres, and licensed and approved as a mobile home park by the town.

    Mobile home space means a plot of ground within a mobile home park designed and designated for the accommodation of one mobile home.

    Nonconforming building means a building or structure or portion thereof is conflicting with the provisions of this chapter applicable to the zone in which it is situated.

    Nonconforming use means the use of a structure or premises is conflicting with the provisions of this chapter as to uses permitted.

    Outdoor advertising signs means any card, cloth, paper, metal, painted, wooden, glass, plaster, stone or other sign of any kind placed for outdoor advertising purpose on the ground, or on any tree, wall, bush, rock, post, fence, building, structure or thing whatsoever.

    Person shall also include associations, firms, co-partnerships or corporations.

    Professional office means an office for professions such as physicians, dentists, lawyers, architects, engineers and others who through training are qualified to perform services of a professional nature and where no storage or sale of merchandise exists.

    Service building means a service building which shall provide adequate laundry and drying facilities, which meet the state department of health requirements.

    Street means a public thoroughfare which affords the principal means of access to abutting property.

    Structure means 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 less than six feet in height, poles, lines, cables, or other transmission or distribution facilities or public utilities.

    Travel home means a vehicular portable structure built on a chassis (other than a mobile home, as defined in this section) designed to be used as a temporary dwelling for travel, recreational and vacation use and equipped for the road. It may be self-propelled or designed to be towed or carried by a separate vehicle, and may be self-contained with bath and toilet facilities or classified as a dependent-type without bath and toilet facilities. The provisions of article V of this chapter will also apply to campers mounted on a truck chassis, tents or tent-type trailers and all such vehicles and equipment shall be considered to fall within the definition of a travel home for the purpose of this chapter.

    Travel home park means an area clearly defined and separate from a mobile home park area, with individual parking lots, which may or may not have facilities for temporary connection of electrical and plumbing outlets to a travel home.

    Yard, front, means an open space on the same lot with a building, unoccupied, except as otherwise may be herein provided, extending the full width of the lot and situated between the front lot line and the nearest line or point of the building thereon. The front lot line shall be considered to be that property line dividing a lot from a street or avenue, and on a corner lot; only one street or avenue line shall be considered as a front lot line and the shorter lot line coincident with a street or avenue line shall be considered the front lot line.

    Yard, rear, means an open space on the same lot with a building, unoccupied, except as may hereafter be provided, extending the full width of the lot and situated between the rear line of any lot and the rear line of any dwelling and projected to the side line of the lot.

    Yard, side, means a yard between the dwelling and the side line of the lot and extending from the street or avenue to the rear of the lot.

    Use means the purpose for which land or building is designated, arranged or intended, or for which either is or may be occupied or maintained.

    Width of lot means the distance parallel to the front lot line measured between side lots lines through that part of the building or structure where the lot is narrowest.

(Zoning Ord. of 1986, §§ 5, 14; Mobile Home and Travel Home Ord. of 1986, §§ 1, 10)