Parcels shall be considered to be abutting when they touch or their lot lines are directly across from easements, utilities, parks, watercourses, water bodies, natural features, or private rights-of-way.

The ease of access into and around the interior of a building or facility without obstruction to a person who may be physically disabled.

A building detached from, supportive of, and subordinate to the main building on the same lot and used for purposes customarily incidental to the main building.

An accessory residential dwelling unit physically connected or attached to a principal single-unit or two-unit dwelling or connected or attached to an existing accessory structure such as a garage or carriage house. The ADU must be connected by at least one common wall or be structurally interdependent in some other way with the existing structure.

A structure detached from a principal building but located on the same lot. It serves a customarily incidental and subordinate use to the use of the lot as a whole or the principal building on the lot.

A use customarily incidental and subordinate to the principal use and located on the same lot with such principal use or building.

See "abutting."

Any place to which the public is permitted or invited wherein coin-operated or slug-operated or electronically operated, electrically or mechanically controlled still- or motion-picture machines, projectors or other image-producing devices are maintained to show images to five or fewer persons per machine at any one time and where the images so displayed are distinguished or characterized by the depicting or describing of specified sexual activities or specified anatomical areas. (See also "adult motion-picture theater.")

A commercial establishment which, as one of its principal business purposes, offers for sale or rental for any form of consideration any one or more of the following:

A nightclub, bar, restaurant or similar commercial establishment which features:

A hotel, motel or similar commercial establishment which:

A commercial establishment where, for any form of consideration, films, motion pictures, videocassettes, slides, or similar photographic reproductions are shown which are characterized by the depiction or description of specified sexual activities or specified anatomical areas. (See also "adult arcade.")

A theater, concert hall, auditorium, or similar commercial establishment which features persons who appear in a state of nudity or live performances which are characterized by the exposure of specified anatomical areas or specified sexual activities. (See also "adult cabaret.")

The perception of artistic elements or elements in the natural or created environment that are pleasing to the eye.

The production, keeping, or maintenance for sale, lease, or personal use of plants and animals useful to man. These activities shall include, but are not limited to, forages and sod crops; grains and seed crops; dairy animals and dairy products; poultry animals and poultry products; livestock, including beef cattle, sheep, swine, horses, ponies, mules, goats, or any mutations or hybrids thereof, including the breeding and grazing of any and all such animals; bees and apiary products; fur animals; trees and forest products; fruits of all kinds, including nuts and berries; vegetables; nursery, floral, ornamental and greenhouse products; or lands devoted to a soil conservation or forestry management program; and establishments primarily engaged in supplying soil preparation services, crop services, horticultural services, veterinary and other animal services, and farm labor and management services. It does not include landscaping services.

The right to use space above ground level. Such rights are in the public domain above 200 feet above ground level.

The traveled way by which cars enter and depart parking spaces.

A minor public or private thoroughfare other than a side street, which affords only a secondary means of access to abutting property and not for general traffic circulation.

Man-made trees, clock towers, bell steeples, light poles and similar alternative-design mounting structures that camouflage or conceal the presence of antennas or towers.

A natural or created feature that enhances the aesthetic quality, visual appeal, or makes more attractive or satisfying a particular property, place, or area.

A method of eliminating nonconforming uses by requiring the termination of the nonconforming use after a specified period of time.

A business that could include pet grooming facilities as well as pet boarding facilities where animals are boarded during the day or for overnight stays. Any animal runs shall be at least 100 feet from a residential district.

A business which provides care for domestic animals, including veterinary offices for the immunization, diagnosis or treatment of animals, where animals may be boarded during their convalescence. Any animal runs shall be at least 100 feet from a residential district.

A means for obtaining review of a decision, determination, order, or failure to act pursuant to the terms of this chapter.

An individual, including his or her heirs, successors and assigns, making application according to the regulations contained in this chapter, and whose signature appears on any application. The "applicant" must be the property owner or authorized agent.

Altoona City Council or its designee.

The agency, board, group, or other legally designated individual or agency that has been charged with the review and approval of applications.

An individual licensed and registered under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to engage in the practice of architecture.

A political or corporate body created pursuant to the former act of May 2, 1945 (P.L. 382, No. 164), known as the "Municipality Authorities Act of 1945."[1]

Staff member assigned to represent the City of Altoona.

The use of any building, land area, or other premises for the construction, reconstruction, refurbishing, rehabilitating, or dismantling of automobiles.

An establishment for the custody, loan, exchange, or issue of money, for the extension of credit, and for facilitating the transmission of funds.

A cellar which had been improved for dwelling space above and beyond the customary storage, laundry, heating, and utility functions of a basic cellar.

An establishment providing overnight lodging and morning meals for paying guests. The service is offered in a residential setting containing the standard rooms of a single-family dwelling.

A private room planned and intended for sleeping, separated from other rooms by a door, and accessible to a bathroom without crossing another bedroom.

A mound of earth, or the act of creating such a mound.

A tract of land, a lot, or a group of lots bounded by streets, public parks, railroad rights-of-way, watercourses, and boundary lines of the City, nonsubdivided land, other definite barriers, or by a combination of the above.

Any body granted jurisdiction under a land use ordinance or under this chapter to render final adjudications. In this chapter, this term usually, but not always, refers to the Zoning Hearing Board.

A building where, for compensation, lodging on a temporary basis and meals are provided for at least four but not more than 16 independent individuals. The primary function of the boardinghouse is to provide room and board. Residents are not involved in the day-to-day maintenance or operation of the boardinghouse and are not under the supervision or care of staff. Residents do not receive habilitative or rehabilitative services at a boardinghouse. Relationships between residents are incidental as opposed to an essential part of living together in a group home or halfway house. Residents do not constitute an interdependent group that emulates a family. Tenancy is on a weekly or longer basis as distinguished from transient housing such as a hotel or motel.

An open area made available to physically separate two land uses. A buffer area exists laterally; it does not in and of itself include screening, fences, landscaping, or other treatments which exist on a vertical plane to provide additional separation between uses.

An area of a lot designated for placement of a building facade along a street, located parallel to a front property line. The build-to-zone defines an area in which the locations of building fronts can vary within the minimum street setback to the maximum street setback.

Any structure having a roof supported by columns, walls, arches, or other devices and intended for the shelter, housing, or enclosure of persons, animals, vehicles, or chattels. This definition includes covered porches, carports, and similar features.

The three-dimensional space within which a structure is permitted to be built on a lot. The extent of a building envelope is defined by height and setback regulations.

The area of ground hidden by a building when the building is viewed from directly above.

The vertical distance from finished grade to the top of the highest roof beams on a flat or shed roof, the deck level on a mansard roof, and the average distance between the eaves and the ridge level for gable, hip, and gambrel roofs.

A line parallel to the street line touching that part of the building that is closest to the street.

The height, width and depth of a structure.

The relationship of a particular building, in terms of building mass, to other nearby and adjacent buildings.

The visual impact of a building and the relationship of the building to its surroundings as seen from any given point. Perceived building scale is usually considered from the street perspective but can be taken from any point.

The line within a property, parallel to and defining the required minimum distance between the foremost part of any building and the adjacent right-of-way or property boundary line.

The total square feet of lot area that is covered by the principal building and all accessory buildings, exclusive of uncovered porches, terraces, and steps taken on a horizontal plane at the mean grade level.

A building surrounded by open space on the same lot.

A side of a building that faces any street to which the lot on which the building is located is adjacent.

The building in which is conducted the principal use of the lot on which it is located. Lots with multiple principal uses may have multiple principal buildings, but storage buildings, garages, and buildings housing other clearly accessory uses shall not be considered principal buildings.

Also known as integrated building systems (IBS) or building automation systems (BAS), combine multiple building systems (like HVAC, lighting, security, etc.) into a single, unified network for improved efficiency, functionality, and management.

Artificially created fixed elements, such as buildings, structures, devices, and surfaces, that together create the physical character of an area.

The percentage of a building facade that is generally parallel to, facing, or oriented toward a street and that lies within the minimum and maximum setback area allowed and shall include a principal building, with active uses.

A small, roofed structure, usually having three walls, located near or on a street and designed primarily for the protection and convenience of bus passengers.

The diameter of a tree trunk.

Any portion of land used for the purpose of providing a space or spaces for trailers or tents for camping purposes, regardless of whether a fee has been charged for the leasing, renting, or occupancy of such space.

Any site intended to be used for temporary and/or seasonal use for camping, inclusive of the area required to sustain a tent, camper, motor home, or other temporary camping facility.

The grounds and buildings of an institution, educational facility, or business park.

A structure with at least three sides open used for storage of one or more vehicles.

The portion of a street right-of-way, paved or unpaved, intended for vehicular traffic.

A story partly underground and having more than 1/2 of its clear height below the average level of the adjoining ground.

Land used or intended to be used for the burial of the dead and dedicated to cemetery purposes, including columbariums, crematories, mausoleums, and mortuaries, when operated in conjunction with and within the boundary of such cemetery.

The projected line running exactly halfway between and parallel to the right-of-way lines of a street.

Any business or activity modification that involves changing the classification of a land use under the Standard Industrial Classification Manual from one three-digit group to another three-digit group. Changes of occupancy or changes of ownership shall not be construed as change of use.

A perceptible natural or artificial waterway which periodically or continuously contains moving water or which forms a connecting link between two bodies of water. It has a definite bed and banks which confine the water.

The common domestic fowl (Gallus domesticus) or its young. This definition shall not be construed to include male roosters.

A building where chickens are maintained, surrounded by a run, usually made with wire fencing to allow the birds to roam while contained. A coop must be completely enclosed to prevent the escape of any birds housed therein.

An enclosed area, including the top, attached to a coop, in which chickens are allowed to run.

Any premises other than the child's own home operated for profit or not for profit, in which child day care is provided at any one time to six or more children who are not relatives of the caregiver. These uses are considered retail services but also qualify as major-impact home-based businesses.

A commercial establishment which, as one of its principal business purposes, serves and/or sells to children and their families food, apparels, goods, services, play and/or entertainment.

A structure containing one or more flues for drawing off emissions from stationary sources of combustion.

An underground reservoir or tank for storing rainwater.

Altoona, Pennsylvania.

The governing body of the City of Altoona.

An establishment providing therapeutic, preventative, corrective, healing and health-building treatment services on an outpatient basis by physicians, dentists and other practitioners. Typical uses include medical and dental offices and hospitals and outpatient medical laboratories.

A tract of land that has been planned, developed, and operated as an integrated facility intended for a number of nonretail professional, business, personal, and other service uses, with special measures for traffic circulation, parking, utilities, and compatibility.

A building whose principal use is a commercial use. A building with a store on the first floor and apartments on the upper floors is a commercial building.

Any sign, wording, logo, or other representation that, directly or indirectly, names, advertises, or calls attention to a business, product, service, or other commercial activity.

The Altoona City Planning Commission.

A parcel or parcels of land, an area of land, an area of water, or a combination of land and water within a development site designed and intended for the use or enjoyment of residents of the development, not including streets, off-street parking areas, and areas set aside for public facilities.

Ownership by one or more individuals in any form of ownership of two or more contiguous lots.

Any device used for the transmission or reception of radio, television, wireless telephone, pager, commercial mobile radio service or any other wireless communications signals, including without limitation omnidirectional or whip antennas and direction or panel antennas owned or operated by any person or entity licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to operate such device. This definition shall not include private residence mounted satellite dishes or television antennas or amateur radio equipment, including, without limitation, ham or citizen band radio antennas.

An unmanned building or cabinet containing communications equipment required for the operation of communications antennas.

A structure other than a building, such as a monopole, self-supporting or guyed tower, designed and used to support communications antennas.

An application submitted with all required, relevant and pertinent information necessary for the approving body to render an informed decision.

A process of manufacturing involving forming a complete product through parts assembly.

When capitalized, the Comprehensive Plan for Altoona, as it may be amended from time to time. Otherwise, a plan plus any amendments or any of its component parts for the development of a county or municipality, providing the continuing orderly development of the municipality. The plan includes such elements as a statement of community development objectives, plans and policies for land use, housing, transportation, community facilities and utilities, and strategies for plan implementation.

Ownership in common with others of a parcel of land and certain parts of a building thereon which would normally be used by all the occupants, together with individual ownership in fee of a particular unit or apartment in such building or on such parcel of land and may include dwellings, offices, and other types of space in commercial and industrial buildings or on real property.

Any person who does any one or more of the following shall be deemed to be conducting business:

Any enclosed device used for the transportation or storage of materials, whether on a temporary or permanent basis, or used for temporary human habitation.

A multifamily dwelling constructed by converting an existing structure into apartments for more than one family.

A structure with individual dwelling units which are only available for rent or for hire for temporary occupancy by a verified business entity's officers, employees, consultants, vendors, or contractors. Each corporate housing dwelling unit lease shall require and include written, verified acknowledgment of employment/contract and tenancy from the business entity by whom the tenant is employed or contracted.

Blair County, Pennsylvania.

The Blair County Planning Commission.

See "building, coverage" and "lot, coverage."

A right-of-way, municipally or privately owned, intended to provide access for pedestrians.

The use of land or buildings for activities related to religion, arts, government, public assembly, nonformal education, and similar activity. Includes facilities that document the social and religious structures and intellectual and artistic manifestations that characterize society, such as museums, zoos, and gardens.

Final adjudication of any board or other body granted jurisdiction under any land use ordinance or this chapter to do so, either by reason of the grant of exclusive jurisdiction or by reason of appeals from determinations.

The cumulative measure of the average number of items in a specific space.

A unifying or connecting theme or physical feature for a particular setting or place.

Final action by an officer, body, or agency charged with the administration of any land use ordinance or applications thereunder, except City Council, the Zoning Hearing Board, and the Planning Commission.

The person, persons, or any corporation, partnership, association, or other entity or any responsible person therein or agent therefor that undertakes the activities associated with changes in the built or human environment. The term "developer" is intended to include but not necessarily be limited to the terms "subdivider," "owner," and "builder," even though the individuals involved in successive stages of a project may vary.

Any man-made change to improved or unimproved real estate, including, but not limited to, the construction, reconstruction, renovation, repair, expansion, or alteration of buildings or other structures; the placement of streets and other paving; any activity affecting stormwater runoff characteristics; utilities; filling, grading and excavation; mining; dredging; drilling operations; storage of equipment or materials; and the subdivision of land.

The provision for development including a plat, all covenants relating to use, location and bulk of buildings and other structures, intensity of use or density of development, streets, ways and parking facilities, common open space and public facilities. The phrase "provisions of the development plan," when used in this chapter, shall mean the written and graphic materials referred to in this definition.

A physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more of a person's major life activities, impairs his or her ability to live independently, or a record of having such an impairment or being regarded as having such an impairment.

A building where, for compensation, rooms are provided for four or more individuals, and in which no meals are furnished.

A private vehicular passageway providing access between a street and a private parking area or private garage.

Any structure, or part thereof, designed to be occupied as living quarters as a single housekeeping unit containing cooking and sanitary facilities and a bathroom (as defined in Chapter 550 of the Code).

The grant of one or more property rights by the property owner to and/or for use by the public, a corporation, an entity, or a person or persons.

Retail establishments selling food or drink for consumption on the premises, including lunch counters and refreshment stands selling prepared foods and drinks for on-site consumption by patrons.

Electric public utilities transmission and/or distribution facilities including substations.

An elevation measured from a datum plane. For the purpose of this chapter, all elevations are referenced to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD) based on mean sea level.

A plan view of a building drawn as it would appear if the viewer were looking at the building across a horizontal plane standing at ground level.

The authority to acquire or take, or to authorize the taking of, private property for public use or public purpose.

Any structure or activity which in any manner changes, expands or diminishes the course, current or cross section of any watercourse, floodway or body of water, or intrudes within established regulatory or ownership boundaries.

An individual licensed and registered under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to engage in the practice of engineering. An engineer shall not practice land surveying as defined and set forth in this chapter, unless the engineer is also a registered surveyor.

An increase of the size of an existing structure or use, including physical size of the property, building, parking, and other improvements.

Any act or performance, such as a play, skit, reading, revue, pantomime, scene, song, dance, musical rendition or striptease, whether performed by employees, agents, contractors or customers. The term "entertainment" shall also mean bartenders, waiters, waitresses or other employees exposing specified anatomical areas or engaging in specified sexual activities in the presence of customers.

A person or business association who furnishes, offers to furnish, or advertises to furnish escorts as one of its primary business purposes, for a fee, tip, or other consideration.

Any act by which earth, sand, gravel, rock, or any other material is dug into, cut, quarried, uncovered, removed, displaced, relocated, or bulldozed. It shall include the conditions resulting therefrom.

The exterior walls of a building exposed to public view or that wall viewed by persons not within the building.

An individual or two or more persons related by blood, marriage or adoption living together in a dwelling unit; or a group of not more than three individuals not necessarily related by blood, marriage, adoption, or guardianship living together in a dwelling unit as a single housekeeping unit under a common housekeeping management plan based on an intentionally structured relationship, but not including a living arrangement otherwise defined in this chapter as a "student home." A group of not more than four unrelated disabled people living together as a single housekeeping unit in a dwelling unit and sharing common facilities as considered reasonably appropriate for a family related by blood, marriage, adoption or guardianship. If appropriate, one staff person may reside on the premises and will not be included in the total number of occupants. Any additional staff shall be included in the total number of occupants.

An artificially constructed barrier of any material, including vegetation, or combination of materials erected to enclose, screen, or separate areas. Screening, vegetative or otherwise, required by this chapter shall not constitute a fence.

Any fence, as defined above, which, when viewed at an angle perpendicular to the face of the fence, contains equal areas of opacity and transparency. Greater than 50% open would mean more transparency than opacity; less than 50% open would mean more opacity than transparency.

Sand, gravel, earth or other material placed or deposited so as to form an embankment or raise the elevation of the land surface. The term includes material used to replace an area with aquatic life with dry land or to change the bottom elevation of a surface water area.

Any land susceptible to being inundated by water from any source during the base flood, as shown on the most current floodplain maps prepared by the Federal Insurance Administration and approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the purpose of determining the official federal designated floodplain, floodway and floodway fringe. These maps are based on the most current Flood Insurance Study prepared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency; the study being the definitive source of floodplain information, particularly in regards to base flood elevations and floodway widths as reflected in the Floodplain Regulations of the City of Altoona and indicated on the Flood Boundary and Floodway Maps.

The gross floor area of all buildings on a lot divided by the total lot area. For example, when a floor area ratio of 0.4 is specified, the floor area of a building constructed on a lot of 10,000 square feet is limited to a maximum of 4,000 square feet. The number of stories being optional, the building area may be 4,000 square feet for one story, 2,000 square feet for two stories, and so forth.

The sum of the gross horizontal areas of the several floors of a building and any accessory buildings on the same lot, excluding cellar and basement floor area not devoted to residential use, but including the area of roofed porches and roofed terraces. All dimensions shall be measured between interior faces of exterior walls.

All activities connected with growing and harvesting of forest products, including the site preparation, cultivation and logging of trees, and the construction and maintenance of roads.

The management of forests and timberlands when practiced in accordance with accepted silvicultural principles, through developing, cultivating, harvesting, transporting and selling trees for commercial purposes, which does not involve any land developments.

A building containing sleeping rooms, bathrooms, common rooms, and a central kitchen and dining room maintained exclusively for fraternity members and their guests or visitors and affiliated with an institution of higher learning.

The linear distance which a property line runs coincident with a street right-of- way line. Frontage may be measured from any abutting street, but all required frontage must be measured from the same street. The street from which frontage is gained need not be the street to which the structure(s) on the lot are faced. Frontage cannot be gained from alleys, driveways, or elevated or buried roadways.

Minor collector streets parallel and adjacent to arterial streets, providing access to abutting properties and control of intersections with an arterial street.

A building used for the preparation of the deceased for burial and the display of the deceased and rituals connected therewith before burial or cremation.

A deck, building, parking structure, or part thereof used or intended to be used for the parking and storage of vehicles.

A garage used exclusively for parking and storage of vehicles that are owned or operated by residents of nearby dwelling units and their guests. Such a garage is neither operated as a commercial enterprise nor available to the general public. The residents themselves operate it.

A structure that is accessory to a retail commercial or manufacturing establishment and is used primarily for the parking and storage of vehicles operated by the establishment's customers, visitors, and employees.

A structure that is accessory to a residential building and that is used for the parking and storage of vehicles owned and operated by the residents thereof. A private residential garage is not a separate commercial enterprise available to the general public.

A structure or portion thereof that is used primarily for the parking and storage of vehicles and that is available to the general public but is not a private residential garage, private customer and employee garage, community garage, or municipal garage.

Any and all individuals, without any prior qualifications.

The Altoona City Council.

A building or lot owned or occupied by a governmental agency for any purpose.

Any department, commission, independent agency, or instrumentality of the United States, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a Pennsylvania county, the City of Altoona, a Pennsylvania municipality or authority. The administrative offices of a public school district are included, but no other school district use or building qualifies.

The slope of ground, street, or other public way, specified in percentage of change in elevation per horizontal distance; the act of altering the topography of undisturbed land.

The completed surfaces of lawns, walks, and roads brought to grades as shown on official plans or designs relating thereto.

A facility, required to be licensed by the state, which provides training, care, supervision, treatment and/or rehabilitation to the aged, disabled, those convicted of crimes, or those suffering the effects of drugs or alcohol; this does not include day care centers, family day care homes, foster homes, schools, hospitals, jails or prisons.

A temporary residential living arrangement for more than four persons not related by blood or marriage, living in an institutional setting and in need of supportive living arrangements in order to readjust to noninstitutionalized living. Persons living in halfway houses must be actively receiving therapy and counseling from support staff which is present when the residents are present. Residency at a halfway house is generally limited to a specified number of weeks or months.

An administrative proceeding conducted by a board.

With the exception of buildings and signs, the vertical distance from the finished grade to the highest point of the structure.

The vertical distance measured from the ground level to the highest point on a communications tower, including antennas mounted on the tower.

Any structure that is:

A temporary living arrangement for more than four persons, not related by blood or marriage, with a terminal disease, that requires full-time support, therapy, and treatment. A hospice offers terminal care emphasizing quality of life, palliative measures, and limiting invasive procedures. It focuses on alleviating physical pain and symptoms while providing psychosocial, practical, spiritual, and bereavement support. A hospice is an alternative to a hospital or nursing home. Residency is measured in weeks, months, or no more than one or two years.

See "overnight lodging."

Either a family living together or a single person living alone in a single dwelling unit with common access to and common use of all areas within the dwelling (see "family").

See "street, improved."

Any physical addition or installation or construction required by the City to render land suitable for the use intended and including, but not limited to, streets, curbs and gutters, sidewalks, street signs and lights, walkways, sewer and water facilities, monuments and markers, grading, and stormwater drainage facilities.

Those fields of economic activity including construction contractors, mining, manufacturing, transportation, communication, electric, gas, sanitary services, and wholesale trade.

A tract of land that has been planned, developed, and operated as an integrated facility intended for a number of individual industrial uses, with special measures for traffic circulation, parking, utilities, and compatibility.

Residences for people that provide rooms, meals, personal care, and/or supervision of self-administered medication. They may also provide other services such as transportation, recreation and activities, financial services, and housekeeping.

Any modification, alteration, renovation, reconstruction, or improvement of any kind to an existing structure to an extent or amount less than 50% of its market value, other than minor repairs, including the removal or cutting of any structural beam or bearing support or the removal or change of any required means of egress or rearrangement of parts of a structure affecting the exitway requirements.

Any area of a yard, structure, vehicle, or trailer, or any part thereof, used primarily for the collecting and storage of excess, abandoned, or transitional materials.

As used in this chapter, means having knowledge of, or reason to know, or a belief or ground for belief which warrants further inspection or inquiry of: the character and content of any material or performance described herein which is reasonably susceptible of examination by a licensee or person the age of the minor; provided; however, that an honest mistake shall constitute an excuse from liability hereunder if the licensee or person made a reasonable bona fide attempt to ascertain the true age of such minor, "Knowingly" also means that a reasonable person using reasonable skills and faculties would have known or been aware.

Ground, soil, or earth, including structures on, above, or below the surface.

Government-purchased land held for future use.

The location, relocation, establishment, reestablishment or retracement of any property line or boundary of any parcel of land or any lot right-of-way, easement, or alignment. This process shall include the principles of land surveying; determination of the position of any monument or reference point that marks a property line, boundary, or corner; setting, resetting, or replacing any such monument or individual point, including the writing of deed descriptions. This process shall also include the determination of elevations and topographic surveys. Land surveying shall be practiced by a surveyor or engineer registered under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to engage in the practice of land surveying.

The legal or beneficial owner or owners of land, including the holder of an option or contract to purchase (whether or not such option or contract is subject to any condition), a lessee if he or she is authorized under the lease to exercise the rights of the landowner, or other person having a proprietary interest in land.

A facility housing a collection of books, magazines or other material which is loaned to the general public without charge, excluding adult content.

A space utilized for the loading or unloading of cargo, products, or materials from vehicles.

See "boardinghouse."

A parcel of land occupied by, or which may be occupied by, a building and/or an accessory building, and including the yards and other open spaces required by this chapter for the land, shown by deed as a separate lot or parcel. Land called out as separate parcels on the same deed shall be considered separate lots.

The total area within the lot lines.

A design technique permitting one or more lots in a subdivision to be undersized, providing the same number of lots in the same subdivision are oversized by an equal or greater area. The desired effect is to have the average size of all the lots in the subdivision meet or exceed the minimum lot dimensions for the zone in which it is located.

That percentage of the parcel or lot area that is covered by the buildings, pools, and roofed accessory structures.

A line of record bounding a lot that divides it from an adjacent property, street, right-of-way, or public space.

A lot that exists as shown or described on a plat, subdivision or deed in the records of the local Recorder of Deeds.

The distance between side lot lines as measured at the setback line.

An occupied or unoccupied lot whose area and dimensions meet the requirements of the zoning district in which it is located.

A lot at the junction of and abutting on two or more intersecting streets or private roads, or at the point of abrupt change of a single street or private road, where the interior angle is less than 135°.

The distance between the front lot line and rear lot lines, measured perpendicularly to the right-of-way line at the center point between the two side lot lines.

A lot on which a building or structure exists.

A lot other than a corner lot.

A lot extending between and having frontage on an arterial and a minor street, with vehicular access solely from the latter.

A lot that fronts on two streets that do not intersect at the boundaries of the lot.

A facility, usually in a residential zone, where the primary residential use is located above the ground floor, leaving the lower floor(s) for commercial use. This commercial use is subordinate to the residential use of the property, and usually, though not always, serves the residents above.

The lowest floor of the lowest fully enclosed area (including basement). An unfinished, flood-resistant, partially enclosed area, used solely for parking of vehicles, building access, and incidental storage, in an area other than a basement area is not considered the lowest floor of a building, provided that such space is not designed and built so that the structure is in violation of the applicable nonelevation design requirements of this chapter.

The upkeep necessary for efficient operation of physical properties.

A transportable, single-family dwelling intended for permanent occupancy, office, or place of assembly, contained in one or more sections, built on a permanent chassis, which arrives at a site completed and ready for occupancy except for minor and incidental unpacking and assembly operations, and constructed so that it may be used with or without a permanent foundation. The term includes park trailers, travel trailers, recreational and other similar vehicles which are placed on a site for more than 180 consecutive days.

A parcel of land under single ownership which has been planned and improved for the placement of two or more manufactured homes for nontransient use.

Establishments engaged in the mechanical or chemical transformation of materials or substances into new products, including the assembling of component parts, the creation of products, and the blending of materials such as lubricating oils, resins, plastics, or liquors.

A voluntary negotiating process in which parties in a dispute mutually select a neutral mediator to assist them in jointly exploring and settling their differences, culminating in a written agreement which the parties themselves create and consider acceptable.

A facility where testing and analysis is done to assist in patient health care, diagnosis, and research and development of new medical products and techniques. Patients generally are not physically present in such facilities. Includes diagnostic facilities.

Any establishment that extracts solids, minerals, coal, ores, liquids, petroleum, natural gas, and gases from the earth.

The replacement of existing work with equivalent materials for the purpose of its routine maintenance and upkeep, but not including the cutting away of any wall, partition or portion thereof, the removal or cutting of any structural beam or bearing support, or the removal or change of any required means of egress, or rearrangement of parts of a structure affecting the exitway requirements; nor shall "minor repairs" include addition to, alteration of, replacement or relocation of any standpipe, water supply, sewer, drainage, drain leader, gas, soil, waste, vent, or similar piping, electric wiring, or mechanical or other work affecting public health or general safety, or to any sign.

Methods used to alleviate or lessen the impact of development.

A transportable, residential structure intended for permanent occupancy, contained in one unit or in two or more units designed to be joined into one integral unit capable of again being separated for repeated towing, which arrives at a site complete and ready for occupancy except for minor and incidental unpacking and assembly operations, and constructed without a permanent foundation.

A parcel of land in a mobile home park, improved with the necessary utility connections and other appurtenances necessary for the erections thereon of a single mobile home.

A parcel or contiguous parcels of land which has been so designated and improved that it contains two or more mobile home lots for the placement thereon of mobile homes. Also, a site containing spaces with required improvements and utilities that are leased for the long-term placement of mobile homes and that might include services and facilities for the residents.

See "funeral home."

A body politic and corporate created pursuant to the Act of May 2, 1945 (P.L. 382, No. 164),[2] formerly known as the Municipality Authorities Act of 1945.

A professional engineer licensed in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, duly appointed by the City of Altoona.

An institution devoted to the procurement, care, study, and display of objects of lasting interest or value; a place where objects are exhibited.

An area of a community with characteristics that distinguish it from other areas of that community, and which may include distinct ethnic or economic characteristics, housing types, schools, or boundaries defined by physical barriers (e.g., major highways, railroads, and natural features such as rivers).

A structure or building, the size, dimensions, or location of which was lawful prior to the adoption, revision, or amendment of this chapter, but that fails by reason of such adoption, revision, or amendment to conform to the present requirements.

A lot, the area, dimensions, or location of which was lawful prior to the adoption, revision, or amendment of this chapter, but that fails by reason of such adoption, revision, or amendment to conform to the present requirements.

A use or activity which was lawful prior to the adoption, revision, or amendment of this chapter, but that fails by reason of such adoption, revision, or amendment to conform to the present requirements.

Any place where a person who appears in a state of nudity or displays specified anatomical areas is provided to be observed, sketched, drawn, painted, sculptured, photographed or similarly depicted by other persons who pay money or any form of consideration.

The appearance of a human bare buttock, anus, male genitals, female genitals, or female breast, or showing the female breast with less than a fully opaque covering of any portion thereof below the top of the nipple.

Any interference with the lawful enjoyment and use of property.

Any environmental pollutant, such as smoke, odors, liquid wastes, litter, solid wastes, radiation, noise, vibration, glare, or heat.

A tract of land on which trees and plants are raised or stored for transplanting and sale.

A building with sleeping rooms where persons are housed or lodged and furnished with meals and nursing care for hire.

Either the residing of an individual or individuals overnight in a dwelling unit, or the storage or use of equipment, merchandise, or machinery in any public, commercial or industrial building.

Parking provided for a specific use but located on a parcel other than the one on which the specific use is located.

An establishment engaged in overall management and general supervisory functions, executive activities, personnel, financial, legal, and sales activities, as well as certain services such as advertising, mailing, employment, consulting, security, development and testing, commercial research, and like activities. Generally, customers are not present on the premises. See the various types of "services."

The office of a member of a recognized not necessarily licensed profession maintained for the conduct of that profession. Generally, customers are not present on the premises. See "services, professional."

A combination of program and facilities established for the primary purpose of providing an outdoor group living experience for children, youth, and adults, with social, recreational, and educational objectives, and operated and used for five or more consecutive days during one or more seasons of the year.

The keeping of any goods, junk, material, merchandise, or vehicles in the same area for more than 24 hours.

A zoning district that encompasses one or more underlying zones and that imposes additional requirements above those required by the underlying zones.

A building or group of buildings, whether detached or in connected units, used as individual sleeping units, possessing no facilities for individual cooking, designed with individual entrances and for year-round occupancy, and providing for accessory off-street parking facilities that does not provide any of the services included in the definition for "adult motel." Overnight lodging facilities may include restaurants and newsstands.

A tract of land designated and used by the public for active and passive recreation.

Any public or private area, under or outside of a building or structure, designed and used for parking motor vehicles. This term includes parking lots, garages, private driveways, and legally designated areas of public streets.

A parking area for the exclusive use of the owners, tenants, lessees, customers, employees, or occupants of either the lot on which the parking area is located or the business situated on that lot.

A parking area open to the public with or without payment of a fee.

Any place, lot, parcel, or yard used in whole or in part for storing or parking six or more motor vehicles, where a storage or parking fee is charged or where the lot is operated in connection with or for the use of the customers of a retail store, theater, or any commercial, industrial, or institutional use.

A space for the parking of one motor vehicle within a public or private parking area or on a dedicated street.

A ground-level structure with at least three sides open and used primarily for residential purposes.

Any lightweight plastic, fabric, or other material, whether or not containing a message of any kind, suspended from a rope, wire, or string – usually in series – and designed to move in the wind.

Written governmental permission issued by an authorized official, empowering the holder thereof to do some act not forbidden by law but not allowed without such an authorization.

A land use or structure that:

A land use or structure that:

A land use that is allowed by right in a zoning district and is subject to the restrictions applicable to the zoning district in which it is located.

A person in whose name a permit and/or license has been issued. This person is also the individual listed as an applicant on the application for a permit and/or license.

An individual, partnership, sole proprietorship, public or private association or corporation, firm, trust, company, corporation, estate, municipality, government unit, public utility or any other legal entity whatsoever which is recognized by law as the subject of rights and duties.

An active recreational area with a variety of facilities, including equipment for younger children, court games, and field games.

A new development or existing single structure designed to be occupied by multiple retail businesses or business offices primarily through floor space rental or lease agreements. A group of retail establishments planned, constructed, and managed as a total entity with customer and employee parking provided on site, provision of goods' delivery separated from customer access, and protection from the elements via a canopy or other enclosure.

Any lot, parcel or tract of land and any building constructed thereon.

The street on which the street address is located, or if there is no street address, then it is the street that is most logically considered as providing the primary access to the property.

See "building, principal."

The primary or predominant uses of any lot or parcel.

A legally established right-of-way, other than a street, which provides the primary vehicular access to a lot or lots, and is privately maintained.

A lot, parcel, or tract of land, as well as the building and structures located thereon.

See "lot line."

A building or structure for a closely regulated enterprise with a franchise for providing to the public a utility service deemed necessary for the public health, safety, and welfare. Telephone, electric, natural gas, water, and sewer companies are public utilities; however, commercial wireless communications companies are not.

A structure owned and operated by a public utility electric company regulated by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, designed and used to support overhead electricity transmission lines.

An industrial area dedicated to the repairing and maintenance of railroad equipment or the crossroads of rail lines where the switching of railcars takes place.

Includes activities that involve relatively inactive or less energetic activities as well as activities of a more active or formal nature. Activities may be performed alone or with others and may involve the use of equipment or personal property.

A lot of land upon which two or more recreational vehicle sites are located, established, or maintained for occupancy by recreational vehicles of the general public as temporary living quarters for vacation or recreation purposes.

A plot of ground within a recreation vehicle park intended for the accommodation of either a recreation vehicle or other similar individual camping unit on a temporary basis.

Any letter, review, memorandum, compilation, or similar writing made by any body, board, officer, or consultant other than a solicitor to any other body, board, officer, or consultant for the purpose of assisting the recipient of such report in the rendering of any decision or determination. All reports shall be deemed recommendatory and advisory only and shall not be binding upon the recipient, board, officer, body, or agency, nor shall any appeal lie therefrom. Any report used, received or considered by the body, board, officer, or agency rendering a determination or decision shall be made available for inspection to the applicant and all other parties to any proceeding upon request, and copies thereof shall be provided at cost of reproduction.

A facility engaged in scientific analysis, testing of hypotheses, product testing, consumer preference testing, pharmaceuticals, development of methodologies, and similar activities. Also, an establishment which carries on investigations in the natural, physical, or social sciences, which may include engineering and product development.

A single-room occupancy (SRO) residential structure in which no less than four residents each rent a single room, as opposed to an entire apartment. Residents may share cooking facilities, sanitary facilities, and/or a bathroom (as defined in Chapter 550 of the Code). Board is not provided at a rooming house, as opposed to a boardinghouse. Residents do not receive habilitative or rehabilitative services at a rooming house. Relationships between residents are incidental as opposed to an essential part of living together in a group home or halfway house. Residents do not constitute an interdependent group that emulates a family. Tenancy is on a weekly or longer basis as distinguished from transient housing, such as a hotel or motel. The total number of residents in a rooming house may not exceed the number of bedrooms with closets in the involved structure.

The use of any building, land area, or other premises for the display and sale of new or used automobiles, trucks, vans, trailers, or recreational vehicles, including any vehicle preparation or repair work conducted as an accessory use.

Establishments engaged in selling goods or merchandise to the general public for personal or household consumption. Retail sales establishments may also render services incidental to the sale of such goods. Includes "warehouse" and "outlet" style stores. Does not include automotive sales, nor any services, although such may be combined with retail sales if permitted by this chapter.

Facilities primarily engaged in selling merchandise to retailers; to industrial, commercial, institutional, or professional business users; or to other wholesalers. Wholesale sales are not made to the general public.

A lot of land or part thereof used primarily for the disposal, by abandonment, dumping, burial, or burning or any other means and for whatever purposes, of garbage, sewage, trash, refuse, junk, discarded machinery, vehicles or parts thereof, or waste material of any kind.

A sanitary sewage collection system, either publicly or privately owned, in which sewage is carried from individual lots by a system of pipes to a temporary central treatment and disposal plant, generally serving a neighborhood area.

A device that is composed of a reflective surface that is solid, open mesh, or bar-configured, and is in the shape of a shallow dish, cone, or horn. Satellite dish antennas are used to transmit or receive radio or similar type signals to or from terrestrially based towers and/or earth orbiting satellites. This definition is meant to include, but is not limited to, what are commonly referred to as satellite earth stations, TVROs (television reception only), and microwave antennas.

Any building or part thereof which is designed, constructed, or used for education or instruction in any branch of knowledge, including colleges or universities supported wholly or in part by public funds and other colleges or universities giving general academic instruction, as prescribed by the State Board of Education.

A school that meets state requirements for elementary or secondary education and that does not secure the major part of its funding from any governmental agency.

Any building, structure, facility, or complex used by the general public for education that is licensed by the state and that meets the state requirements for education, whether constructed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Blair County, the City of Altoona, a local government, a governmental instrumentality, a private individual, a corporation, a partnership, or an association.

A vegetative material, landscaping, or opaque fencing of sufficient height and density to filter adequately from the adjacent properties light, noise, odors, and the views of the structures and uses on the premises upon which the landscaping, vegetative material, or fence is located.

The street abutting a lot that is not a primary street. There is at least one secondary street on a corner lot.

A state of dress in which the clothing covers no more than the genitals, pubic region, and areola of the female breast as well as portions of the body covered by supporting straps or devices.

A surface such as stone, rock, concrete or other materials which permits some vertical transmission of water.

Any area of land, including any structures thereon, or any building or part thereof, that is used for the retail sale of gasoline, oil, other fuel, or accessories for motor vehicles, and which may include public rest rooms and facilities used for polishing, greasing, washing, dry cleaning, or otherwise cleaning or servicing such motor vehicles. A business that engages in engine rebuilding, major reconditioning of broken or damaged motor vehicles or trailers, collision repair service (including body, frame, or fender straightening or repair), vehicle painting, replacement of parts, motor service to automobiles, and/or state inspections.

The creation and distribution of literature in the form of leaflets, pamphlets, booklets, newspapers, magazines, books, video, film, electronics, or any other form of media whereby information, fictional or nonfictional, is gathered, organized, and prepared for presentation to an audience. Also, the furnishing of point-to-point communications services, whether by radio, television. Internet, satellite, or any other means of broadcasting. This definition does not include performances or theatrics in a setting where an audience is present on the premises.

Any building or part thereof, which is designed, constructed, or used for education or instruction in any branch of knowledge and to any age level. This definition does not include child day-care centers (see above).

An institution providing primary health care services and medical or surgical care to persons that are suffering from illness, disease, injury, deformity, or other abnormal physical or mental conditions. Facilities may contain, as an integral part of the institution, related facilities such as laboratories, outpatient facilities, training facilities, medical offices, and staff residences.

Establishments primarily engaged in providing services involving the care of a person, his or her appearance, goods, or apparel. Sales of merchandise may also take place incidental to the primary function of providing the service.

Services rendered by a member of a recognized – not necessarily licensed – profession, including meeting and providing such services to customers and clients on the premises.

Establishments providing services or entertainment, as opposed to products, to the general public for personal or household use. Retail service establishments may provide services such as eating and drinking, lodging, finance, insurance, real estate, personal services, motion pictures, amusement and recreational services, health care, or educational/social services. This definition does not include automotive services, except for gasoline dispensing.

An establishment engaging in any of the following:

An establishment that engages in acting as a broker or agent to retailers; to industrial, commercial, institutional, or professional business users; or to other wholesalers to buy merchandise for or sell merchandise to such individuals. Wholesale services do not deal with the general public.

The distance that must be maintained between all parts (except for walks and steps) of all buildings (except permitted accessory uses as stipulated) and a specified lot line or publicly held right-of-way.

The line within a property defining the required minimum or maximum distance between any building to be erected and the adjacent property line.

An adult arcade, adult bookstore or adult video store, adult cabaret, adult motion-picture theater, adult theater, escort agency, nude model studio, or sexual encounter center.

A tree in a public place, street, special easement, or right-of-way adjoining a street, as provided in these regulations.

A temporary living arrangement that provides overnight and short-term housing for people unable to live at home due to abusive practices of another resident or other emergency situation, including loss of residence. While the primary function of an emergency shelter is to provide housing, additional social services are often part of the shelter's program. The length of residency is limited to days or weeks.

A group of retail establishments planned, constructed, and managed as a total entity with customer and employee parking provided on site, provision of goods delivery separated from customer access, and protection from the elements via canopy or other enclosure.

The required length of roadway visible to the driver of a passenger vehicle at any given point on the roadway when the view is unobstructed by traffic. Sight distance measurements shall be made from a point 10 feet from the edge of a cartway, 3 1/2 feet high, to a point 3 1/2 feet above the road surface.

An area of unobstructed vision at street intersections defined by lines of sight between points at a distance of 50 feet from the intersection of the street center lines.

Any object, device, display, or structure, or part thereof, situated outdoors or indoors, which is used to advertise, identify, display, direct, or attract attention to an object, person, institution, organization, business, product, service, event, or location by any means, including words, letters, figures, design, symbols, fixtures, colors, illumination, or projected images. Signs are considered accessory structures or uses on a lot.

A sign, either conforming or nonconforming, on property leased or owned by the party responsible for the sign that has been discontinued for a total of 12 months as described in Chapter 800, Article V. A nonconforming use that has been abandoned and all signs that are related to that use, as well as any structures that support these signs, shall be considered abandoned.

Any sign that uses movement or change of lighting to depict action or create a special effect or scene.

Any sign of lightweight fabric or similar material that is permanently mounted to a pole or building by a permanent frame at one or more edges. National flags, state or municipal flags, or the official flag of any institution or business shall not be considered banners. (See also "sign, building - banner.")

Any sign attached to any part of a building, as contrasted to a freestanding sign.

Any sign of lightweight fabric or similar material that is permanently mounted to a building by a permanent frame at one or more edges. National flags, state or municipal flags, or the official flag of any institution or business shall not be considered banners. (See also "sign, banner - miscellaneous.")

A building sign, generally informational, that has a purpose secondary to the use of the lot on which it is located, such as "no parking," "entrance," "loading only," "telephone," and other similar directives. No commercial messages of any kind are allowed on these signs unless the involved message is not legible from any location off the involved lot.

Any sign erected or constructed as an integral or essentially integral part of a normal roof structure of any design, such that no part of the sign extends vertically above the highest portion of the roof and such that no part of the sign is separated from the rest of the roof by a space of more than six inches.

Any sign indicating the name and date of a building, as well as incidental information about its construction or historical data on a historic site, which is cut into a masonry surface or made of bronze or other permanent material.

Any sign affixed to a building or wall in such a manner that its leading edge extends more than six inches beyond the surface of such building or wall. A projecting sign incorporates a heavy, integral steel frame and mounting bolts or steel supports that completely penetrate the building wall.

Any sign that is suspended from the underside of a horizontal plane surface and is supported by such surface.

Any sign that is permanently etched or painted or directly attached to a wall with a projection of less than six inches.

Signs placed for advertising purposes in bus shelters by an off-premises sign or advertising company.

Any sign that is a part of or attached to an awning, canopy, or other fabric, plastic, or structural protective cover over a door, entrance, window, or outdoor service area. A marquee is not considered a canopy.

This category includes the flags of the United States, the states themselves, local governments, and foreign nations having diplomatic relations with the United States. Any flag that does not meet these requirements shall be considered a banner sign by this chapter.

Any sign supported by structures or supports that are placed on, or anchored in, the ground and that are independent from any building or other structure.

A sign that directs attention to a business or profession conducted, or to a commodity or service sold, offered, or manufactured, or to an entertainment offered, or to any other commercial activity conducted on the premises where the sign is located.

A sign, generally informational, that has a purpose secondary to the use of the lot on which it is located, such as "no parking," "entrance," "loading only," "telephone," and other similar directives. No commercial messages of any kind are allowed on these signs unless the involved message is not legible from any location off the involved lot.

Any sign supported by structures or supports that are placed on, or anchored in the ground, and that are independent from any building or other structure. These signs are for self-expression by the occupants of the premises and may take the form of political, religious, nameplates, or other form of self-expression.

Identifies only the address and name of the occupant.

Any sign attached to or made a part of a marquee. A permanent roof-like structure or canopy of rigid materials supported by and extending from the facade of a building.

A nonconforming sign is defined as a sign that:

Any sign that directs attention to a business, commodity, service, or entertainment conducted, sold, or offered at a location other than the premises on which the sign is located.

Any sign located on a lot designated as a plaza and whose purpose is to identify the plaza name and the names of the individual occupants of the plaza.

Any sign not permanently attached to the ground or another permanent structure or a sign designed to be transported. This includes, but is not limited to, signs designed to be transported by means of wheels; signs converted to A- or T-frames; menu and sandwich board signs; balloons used as signs; umbrellas used for advertising; and signs attached to or painted on vehicles parked and visible from the public right-of-way, unless said vehicle is used in the normal day-to-day operations of the business.

Any sign erected and constructed wholly on and over the roof of a building, supported by the roof structure, and extending vertically above the highest portion of the roof.

Any sign erected or constructed as an integral or essentially integral part of a normal roof structure of any design, such that no part of the sign extends vertically above the highest portion of the roof and such that no part of the sign is separated from the rest of the roof by a space of more than six inches.

Any sign that is used only temporarily and is not permanently mounted. Regardless of any temporary characteristics they may have, residential signs shall not be classified as temporary signs for the purposes of this chapter.

A use that has the same characteristics as the specifically cited uses in terms of trip generation, parking, circulation, type of traffic, utility demands, environmental impacts, physical space needs, and clientele.

A building containing sleeping rooms, bathrooms, common rooms, and a central kitchen and dining room maintained exclusively for sorority members and their guests or visitors and affiliated with an institution of higher learning.

A use that is allowed in a particular zoning district subject to the approval of the Zoning Hearing Board.

Includes any of the following:

A permanent structure designed to provide space for the storage of materials, Such storage space is usually provided on a rental basis by the owner to the general public. This definition does not include storage incidental to other uses on a property.

The lowermost story entirely above the finished grade.

That portion of a building included above foundation wall and the surface of the floor next above it, or if there be no floor above it, then the space between any floor and the next ceiling above it.

A right-of-way, including cartway, sidewalk space, and planting space, if any, which affords the principal means of access to abutting property. A street may be designated as a highway, thoroughfare, parkway, boulevard, road, avenue, lane, drive, place, or other appropriate name. Types of streets are:

The limit of a right-of-way.

A strip of land in a dedicated right-of-way or formal easement which contains such improvements so as to provide proper access to and from abutting properties as well as any other properties which require its use for access, Generally, a street is considered improved if it is public or if it has been constructed to the standards set forth by the Planning Administrator under the procedure in Ch. 640, Subdivision of Land and Land Developments.

Those streets not officially dedicated and/or accepted by the City.

Any man-made object having an ascertainable stationary location on or in land or water, whether or not directly affixed to the land.

A living arrangement within a one (single) family or twin, semidetached, duplex and/or row house dwelling by persons unrelated by blood, marriage or legal adoption, who are attending undergraduate or graduate programs offered by colleges or universities or are on semester break or summer break from studies at colleges or universities, or any combination of such persons. The residents of a student home may share living expenses and may live and cook as a single housekeeping unit. Exception: Student homes shall not include fraternity house, sorority house, boardinghouse, multifamily dwellings and/or rooms offered for let in one (single) family dwelling when the dwelling is occupied by a family that is the recorded owner of record by title and all renters are related to or members of this family by blood, marriage or legal adoption.

The division or redivision of a lot, tract or parcel of land by any means into two or more lots, tracts, parcels or other divisions of land, including changes in existing lot lines for the purpose, whether immediate or future, of lease, partition by the court for distribution to heirs or devisees, transfer of ownership or building or lot development; provided, however, that the subdivision by lease of land for agricultural purposes into parcels of more than 10 acres, not involving any new street or easement of access or any residential dwelling, shall be exempted.

Damage from any cause sustained by a structure whereby the cost of restoring the structure to its before-damaged condition would equal or exceed 50% or more of the market value of the structure immediately before the damage occurred.

The increase in floor areas occupied by the business by more than 25%, as the floor areas existed on August 27, 1997.

The condition where a project has been constructed to the point where:

A plan showing all present and proposed grades and facilities for stormwater drainage.

An individual licensed and registered under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to engage in the practice of land surveying. A surveyor shall not perform engineering as defined by this chapter, unless the surveyor is also a registered engineer.

A low-lying stretch of land which gathers or carries surface water runoff.

Any structure, basin, chamber, or tank containing an artificial body of water for swimming, diving, or recreational bathing and having a depth of two feet or more at any point, either above or in the ground.

Occupancy of a campground or organized camp for no more than six months in any consecutive 12-month period.

A use of a limited duration that is to be discontinued after the expiration of a time period.

A portable lodging unit usually made of skins, canvas, plastic, or strong cloth stretched and usually sustained by poles, and dependent upon separate toilet and lavatory facilities.

A building or part of a building devoted to the showing of moving pictures or theatrical productions on a commercial basis.

Surface soil and subsurface soil which presumably is fertile soil and ordinarily rich in organic matter or humus debris.

A vehicular portable structure built on, or designed to be mounted on, a chassis or wheels, or constructed as an integral part of a self-propelled vehicle for use as a temporary dwelling, recreation, or storage of items.

Includes any of the following:

A zoning district that permits uses compatible with uses permitted in two adjacent zones that, without the transition zone, could be considered incompatible to each other.

An area in the process of changing from one use to another or changing from one racial or ethnic occupancy to another; an area that acts as a buffer between two land uses of different intensity and compatibility.

Either end of a carrier line having facilities for the handling of freight and passengers for an automotive vehicle with a short chassis equipped with a swivel for attaching a trailer and used especially for the highway hauling of freight; a freight or passenger station that is central to a considerable area or serves as a junction at any point with other lines; a town or city at the end of a carrier line.

The specific purpose for which land or a building is designed, arranged, intended or for which it is or may be occupied or maintained. The term "permitted use" or its equivalent shall not be deemed to include any nonconforming use.

Any agency that provides the public with electricity, gas, heat, water, sewer, communications, and transportation. Includes public utilities, though not all services included within this definition are public utilities.

A variance is a modification of the strict terms of zoning regulations where such modification will not be contrary to the public interest and where, owing to physical conditions peculiar to the property and not the result of the action of the applicant, a literal enforcement of the regulations would result in unnecessary and undue hardship.

A device from which products or services are traded or sold without a salesperson or any employee present. Vending machines are considered commercial accessory uses and structures for the purposes of this chapter.

When the subdivider can show that a provision of this chapter would cause unnecessary hardship if strictly adhered to because of conditions peculiar to the site and where, in the opinion of the City, a departure from this chapter may be made without destroying the intent of such provisions, the City may authorize a waiver. A modification to the minimum standards of this chapter. (See "modifications.")

The vertical exterior surface of a building. Also, the vertical interior surfaces that divide the space within a building into rooms.

Any establishment engaged in the collection, storage, or distribution of waste. Included are transfer stations, landfills, trash-to-steam generators, refuse collection companies, auto wrecking yards, salvage yards, sewage plants, and similar uses.

Those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface water or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions, including swamps, marshes, bogs, ferns, and similar areas.

An opening in an exterior wall, other than a door, which provides all or part of the required natural light, natural ventilation, or both, to an interior space.

The trade of manipulating, shaping, carving, assembling, and ornamenting wood products. Basic industries include furniture assembly, moldings, kitchen cabinetry, and carving. This definition does not include general carpentry, sawmills, lumbering, wood processing, or manufacture of landscaping items.

The art of intricate wood carving and decorating.

An open space that lies between the principal building or buildings and the nearest lot line.

The sale of surplus or unwanted personal property normally associated with daily living or collecting from residential property for a period of no more than three consecutive days in any six-month period. Yard sales are also known as garage sales, porch sales, tag sales, and similar names. Yard sales are considered accessory residential uses when held as defined above. Above and beyond this definition, such sales are considered home-based businesses.

The area between the front lot line and the principal building(s).

The area between the rear lot line and the principal building(s).

The area between a lot line which is not coincident with any right-of-way line and the principal building(s).

The location of a building on a lot in such a manner that one or more of its walls rest directly on a lot line.

A specifically delineated area or district within the City within which uniform regulations and requirements govern the use, placement, spacing, and size of land and buildings.

The delineation of districts within a municipality or county and the establishment of regulations for each of these districts. These regulations may govern the use of land; lot sizes; the placement, spacing, size, and character of buildings; and more.

A specifically designated area or district in a municipality within which uniform regulations and requirements govern the use, placement, spacing, and size of land and buildings.

A multiple-member board, appointed by the Altoona City Council, that hears appeals and challenges under Section 909.1(a) of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code.[3]

The map (or maps) that are a part of the zoning ordinance and delineate the boundaries of the zone districts.

The administrative officer designated to administer zoning and issue zoning permits.

The permit issued by the Zoning Officer, upon determination by the Zoning Officer that all information contained in the zoning permit application is in compliance with the regulations contained within zoning.

The application that must be completed by the applicant and the Zoning Officer to apply for a zoning permit, as required in this chapter.