A flood that, on the average is likely to occur once every 100 years (i.e., that has a 1% chance of occurring each year, although the flood may occur in any year).

Primary location or locations for exiting and entering a use, lot, or building.

A secondary dwelling unit either in or added to an existing single-family detached dwelling for use as a complete, independent living facility with provisions for cooking, eating, sanitation, and sleeping.

A building or other structure subordinate to the permitted principal building on a lot and used for purposes customarily incidental to those of such principal building. If an accessory structure is attached to a permitted principal building in a substantial and permanent manner, such as by means of a wall or roof, then the accessory structure shall be considered part of the principal building.

A use conducted on the same lot as a permitted principal use to which it is related and which is located either within the same structure(s), in an accessory building or other structure, or on the same lot; an accessory use shall also be a use which is clearly incidental to, and customarily found in connection with, a particular permitted principal use.

A residential complex that may include one, or any combination of, senior center, independent living, personal care or acute care arrangements for a group of older adults.

Includes uses and necessary buildings related to the tilling of land, the raising of farm products, the raising and keeping of horses, cattle and other livestock, and the raising of poultry and poultry products, subject to other provisions of this chapter.

A public or private way permanently reserved as a secondary means of access to abutting property.

An individual residential unit that is part of a larger structure and is usually leased or rented.

A house, or portion thereof, where short-term lodging-rooms and meals are provided exclusively for guests of the bed-and-breakfast.

An area bound by three or more streets.

Any structure having a roof, self-supported or supported by walls, columns or air pressure, which is permanently affixed to the ground, used or occupied for the shelter, housing, or enclosure of any person, animal, process, equipment, goods or materials of any kind or any nature. The term "building" shall include the terms "dwelling" and "structure."

A building's vertical measurement from the mean level of the ground abutting the building to a point midway between the highest and lowest points of the roof.

The line, parallel to the front lot line, that passes through the point of the principal building nearest to the front lot line.

The horizontal distance between the closest points of two structures.

The diameter of a tree trunk measured 4.5 feet from the ground.

A reception and transmission tower intended for nonprivate transmitting and receiving of radio, television, telephone or digital communications, including an immediately adjacent building or structure, the size of which shall not exceed what is absolutely necessary to permit the communication tower to operate as intended.[1]

A use permitted in a particular zoning district when approved by Borough Council (See § 430-11).

A use, including a park, preserve, or sanctuary, intended to retain the natural features of the land, including animal life.

The construction, reconstruction, renovation, repair, extension, expansion, alteration, or relocation of a building or structure, including the placement of manufactured homes.

A lot abutting on and at the intersection of two or more streets. A corner lot shall be required to meet front yard setbacks along all adjacent streets.

The percentage of a lot covered by buildings or roofed areas.

The percentage of a lot covered by all impervious surfaces, including buildings, driveways, sidewalks, parking areas and accessory structures.

Includes, but is not limited to, pottery, woodwork, woven goods, paintings, and sculptures.

Premises used as either a day-care center or family day care home.

The total number of dwellings or structures permitted per acre of land.

Any man-made change to improved or unimproved real estate, including, but not limited to, buildings or other structures, the placement of manufactured homes, streets, and other paving, utilities, filling, grading, excavation, mining, dredging, drilling operations, or the storage of materials and equipment, and the subdivision of land.

Any facility where an activity or transaction takes place that does not require the customer to exit his or her car. Such facilities include, but are not limited to, drive-through facilities for restaurants, bank teller windows, or ATMs.

An accessory structure which provides motor vehicle access for or to a lot.

Any structure, or part thereof, designed to be occupied as living quarters or as a housekeeping unit.

Multifamily dwellings or single-family attached dwellings designed and constructed exclusively for housing intended and occupied:

Any freestanding and uninhabited structure consisting of wood, glass, metal, plastic, wire, wire mesh or masonry, singly or in combination with other materials, 2 1/2 feet in height or higher, erected to secure or divide one property from another or part of a property from a remaining part thereof or to assure privacy, protect the property so defined or enclose all of or part of the property; a freestanding masonry, concrete, stone, brick or block wall or a hedge (consisting of a dense row of shrubs or small trees) shall also be considered "fences" for purposes of this chapter.

A relatively flat or lowland area which is subject to partial or complete inundation from an adjoining or nearby stream, river or watercourse, and/or any area subject to the unusual and rapid accumulation of surface waters from any source.

The total floor space of the inhabitable or usable enclosed portions of a building or structure.

Unit measuring the light quantity or density of light on a surface that is equally one foot from a uniform illumination source, as a function of number of lumens striking an area equal to one foot.

Under the worst maintenance conditions, including reduced light intensity, the number of lumens striking an area equal to one foot.

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 development.

A building designed and used for the repair of automotive vehicles, operated as a business enterprise with a service charge or fee being paid to the owner or operator for the parking or storage of privately owned and licensed vehicles.

A building for the private use of the owner or occupant of a principal building, situated on the same lot as the principal building, for storage.

Any structure that is:

An institution providing health services primarily for human inpatient medical or surgical care for the sick or injured, and including related facilities, such as laboratories, outpatient departments, training facilities, central service facilities, and staff offices that are an integral part of the facilities.

Any material that prevents the infiltration of stormwater into previously undeveloped land.

All surfaces which do not absorb rain, including, but not limited to, any structure which will not permit absorption of rain into the ground; total roof square foot area as projected on a horizontal plane shall be considered as "impervious surface area."

A planned, coordinated development of a tract of land with two or more separate industrial buildings.

A residential structure converted to provide no more than 10 rentable rooms for short-term lodging and a restaurant open to the general public.

A parcel of land on which waste material or inoperative vehicles and other machinery are collected, stored, salvaged, or sold.

Any of the following activities:

Any parcel of land, regardless of size, intended as a unit for transfer or ownership, use or improvement, or for development.

The area contained within the property lines of a lot, excluding any and all of such area which is within public or private street rights-of-way, drainage easements, any Borough, authority and/or public utility (e.g., sanitary sewer, water supply, gas, electric), public service (e.g., phone, cable), or pipeline easements, whether existing or proposed on a subdivision or land development plan, 100-year floodplains, wetlands, slopes in excess of 25% or railroad rights-of-way.

The percentage of lot area covered by any and all impervious materials, including but not limited to buildings, structures, roofs, paved parking areas, paved walks, paving in general, terraces and similar surfaces which do not normally absorb rainfall.

The property boundary of a parcel of land.

The property boundary of a parcel of land measured at the street right-of-way line.

The distance between the side lot lines of a parcel of land.

A lot located at the junction of and abutting on two or more intersecting streets, or at the point of abrupt change in the direction of a single street, the interior angle of which is not greater than 135°. In the case of a corner lot, whichever street-abutting lot line is elected by the owner of the property or person applying for the building permit shall be deemed to be the lot line, front.

A lot of record existing as of 12:01 a.m. prevailing time, December 17, 1996, which does not have the minimum width or other required dimensions, does not contain the minimum area for the district in which it is located, or otherwise does not conform to permit as of right the construction of a principal building otherwise permitted as of right in the district in which the lot is located.

Unit used to express the light output of a lamp or other illumination fixture.

A transportable, single-family dwelling 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 repeat towing, which arrived at a site complete and ready for occupancy except for minor and incidental unpacking and assembly operations, and constructed so that it may be used without a permanent foundation. A "manufactured home" shall also include park trailers, travel trailers, recreational vehicles, and other similar vehicles which are placed on a site for more than 180 consecutive days.

A parcel (or contiguous parcels) of land which has been so planned and improved that it contains two or more manufactured home lots for the placement thereon of manufactured homes.

Any medical facility providing medical care for humans other than that of a hospital or medical office.

A facility providing either general practician medical care or specialized medical care for humans on an outpatient basis with no more than three licensed doctors providing such services.

A single structure that normally includes both commercial and residential space, constructed in a unified manner.

The Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, Act 247, as amended.[2]

The use of one or more lots and/or buildings only for any one or more of the following principal uses:

Publicly owned uses including, by way of example but not by way of limitation, parks, playgrounds and other recreational, cultural and conservation areas, the sites for schools, sewage treatment, refuse, disposal or other public facilities owned or operated for the residents of the Borough of Avondale and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and activities regularly conducted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or the Borough of Avondale as such sites and/or facilities.

Structures for which the start of construction commenced on or after December 4, 1979, and includes any subsequent improvements thereto.

A property or use that does not involve sales, production or any other venture intending to generate a profit.

A building or other structure, use, lot or sign which, by reason of design, size, or use, does not conform with the requirements of the district, or districts, in which it is located, or other applicable provisions of this chapter.

A business or commercial activity administered or conducted as an accessory use which is clearly secondary to the use as a residential dwelling and which involves no customer, client or patient traffic, whether vehicular or pedestrian, pickup, delivery or removal functions to or from the premises, in excess of those normally associated with residential use. The business or commercial activity must satisfy the following requirements:

The exhibition of goods for retail purposes outside of the principal structure.

The keeping, in an unroofed area, of any good, junk, material, merchandise, or vehicle in the same place for more than 24 hours.

The development and use of a parking area on one property or more for joint use by two or more businesses.

The word "person" shall include an individual, corporation, partnership, incorporated association, or any other similar entity.

The alteration of an existing single-family detached dwelling to accommodate two or more dwelling units. This implies a change in density and housing type of an existing dwelling, resulting in the creation of party walls and independent cooking, lavatory and sleeping facilities.

An establishment that delivers prepared food and/or beverages to customers in motor vehicles, regardless of whether or not it also serves prepared food and/or beverages to customers who are not in motor vehicles.

An establishment that serves food and beverages primarily to persons seated within the building.

The total width of any land reserved or dedicated as a street, alley, crosswalk or for other public or semipublic purposes.

A designation given a road in accordance with its function as a carrier of traffic and from which specific setback distances as may be provided in this chapter apply. Classifications for new roads within the Borough shall be determined by the Borough Council after recommendations by the Planning Commission. For purposes of this chapter, the following three classifications shall apply:

The minimum distance principal structures or buildings shall be placed away from a given lot line as prescribed by this chapter.

The multiple use of a single property for the retail sale of goods and merchandise, or personal services.

The required length of roadway visible to a 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 4.5 feet above the center line of the road surface to a point 1/2 foot above the center line of the road surface.

Any letter, word, model, device, or representation intended as an announcement, direction or advertisement which includes those that are freestanding, attached to another structure, or painted on an exterior wall of a building or other structure.

A use permitted in a particular zoning district when approved pursuant to the provisions of the Zoning Hearing Board (See § 430-124).

A public or private thoroughfare used, or intended to be used, for the primary passage or travel by motor vehicles. Streets do not include alleys or driveways.

Anything constructed or erected on the ground or attached to the ground, including, but not limited to, buildings, sheds, manufactured homes and other similar improvements.

A structure or part of a structure which does not comply with the provisions of this chapter for the zoning district in which such structure or part of a structure is located, and where such structure was lawfully in existence prior to 12:01 a.m. prevailing time, December 17, 1996, which has continued to exist thereafter; such nonconforming structures include but are not limited to nonconforming signs.

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 before the damage occurred.

Any reconstruction, rehabilitation, addition, or other improvement of a structure, the cost of which equals or exceeds 50% of the market value of the structure before the start of construction of the improvement. "Substantial improvement" includes structures which have incurred substantial damage, regardless of the actual repair work performed. This term does not include either:

An establishment where food and beverages, including alcoholic beverages, are sold either to be consumed on the premises or for takeout.

The development of an entire tract for only single-family attached dwellings, with all of the tract used only for townhouse units and common open space(s).

A parcel or parcels of land developed and/or proposed to be developed pursuant to a single plan under Chapter 375, Subdivision and Land Development, and/or as part of a single conditional use application. Where multiple parcels of land comprise a tract, such parcels must be contiguous. For purposes of this provision, two or more parcels of land separated by an existing street may be combined to meet the minimum area of a tract.

An enclosed structure constructed of metal, wood, plastic or cloth fabric designed for human occupancy, which now is, or ever was, intended to be removed either under its own power or by other means of locomotion, regardless of its size, composition, design, or general appearance; and which structure, it if were to be moved on a public highway within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, would be required to be licensed in accordance with the provisions of the Motor Vehicle Code.[3]

A measurement of footcandle levels comparing the highest footcandle level to the lowest footcandle level in a given area.

The use of land or the use of a building or other structure which does not comply with the provisions of this chapter or the zoning district in which the use is located, provided such use was lawfully in existence prior to 12:01 a.m. prevailing time, December 17, 1996, or prior to the enactment of subsequent amendments thereafter which render such use nonconforming, but which was lawfully in existence prior to the enactment of this chapter or any amendment and which has continued thereafter.

Relief to the requirements of this chapter granted by the Zoning Hearing Board, pursuant to the provisions set forth in § 430-123.

A way of ingress and egress for motor vehicles from any public street to a use or lot.

A defined area subject to specific regulations as defined by this chapter.

An area or areas of land, delineated on the Borough Zoning Map, subject to regulations that are specific for that delineated area or areas.

An area or areas of land, identified by the presence of predetermined and defined features, subject to regulations specific for those defined areas.