18.1.1

Words used in the singular include the plural. The reverse is also true.

18.1.2

Words used in the present tense include the future tense. The reverse is also true.

18.1.3

The words "shall," "will," "must," and "may not" are mandatory.

18.1.4

"May" and "Should" are permissive.

18.1.5

When used with numbers, "Up to x," "Not more than x" and "a maximum of x" all include x.

18.1.6

Unless the context otherwise clearly indicates, conjunctions have the following meanings:

A.

"And" indicates that all connected items or provisions apply;

B.

"Or" indicates that the connected items or provisions may apply singularly and in combination.

18.2.1

Accessory Structure or Building. A detached subordinate structure or building located on the same building site with the main building, the use of which is incidental to that of the main building.

18.2.2

Accessory Structures, Self Service. A detached structure or vending machine with a footprint of over 50 square feet. The vending machine or structure is located on the same building site with the main building. The general public is the primary user of the vending machine or structure.

18.2.2.1

Accessory Dwelling Unit. An accessory dwelling unit (ADU) is a smaller, independent residential dwelling located on the same lot as a stand-alone, detached single family home. An ADU may only be approved as a "Conditional Use" and shall comply with the requirements of Section 5.6.2 of this code.

18.2.3

Accessory Use. A use customarily incidental to the principal use of a building site or to a building and located upon the same building site with the accessory use.

18.2.4

Air Installation Compatible Use Zone (AICUZ). An area, delineated by U.S. Air Force studies of a community, that is potentially impacted by accident hazards and noise created by aircraft operations at an adjacent or nearby Air Force facility.

18.2.5

Alley. A minor public right-of-way between rear or side property lines, which provides vehicular access to properties otherwise abutting on a street.

18.2.6

Alteration. Any structural change in the supporting or load bearing members of a building, such as bearing walls, columns, beams, or girders.

18.2.7

Antenna. A device or system of wires, poles, rods, dishes, discs or similar devices used for the transmission and/or receipt of electromagnetic waves.

18.2.8

Automobile Salvage Yard. Any collection or aggregation of two (2) or more wrecked, junked, burned, salvaged or inoperative motor vehicles owned by one person, corporation, business firm or interest.

18.2.9

Bond. A type of security or collateral posted by a land developer approved by the City or Parish Attorney that guarantees that all required improvements are installed and maintained according to the approved plans, design criteria, approval conditions and other development standards of this Code.

18.2.10

Building. Any structure having a roof supported by columns or walls and intended for the shelter, housing, or enclosure of any individual, animal, process, equipment, goods, or materials of any kind. This term does not include manufactured homes, mobile homes or trailers.

18.2.11

Building Site. The land area occupied or to be occupied by a building and its accessory buildings and including such open spaces, yards, minimum area, off-street parking facilities and off-street truck loading facilities as are required by this Code.

18.2.12

Building Site Boundary. Any line separating a building site from a street, an alley, another building site, or any land not part of the building site.

18.2.13

Building Frontage. The length of a building face or side that faces upon a street or upon a parking and/or landscaped area between the building and a street.

18.2.14

Cellular Service. A wireless transmission technology that uses a grid of antennas or cell sites to send and receive signals from mobile telephones.

18.2.15

City. City of Bossier City, being in Bossier Parish, State of Louisiana.

18.2.16

Co-location. A telecommunications facility comprising a single telecommunications tower, monopole or building supporting antennas owned or used by more than one telecommunications carrier.

18.2.17

Code. The Bossier City-Parish Unified Development Code.

18.2.18

Conservation Subdivision. A subdivision characterized by common open space and clustered lots, intended to preserve open space and/or natural resources while allowing for the maximum number of dwelling units permitted within its zoning district.

18.2.19

Cul-de-sac. A short street having but one end open to traffic and being terminated at the other end by a vehicular turnaround.

18.2.20

Development. Development shall consist of any of the following:

A.

Any use or extension of the use of land.

B.

Construction, reconstruction, conversion, structural alteration, relocation or enlargement of any structure.

C.

Any mining, excavation, landfill or land disturbance.

D.

Division of a parcel of land into two or more parcels.

18.2.21

Director. See Executive Director.

18.2.22

Dwelling Unit. One or more rooms in the same structure, connected together and constituting a separate, independent housekeeping unit for permanent residential occupancy and with facilities for sleeping and cooking.

18.2.23

Dwelling, Single-Family. A detached building containing one dwelling unit and used exclusively by one family.

18.2.24

Dwelling, Two-Family. A detached building containing two dwelling units and used by two families living independently of each other.

18.2.25

Dwelling, Multiple-Family. A detached building containing three or more dwelling units and used by three or more families living independently of each other.

18.2.26

Dwelling, Accessory Unit. A detached single family dwelling constructed for use as a smaller, independent residential dwelling unit located on the same lot as, and is subordinate to, a single-family residence.

18.2.27

Easement. A grant by a property owner of the use of a strip of land by another for specific purposes.

18.2.28

Equipment Structure. The electronic equipment housed in cabinets that together with antennas comprises a PCS facility or "site". The cabinets include an air conditioning unit, heating unit, electrical supply, telephone hook-up and back-up power supply.

18.2.28.1

Event Center (Private). A private event center is a privately-owned multi-purpose venue facility hosting special events, such as but not limited to, weddings, parties, holiday gatherings or events, or general get-togethers. A private event center could typically have a catering kitchen, indoor or outdoor seating and may or may not sell or dispense alcoholic beverages.

18.2.29

Executive Director. The Executive Director of the Bossier City/Parish Metropolitan Planning Commission, or any City or Parish employee officially delegated to act in his or her capacity in the performance of a specific administrative function.

18.2.30

Facade Mounted Antenna. An antenna that is directly attached or affixed to any facade of a building. Also known as a building mounted antenna.

18.2.31

Fall Zone. A fall zone is an area around a telecommunications facility within which no other structure or property or use can be located.

18.2.32

Family.

A.

One or more persons, including not more than four lodgers or boarders, living together as a single housekeeping unit.

B.

A group of individuals consisting of up to 6 unrelated residents with up to 2 live-in counselors, as defined by Louisiana Law, living together as a household.

18.2.33

FCC. Federal Communications Commission—the federal government agency that licenses all radio, television, and other broadcasting services.

18.2.34

Fill. Sand, gravel, earth, or other materials of any composition placed or deposited by humans.

18.2.35

Gross floor area. The sum of the gross horizontal areas of the several floors of a building, including interior balconies, mezzanines, and roofed porches having more than one wall; all horizontal dimensions shall be measured between the exterior faces of walls. The gross floor area of a building shall include the floor area of accessory buildings on the same building site measured the same way.

18.2.36

Height, Building. The vertical distance from grade at the base of the structure to the highest point of the coping of a flat roof; the deck line of a mansard roof; or the mean height between eaves and ridge for gable, hip and gambrel roofs.

18.2.37

Home occupation. Any occupation for gain or support conducted only by members of a family residing in a dwelling and conducted entirely within the dwelling, provided that no article is sold or offered for sale except such as may be produced by members of the family residing in the dwelling and further provided that the occupation is incidental to the residential use of the premises and does not utilize more than 25 percent of the floor area of the dwelling. Home occupations shall include, in general, personal services such as are furnished by a physician, dentist, musician, artist, cosmetician, or seamstress when performed by the person occupying the building as his or her private dwelling, and including the employment of no more than one non-resident employee.

18.2.38

Hotel. A building containing guest rooms in which lodging is provided with or without meals for compensation, and which is open to transient or permanent guests, or both, and where no provision is made for cooking in any guest room; the term includes "motel."

18.2.39

Hospital. An institution providing health services, primarily for in-patients, and medical and surgical care of the sick or injured including as an integral part of the institution, such related facilities as laboratories, out-patient departments, training facilities, central service facilities, and staff offices.

18.2.40

Improvements. Hard street surfacing with or without curb and gutter, sidewalks, crosswalk ways, water mains, sanitary sewer lines, storm drainage lines, and utilities.

18.2.41

Interstates. Interstate Highways I-20 and I-220.

18.2.42

Inoperable Vehicle. Any motor vehicle with a non-functioning engine, and not possessing a current registration and/or not having a current inspection sticker.

18.2.43

Lattice, or Guy-Wired Antenna. An antenna with its support structure placed directly on the ground.

18.2.44

Lot Area. The total two-dimensional area within the lot lines of a lot, excluding any street rights-of-way.

18.2.45

Lot, Corner. A lot adjacent to two or more streets at their intersection.

18.2.46

Lot, Flag. A lot not meeting minimum frontage requirements and where access to a public or private road is by a narrow strip of land (flagpole or staff) which is used as private access to the bulk of the lot which is at the rear.

18.2.47

Lot Frontage. The front dimension of a lot measured along the street right-of-way.

18.2.48

Lot of Record. A lot which is part of a subdivision, the plat of which has been recorded in the office of the Clerk of Court and Recorder of Bossier Parish, or a lot described by metes and bounds, the description of which has been recorded in the office of the Clerk of Court and Recorder of Bossier Parish.

18.2.49

Lot Width. The distance between the side lot lines at the point of the required front setback line measured parallel to the street right-of-way line.

18.2.50

Major Arterial. Any public street designated as a "major arterial" on the most current, adopted Major Street Plan.

18.2.51

Manufactured Housing.

A.

A manufactured home is a factory built home under the Manufactured Home Construction and safety standards of HUD. Formerly known as a mobile home, the HUD inspected homes carry a red certification label on the exterior of each section. They are built on a permanent chassis and are transported in one or more sections.

B.

Manufactured homes are the successor to the mobile home. They are manufactured and sold in the traditional single-section styles, as well as homes assembled from two or more sections.

18.2.52

Modular Home.

A.

A dwelling unit composed of individual, pre-constructed sections that are built at an off-premises facility, transportable in one or more sections, not constructed on a permanent chassis, placed on a permanent foundation, and assembled for permanent residential use. The structure is attached to the foundation without the chassis, towing hitch, brakes, axles, wheels and other parts of the chassis that only operate during transportation.

B.

To qualify for this definition, a modular home must be fabricated in a factory whose products are certified to meet all requirements of the Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code.

18.2.53

Monopole. A stand-alone structure that is composed of a single spire used to support communications equipment.

18.2.54

Monument. A structure, which stands or remains, to keep in remembrance something about the past; a memorial that has been executed with the specific intention of being sited or staged in the public domain, usually outside and accessible to all. It shall be site specific and physically accessible. Monuments may be commissioned if installed for public improvement, community enhancement or streetscape renovation.

18.2.55

Motor Vehicle Service and Repair. Any establishment engaged in performing maintenance, service or repairs of motor vehicles such as, but not limited to, automobiles, trucks, boats or motorcycles. This includes, but is not limited to, repairing mechanical problems, reconditioning or restoration, analyzing, diagnosing or altering the operation or appearance of various types of motor vehicles.

18.2.56

MPC. Bossier City/Parish Metropolitan Planning Commission.

18.2.57

Nonconforming Use. A use which lawfully occupied a building or land on the effective date of this Code and which does not conform to all of the regulations of the district which it is located (to the use regulations of the district in which it is located).

18.2.58

Nonresidential Complex. One or more nonresidential uses in a single building or sharing a common parking area.

18.2.59

Nonresidential District. A commercial, industrial, or special purpose district pursuant to this Unified Development Code.

18.2.60

Nonresidential Use. A single public and institutional, commercial, industrial, or utilities and transportation use, as those categories are used in the Use Table at Section 5.3, on a single premises and under individual or common ownership.

18.2.61

Off-Premises Outdoor Advertising Device. Any outdoor sign, display, figure, painting, drawing, message, plaque, poster, billboard, flag, or any other thing which is not located within the public right-of-way, and part of which advertising or information content is visible from any place on the main travel way of the interstate system or public streets of the City or Parish. Signs with subject matter relating to the premises (business signs) or signs of a non-commercial nature placed on the premises by the owner or occupant thereof shall not be considered off-premises signs for any purpose of the ordinance.

18.2.62

Off-Premises Outdoor Adverting Device (New Location). Any location, allowed by Article 9, that has not previously had a legal Off-premises Outdoor Advertising Device located on a single parcel.

18.2.63

Official Map. The map established by the City Council pursuant to the provisions of Act 189 of the 1954 Louisiana Legislature, showing the streets existing and established as public streets and the lines of planned new streets or street extensions, widenings, narrowings, or vacations.

18.2.64

Operational Site Plan. An accurate, scaled drawing showing not only the location of buildings, landscaping, screening, trash storage and disposal, parking, and circulation to describe the existing and proposed development of a specified commercial site, but also the exterior location of activities proposed or approved to be conducted on the site, such as, without limitation, bulk sales of garden landscaping material, seasonal retail displays, and any planned temporary retail displays that encroach on any public or private sidewalks on the site.

18.2.65

Parish. Bossier Parish, Louisiana.

18.2.66

Parkway. Arthur Ray Teague Parkway.

18.2.67

Plaque. A sign made of bronze, etched into masonry, or otherwise made of similar material bearing historical data on a property or structure that is a historic landmark.

18.2.68

Premises. Any parcel of land, being the smallest of the following:

A.

If in a subdivision, a lot;

B.

All adjoining property under common ownership; or

C.

Any lot or lots designated by the Bossier Parish Assessor as a single parcel.

18.2.69

Public Street. Any street dedicated to the public and accepted by the City or Parish for maintenance.

18.2.70

Radio Frequency Transmission Facility. Radio Frequency Transmission Facilities includes all devices, equipment, machinery, structures or supporting elements necessary to produce non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation within the range of frequencies from 100 KHz to 300 GHz and operating as a discrete unit to produce a signal or message. Towers may be self-supporting, guyed, or mounted on poles or buildings.

18.2.71

Recreational Vehicle. A vehicular-type portable structure without permanent foundation that can be towed, hauled, or driven and primarily designed as a temporary living accommodation for recreational, camping, and travel use.

18.2.72

Religious Institution. A building, together with its accessory buildings and uses, where persons regularly assemble for religious worship, and which building together with its accessory buildings and uses, is maintained and controlled by the religious body organized to sustain such worship.

18.2.73

Roof Mounted Antenna. An antenna directly attached or affixed to the roof of an existing building, water tank, tower or structure other than a telecommunications tower.

18.2.74

Sign, Banner. A sign of lightweight fabric or similar material attached at one or more edges to a pole, building, or structure, except that a flag is not a banner.

18.2.75

Sign, Canopy. A sign that is 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 sign is not a canopy sign.

18.2.76

Sign, Changeable Copy Sign. A sign or portion thereof with characters, letters, or illustrations that can be changed or rearranged without altering the face or surface of the sign.

18.2.77

Sign, Electrically Animated. A sign that uses movement caused or powered by electricity to depict action or create a special effect or scene.

18.2.78

Sign, Flag. Any fabric or bunting containing distinctive colors, patterns, or symbols and used as a symbol of a government, political subdivision, or other entity. A photo, drawing or similar depiction of a flag on non-fabric material is not included in this definition.

18.2.79

Sign, Freestanding. A sign structure supported by a pole, post, mast or pylon that is permanently anchored in the ground and not attached to any building or other structure.

18.2.80

Sign, Home Business. A sign located in a residential district that contains no commercial message except advertising for goods and/or services offered on the premises, where such goods or services may legally be offered on the premises under this Unified Development Code and other applicable laws and regulations.

18.2.81

Sign, Identification. A sign permanently or securely attached to a wall within 3 feet of an entrance, identifying the address of the premises and/or the name of the occupant.

18.2.82

Sign, Incidental. A sign, generally informational, that has a purpose secondary to the use of the lot or parcel on which it is located, such as "no parking", "entrance", "exit", "telephones", or the like. No sign with a commercial message legible from a position off the lot or parcel on which the sign is located may be considered incidental.

18.2.83

Sign, Marquee. A permanent roof-like structure projecting beyond a building or extending along and projecting beyond the wall of the building, generally designed and constructed to provide protection from the weather.

18.2.84

Sign, Pole. A freestanding sign where the sign face is affixed to a cylindrical pole or non-cylindrical column, which is not integral to the sign face itself but provided for support and elevation.

18.2.85

Sign, Preexisting. A sign in existence on the effective date of this Unified Development Code that was lawful before this Unified Development Code took effect.

18.2.86

Sign, Projecting. A sign affixed to a building or wall in such a manner that its leading edge extends more than 6 inches beyond the surface of such building or wall.

18.2.87

Sign, Public. A sign owned by a governmental entity and installed by a governmental official or employee in the performance of his or her public duty. Such signs include, but are not limited to, safety, danger, trespassing, traffic control, memorial, and historic landmark signs.

18.2.88

Sign, Roof. A sign erected or constructed on the roof of a building and supported by the roof structure.

18.2.89

Sign. Any device, object, fixture, placard, or structure that uses any color, form, graphic, illumination, symbol, or writing to advertise, announce the purpose of, or identify the purpose of any person or entity, or to communicate information of any kind to the public.

18.2.90

Sign, Temporary. Any sign that is not permanently or securely attached to a building, sign pole, other structure, or the ground and that can be used only for a designated period of time. Types of temporary signs include vehicle-, trailer- and skid-mounted signs; banners, portable signs but does not include flags displayed on permanent mountings, freestanding signs, or window signs.

18.2.91

Sign, Wall. A sign attached parallel to, but within 6 inches of, a wall or building, painted on the wall or building surface, or erected and confined within the limits of an outside wall of any building or structure, which is supported by such wall or building and displays only one sign surface.

18.2.92

Sign, Window. Any sign placed inside a window or upon the panes or glass of a window and visible from the exterior of the window.

18.2.93

Stealth Communications Facility. Any communications facility which is designed to blend into the surrounding environment and is visually unobtrusive. Examples of stealth facilities may include architecturally screened roof-mounted antennas, building mounted antennas painted and treated as architectural elements to blend with the existing building, and location on a water tower, flag pole, light or existing utility structure. Also known as concealed telecommunications facilities.

18.2.94

Street. A public right-of-way which provides vehicular and pedestrian access to adjacent properties.

18.2.95

Street, Collector. Any public street designated as a "collector street" on the most current, adopted Major Street Plan.

18.2.96

Street Line. The line or boundary separating the public right-of-way from the land or property adjoining.

18.2.97

Structure. Anything constructed or erected which required location on the ground or attached to something having a location on the ground; provided, however, that utility poles and fences and walls (other than building walls) shall not be considered to be structures. This term does not include manufactured homes.

18.2.98

Subdivision. The division of a lot, tract, or parcel of land into two or more lots, tracts, parcels, or other divisions of land for sale, development, or lease.

Minor Subdivision The division of a parcel of land into two lots, tracts, parcels or other divisions of land for sale, donation, development or lease, sometimes referred to as a Spit-Out.

Major Subdivision The division of a lot, tract or parcel of land into no more than two platted lots for sale, donation, development or lease, which does not include the creation of any new street or other public improvement, does not reduce lot size below the minimum area or frontage requirements established by ordinance, and otherwise meets all the requirements of the subdivision regulations and zoning ordinances.

18.2.99

Telecommunications. Any transmission, emission or reception of signals, images and sound or information of any nature by wire, radio, visual or electro-magnetic system that work on a "line-of-sight" principle.

18.2.100

Telecommunication Facility. A land use facility supporting antennas that sends and/or receives radio frequency signals. Telecommunications facilities include antennas and all other types of equipment for the transmission or receipt of such signals; telecommunication towers or similar structures built to support such equipment; equipment cabinets, and other accessory development. This definition is to also include Small Cell technology such as, but not limited to, femtocells, microcells, or picocells or Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS).

18.2.101

Telecommunication Tower. A monopole, lattice tower, guy-wired tower, free standing tower or other structure designed to support antennas.

18.2.102

Used Tire Dealer. Any person or business who offers used tires for sale, trade or barter and who may or may not provide installation services as part of their business.

18.2.103

Yard, Front. An open, unoccupied space on the same building site with a main building, extending the full width of the building site and situated between the street line and the front line of the building projected to the sidelines of the building site. The depth of the front yard shall be measured between the front line of the building and the street line.

18.2.104

Yard, Rear. An open, unoccupied space on the same building site with a main building, extending the full width of the building site and situated between the rear line of the building site and the rear line of the building projected to the sidelines of the building site. The depth of the rear yard shall be measured between the rear line of the building site and the rear line of the building.

18.2.105

Yard, Side. An open, unoccupied space on the same building site with a main building, situated between the side line of the building and the adjacent side line of the Building site and extending from the rear line of the front yard to the front line of the rear yard; if no front yard is provided, the front boundary of the side yard shall be the front line of the building site, and if no rear yard is provided, the rear boundary of the side yard shall be the rear line of the building site.

(Ord. No. 51-2020, 5-5-2020)