For the purpose of interpreting and administering the provisions of this Zoning Ordinance, the words defined in this Chapter shall be given the meanings set forth below. All other words shall be given their common, ordinary meanings, as the context may reasonably suggest. In case of dispute over the meaning of a term not defined here or over the application of a definition set forth here, the Building Inspector shall issue a written interpretation in accordance with Sec.
206 [205].
ACCESSORY APARTMENT:An apartment containing full facilities (sleeping quarters, kitchen and bath) and on the same lot as an existing single-family residential dwelling unit that shares utilities and is clearly subordinate to the primary dwelling unit.
ACCESSORY STRUCTURE:A structure subordinate to the principal building on a lot, the use of which is customarily incidental to that of the principal building or to the principal use of the land.
ACCESSORY USE:A subordinate use or building customarily incidental to and located on the same lot with the main use or building.
ADJACENT (ADJOINING):Unless otherwise defined elsewhere in the text of this Zoning Ordinance, the terms adjacent and adjoining shall mean lying immediately next to one another, or having a common boundary.
ADULT ENTERTAINMENT ENTERPRISE/SEXUALLY ORIENTED BUSINESS:Any business activity whether in public, semi-public or private premises, which offers the opportunity to feel, handle, touch, paint, be in the presence of, or be entertained by the unclothed body or the unclothed specified anatomical areas of another person, or to observe, view, or photograph any such activity. Except as specifically provided otherwise herein, this definitions is not intended to include the following.
1. Any business operated by or employing psychologists, physical therapists, athletic trainers, registered massage therapists, cosmetologists, or barbers, licensed by the State of Texas, performing functions authorized under the licenses held.
2. Any business operated by or employing physicians, osteopaths, chiropractors or nurses, licensed by the State of Texas, engaged in practicing the healing arts.
3. Any retail establishment whose major business is the offering of wearing apparel for sale to customer.
4. A person appearing in a state of nudity, at a scheduled class for instruction in drawing, painting, sculpture, or photography operated as follows.
a. By a proprietary school, licensed by the State of Texas; a college, junior college, or university supported entirely or partly by taxation.
b. By a private college or university which maintains and operates educational programs in which credits are transferable to a college, junior college, or university supported entirely or partly by taxation.
c. In a structure with all of the following characteristics.
(1) No sign visible from the exterior of the structure and no other advertising that indicates a nude person is available for viewing.
(2) Where, in order to participate in a class, a student must enroll at least three days in advance of the class.
(3) Where no more than one nude model is on the premises at any one time.
Adult Entertainment Enterprises furthermore include, but are not limited to, the following: |
1. | Adult Bookstore/Film Store. Any commercial establishment that, 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. | Books, magazines, periodicals or other printed matter, or photographs, films, motion picture, video cassettes or video reproductions, slides, or other visual representations which depict or describe “specified sexual activities” or “specified anatomical areas.” |
| b. | Instruments, devices, or paraphernalia that are designed for use in connection with “specified sexual activities.” |
| | A commercial establishment may have other principal business purposes that do not involve the offering for sale or rental of material depicting or describing “specified sexual activities” or “specified anatomical areas” and still be categorized as an adult bookstore or adult film store. Such other business purposes will not serve to exempt such commercial establishments from being categorized as an adult bookstore or adult film store, so long as one of its principal business purposes is the offering for sale or rental for consideration the specified materials which depict or describe “specified sexual activities” or “specified anatomical areas.” A principal business purpose need not be a primary use of an establishment, so long as it is a significant use, based upon the visible inventory or commercial activity of the establishment. |
2. | Movie Arcade. Any business wherein is operated a film or videotape viewing device. A film or videotape viewing device or booth subject to these provisions is defined as: |
| a. | Viewing Booths/Arcades. An establishment or commercial enterprise which has within its structure an electrical or mechanical device which projects or displays any film, videotape or reproduction into a viewing area obscured by a curtain, door, or wall, or other enclosure which is designed for occupancy by no more than 5 persons, and is used for presenting material distinguished or characterized by a predominant emphasis on matters depicting, describing, or relating to “specified sexual activities” or “specified anatomical areas” for observation by 5 or fewer persons. |
| b. | Adult Motion Picture Theater. An establishment or commercial enterprise which has an enclosed building with a capacity of more than 5 persons and is used for presenting material distinguished or characterized by a predominant emphasis on matter depicting, describing or relating to “specified sexual activities” or “specified anatomical areas” for observation by patrons. |
3. | Adult Cabaret. An establishment that regularly features the offering to customers of live entertainment which is intended to provide sexual stimulation or sexual gratification to such customers, including but not limited to dancing, posing, modeling, acting, and which is distinguished by or characterized by a predominant emphasis on matter depicting, describing, or relating to “specified sexual activities” or “specified anatomical areas.” |
4. | Adult Encounter Parlor. An establishment whose business consists of premises where customers either congregate, associate, or consort with employees who engage in “specified sexual activities” with or in the presence of such customers, or who display “specified anatomical areas” in the presence of such customers, with the intent of providing sexual stimulation or sexual gratification to such customers. |
5. | Adult Lounge. An “adult cabaret” as defined above which is allowed or licensed pursuant to the Alcoholic Beverage Code, where alcoholic beverages may be served or sold. |
6. | Adult Drive-In Theater. A drive-in theater used for presenting motion picture films, video cassettes, cable television, or any other such visual media, distinguished or characterized by a predominant emphasis on matter depicting, describing or relating to “specified sexual activities” or “specified anatomical areas.” |
7. | Adult Retail Store. This is a retail establishment in which: |
| a. | one of its principal business purposes is the sale or rental of items, products or equipment distinguished or characterized by an emphasis on “specified sexual activities” or “specified anatomical areas”; or |
| b. | any person is excluded by virtue of age from all or part of the premises generally held open to the public, where products or equipment are distinguished or characterized by an emphasis on “specified sexual activities” or “specified anatomical areas.” |
ALLEY:A public space or thoroughfare which affords only secondary means of access to property abutting thereon.
ALTERATION:For the purpose of regulating historic landmarks or any property within a historic district, shall mean any physical change to the exterior appearance of a building or structure, including but not limited to certain miscellaneous modifications not requiring a permit from the Building Official, such as:
1. change of exterior color, by painting or other similar finish work;
2. installation of siding; and
3. window treatment, including but not limited to window replacements and awnings supported by an exterior wall.
ANIMAL FEED LOT:A relatively small, confined land area for fattening hoofed animals or holding them temporarily for shipment.
ANIMAL KENNEL:Any structure or premises where animals ordinarily considered household pets are kept, boarded, bred or trained, for commercial gain.
APARTMENT:A room or suite of rooms in an apartment building used as a separate residence.
BAR OR TAVERN:A place where the sale of alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises exceeds 75% of the gross revenue of the establishment.
BASEMENT:That portion of a building below the ground floor which is located at least partly below grade, but located such that the vertical distance from grade to floor below is greater than the vertical distance from grade to ceiling.
BED AND BREAKFAST:Overnight lodging and a morning meal provided in a dwelling unit, to transients and for compensation.
BLOCK:An area within the City enclosed by streets and occupied by or intended for buildings.
BLOCK FACE:The distance along one side of a street between the nearest two streets that intersect said street on the same side.
BOARDING HOUSE or ROOMING HOUSE:A dwelling unit or group home where lodging is provided:
3. In rooms without kitchen facilities;
4. For 5 or more roomers or boarders;
5. For periods of one week or longer; and
BREEZEWAY:A passage that is one story in height, covered by a roof, and for which the sole purpose is to provide a covered or walkway connection between a main building and an accessory building. In determining the minimum setback required for buildings, connection by a breezeway shall not make any accessory building an integral part of the principal building on the lot.
BUILDING:Any structure built for the support, shelter and enclosure of persons, animals, goods or movable property of any kind. Any roof-covered structure shall be considered a building.
CAMPGROUND:A lot or tract of land upon which two or more campsites are located, established or maintained for occupancy by camping units or recreational vehicles (of the general public) as temporary living quarters for recreational, education or vacation purposes.
CAMPING UNIT:Any tent, trailer, cabin, lean-to or similar structure established or maintained and operated in a campground as temporary living quarters for recreational, education or vacation purposes.
CARPORT:A roof-covered structure intended for the purpose of storing vehicles and remaining substantially open on at least two of its sides.
CONDITIONAL USE:A use allowed in a specific district, provided that approval is obtained from the Planning Commission and any special conditions are observed.
DISTRICT:A section of the City delineated for administrative purposes, within which regulations apply uniformly, for example, area, height, or use of buildings.
DISABILITY OR DISABLED PERSON:For the purpose of determining who is eligible for residency in a “community home” allowed as household living, a person with a disability means a person whose ability to care for himself, perform manual tasks, learn, work, walk, see, hear, speak, or breathe is substantially limited because the person has:
1. an orthopedic, visual, speech or hearing impairment;
DWELLING, SINGLE-FAMILY:A detached building having accommodations for and occupied by not more than one family or housekeeping unit, and which occupies a lot or tract of land on which no other dwelling unit (except an accessory apartment where explicitly allowed by this Zoning Ordinance) is situated. Separate guest quarters which do not include facilities for both cooking and sanitation are allowed to occupy a detached accessory structure on the same lot as a single-family dwelling.
DWELLING, TWO-FAMILY:A detached building having separate accommodations for and occupied by not more than two families or housekeeping units, and which occupies a lot or tract of land on which no other dwelling unit (except an accessory apartment where explicitly allowed by this Zoning Ordinance) is situated.
DWELLING, ZERO LOT LINE:A single-family dwelling unit built on or near one side lot line, with open yards required on all remaining sides, and constructed as a detached unit on an individual lot.
DWELLING UNIT:A building or portion thereof designed and used for residential occupancy by a single household and including exclusive sleeping, cooking, and sanitation facilities.
FAMILY:A family is any number of individuals living together as a single housekeeping unit in which not more than four individuals are unrelated by blood, marriage or adoption.
FENCE:An artificial barrier of any material or combination of materials erected to enclose or screen areas of land.
FENCE, PRIVACY:A fence of wood, masonry or metal, permanently constructed of products commercially sold as fence materials and which provides a solid, opaque barrier.
GLARE:Any intense, harsh or uncomfortably bright light.
GROUP HOME:A facility or dwelling unit housing more than four persons unrelated by blood, marriage or adoption, and that operates under a housekeeping management plan based on an intentionally structured relationship providing organization and stability. See also “Boarding House and Rooming House.”
HISTORIC DISTRICT:An area encompassed within an H-O (Historic) Overlay Zone and which contains multiple properties that together constitute a distinct section of the city, that is united historically or aesthetically by plan or physical development.
HORSE RIDING ACADEMY:Any premises where equine animals are boarded and/or where instruction in riding, jumping, or showing is offered, and/or where the general public may, for a fee, hire equine animals for riding.
HOTEL:A building containing rooms intended or designed to be used or which are used, rented or hired out to be occupied or which are occupied for sleeping purposes by guests and where only a general kitchen and dining room are provided within the building or in an accessory building.
HOUSEHOLD or HOUSEKEEPING UNIT:Any one of the following.
1. One or more persons related by blood, marriage or adoption, living together in a dwelling unit.
2. A group of not more than four persons not related by blood, marriage, adoption, or legal guardianship living together in a dwelling unit.
3. Two unrelated persons and their children living together in a dwelling unit.
LANDMARK:Any individual building, structure, object or site that is significant for historic, architectural or archaeological reasons.
LOT:A developed or undeveloped tract or parcel of land suitable for building purposes and legally transferable as a single unit of land. For the purpose of this Zoning Ordinance, a lot may or may not coincide with a lot shown on any recorded plat.
LOT TYPES:(See also, Sec. 803, Measurements.)
1. Corner Lot.A lot that adjoins the point of intersection of two or more street lines. Any lot adjoining a curved street at a point where the street line describes an arc subtended by an angle of 135 degrees or less shall also be considered a corner lot.
2. Through Lot.A through lot is a lot that has two street lines that are opposite each other, and that are parallel to (or within 45 degrees of being parallel to) each other, and that is not a corner lot.
LOT OF RECORD:A lot which is part of a subdivision, the plat of which has been recorded in the office of the County Clerk of Terry County, or a parcel of land, the deed for which has been recorded in the office of the County Clerk of Terry County.
MAJOR REPAIR or SUBSTANTIAL ALTERATION:For off-street parking and loading purposes, these terms shall refer to either one or both of the following construction activities.
1. Construction of additional floor area to an existing building equal to or in excess of 25 percent of the present floor area of the building in question.
2. Repairs or alterations to an existing building, that are expected to increase the monetary value of that building by a factor of 50 percent or more, as determined by the Building Official.
NONCONFORMING USE or STRUCTURE:A building, structure or use of land lawfully occupied at the time of the effective date of this Zoning Ordinance, and which does not conform to the regulations of the district in which it is situated.
OFF-STREET PARKING SPACE:An area of appropriate dimensions for the parking of an automobile not located on a public street or alley. An off-street parking space may be enclosed or unenclosed, and includes a driveway connecting the parking space with a street or alley permitting free ingress and egress.
OFF-STREET LOADING SPACE:A space located on the subject property for the standing, loading and unloading of vehicles to avoid undue interference with the public use of streets and alleys.
OPEN SPACE:Area included in any side, rear or front yard or any unoccupied space on the lot that is open and unobstructed to the sky except for the ordinary projection of cornices, eaves or porches.
OVERLAY ZONE:A set of zoning requirements that is described in the Zoning Ordinance text, is outlined on the Official Zoning Map for the City of Brownfield, and is imposed in addition to those requirements of the zoning district which underlies it. Development in the overlay zone must conform to requirements of the underlying district, except as otherwise amended or modified by requirements of the overlay zone.
PARKING, ALL-WEATHER SURFACE:A surface consisting of compacted caliche, gravel, or a surface consisting of any similar material approved by the Building Official.
PAVED SURFACE or PAVING:Any of the following methods of covering a surface upon which motor vehicles may be driven:
1. Hot Mix Asphaltic Concrete - Texas Highway Dept., Type F, minimum thickness of 1-1/4 inches.
2. Two Course Penetration - surface composed of two layers of crushed stone and asphalt. First Course - Texas Highway Department, Grade 2, Type D; Second Course - Texas Highway Department, Grade 4, Type D.
3. Concrete - Reinforced concrete, minimum 28-day compressive strength of 3,000 psi, and minimum thickness of 5 inches.
4. Brick Pavers or Other Special Finish Surfaces - any proposed paved surface finish other than those specified above shall be subject to review and approval by the Building Official. The applicant shall provide technical and design information as required by the Building Official.
RECREATIONAL VEHICLE:A vehicular type of portable structure without permanent foundation, which can be towed, hauled or driven and is primarily designed as temporary living accommodations for recreational, camping and travel use and including but not limited to travel trailers, truck campers, camping trailers and self-propelled motor homes.
RECYCLING CENTER:A parcel of land, with or without buildings, upon which small items such as cans, glass, plastic and paper (collected from household and business consumers) are separated and processed for shipment for eventual reuse in new products.
RECYCLABLE MATERIALS COLLECTION CENTER:A use characterized by the collection (from household and business consumers) of small items such as cans, glass, plastic and paper, for temporary storage and subsequent transport to another facility for processing. No mechanical means of processing or collecting shall be allowed, including, but not limited to the crushing of cans.
REHABILITATION:The upgrading of a building previously in a dilapidated or substandard condition, for human habitation or use.
RENDERING, MEAT AND POULTRY BYPRODUCTS:Converting waste from animal slaughterhouses, kitchen grease and/or livestock carcasses into industrial fats and oils (such as tallow for soap) and various other products (such as fertilizer).
RESTAURANT:A place where the primary business is the preparation and sale, on the premises, of food to members of the general public, and providing kitchen facilities separate and apart from the area of the premises devoted to public dining and which may or may not provide live entertainment to patrons of the premises.
RESTAURANT KITCHEN FACILITIES:A separate area located in or on the premises of a restaurant, which area meets the following conditions or standards:
1. Meets all requirements of other applicable city codes.
2. Contains a stove and oven in working order.
3. Provides refrigerated storage for food to be prepared and sold on the premises.
4. Is staffed by a full-time cook or chef who must be on duty for the preparation of food during the hours that the restaurant is open to members of the general public until the hour of 11:00 p.m. each day said restaurant is open for business.
5. Provides a full service menu with a variety of entrees to be available until 11:00 p.m. each day to members of the general public seeking food on the premises which lists all food items for sale together with the price of such items.
6. Maintains a food inventory and condiments for use by the cook or chef in they preparation of food for sale to members of the general public.
7. Provides pots, pans and utensils necessary for use by the cook or chef in the preparation of menu items for sale to members of the general public.
RESTAURANT WITH MIXED ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE SALES AS INCIDENTAL USE:A place meeting the definition of “restaurant” as set forth in this Code and containing “Restaurant Kitchen Facilities” as defined in this Code that serves mixed alcoholic beverages to members of the general public as an incidental use to their primary business operation and which meets the following conditions:
1. No outside or exterior entrance shall be provided for any area of the premises exclusively devoted to the preparation, sale and primary consumption of mixed alcoholic beverages.
2. No outside sign, separate identification, or advertising of any type shall be allowed for the area within the restaurant devoted to the preparation, sale and primary consumption of mixed alcoholic beverages.
3. No independent advertising of mixed alcoholic beverages for sale shall be allowed, however, it shall be permissible to advertise the sale of mixed alcoholic beverages with food offered for sale to the general public in any public advertisement.
RESTORATION:The replication or reconstruction of a building’s original architectural features, usually, with regard to historic landmarks.
SEATS:See Sec. 803, Measurements.
SIGN:Any object, device, display or structure, or part thereof, 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, designs, symbols, fixtures, colors, illumination or projected images, excluding religious symbols.
SPECIFIED ANATOMICAL AREAS:The following shall be considered specified anatomical areas:
1. Less than completely and opaquely covered:
a. human genitals, pubic region
c. female breast below a point immediately above the top of the areola; and
2. Human genitals in a discernibly erect state, even if completely and opaquely covered.
SPECIFIED SEXUAL ACTIVITIES:The following shall be considered specified sexual activities:
1. Human genitals in a state of sexual stimulation or arousal; or
2. Acts of human masturbation, sexual intercourse, sodomy, acts of bestiality;
3. Fondling or other erotic touching of human genitals, pubic region, buttock or female breast.
STORY:See Sec. 803, Measurements.
STREET:Any vehicular thoroughfare or public driveway, other than an alley, that is more than 20 feet in width and that has been formally dedicated or is actually used by the public as a thoroughfare, usually, including sidewalks and drainage ways that line one or more of its sides.
STRUCTURAL ALTERATION:Any change in a supporting member of a building, such as a bearing wall, column, beams or girders.
STRUCTURE:A combination of materials held or put together is a specific way to form a construction for use, occupancy or ornamentation, whether installed on, above, or below the surface of land or water. Note that all buildings are considered structures; however, not all structures are buildings. See also “Building.”
USE:The purpose or activity for which land or buildings are designed, arranged or intended, or for which land or buildings are occupied or maintained.
YARD:An open, unoccupied space on a lot on which a building is situated that is unobstructed from the ground to the sky (see also “Open Space”).
YARD, REQUIRED:A required yard is that portion of the open area on a lot extending open and unobstructed from the ground to the sky along a lot line and from that lot line for a depth (or width) specified by the regulations of the district in which the lot is located.
ZONING MAP:The Official Zoning Map, incorporated into this Zoning Ordinance and made a part hereof.
(Ordinance 1858 adopted 8/16/01; Ordinance 1984 adopted 11/6/08)