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

Accessory building means any building, except the principal building and a private garage, on a lot.

Alley means a street or thoroughfare less than 21 feet wide and affording only secondary access to abutting properties.

Basement means a story partly underground which, if occupied for living purposes, shall be counted as a story for purposes of height measurement.

Boardinghouse means a building other than a hotel where meals or lodging and meals are furnished for compensation for three or more persons not members of a family.

Boathouse means a permanent structure used for the storage of watercrafts and associated materials and includes all structures which are totally enclosed, have roofs or walls or any combination of structural parts. For purposes of this chapter, the term boathouse does not include shore stations or boathouses which are removed from a waterway on an annual basis.

Building means any structure used, designed or intended for the protection, shelter, enclosure or support of persons, animals or property.

Building height means the vertical distance from the top of the building roof to the average elevation of the front property line.

Dwelling, multi-family, means a building or portion thereof designed for and occupied by three or more families.

Dwelling, single-family, means a detached building designed for or occupied exclusively by one family.

Dwelling, two-family, means a detached or semidetached building designed for or occupied exclusively by two families.

Family means a group of persons related by blood or marriage and living together as a single housekeeping entity.

Floor area means the area within the exterior walls of a building which is usable as living quarters.

Garage, private, means a building or space, for housing only, of motor-driven vehicles and other personal property.

Garage, public, means any building or premises, other than a private or storage garage, where motor-driven vehicles are equipped, repaired, serviced, hired, sold or stored.

Garage, storage, means any building or premises used for storage, including motor-driven vehicles, and where no vehicle equipment, parts, fuel or oil are sold and where no vehicles are serviced, repaired, hired or sold. No commercial motor vehicles exceeding two tons' capacity shall be stored in any storage garage.

Home occupation means a gainful occupation conducted by members of the family only within their place of residence, provided that no article is offered for sale on the premises except such as is produced by such occupation, that no stock in trade is sold, that no mechanical equipment is used other than such as is permissible for purely domestic purposes, no more than 20 percent of the first floor is used for the home occupation, and that no sign other than one unlighted name plate not more than four square feet is installed.

Hotel, motel means a building in which lodging, with or without meals, is offered to transient guests for compensation and in which there are more than five sleeping rooms.

Lodginghouse means a building other than a hotel where lodging only is provided for compensation for not more than 12 persons not members of the family.

Lot means a parcel of land described in a recorded plat or deed.

Lot, corner, means a lot abutting on two or more streets at their intersection, provided that the interior angle of such intersection is less than 135 degrees.

Lot, nonconforming, means a parcel of land having frontage on a public street, occupied or intended to be occupied by a principal building or structure, but having insufficient size to meet the lot width or lot area requirements of this chapter.

Main building means the principal building for that district; for example: R1, single-family dwelling, R2, multiple-family dwelling, etc.

Mobile home means a mobile home is that which is or was as originally constructed designed to be transported by any motor vehicle upon a public highway and designed, equipped and used primarily for sleeping, eating and living quarters or is intended to be so used, and includes any additions, attachments, annexes, foundations and appurtenances. The term "mobile home" does not include modular homes.

Nonconforming use means a building or premises lawfully used or occupied at the time of the passage of the ordinance from which this definition is derived or amendments thereto, which use or occupancy does not conform to the regulations of this subsection or any amendments thereto.

Pit privy means an enclosed non-portable toilet into which non-water-carried human wastes are deposited to a subsurface storage chamber that is not watertight.

Portable restroom means a self-contained portable unit that includes fixtures, incorporating holding tank facilities, designed to receive human excrement.

Professional home office means the office of a doctor, practitioner, dentist, minister, architect, landscape architect, professional engineer, lawyer, author, musician or other recognized profession. When established in an R1 district, a professional office shall be incidental to the residential occupation and not more than 25 percent of the floor area of only one story of a dwelling unit shall be occupied by such office. Only one person may be employed who is not a resident of the home.

Setback means the minimum horizontal distance between the street right-of-way line or rear lot line and the nearest point of a building or any projection thereof, excluding uncovered steps.

Sign means a structure or device, except those placed by public authorities for public purposes, on which advertising is displayed or attention is directed to advertising on the same or any other structure by any means visible to the eye.

Street means all property dedicated or intended for public or private street purposes or subject to public easements 21 feet or more in width.

Street right-of-way line means the dividing line between a lot, tract or parcel of land and an abutting street.

Story means that portion of a building included between the surface of any floor and the surface of the floor above it or the space between the floor and the ceiling next above it if there is no floor above it. A basement or cellar having half or more of its height above grade is a story for purposes of height regulation.

Story, half, means the space under any roof except a flat roof, the wall plates of which on at least two opposite exterior walls are not more than four feet above the floor of such story.

Structural alterations means any change in the supporting members of a building or any substantial change in the roof structure or in the exterior walls.

Structure means anything constructed or erected and located on the ground.

Structure, temporary, means a removable structure not designed for human occupancy or for the protection of goods or chattels and not forming an enclosure.

Tourist camp or court means a tract of land at least one acre upon which two or more camp cottages are located or where temporary accommodations are provided for two or more automobile trailers or house cars and open to the public, either free or for a fee.

Variance means a departure from the terms of this chapter allowable where it is shown that unique physical circumstances applying to a land parcel cause a hardship to the owner and that the variance still shall be in fundamental harmony with surrounding uses.

Vault privy means an enclosed non-portable toilet into which non-water-carried human wastes are deposited to a subsurface storage chamber that is watertight.

Yard, front, means a yard extending the full width of the lot between the front lot line and the nearest wall of the principal building.

Yard, rear, means a yard extending the full width of the lot between the rear lot line and the nearest wall of the principal building, excluding only such projections as are permitted herein.

Yard, side, means a yard extending from the front yard to the rear yard between the side lot lines.

(Code 1997, § 17.02)