No building or other structure shall be located, erected, moved, added to, or structurally altered without a building permit issued by the City Building Official. No building permit shall be issued except in conformity with the provisions of this Article.

It shall be unlawful to commence the excavation or filling of any lot for construction of any building until a building permit has been issued for such work.

All building permits shall be issued by the City Building Official.

No permit shall be required for any repairs or modernization of any building which does not increase the floor area of such building, providing that no encroachment into any required yard area is built.

Before a building permit may be issued, the plans and intended use shall indicate conformity in all aspects to the provisions of this Article as confirmed by the Land Development Officer. Each application for a building permit shall be submitted with a site plan, drawn to scale, showing:

1.

The lot;

2.

Accurate dimensions of the lot;

3.

Front, side, rear yards;

4.

Building footprint;

5.

Off-street parking area;

6.

Any required landscaping;

7.

Locations of setback lines;

8.

Uses of all buildings within 50 feet of the lot;

9.

Lighting plan;

10.

Number of dwelling units, if any, unit is intended to accommodate;

11.

Signature of County Health Department approving septic tank and any field lines; and,

12.

Any other information deemed necessary.

If no substantial progress on construction has been made within six (6) months from the date of the permits issuance, the permit becomes void. The Building Official may renew the permit. A renewal fee will be required to be paid before said permit is issued.

A building permit for a special exception may not be issued until the special exception has been approved by the Land Development Officer in accordance with the provisions of this Article.

A Certificate of Occupancy issued by the Building Inspector shall be required in advance of any occupancy or use of the following:

1.

Any building hereafter erected or enlarged;

2.

Any change in use of an existing building to a different use;

3.

Any vacant land except for the raising of crops;

4.

Any change in non-conforming use; and,

5.

No Certificate of Occupancy shall be issued unless the lot, building, or structure complies with all the provisions of this Article. A record of all Certificates of Occupancy shall be kept on file in the office of the City Clerk.

Within the zoning districts established by this Article, there exist buildings, structures and uses that could not be built or established under the provisions herein but were lawful when previously built or established. This Article recognizes the legitimate interests of those who have lawfully established buildings, structures or uses which are nonconforming by permitting such nonconformities to be continued. This Article also recognizes how nonconforming buildings, structures and uses can inhibit Crawfordville's ability to promote orderly growth and development, and includes measures intended to facilitate the conversion of such situations to a state of conformity with current land development practices.

A lot of record, as defined by Article I of this Article [Appendix], that does not conform to the minimum lot size or minimum lot width for the zoning district in which it is located or a specific lot size requirement of this Article may be used as a building site, provided that the access, setback, and any other dimensional requirements of the district in which the lot of record is located are complied with and, provided further, that the lot meets all the current standards and requirements of the Taliaferro County Health Department.

A nonconforming building or structure, as defined in Article I of this Article [Appendix] may be expanded, enlarged, or extended if such expansion, enlargement, or extension is for a use that conforms to the requirements for the zoning district in which the building or structure is located. Any such expansion, enlargement, or extension of a nonconforming building or structure shall meet the minimum yard, setback, buffer, and any other dimensional requirements for the district in which said nonconforming building or structure is located.

A use of land, building, or structure which, at the time of the enactment or amendment of this Article, does not comply with the use provisions for the zoning district in which it is located as established in Article VI [of this appendix], may be continued subject to the following conditions:

1.

The nonconforming use shall not be changed to another nonconforming use. A change in tenancy or ownership shall not be considered a change to another nonconforming use, provided that the use itself remains unchanged;

2.

A nonconforming use shall not be re-established after discontinuance for one year. Vacancy and/or non-use of the building, regardless of the intent of the owner or tenant, shall constitute discontinuance under this provision. If a business registration is required for said nonconforming use and the business registration pertaining to said use has lapsed in excess of six months, said lapse of business registration shall constitute discontinuance;

3.

The nonconforming use shall not be expanded, enlarged or extended, in land area or in floor space or volume of space in a building or structure, except for a use which complies with the use district in which said use is located; or,

4.

The nonconforming use shall not be rebuilt, altered or repaired after damage exceeding 50 percent of its replacement cost at the time of damage as determined by the building official, except for a use that conforms with the use district in which said use is located, and provided such rebuilding, alteration or repair is completed within one year of such damage.

5.

The right to continue a nonconforming use is conditional and may be continued for only so long as the nonconforming activity is conducted lawfully and does not produce a condition that violates city codes. The use of a property in any manner that creates a violation of city code shall construe abandonment of the use and shall terminate the right to continue the nonconforming use. Such abandonment must not have to continue for one year as stated in Sec. 8.2.3.2.

It shall be the responsibility of the owner of a nonconforming use to prove to the Land Development Officer that such use was lawfully established and existed on the effective date of adoption or amendment of this Article.

A group development (housing, commercial, industrial, educational, medical, religions, civic) containing two or more principal buildings on a single parcel which will not be subdivided into customary lots and streets may be constructed, provided that:

1.

The parcel is at least two acres in size.

2.

Uses shall be limited to those permitted within the zoning district in which it is located.

3.

Density and building coverage requirements of the zoning district are met.

4.

The distance of every building from the nearest property line shall be adequate to meet all setback and yard requirements of the district in which it is located.

5.

There shall be a ten-foot planted buffer strip where such group developments abut a residential district.

All applications for group developments shall be approved administratively by the Land Development Officer.

No structures containing adult entertainment use shall be located closer than 1,000 feet to the property line of any existing adult entertainment use or the property line of any existing or proposed school, park, library, church, or other public use or structure.