Except as otherwise provided herein, the lawful use of land or buildings existing at the effective date of this chapter may be continued although such use does not conform to the provisions hereof. A nonconforming use may not be expanded, enlarged, or converted to another nonconforming use unless approved as a conditional use by the Town Commissioners in accordance with § 185-74, Procedures for approval of conditional uses. Whenever a nonconforming use of land or buildings has been changed to a more restricted use or to a conforming use, such use shall not thereafter be changed to a less restricted use. The nonconforming use of a building may be hereafter extended throughout those parts of a building which were lawfully and manifestly arranged or designed for such use at the time of the enactment of this chapter.

Mobile homes in lawful use as a single-family dwelling at the effective date of this chapter shall be subject to following:

In any district, any sign and any supporting structure, other than the building, in existence as of January 10, 2009, which does not comply with the provisions of this chapter shall be deemed a nonconforming sign. Such nonconforming sign may continue in operation and may be repaired, modified, and replaced so long as the overall size of the structure is not increased and the nonconformity not increased.

If a nonconforming sign is destroyed by any means to an extent of more than 50% of its size, it shall not be reconstructed except in compliance with the provisions of this chapter.

Signs advertising out-of-Town businesses, existing prior to the adoption of this chapter, may remain for a period not to exceed two years following the effective date of this chapter, but then must be removed, except that out-of-Town realtors may continue to advertise Dewey Beach property with portable signs specified above.

Except that in the process of repairing or reconstructing a residential-use structure located in a flood-prone area (e.g., a FEMA-designated VE, AE, or AO flood zone) that does not conform to one or more required setbacks and does not meet Town building-elevation standards and has suffered substantial damage, said structure shall be elevated to the relevant minimum building-elevation requirement as per § 101-27A for special flood hazard areas other than coastal high-hazard areas, or § 101-33B for coastal high-hazard areas.

This section describes conditions under which the expansion of a nonconforming use of a building is permitted. A nonconforming use of a building may be expanded either within the building or outside the building or into a new addition or building on the same lot if the nonconforming use was in existence at the time of original enactment of this chapter in 1983. A nonconforming use of a building may be expanded into a building on a contiguous lot if the nonconforming use and common ownership of such contiguous lots predate the time of original enactment of this chapter in 1983 and the contiguous lots have been continuously under common ownership since 1983. Any such expansion of a nonconforming use requires approval as a special exception by the Board of Adjustment as provided in Article X of this chapter, and is subject to the following special requirements:

A nonconforming building may be expanded, provided such expansion does not increase the number of nonconformities or the degree of any nonconformity, and any expansion conforms to all required setbacks.