Dover City Zoning Code
ARTICLE III
Supplementary Regulations
§ 160-13 Accessory uses and structures.
Attached structures. A permanent-roofed accessory structure, attached to the principal building, is considered a part of the principal building for all regulatory purposes.
Nonattached structures. Permanent-roofed accessory structures and swimming pools are permitted in rear yards but shall not be located closer than five feet to any side or rear property line. For all other requirements, a nonattached structure is considered a part of the principal building.
Fences and walls. No fence or wall (except a retaining wall or a wall of a building permitted under the terms of this chapter) shall be erected to a height of more than four feet in a front yard area and more than six feet in any other yard area.
§ 160-14 Outdoor signs.
Signs permitted; extent of use.
One sign is permitted on each street frontage of a lot for each occupancy or purpose and an additional sign for each occupancy or purpose is permitted for every 100 feet of street frontage or major fraction thereof all in accordance with Subsection A(4). However, for business signs, any number of signs are permitted as long as their total area does not exceed the maximum under Subsection A(4).
All uses. For all uses, an advertising and a business sign must be at least 60 feet apart and no sign exceeding 30 square feet in area may be located within 75 feet of a residential zone.
Determination of size. The size of the sign shall refer to the area of the sign facing, including any border framing or decorative attachments. In the case of open signs made up of letters, figures and designs, the space between such letters, figures and designs shall be included. Where a sign has two or more faces, the area of all faces shall be included in determining the area of the sign, except that where two such faces are placed back to back and are at no point more than three feet from another, the area of the sign shall be taken as the area of one face if the two faces are of equal area or as the area of the larger face if the two faces are of unequal area.
Type, location and size of sign:
Type of Sign | Where Permitted | Maximum Size (square feet) |
|---|---|---|
Traffic | Any zone | — |
Home occupation or home profession | V Zone R Zone | 6 2 |
Trespassing | Any zone | 2 |
Utility | Any zone | 2 |
For sale, for rent, sold and rented | Any zone | 6 |
Work sign of builders, painters and other artisans while performing work on the premises | Any zone | 6 |
Directional | Any zone | 6 |
Identification and information of churches, schools and other nonprofit institutions | Any zone | 12 |
Apartment development, subdivision | Where use is permitted | 50 |
Temporary sign for sale of agricultural and horticulture products and for construction projects | Any zone | 12 |
Business | Any zone | 30 |
Advertising | V Zone | 300 |
Shopping center | Where use is permitted | 150 |
Buntings and pennants. Buntings and pennants are permitted only to announce the opening of a new business or industry or in connection with a civic event and must be removed after seven days.
Projection of signs. No sign may project:
Over a public sidewalk area unless the location of the sign is situated at least 10 feet above the level of the sidewalk.
Over a public highway or street unless specifically authorized by other Borough or state regulations.
More than 25 feet above the ground except for an attached sign which may project 10 feet above the roof of a building, provided that the sign so placed does not project more than 35 feet from the ground to the highest part of the sign.
Illumination of signs.
Flashing and intermittent lights are not permitted within the Borough.
A sign may be illuminated only if the lighting is so screened that it is not directed or reflected toward any adjacent residence or so it does not obstruct the vision of motorists.
Signs which are illuminated in the colors red, green or amber, either by colored bulbs or tubing or in high reflection by the use of special preparation such a fluorescent paint or glass, may not be located within a radius of 100 feet of a highway traffic light or similar safety device of from the center of any street intersection.
Temporary signs.
A temporary sign for the sale of agricultural and horticultural products may be erected for a period not exceeding 60 days.
A temporary sign for a construction project may be erected and maintained for as long as the project is under construction.
A temporary sign such as those advertising activities of churches and nonprofit organizations may be erected of a period not exceeding 60 days.
Construction and maintenance. Signs must be constructed of durable materials, maintained in good condition and not allowed to become dilapidated.
Termination of enterprise. Upon termination or abandonment of a commercial or industrial use, all signs pertaining to the enterprise must be removed.
§ 160-15 Unenclosed storage.
Detached trailers, attached trailers and trucks. In all zones, detached trailers and trailers attached to licensed motorized vehicles and trucks with dual rear wheels (except pickup trucks) or trucks with more than two axles shall not be stored in the street or in the area between the street line and the line formed by the front wall of the principal building extended the full width of the lot (actual front yard).
Detached trailers and recreational vehicles. In all zones, trailers detached from licensed motorized vehicles and recreational vehicles shall not be stored on the street or in the area between the street line and the line formed by the front wall of the principal building extended the full width of the lot (actual front yard).
Outdoor stockpiling. In all zones, outdoor storage of trash or any material is permitted only in rear yards. Storage of such trash or material shall be done in a manner which will not create a health or safety hazard.
Outdoor stockpiling. In all zones, no outdoor stockpiling of any material or outdoor storage of trash is permitted in front yards.
Trash or junk. Except as provided in other Borough ordinances, the accumulation of trash or junk out-of-doors for a period in excess of 15 days is prohibited in all zones.
Electrical or mechanical equipment. Except for public utility equipment, in all zones electrical or mechanical equipment shall not be erected, constructed nor maintained, above ground, in the area between the street line and the line formed by the front wall of the principal building extended the full width of the lot.
§ 160-16 Parking.
Size of parking space. Each parking space must have an area of not less than 200 square feet (10 feet by 20 feet), exclusive of passageways and driveway appurtenant to the space and giving access to it.
Spaces required. Off-street parking spaces must be provided for each building erected, converted or enlarged in accordance with the following schedule:
Type of Use | Minimum of 1 Parking Space for Each |
|---|---|
Residential dwelling | 1/2 dwelling unit (i.e., 2 spaces per dwelling unit) |
Rooming house | Bedroom plus 1 additional space |
Hotel, motel, tourist home | Guest sleeping room, plus 2 additional spaces |
Office building | 200 square feet of gross floor area |
Retail store or shop | 200 square feet of floor area for public use, plus 1 per employee on the 2 largest shifts |
Eating establishments | 2 seats |
Bowling alley | 1/2 lane (i.e., 2 spaces per lane) |
Other recreational establishments | 100 square feet of gross floor area |
Automobile repair, gasoline station | 400 square feet of gross floor area and ground area devoted to repair and service facilities |
Other commercial buildings | 400 square feet of gross floor area |
Auditorium, church theater and other such places of public assembly | 4 seats |
Manufacturing or industrial | 2 employees on major shift, but at least 1 space for each 5,000 square feet of gross floor area |
Funeral homes | 100 square feet of gross floor area |
Clubs, lodges and other similar places | 100 square feet of gross floor area |
Hospital | 2 beds |
Convalescent or nursing home | 2 rooms |
Domiciliary care unit | 2 rooms |
Cottage industry | Owner/operator full time employee on the same shift 1 space for every 700 square feet of indoor display or office space open to the general public |
Sanitarium | 2 beds |
Greenhouse | 300 square feet of gross floor area of office sales, or display area |
Outdoor sales or service | 600 square feet of open sales per display area |
Medical clinic | 250 square feet of gross floor area plus 1 space per employee on the largest shift |
Research laboratory | 300 square feet of gross floor area plus 1 space per employee on the largest shift |
Junkyard | 1 employee |
Kennel/animal hospital | 400 square feet of gross floor area |
Horticultural nursery | 250 square feet of retail floor area |
Mixed-uses | Parking calculations shall be completed for each individual use proposed within one attached or detached building structure in accordance with § 160-11.B. |
Restaurant/tavern/bar | 4 seats provided for patron use plus 1 space per employee on the largest shift |
Heavy storage service | Sales person plus 1 space for every 2 employees |
Rooming house | 1 resident |
Public building or facility | Employee on the largest shift |
Day care, commercial child care center | Employee on the largest shift |
Family day care home | 1 employee on the largest shift plus 1 space for every 5 adults |
Laundry/laundromat/dry cleaning | 250 square feet |
Location. The parking area must be on the same or nearby premises. If on nearby premises:
The parking area must remain under control of the owner or operator of the use to which the parking area is appurtenant.
Parking area adjacent to street. For multi-family and nonresidential uses where a parking area or other area open to movement of vehicles abuts the right-of-way line of a public street, a pipe railing, post and chain barricade, raised curbs or equally effective devices satisfactory to the Borough must line the public right-of-way except at access points so that parked vehicles will not extend into the street right-of-way.
All required parking areas and all access drives shall be paved with concrete or bituminous paving material.
§ 160-17 Loading.
Loading spaces must be arranged so that there will be no need for motorists to back over public rights-of-way.
§ 160-18 Driveways.
Width. Within 10 feet of the street right-of-way, access driveways may not exceed 35 feet in width.
Number. The number of driveways may not exceed two per lot on any one street frontage. The Zoning Hearing Board may grant permission by special exception for additional driveways where required to meet exceptional circumstances and where frontage of unusual length exists.
Sight distances; slope, cuts. A driveway must be located in safe relationship to sight distances and barriers to vision. The driveway may not exceed a slope of 5% within 25 feet of the street right-of-way line. Where a driveway enters a bank through a cut, unless a retaining wall is used, the shoulders of the cut may not exceed 50% in slope within 25 feet of the point at which the driveway intersects the street right-of-way. The height of the bank must not exceed three feet within 10 feet of the street.
All driveways shall be paved with concrete or bituminous paving material to the building served by the driveway or a distance of 25 feet from the street or alley line, whichever is less.
§ 160-19 Illumination.
Where a use involves exterior lighting, the lighting must be so located and shielded that no objectionable illumination or glare is cast upon adjacent properties or so it does not obstruct the vision of motorists.
§ 160-20 Demolition of structures.
Demolition of any structure must be completed within three months of the issuance of a permit. Completion consists of tearing the structure down to grade, filling any resulting cavity to grade and removing all resulting materials from the lot. A structure may be partly demolished only if a building remains and the demolition of the part is complete as aforesaid. All evidences of the structure which was demolished must be removed from the exterior surfaces of the remaining building.
§ 160-21 Minimum habitable floor area.
§ 160-22 Outdoor swimming pool requirements.
Every outdoor swimming pool must conform to all applicable requirements of state law. All swimming pools shall be completely enclosed by a four-foot-high fence or wall with a self-closing gate. The fence shall be constructed so as not to have openings, holes or gaps larger than four inches in any dimension. This requirement does not apply to above ground pools having a wall measuring four feet in height and having a retractable ladder. The fence or wall required by this section shall be erected before any pool is filled with water.
§ 160-23 Drainage.
Adequate drainage required. No principal building may be erected, structurally altered or relocated on land which is not adequately drained at all times.
Drainage upon adjacent properties; slopes.
In order to protect adjacent property owners and to aid in preserving and protecting the natural beauty and character of the landscape, no change in the existing topography of any land may be made which would:
In no case may any slope exceed the normal angle of slippage of the material involved. All slopes must be protected against erosion.
Obstruction to drainage prohibited. The damming, filling or otherwise interfering with the natural flow of a surface watercourse is not permitted without approval of the Borough.
§ 160-24 Building restriction on land subject to flooding.
No building which is permanently attached to the ground and no dwelling (whether permanently attached to the ground or not) may be located, erected, structurally altered or relocated on land which is subject to periodic flooding. The only exception to this shall be open structures such as picnic pavilions consisting of a slab, open structural supports such as post and pillars and a roof.
Land subject to this restriction shall include those areas designated as:
"Rowland silt loam" by the Soil Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture, in the Soil Survey of York County, Pennsylvania, May 1963.
"Special Flood Hazard Area" by the Federal Insurance Administration, Department of Housing and Urban Development on FIA Flood Hazard Boundary Map, Borough of Dover, York County, Pennsylvania, January 31, 1975.
This restriction shall not apply to such land if a written statement is obtained for the United States Soil Conservation Service or a registered professional engineer who can certify to the Borough Zoning Officer's satisfaction that the property in question is not located in a flood-prone area according to the two criteria listed above.
§ 160-25 Mobile homes.
For all mobile homes erected and maintained as a single-family dwelling, the following requirements shall be met:
Each mobile home shall be placed upon and securely fastened by means of a tie-down system, approved by the manufacturer, to a concrete or bituminous pad which shall be built upon a frost-free foundation or footer. In no instance shall a mobile home be placed upon jacks, loose block or similar arrangements.
An enclosure of compatible design and material shall be erected around the entire base of the mobile home. Such enclosure shall provide sufficient ventilation to inhibit decay and deterioration of the structure and shall prevent the accumulation of debris.
§ 160-26 Personal communication transmitting and receiving facility.
No person shall erect, construct or place upon any property situate in Dover Borough, York County, Pennsylvania, a television receiving device, commonly known as and hereinafter referred to as a "satellite dish," without first obtaining a building permit from Dover Borough.
Any satellite dish erected, constructed or placed upon any property within Dover Borough shall comply with the following regulations and meet the following restrictions:
No satellite dish in excess of six feet in diameter shall be erected, constructed or placed upon any property so that the same or any part thereof shall extend to a height greater than 12 feet from the ground level.
No satellite dish shall be placed closer than 10 feet to any side property line, nor closer than 15 feet to any rear property line, nor closer than 40 feet to any front property line, nor closer than 30 feet to any paved portion of any intersection of any street, road or alley within Dover Borough.
No satellite dish shall be placed between the front property line and the line formed by the front wall of the principal building extended the full width of the lot, excluding any porch whether enclosed or unenclosed.
Any satellite dish shall be screened by a fence, if permitted by other Borough ordinances, hedge, shrubs, trees or other vegetation to a height at least equal to 75% of the height of the satellite dish and in such a manner that the satellite dish will not be more than 25% visible from beyond the property line of the property on which it is erected, constructed or placed.
No satellite dish shall be illuminated in any manner.
No more than one satellite dish shall be erected, constructed or placed upon any property within the Borough of Dover.