El Campo City Zoning Code
ARTICLE 10
16 JUNKYARDS AND SALVAGE YARDS
§ 10.16.002 General operating requirements.
The following general operating requirements shall apply to all junk dealers in accordance with the provisions of this article:
(1)
The junkyard, together with things kept therein, shall at all times be maintained in a sanitary condition.
(2)
No water shall be allowed to stand in any place on the premises in such a manner as to afford a breeding place for mosquitoes.
(3)
Weeds and vegetation on the premises, other than trees, shall be kept at a height of no more than four inches.
(4)
No garbage or other waste liable to give off a foul odor or attract vermin shall be kept on the premises, unless such refuse is junk as defined herein and is in use in the junkyard business.
(5)
No junk shall be allowed to rest upon or protrude over any public street, walkway, or curb or become scattered or blown off the business premises. The junk yards shall not encroach on the required yards.
(6)
Junk shall be stored in piles not exceeding eight feet in height and shall be arranged so as to permit easy access to all such junk for firefighting purposes.
(7)
No combustible material of any kind not necessary or beneficial to the business shall be kept on the premises, nor shall the premises be allowed to become a fire hazard.
(8)
Gasoline and oil shall be removed from any scrapped engines or vehicles on the premises.
(9)
The area on the premises where junk is kept (other than indoors) shall be enclosed and screened, except for entrances and exits, with a solid, vertical wall of a minimum height of eight feet and not to exceed ten feet measured from ground level. Entrances and exits shall not be wider than 30' and limited to one entrance per street frontage. In lieu of a masonry fence, other permitted screening techniques include chain link with slats, wood fences, evergreen opaque vegetative screens, landscape berms, existing vegetation or any combination thereof. In any case in which a chain link without slats or wood fence is constructed to provide screening, vegetation shall be incorporated along the fence so as to provide a continuous hedge and shall include shrubs that are a minimum height of four feet tall, planted at a distance of three feet on center at the time of planting. All vegetation shall be planted on a minimum 6' wide strip and located on the side of the fence that is visible from the street or adjoining properties.
(10)
Sufficient off-street parking shall be provided for on the junkyard premises so as to avoid customer parking on any street or roadway adjacent thereto.
(11)
The area on the premises where junk is kept (other than indoors) shall be paved with an all-weather surface such as concrete or asphalt with adequate drainage to prevent water from standing in any place on the premises.
(1988 Code, ch. 4, sec. 1.02; Ordinance 1992-02, sec. 1.02, adopted 1/28/92; 2010 Code, sec. 32-20; Ordinance 2019-12 adopted 4/22/19)
§ 10.16.003 Fencing and screening.
(a)
The provisions of subsection (b) of this section apply to all junkyards and salvage yards legally in existence in the city as of January 28, 1992, and to any expansions thereof.
(b)
Areas that front on public ways are required to be screened within three years of the effective date of the ordinance from which this article is derived, and the areas that abut residential or other areas within five years of the effective date of the ordinance from which this article is derived, as follows:
(1)
They may be operated within the city limits only if premises fronting on roadways are entirely enclosed by a fence or wall and where such premises are visible to the public from side approaches.
(2)
They shall be further screened by with [sic] an opaque screen not less than 50 feet on the side yards to reduce such visibility. All required fences shall not be less than eight feet and not more than ten feet in height and constructed of masonry. Metal or wood shall only be permitted in conjunction with a continuous row of evergreen shrubs. Entrances and exits shall not be wider or more numerous than reasonably necessary for the conduct of the business. Approved screening techniques include masonry walls, evergreen vegetative screens, landscape berms, existing vegetation or any combination thereof. In any case in which a fence/wall is constructed to provide screening, landscaping elements shall be incorporated along a majority of the fence/wall. Vegetation shall be planted on minimum 6' wide strip and located on the side of the fence that is visible from the street or adjoining areas and properties.
(3)
They shall be maintained in a neat, substantial and safe condition.
(4)
Gates for access to the premises at each street or alley line shall not have combined openings which would exceed 30 feet in width. All gates for access to the premises shall swing inward and shall be kept closed when the premises are not open for business.
(c)
The following provisions apply to all new junkyards and salvage yards approved by the city council after the effective date of the ordinance from which this article is derived:
(1)
The area on the premises where junk is kept (other than indoors) shall be enclosed and screened on all sides, including front and rear, which abut or are visible from a street, or residentially used or zoned property except for entrances and exits, with an opaque screen of a minimum height of eight feet measured from ground level and not more than ten feet in height. Entrances and exits shall not be wider or more numerous than reasonably necessary for the conduct of the business. Approved screening techniques include masonry walls, chain-link fence with slats, evergreen vegetative screens, landscape berms, existing vegetation or any combination thereof. Metal or wood fences shall only be permitted in conjunction with a continuous row of evergreen shrubs. In any case in which a fence/wall is constructed to provide screening, landscaping elements shall be incorporated along a majority of the fence/wall. Vegetation shall be planted on minimum 6' wide strip and located on the side of the fence that is visible from the street, areas accessible to the public within the site, or adjoining properties. For premises fronting on any roadway the width of the landscaped strip shall be increased to a minimum width of 25' along thoroughfares and collectors and 10' along other streets, in addition to the required yard setbacks. In the landscaped buffer, a minimum of one shade tree, minimum diameter of two-inch caliper measured at six inches above ground level at the time of planting, shall be planted for each 30 linear feet of landscape buffer. A minimum of ten shrubs, minimum of three feet tall at the time of planting, shall be planted for each 30 linear feet of landscape buffer. All other areas within the landscape buffer shall be covered with grass or another solid vegetative cover approved at the time of site plan approval.
(2)
The fence or wall shall be maintained in a neat, substantial and safe condition.
(3)
Gates for access to the premises at each street or alley line shall not have combined openings exceeding 30 feet in width. All gates for access to the premises shall swing inward and shall be kept closed when the premises are not open for business.
(4)
The fencing requirements in this subsection shall not apply to junkyards or salvage yards conducted solely within a completely enclosed structure or structures.
(1988 Code, ch. 4, sec. 1.09; Ordinance 1992-02, sec. 1.09, adopted 1/28/92; 2010 Code, sec. 32-21; Ordinance 2019-12 adopted 4/22/19)
§ 10.16.004 Manner of storage.
(a)
Junk or salvage or other merchandise on the premises shall be arranged so that reasonable inspection of, or access to, all parts of the premises can be had at any time by proper fire, health, police and building authorities, which dealers shall permit at any reasonable time. All junk car bodies which are located outside of a building shall be stored on racks or supports so that the body makes no contact with the ground so as to provide easier inspection, control of insects and rodents, and so as to facilitate water drainage.
(b)
No junk shall be placed outside of the fences or walls.
(c)
Any indoor activity, if taller than the fence, should be set back, so as not to be visible from the street.
(1988 Code, ch. 4, sec. 1.10; Ordinance 1992-02, sec. 1.10, adopted 1/28/92; 2010 Code, sec. 32-22; Ordinance 2019-12 adopted 4/22/19)
§ 10.16.005 Emergency contact numbers.
Junk and salvage dealers shall place and maintain a sign on the premises that may be read from the street right-of-way listing the names and telephone numbers of one or more persons in the city who may be called to give admittance to the premises in case of emergency.
(1988 Code, ch. 4, sec. 1.11; Ordinance 1992-02, sec. 1.11, adopted 1/28/92; 2010 Code, sec. 32-23; Ordinance 2019-12 adopted 4/22/19)
§ 10.16.006 Rodent and vector control.
(a)
All junkyards and salvage yards shall have a rodent and vector extermination program conducted covering the entire premises not less often than once every six months, using such chemicals and conducted in such manner as is acceptable to the director of the metropolitan health district.
(b)
The rodent and vector control program is the responsibility of the dealers.
(c)
The health officers shall inspect all junkyards and salvage yards within the city not less than once each six months. At the time of the inspection, the inspector shall be provided with evidence to prove that such an extermination procedure has occurred within the preceding six-month period.
(d)
If a professional exterminator has been employed, a receipt for payment for services rendered shall be provided. If the dealer conducts the extermination himself, then he shall request health department certification at the time the extermination occurs, furnishing the health officers with evidence necessary for a determination that the control has been accomplished in an effective manner.
(1988 Code, ch. 4, sec. 1.12; Ordinance 1992-02, sec. 1.12, adopted 1/28/92; 2010 Code, sec. 32-24; Ordinance 2019-12 adopted 4/22/19)
§ 10.16.007 Time limit for compliance by newly annexed yards.
Owners and operators of junkyards and salvage yards which are annexed into the city shall have a period of six months from the effective date of the annexation to bring their yards into compliance with sections 10.16.003 and 10.16.004.
(1988 Code, ch. 4, sec. 1.14; Ordinance 1992-02, sec. 1.14, adopted 1/28/92; 2010 Code, sec. 32-25; Ordinance 2019-12 adopted 4/22/19)