Accessory building or use. A subordinate building, a portion of the main building, or a use customarily incident to and located on the lot occupied by the main building or use of the property.

Alley. A public way which affords only a secondary means of access to abutting property.

Accessory. A subordinated use or buildings customarily incident to and located on the lot occupied by the main use or building.

Apartment. A room or suite of rooms with an apartment house arranged, intended, designed for, or used as the place of residence of a single family or group of individuals living together as a single housekeeping unit.

Apartment house. A building or portion thereof, arranged, designed or occupied by three or more families living independent of each other.

District. A section of the City of Galena Park for which the regulations governing the area, type, construction, height, or use of buildings are uniform.

Family. Any number of individuals living together as a single housekeeping unit, as distinguished from a group occupying a boarding house, lodging house or hotel as defined herein.

Front yard. An open space, unoccupied (except as hereinafter provided) across the full width of the lot extending from the front line of the building to front street line of the lot.

Gross floor area. The gross area shall be measured by taking outside dimensions of the building at each floor level, excluding, however, the floor area of attached garages, open or screened porches, basements or attics not used for residential purposes.

Height. The height of a building or portion of a building shall be measured from the average established grade at the street lot line or from the average natural ground level if higher, to the highest point of the roof's surface if a flat surface; or to the deck line of mansard roofs; or to the mean level between eaves and ridges for hip or gable roofs. In measuring the height of a building the following structures shall be excluded: chimneys, tanks, water towers, radio towers, ornamental cupola, dome or spires, and parapet walls not exceeding four feet in height.

Lot. Land occupied or to be occupied by a building and its accessory buildings, and including such open spaces as are required under this article, and having its principal frontage upon a public street or officially approved place.

Lot, corner. A lot abutting upon two or more streets at their intersection. A corner lot shall be deemed to front on that street on which it has its least dimension, unless otherwise specified by the city engineer.

Lot, interior. A lot whose side lines do not abut upon street.

Lot, through. An interior lot having frontages on two streets.

Lot lines. The lines bounding a lot as defined herein.

Lot depth. The mean horizontal distance from the front street line.

Lot width. The mean horizontal distance between side lines measured at right angles to the depth.

Non-conforming use. A building or premises occupied by a use that does not conform to the regulations of the use district in which it is situated.

Open space. Any unoccupied space on the lot that is open and unobstructed to the sky and occupied by no building whatever.

Place. An open, unoccupied space other than a street or alley permanently established or dedicated as the principal means of access to property abutting thereon.

Rear yard. An open space, unoccupied (except as hereinafter provided) between the rear lot line and the rear line of the principal building and the side lot lines.

Rear line. The boundary line which is opposite and most distant from the front street line; except that in the case of uncertainty the city engineer shall determine the rear line.

Side line. Any lot boundary line not a front or rear line thereof. A side line may be a party lot line, a line bordering on an alley or place or a side street line.

Side yard. An open space, unoccupied (except as hereinafter provided) between the main building and the adjacent side line of the lot, and extending through from the front yard to the rear yard.

Single family dwelling. A detached building having accommodations for and occupied by only one family.

Street. A public thoroughfare or place which affords principal means of access to property abutting thereon.

Street line. The dividing line between the street and the abutting property.

Story. That portion of a building included between the surface of any floor and the surface of the floor next above it, or if there is no floor above it, then the space between such floor and the ceiling next above.

Story, half. A story having an average height of not more than eight feet covering a floor area of not more than 75 percent of the area of the floor on the first story below.

Structural alteration. Any changes in the supporting members of a building, such as bearing walls, columns, beams or girders.

Two-family dwellings. A detached dwelling arranged, intended or designed to be occupied by two families living independently of each other.

Width of side yard. The mean horizontal distance between a side wall of a building and the side line of the lot.

Square foot dimensions. The outside width of a building multiplied by the outside length of the building; excluding attached garages, attics, basements, open or screened porches. If the building be of two stories, the result should be multiplied by two; if of three stories, the result should be multiplied by three, etc.

(Code 1975, § 12-2; Code 1996, art. 12.200)