Georgetown City Zoning Code

GENERAL PROVISIONS

The regulations hereinafter set forth in this section qualify or supplement, as the case may be, the district regulations appearing elsewhere in this ordinance.

1. ADDITIONAL USE REGULATIONS

The requirements of this ordinance as to minimum building site shall not be construed to prevent the uses for a single-family dwelling of any lot or parcel of land in the event that such lot or parcel of land is held in separate ownership at the time this ordinance becomes effective.

2. ADDITIONAL AREA REGULATIONS

A. No required yard or other open space around an existing building, or which is hereafter provided around any building for the purpose of complying with the provisions of this ordinance, shall be considered as providing a yard or open space for any other buildings; nor shall any yard or other required open space on an adjoining lot be considered as providing a yard or open space on a lot whereon a building is to be erected or established.

B. Every main residential building shall be located and maintained on a “lot” as defined in this ordinance, and all parts of such buildings shall be connected in a substantial manner by common walls or a continuous roof. Except for group houses, or as provided in the definition of “lot” there shall be no more than one (1) such building on a lot.

3. ADDITIONAL YARD REGULATIONS

A. On any lot under a separate ownership from adjacent lots and of record at the time of passing of this ordinance, and such lot having a smaller frontage than required for the District in which it is located and two required side yards for a single-family dwelling shall total in width at least thirty (30) percent of the lot: PROVIDED, that in no case shall the smaller of the two side yards be less than five (5) feet or the larger of the two side yards be less than eight (8) feet, and that on a corner lot the side yard adjacent to the street not less than ten (10) feet in width; PROVIDED FURTHER that no main buildings shall be built nearer than ten (10) feet to any existing main building on adjacent lot.

B. Every part of a required yard shall be open to the sky, unobstructed except for accessory buildings in a rear yard, and except for the ordinary city projections of skylights, sills, belt courses, cornices and other ornamental features.

C. Open or lattice-enclosed fire escapes, fireproof outside stairways, and balconies opening upon fire towers projecting into a yard not more than five (5) feet and the ordinary projections of chimneys and flues are permitted.

4. ADDITIONAL HEIGHT REGULATIONS

A. Public, semi-public service buildings or hotels, when authorized in a district, may be erected to a height not exceeding sixty (60) feet if the building is set back from each otherwise established building line at lease one (1) foot for each additional foot of building height above the normal height limit required for the district in which the building is erected.

B. Penthouses or roof structures for the housing of elevators, stairways, tanks, ventilating fans or similar equipment required to operate and maintain the building, and fire or parapet walls, skylight, towers, steeples, flagpoles, chimneys, smokestacks, water tanks, wireless masts, theatre lofts, silos or similar structures may be erected above the height limits herein prescribed, but no space above the height limits shall be allowed for the purpose of providing additional floor space.

C. No dwelling shall be erected to a height less than ten (10) feet.

5. CLEAR VIEW OF INTERSECTING STREETS

No obstruction to view in excess of two (2) feet in height, except a reasonable number of lawn trees, shall be maintained on the premises of a corner lot between the front and side street lines and the building lines, PROVIDED, that such trees as are pruned high enough to permit unobstructed vision to automobile drivers.

6. ANIMALS AND FOWL

No animals or fowl, which are allowed to be kept under the provisions of this ordinance shall be kept or maintained closer than fifty (50) feet to any dwelling.

7. BUILDING REGULATIONS

Domestic water supply and sewage disposal shall comply with the applicable Board of Health standard as represented by a certificate of approval from said Board of Health in all applications for a building permit where either an approved supply of piped water under pressure, or a sewer, is not available.

8. OFF STREET PERKING AND SPACE REGULATIONS

A. Automobile parking space: in any Residential, Commercial 1 or Commercial 2 Districts, there shall be provided at the time any main building is constructed, enlarged or increased in capacity, minimum off-street parking space with adequate provision for ingress and egress by standard-sized automobiles as follows:

1. Parking space for Dwellings: there shall be provided in a private garage, or in an area properly located for a future garage space for the parking of one (1) automobile for each dwelling unit in a new building, or for each dwelling unit added in the case of the enlargement of an existing building.

2. For buildings other than dwellings: For a new building or for any enlargement or increase in a seating capacity, floor area, or guest rooms, or any existing main building, there shall be at least one (1) permanently maintained parking space of not less than two hundred (200) square feet in net area as follows:

(a) for church, high school, college and university auditoriums and for theaters, general auditoriums, stadiums and other similar places of assembly, at least one (1) parking space for every ten (10) fixed seats provided in said building or structure.

(b) for hospitals, at least (1) parking space for each two (2) beds capacity, including infants cribs and children’s beds, for medical and dental clinics, at least ten (10) parking spaces, PROVIDED, that three (3) additional parking spaces be provided for each doctor or dentist having offices in such clinic in excess of three doctors or dentists.

c.) for motels and apartment motels, at least one (1) parking space for each individual sleeping or living unit; for hotels and apartment hotels, at least one (1) parking space for each two sleeping rooms, up to and including the first twenty (20) sleeping rooms, and one (1) parking space for each three (3) sleeping rooms over twenty (20).

(d) for boarding and/or lodging houses, dormitories, fraternities, and sororities, at least one (1) parking space for every three (3) persons for whose accommodations the building is designed or used. (e) for restaurants or establishments that serve meals, lunches or drinks to patrons either in their cars or in the building, for retail stores selling direct to the public, and for dance hall and recreational places of assembly, at least one (1) space for each two hundred (200) square feet of floor space in the building.

(f) for mortuaries, at least thirty (30) parking spaces, and for liquor stores, at least twenty (20) parking spaces. (g) for industrial buildings and industrial areas without a building adequate parking shall be provided for employees and customers.

B. Public parking Lot: every parcel of land hereafter used as a public parking area shall be paved with an asphalted or concrete surfacing and shall have appropriate bumper guards where needed. Any lights used to illuminate said parking area shall be so arranged as to reflect the light away from adjoining premises in any Residential District.