A subordinate building, incidental to, and located on the same lot as, the principal building, and used for an accessory use.

A use incidental to, and subordinate to and located on the same lot occupied by the principal use to which it relates.

Businesses selling goods or services to a substantially agricultural clientele, including: feed mills, seed sales, feed grinding services, and agricultural implement dealers.

Any agricultural use, including farming, dairying, pasturage, agriculture, aquaculture, horticulture, floriculture, viticulture, horse keeping, animal and poultry husbandry, and forestry (including the harvesting of timber), but excluding specialized animal raising and care or dog kennels as defined by this chapter. Agriculture also includes the home sale of fruits, meats, vegetables and similar agricultural produce. Animal raising for personal use is permitted in accordance with the following:

Area of a lot or site shall be calculated from dimensions derived by horizontal projections of the site.

A floor level completely below grade or floor level in which more than 2/3 of the perimeter walls are below grade. A wall shall be considered below grade where the dimension from the first floor line to the finished grade is five feet or less, and the slope of the finished grade extending 10 feet from the building walls does not exceed 30°.

A single-family residence offering, for pay, overnight or short-term lodging and breakfast for transient guests. This includes rooming houses.

A sign that identifies or communicates a commercial or noncommercial message related to an activity conducted, a service rendered, or a commodity sold at a location other than where the sign is located.

A roofed structure, whether or not enclosed by walls, to be used for the shelter, enclosure or protection of persons, goods, materials or animals.

Imaginary line parallel to or concentric with the nearest road right-of-way line. No portion of a building foundation or wall may extend nearer the lot line than the required front yard depth.

Any business activity that renders service to other commercial or industrial enterprises.

A portion of a road street or highway actually intended for vehicular travel.

An area of land and/or a structure with machine- or hand-operated facilities used principally for the cleaning, washing, polishing, or waxing of motor vehicles.

Land used or intended to be used for the burial of the dead and dedicated for cemetery purposes, including columbariums, crematories, mausoleums, and mortuaries when operated in conjunction with and within the boundaries of such cemetery.

A place of religious instruction or public worship.

A facility that offers various indoor recreational opportunities for its patrons (paying or nonpaying), including such games as pool, billiards, bowling, video games, and similar pursuits.

A facility which offers various or outdoor recreational or spectator opportunities for its patrons (paying or nonpaying), including go-cart raceways, paintball areas, commercial outdoor shooting ranges, auto raceways, concerts and music parks, and similar pursuits.

A use to be allowed or denied by the Board of Supervisors pursuant to public notice and hearing and recommendations by the Girard Township Planning Commission and pursuant to the express standards and criteria set forth in this chapter. In allowing a conditional use, the Board of Supervisors may attach such reasonable conditions and safeguards, in addition to those expressed in this chapter, as it may deem necessary to implement the purposes of the Planning Code and of this chapter.

A building or group of buildings in which the floor area is owned individually and other parts of structures, common areas, or facilities are owned proportionally or by a separate entity, or similar arrangements regulated by the Uniform Pennsylvania Condominium Act (68 Pa.C.S.A. § 3101 et seq.).[2]

The construction, reconstruction, renovation, repair, extension, expansion, alteration or relocation of a building or structure, including the placement of mobile homes.

The percentage of a lot covered by buildings, structures, parking lots, driveways, or similar impervious surfaces, measured as square feet divided into lot area.

Any facilities identified and licensed as a kennel by the laws or regulations of Pennsylvania. Dog kennels shall be considered by this chapter as a form of specialized animal raising and care.

A building arranged, intended, designed or used as the living quarters for one or more families living independently of each other upon the premises The term "dwelling" shall not be deemed to include "hotel" or "motel." There shall be no more than one dwelling per lot.

A building or portion thereof containing one or more rooms for living purposes together with separate and exclusive cooking and sanitary facilities, accessible from the outdoors either directly or through an entrance hall shared with other dwelling units, and used or intended to be used by one family.

A business establishment whose principal business is the selling of unpackaged food to the customer in a ready-to-consume state.

The erection, construction, alteration or maintenance by public utilities or municipal or other governmental agencies of underground or overhead gas, electrical, steam or water transmission or distribution systems, including poles, wires, mains, drains, sewers, pipes conduit cables, fire alarm boxes, police call boxes, traffic signals, hydrants, and other similar equipment and accessories in connection therewith, reasonably necessary for the furnishing of adequate services by such public utilities or municipal or other governmental agencies or for the public health and safety or general welfare, but not including buildings.

Businesses involved in the sale, rental, or servicing of motor vehicles or machinery not necessarily intended for registration, licensing, and travel on highways, including those used for agriculture, forestry, and construction.

An individual, or two or more persons related by blood, marriage, adoption or foster child care, including domestic servants or gratuitous guests thereof, or a group of not more than four unrelated persons living together without supervision in a dwelling unit; or any number of persons protected by the provisions of the Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. § 3601 et. seq., as now or hereafter amended) living together in a group living arrangement with supervision, provided those persons do not have a criminal record. Family shall not include persons living together in a group home, assisted living facility, or nursing home, as defined herein, or any other supervised group living arrangement for persons other than those protected by the Fair Housing Act or persons who constitute a direct threat to others or their physical property.

A business which leases outdoor space to persons who wish to vend a variety of new and used goods for sale to the general public by displaying those goods on tables, in or on motor vehicles, or on the ground.

The sum of the gross area of the several floors of a building or buildings measured from the face of the exterior walls, or from the center line of the walls separating two buildings.

An area of land, together with any structure thereon used for the retail sale of motor fuel and lubricants and incidental services, such as lubrication and washing of motor vehicles, and the sale, installation or minor repairs of tires, batteries or other automobile accessories.

Land for playing the sport of golf, consisting of a minimum of nine holes, but excluding miniature golf, par-three golf, pitch and putt, and similar golf-associated activities except as accessory uses on a golf course.

The total floor area for which the tenant pays rent and that is designed for the tenant's occupancy and exclusive use.

A transitional residential facility, licensed and operated by a government or social service agency, that provides a supervised environment to residents who require psychiatric, correctional or behavioral treatment between periods of institutional and independent living.

The vertical distance measured from the highest level of finished grade along all the exterior walls of the building to the highest point of the roof and to the highest point on any structure which rises wholly or partly above the roof.

A form of light manufacturing conducted as accessory to a home or farm by an owner or occupant.

A personal or professional service carried on entirely within a dwelling, by the owner or occupants thereof, which use is clearly incidental and subordinate to the use of the dwelling for dwelling purposes and does not change the residential character thereof. Examples include, but are not limited to: professional services, such as legal, financial, accounting or engineers, barbershops and beauty shops, studios of artists, writers and associations. (See "professional office.")

An institution providing health services primarily for human in-patient medical or surgical care for the sick or injured and including related facilities such as laboratories, out-patient departments, training facilities, central services facilities and staff offices that are an integral part of the facilities.

The manufacture, storage, processing, and treatment of materials which are potentially hazardous, or processes which produce significant amounts of smoke, noise, glare, or dust or odor as a primary or secondary effect of the principal use of the land or buildings. Heavy industries include, but are not limited to, foundries, blast furnaces, rolling, or stamping mills, smelting or ore facilities and similar primary metal processes; petroleum, gas or natural gas distillation or bulk storage facilities; power plants for the production of electricity (whether by wind, natural gas, coal, other combustibles, or cogeneration); storage facilities for manufacture explosives, acid, and fertilizer; manufacturing processes involving hides or offal; cement manufacturing facilities; washing and gravel separation; lime manufacturing, chemical treatment of wood or production of fiberboard, or plywood, and similar uses.

Manufacturing in which there are no significant impacts from noise, dust or odor, and impacts are limited to secondary effects related to vehicular traffic, incidental noise, movement of materials. Light industries include, but are not limited to: food processing; wood products manufacturing (without chemical treatment); production of machine tools and similar metalworking; manufacturing of plastic products; laboratories, testing and research facilities; printing; pharmaceuticals production; and similar facilities for assembling and fabricating.

Any discarded material or article, and shall include, but not be limited to, scrap metal, scrapped or abandoned motor vehicles, machinery, equipment, paper, glass, containers and structures. It shall not include, however, refuse or garbage kept in a proper container for the purpose of prompt disposal. For the purpose of this chapter, a "proper container" shall mean a solid plastic or metal container, with a sealable lid, specifically designed for the storage of waste matter.

Any place where any junk is stored, disposed of, or accumulated. This definition shall include recycling centers, recycling yards, and salvage businesses and the storage of four vehicles lacking current inspection or registration for a period exceeding 10 days. However, it does not include municipal recycling centers where no materials are stored in an exterior environment.

Small-scale retail enterprises intended to benefit neighborhood residents or tourists. Limited retail businesses are distinguished from other retail businesses by smaller size (less than 5,000 square feet gross floor area).[3]

A tract or parcel of land, regardless of size, held in single or joint ownership, which is occupied or capable of being occupied by buildings, structures, and accessory buildings, including such open spaces as are arranged, designed or required. The term "lot" shall also mean "parcel," "plot," "site," or similar term.

A lot at the point of intersection of and abutting on two or more intersecting streets.

Any line dividing a lot from another lot or from an abutting street or other right-of-way.

A building consisting of individual, small, self-contained units that are leased or owned for the storage of business and household goods or contractors supplies.

A transportable, single-family dwelling intended for permanent occupancy, contained in one or more units designed to be joined into one integral unit capable of again being separated for repeated towing, which arrives at a site complete and ready for occupancy, except for minor and incidental unpacking and assembly operations, and constructed so that it may be used without a permanent foundation.

A parcel of land in a mobile home park, improved with the necessary utility connections and other appurtenances necessary for the erection thereon of a single mobile home.

A parcel of land under single ownership which has been planned and improved for the placement of mobile homes for nontransient use, consisting of two or more mobile home lots.

A building or group of detached or connected buildings designed or used primarily for providing sleeping accommodations for automobile travelers and having a parking space adjacent to a sleeping room. The definition includes hotels, motor lodges and similar uses.

A business or commercial activity administered or conducted as an accessory use which is clearly secondary to the use as a residential dwelling and which involves no customer, client or patient traffic, whether vehicular or pedestrian, pickup, delivery, or removal functions to or from the premises, in excess of those normally associated with residential use.

A lot the area or dimension of which was lawful prior to the adoption or amendment of this chapter but which fails to conform to the requirements of the zoning district in which it is located by reasons of such adoption or amendment.

A structure or part of a structure manifestly not designed to comply with the applicable use or extent of use provisions of this chapter or an amendment hereafter enacted, where such structure lawfully existed prior to the enactment of this chapter or amendment or prior to the application of this chapter or amendment to its location by reason of annexation. Such nonconforming structures include, but are not limited to, nonconforming signs.

A use, whether of land or structure, which does not comply with the applicable use provisions of this chapter or amendment hereafter enacted, where such use was lawfully in existence prior to the enactment of this chapter or amendment or prior to the application of this chapter or amendment to its location by reason of annexation.

A facility to give long-term skilled care to geriatric or handicapped patients and licensed as such a facility by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

An open space with a dustless all-weather surface, or space in a private garage or other structure, with an effective length of at least 20 feet and a uniform width of at least 10 feet for the storage of one automobile and accessible from a public way.

A level area at finished grade, surfaced with concrete, stone, or brick, immediately adjacent to a structure. Patios shall not require a Township building permit unless they are furnished with an overhead roof, railings, or are more than three inches above the surrounding finished grade.

A facility giving geriatric care in a home-like setting and licensed as such by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Any enterprise conducted for man which primarily offers services to the general public, such as: shoe repair, valet services, watch repairing and related activities.

An area of land, controlled by a landowner, to be developed as a single entity for a number of dwelling units, or combination of residential and nonresidential uses, the development plan for which does not correspond in lot size, bulk, type of dwelling, or use, density, or intensity, lot coverage and required open space to the regulations established in any one district created, from time to time, under the provisions of a municipal zoning.

The Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, Act 247 of 1968, as reenacted and amended by Act No. 170 of 1988 and Acts 67 and 68 of 2000, and as further amended from time to time.[4]

The office or studio of a physician, surgeon, dentist, lawyer, architect, artist, engineer, certified public accountant, real estate broker or salesman, insurance broker or agent, musician, teacher, barber shop, cosmetologist or similar occupation.

Parks and playgrounds that are owned and operated by the Township of Girard or by an authority created for such purposes by the Township of Girard or any government agency.

An area or tract of land on which accommodations for temporary occupancy are located or may be placed, including cabins, tents, and recreational vehicles.

A building designed and used for the storage, care, repair or refinishing of motor vehicles or engines, including both minor and major mechanical overhauling, paint, and body work.

The portion of a road, street or highway that includes the entire area in which the body granted the right-of-way may conduct activities to maintain travel.

An accessory to an agricultural business through which products primarily from that agriculture business are sold to the general public from a temporary or portable structure, or a permanent structure not exceeding 1,000 square feet.

A dwelling having five or more sleeping rooms for rent to persons not related to its other occupants. The term "rooming house" includes the term "boardinghouse."

A disposal site employing an engineering method of disposing of solid wastes in a manner that minimizes environmental hazards by spreading, compacting to the smallest volume, and applying cover material over all exposed waste at the end of each operating day.

A fence, screen planting, or wall provided in such a way that it will block a line of sight.

An evergreen hedge at least six feet high at time of planting, planted in such a way that it will block a line of sight. The screening may consist of either one or multiple rows of bushes or trees and shall be at least four feet wide. It shall be the responsibility of the property owner to maintain a screen planting, replacing trees as needed. The Zoning Administrator may require replacement of screening trees.

Buildings and premises where the primary use is the supply and dispensing at retail of motor fuels, lubricants, batteries, tires and motor vehicles.

Businesses that require a license and meet the definitions contained in Chapter 67, Adult Uses, of the Code of the Township of Girard.

A commercial facility developed as a mixture of uses, including retail sales, theaters, personal services and eating and drinking places, but planned, constructed, managed or promoted as an integral whole.

A sign that directs attention to a business, profession or industry conducted on the premises or to products sold, manufactured or assembled upon the same premises upon which it is displayed.

A use permitted with special permission granted by the Zoning Hearing Board to occupy or use land and/or a building for specific purposes in accordance with the criteria set forth in this chapter, when such use is not permitted by right.

That portion of a building located between the surface of any floor and the next floor above, if there is not more than one floor the space between any floor and the ceiling next above it shall be considered a story.

A public or private right-of-way, excluding driveways, intended for use as a means of vehicular and pedestrian circulation, which provides a means of access to abutting property. The word "street" includes thoroughfare, avenue, boulevard, court, drive, expressway, highway, lane, alley and road or similar terms.

A line defining the right-of-way boundaries of a street.

Any man-made object having an ascertainable stationary location on or in land or water, whether or not affixed to the land.

The lawfully constituted governing body of Girard Township, elected at large by the citizens and sworn into office.

A business that stores or maintains stocks of building materials such as block, brick, stone, plastic pipe, culverts, concrete or wood in an outdoor setting for sale to contractors or the general public.

Land used for private off-road purposes for recreational and/or competitive motorized vehicle, ATV, motorcycle, go cart and mud racer activities. Land use activities of these types shall include a soil retention plan for each activity by the Erie County Conservation District as deemed applicable by the Supervisors.[6]

A self-propelled or towed vehicle with sleeping and or cooking quarters licensed, or intended to be licensed, for travel on the highways of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

See "dwelling."

Land and buildings used as a relay station for the transfer of a load from one vehicle to another or one party to another. The terminal cannot be used for permanent or long-term accessory storage for principal land uses at other locations. The terminal facility may include storage areas for trucks and buildings or areas for the repair of trucks associated with the terminal.

A form of relief granted by the Township Zoning Hearing Board pursuant to Articles VI and IX of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code and this chapter.

A facility used for the treatment of domestic animals for pay with health treatment provided by a licensed veterinarian.

A use engaged in storage, wholesale, and distribution of manufactured products, supplies, and equipment, but excluding bulk storage of materials that are inflammable or explosive or that create hazardous or commonly recognized offensive conditions. For the purpose of this chapter, storage of explosive, inflammable, hazardous or community-recognized offensive conditions shall be considered heavy industry.

That portion of a lot that is unoccupied and open to the sky and extends from the lot line or right-of-way to the setback line.

A yard between an adjacent right-of-way and the building line and extending for the full width of the lot.

A yard between the rear lot line and a line drawn parallel thereto at such distance as may be specified herein for any zoning district, and extending for the full width of the lot.

An open yard space between the side lot line and parallel thereto extending from the front lot line to the rear lot line.

The Zoning Officer of the Township of Girard, or his/her authorized representative.

A permit issued by the Zoning Administrator evidencing that a structure is in compliance with this chapter.