Holtville City Zoning Code

Promoting and protecting the public health, safety and welfare of the people of the city;

Safeguarding and enhancing the appearance and quality of development of the city; and

Providing for the social, physical and economic advantages resulting from comprehensive and orderly planned use of land resources.

Where indicated zone boundaries are approximately street, alley or lot lines, such lines are determined to be the boundaries of the zone. Otherwise, the boundaries shall be determined by the dimensions shown on the official zoning map. In the absence of a dimension, the boundary shall be determined by the use of the scale shown on the map.

In the event that a vacated street, alley, right-of-way or easement was the boundary between two zones, the new zone boundaries shall be the new property line, and the vacated portion of the street, alley, right-of-way or easement shall take the zone of the property abutting same, and the new zoning boundary shall be at the new property line.

Whenever public necessity, convenience, general welfare or good zoning practice justifies prezoning of property prior to annexation, and after due consideration by the planning commission, the city council may, by ordinance, place any property within unincorporated territory adjoining the city into any zone set forth in Chapters 17.15 through 17.42 HMC for the purpose of delineating the zoning that will apply to such property in the event of subsequent annexation to the city. The method of accomplishing such prezoning shall be set forth in the State of California Government Code, Sections 65854 to 65859, inclusive, except that prezoning shall be initiated only by the planning commission or city council, and shall only become effective on the date of the annexation of prezoned property becomes effective.

Territory annexed to the city and for which the city council has not by ordinance established a conditional prezone prior to annexation shall, upon the date that such annexation becomes effective and until a final zoning plan is adopted, be considered a part of the R-1 single-family residential zone and subject to all conditions and restrictions therein. A final zoning plan shall be adopted by the city council, after due consideration by the planning commission, for all newly annexed territories not subject to conditional prezoning, within one year after the effective date of such annexation.

Unless otherwise specifically provided, any person violating any provisions or failing to comply with any of the mandatory requirements of the ordinances of Holtville is guilty of a misdemeanor. Any person convicted of a misdemeanor under the ordinances of Holtville shall be punished by a fine of not more than $500.00, by imprisonment not to exceed six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

Each person is guilty of a separate offense for each and every day during any portion of which any violation of ordinances of Holtville is committed, continued or permitted by any such person, and shall be punished accordingly.

Church spires, belfries, cupolas and domes, monuments, water towers, fire and hose towers, distribution and transmission towers, utility lines and poles, street lights, windmills, chimneys, smokestacks, flagpoles, radio towers, masts and aerials, and parapet walls extending not more than four feet above the maximum height of the building are exempt from height limitations established under this title.

Places of public assembly in churches, schools and other permitted public and semi-public buildings may exceed height limitations established by this title; provided, that: (1) these are located on the ground floor of such buildings; and (2) for each one foot by which the height of such building exceeds the maximum height otherwise permitted in the zone, its side and rear yards shall be increased in width or depth by an additional foot more than the required side or rear yards for the highest building permitted in the zone.

Elevator and stair penthouses, water tanks, monitors and scenery lofts are exempt from the height limitations established in this title; provided, that no linear dimension of any such structure exceeds 50 percent of the corresponding street frontage line.

Towers and monuments, cooling towers, gas holders or other structures where the manufacturing process requires a greater height, and grain elevators and silos are exempt from this title; provided, that any structure above the height otherwise permitted in the zone shall occupy no more than 25 percent of the area of the lot and shall be at least 25 feet from every lot line.

No building, or part thereof, or structure shall be erected, altered, enlarged, rebuilt or moved into any zone, nor shall any open space be encroached upon or reduced in any manner, except in conformity to the yard and setback regulations designated for that zone in which the building or structure is located.

No yard provided around any building for the purpose of complying with provisions of this title shall be considered as providing a yard for any other building, and no yard for one building site shall be considered as providing a yard for a building on any other site.

If lot is narrower than the width specified for the zone in which it is located, the side yards may be reduced by an amount proportional to the amount by which the lot width falls below the zone requirement; however, no side yard may be reduced to less than four feet in width, or three feet in width when bordered by a carport.

The depth of the rear yard of any such lot shall be 10 feet, or 20 percent of the depth of the lot, whichever is greater, except that in no case will a depth greater than that required for the zone in which the lot is located be required.

Where sites comprising 40 percent of the frontage on a block are already improved with buildings, the minimum front yard setback shall be the average of the existing front yard depths of the improved lots in the block.

In computing average front yard depth, a depth no greater than 10 feet more than the minimum required front yard for the zone in which the lot is located shall be used in lieu of any greater existing front yard depth.

Any through lot shall maintain a front yard setback on each street as required for the zone in which each street frontage is located.

On the street side of a corner lot, the minimum side yard shall not be less than 10 feet, except that on a reversed corner lot the minimum side yard shall be 15 feet.

Where the side or rear lot line of a nonresidential use adjoins or is across the street from a lot in a residential zone, the side or rear yard adjoining or opposite the residential zone shall not be less than that required in such residential zone.

At the intersection of each driveway or alley with a street, a triangular area where corners are defined by two points on the right-of-way line, 15 feet on each side of the centerline of the driveway or alley and a point on said centerline 10 feet outside the right-of-way (Figure 17.10-1); and

At the intersection of streets, the area on the parkway side of the curb which is bounded by the curbs (or a line parallel to and six feet outside the traveled portion of the roadway if there is no curb) and a line connecting the two points on the curb 45 feet from the point of intersection of the curb tangents (Figure 17.10-2).

An accessory building, used either wholly or in part for living purposes, shall meet all the requirements for location of the main structure.

An accessory structure that is attached to a main structure shall meet all of the requirements for location of the main structure as provided in subsection D of this section.

Canopies, or roofs attached to the main building or connecting to main building with a detached accessory building, may extend into a required rear or side yard; provided, that portions of such structures extending into the yard:

Detached structures shall meet the following requirements:

The following requirements shall apply to structures other than those structures not provided for in subsections A through D of this section:

In any required front yard, a wall or fence shall not exceed four feet in height if open and exceed 30 inches if closed;

A wall or fence not more than six feet in height may be maintained along the side or rear lot lines; provided, that such a wall or fence does not extend into required front yard; and further provided, that all measurements are made at any point along the natural ground and the highest point of the fence;

A wall or fence adjacent to a driveway providing vehicular access to an abutting lot shall not exceed 30 inches in height within 15 feet of the intersection of said driveway and the street right-of way;

The provisions of this section shall not apply to a wall or fence required by any law or regulation of the state or any agency thereof; and

Acceptable materials for walls and fences are: (1) chain link; (2) masonry; (3) wrought iron; and (4) wood. All other materials must have approval of the planning commission.

General plans and specific plans and amendments thereto;

Zone changes;

Variances;

Conditional use permits; and

Subdivision tract maps for both standard and minor subdivisions.

Not all uses of land can be listed, nor can all future uses be anticipated;

A "use" may have been omitted from the list of those indicated as permissible in each of the various zones designated in this title; and

Ambiguity may arise concerning the appropriate classification of a particular use within the meaning and intent of this title.

The use furthers the objectives of the zone;

Field investigations have disclosed that the subject use and its operations are compatible with the uses permitted in the zone where the use is proposed to be located;

The subject use is similar to one or more uses permitted in the zone where the use is proposed to be located; and

The subject use will not cause substantial reduction in the value of the property in the zone within which it is proposed to be located, or in any abutting zone.