No building or structure, or part thereof, shall hereafter be erected, constructed or altered and maintained, no new use or change shall be made or maintained of any building, structure or land, or part thereof, and no lot shall be created or modified except in conformity with the provisions of this chapter. This requirement will not infringe on the rights of nonconforming lots, structures or uses outlined in Article XX of this chapter.

The following are exceptions to the use regulations of the district regulations of this chapter:

Height limit.

Lots adjoining alleys. In calculating the area of a lot that adjoins an alley for the purpose of applying lot area and setback requirements of this chapter, 1/2 the width of such alley abutting the lot shall be considered as part of such lot.

Porches, walks and terraces.

Projections into yards. Architectural features such as cornices, eaves, gutters, fire escapes, fire towers, chimneys, platforms, and balconies, not including vertical projections, may extend or project into a required side yard not more than two inches for each one foot of width of such side yard; and may extend or project into a required front yard or rear yard not more than three feet. Window wells may extend or project into the required side yard no more than four feet.

Access through yards. For the purpose of this chapter, access drives may be placed in the required front or side yards so as to provide access to rear yards or accessory or attached structures. These drives shall not be considered as structural violations in front and side yards.

Lots having water frontage. Those residential lots or parcels having water frontage and abutting a public thoroughfare shall maintain the yard on the water side as an open, unobscured yard. Accessory structures shall be permitted in the setback between the abutting road right-of-way and the main building providing the front yard setback required in this chapter is met.

Side yard exceptions. On legal nonconforming lots that do not meet the minimum lot width requirements of this chapter, the side yard setback may be reduced based on the ratio that the lot width is below that required. Example: a lot is 80 feet wide in a district that requires 100 feet of width or 80% of the requirement. The minimum side yard setback may be reduced to 80% of the requirement. In no case shall a side yard be reduced to less than five feet under the terms of this exception.

Where the accessory building is structurally attached to a main building, it shall be subject to, and must conform to, all regulations of this chapter applicable to the main building.

Accessory buildings shall not be erected in any minimum side yard setback nor in any front yard, except detached buildings accessory to a residential buildings, which may be located in the side or rear yard, provided it shall be set back at least three feet from any side or rear lot line. In those instances where the rear lot line is coterminous with an alley right-of-way, the accessory building shall not be closer than one foot to such rear lot line. In no instance shall an accessory building be located within a dedicated easement right-of-way.

A building accessory to a residential building shall not occupy more than 25% of a required rear yard; the combined areas of accessory buildings shall not exceed the ground floor area of the main building.

No detached building accessory to a residential building shall be located closer than 10 feet to any main building.

No detached accessory building in R-1 through R-3, RM-1, RM-2, MHP, OS-1 and P-1 Districts shall exceed one story or 14 feet in height. Accessory buildings in all other districts may be constructed to equal the permitted maximum height of structures in said district.

When a building accessory to a residential building is located on a corner lot, the side lot line of which is substantially a continuation of the front lot line of the lot to its rear, said building shall not project beyond the front yard setback required on the lot to the rear of such corner lot. In no instance shall an accessory building be located nearer than 20 feet to a street right-of-way line.

A resident of a dwelling unit may have not more than one motorized vehicle for sale on the site of such dwelling unit at any time, and in no instance shall vacant residential lots or parcels be utilized for the sale of vehicles. A resident may repair vehicles of the resident on the property of the resident's dwelling unit; however, in no instance shall a resident repair the vehicles of other than a resident of the dwelling unit on said property. In no instance shall vehicles for sale be displayed or repaired in a front yard other than on the driveway portion of such yard.

Freestanding solar panels shall be considered an accessory building and shall be subject to the requirements for such, together with all other applicable building codes and ordinances.

Wind generators may be permitted as an accessory use when the following conditions are met:

Satellite reception antenna may be permitted as an accessory use in any district, subject to the following conditions:

No fence, wall, shrubbery, sign or other obstruction to vision above a height of two feet from the established street grades shall be permitted within the triangular area formed at the intersection of any street right-of-way lines by a straight line drawn between said right-of-way lines at a distance along each line of 25 feet from their point of intersection.

No fence, wall, shrubbery, sign or other obstruction to vision above a height of two feet from the established street grades shall be permitted within the triangular area formed at the intersection of any street right-of-way line with a driveway by a straight line drawn between said right-of-way lines and the edge of the driveway at a distance along each line of 10 feet from their point of intersection.

Location. Private swimming pools and hot tubs shall be permitted as an accessory structure to the rear or side of the principal structure in residential districts, provided that pools in the side yard shall be screened with landscaping or natural vegetation such that they cannot be seen from the road. Pools and hot tubs shall not be located in any road or utility right-of-way or easement.

Setbacks. Private swimming pools shall be located no closer than 10 feet to any side or rear property line and no closer than 10 feet to any building on the same parcel.

All swimming pools shall be subject to the requirements in the Michigan Residential Code, including requirements regarding fencing.

Swimming pools located on lots with vacant homes shall be drained, and proper fencing maintained.

Open storage of building material, contractor's equipment and supplies and other similar material may be permitted by the Planning Commission at site plan review provided an obscuring wall or fence screens the material from view of the street or adjacent parcels.

Outdoor display of material for sale may be approved by the Planning Department by issuance of a zoning permit as an accessory use to the principal use, provided the following conditions apply.

In order to protect the public health, safety, and welfare of the City regarding overloading local electrical capacity and ensuring appropriate uses are consistent with the character of the zoning district, all amperes electrical services in the R-1, R-2, and R-3 Single-Family Residential zoning districts must comply with the below requirements:

All structures shall be set back at least 25 feet from all natural features such as drains, regulated wetlands, natural ponds, lakes and streams.