Lower Saucon Township
City Zoning Code
City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XVIII
Additional Regulations for Accessory Uses
§ 180-128 Purpose.
The following uses, when located on the same lot, when incidental to the permitted principal use and when all additional requirements of this chapter are satisfied, shall be permitted as accessory uses.
A.
Any use not mentioned below shall be considered as a separate land use and shall meet all requirements of the use as a principal use.
B.
No accessory building, structure or use shall be placed within 10 feet of the property line or right-of-way line or within a required sight triangle.
C.
An accessory building, structure or use less than 250 square feet or and having a height less than 15 feet may be located within a required side or rear yard, but not closer than 10 feet from the property line (where the side or rear yard exceeds 10 feet), in addition to such items as fences and driveways as specifically allowed in other sections of this chapter.
D.
No accessory building, structure or use shall be permitted over a septic tank or primary or backup drainfield areas for an on-lot sewer system.
§ 180-129 Power-generating equipment, satellite dishes, windmills, etc.
[Amended 11-16-2016 by Ord. No. 2016-06]
The following requirements shall apply to satellite dishes, solar energy collection equipment, windmills and other power-generating equipment:
A.
Said accessory use shall not be located anywhere within the front yard.
B.
Said accessory use shall not inhibit solar access to adjacent properties.
C.
If said accessory use has any moving parts or produces heat, hazardous levels of radio waves, magnetism, electric energy, etc., it shall be surrounded by a security fence.
D.
All service connections shall be located underground in accordance with the appropriate National Electrical Code standards.
E.
These uses shall not produce any interference with television, radio, electrical service, telephone service, etc., on adjacent properties.
F.
No satellite dish shall exceed 17 feet in diameter, and the top of any satellite dish shall not be more than 18 feet above adjacent ground level.
G.
No solar energy collection equipment or windmill shall exceed 50 feet in height at its highest point.
§ 180-130 Noncommercial swimming pools.
A.
No pool shall be placed under or over an electric utility line.
B.
A pool designed to contain a water depth of 24 inches or more shall meet the following requirements:
C.
No loudspeaker or amplifying device shall be permitted which will project sound beyond the boundaries of the lot where the pool is located.
D.
No lighting shall shine directly upon a boundary of the lot where the pool is located.
§ 180-131 Residential accessory buildings or structures.
[Amended 4-17-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-01]
Residential accessory buildings or structures:
A.
Shall not occupy more than 25% of the gross rear or side yard area.
B.
Shall not exceed the height of the principal building or 25 feet in height, whichever is less, except, however, in the RA, R80, and R40 Zoning Districts, the maximum allowable height shall be 25 feet and shall not be limited by the height of the principal building.
C.
Shall be constructed or manufactured for a specific use that is incidental to the principal structure.
D.
Shall not include: motor vehicles; mobile storage trailers/portable storage units; storage structures or cargo boxes designed or once serving as commercial shipping or cargo containers; truck bodies, trailers or boxes; mobile homes; used fuel tanks; and/or the storage of tractor trailers or separate tractors or cargo trailers.
§ 180-132 Temporary stands or offices.
A temporary stand for the sale of agricultural produce grown on the site or a temporary office for the construction or sales on the site shall be a permitted accessory with the following additional requirements:
§ 180-133 Recreational vehicle or travel trailer storage.
A.
A recreational vehicle or travel trailer shall not be parked or stored for more than seven consecutive days within any required side or rear yard or in any front yard. However, a recreational vehicle or travel trailer may be parked or stored within a required side or rear yard if that recreational vehicle or travel trailer is owned or rented by the property owner and if such vehicle has current state registration and current state inspection.
B.
Where permitted as an accessory use, no more than one such vehicle shall be permitted.
§ 180-134 Noncommercial nurseries or greenhouses.
There shall be no outdoor storage of equipment or supplies. The use shall not occupy more than 25% of the gross rear or side yard area.
§ 180-135 Tennis courts.
§ 180-136 Home professional office/occupation.
A.
General standards.
(1)
A home professional office or home occupation does not require site plan submission unless the applicant is adding two or more parking spaces to accommodate an employee and/or customer(s).
(2)
A home professional office or home occupation shall be carried on wholly indoors.
(3)
The use shall not exceed 1/2 of the area of the ground floor area of the principal residential structure (excluding the ground floor area covered by an attached garage or such other building), the entire basement or 800 square feet, whichever is less.
(4)
There shall be no change in the existing outside appearance of the building or premises or other visible evidence of the home occupation or home professional office other than a sign.
(5)
The home occupation or home professional office shall not employ more than two nonresident members of the family.
(7)
The home occupation or home professional office shall not service more than two customers at a time or four per hour.
(8)
Signs indicating products made or services rendered shall comply with Article XVIA of this chapter.
[Amended 3-6-2019 by Ord. No. 2019-01]
(9)
No commercial motor vehicle shall be permitted to park in a residential district unless wholly contained within a permanent garage.
(10)
There shall be no exterior storage of materials or refuse resulting from the operation of the home professional office or home occupation.
(11)
No equipment or process shall be used which creates noise, vibration, glare, fumes, odors, dust or electrical interference detectable to the normal senses off the lot or creates interference in any radio or television receivers off the lot.
(12)
Frequent and repetitive servicing by commercial vehicles for supplies and materials shall not be permitted.
(14)
A certificate of occupancy is required for all home occupations or home professional offices.
§ 180-137 Accessory relative apartments.
[Added 11-5-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-11]
A.
General standards. Accessory relative apartments are permitted by right within the RA, R80, R40, R20, R12, UR, and VC Zoning Districts subject to the following criteria:
(1)
The habitable floor area of the accessory apartment shall be no less than 200 square feet and no greater than 900 square feet. No more than two relatives may occupy the accessory apartment at any one time.
(2)
Only one accessory apartment may be permitted within a single-family detached dwelling or on a single-family detached lot. Accessory apartments may not be permitted as a separate structure.
(3)
The lot area and dimensions of the principal dwelling and the accessory apartment combined must meet the minimum lot area and dimensional requirements for the applicable zoning district.
(4)
The applicant shall submit a plan and supplementary documentation to establish compliance with the dimensional requirements of the zoning district.
(5)
Utilities:
(a)
For sewage disposal and water supply and all other utilities, the accessory apartment shall be physically connected to those systems serving the principal dwelling. No separate utility systems or connections shall be constructed or used. All connections shall meet the applicable utility company standards.
(b)
If on-site sewer or water systems are to be used, the applicant shall submit evidence showing that the total number of occupants in both the principal dwelling and the accessory apartment will not exceed the maximum capacities for which the on-lot systems were designed, unless those systems are to be expanded, in which case the expansion approvals are to be submitted. Any connection to or addition to an existing on-site sewer system shall be subject to the review and approval of the Sewage Enforcement Officer.
(6)
A minimum of one all-weather off-street parking space, with unrestricted ingress and egress to the street, shall be provided for the accessory apartment, in addition to that required for the principal dwelling.
(7)
Except for an exterior stairway, the architectural character of the principal dwelling shall not be altered in a manner that departs from the primary feature of the building as a single-family detached dwelling unit.
[Amended 6-3-2009 by Ord. No. 2009-03]
(8)
An accessory apartment may only be permitted and may continue in use only as long as the occupant(s) is a person(s) related to the occupants of the principal dwelling. The accessory apartment shall be discontinued from use within three months after it is no longer occupied by a qualified person(s).