Continuation and Change. A nonconforming use may be sold or otherwise transferred to other owners and may be continued, but shall not be changed in use unless to a conforming use.

Enlargement or Expansion.

Damage and Reconstruction. Any structure which houses a nonconforming use which is damaged by fire, flood, explosion or other casualty may be reconstructed and used as before if such reconstruction is initiated and diligently pursued within 12 months of such casualty and if the restored structure has no greater lot coverage and contains no greater cubic content than before such casualty.

Abandonment. In the event that any nonconforming use conducted in a structure or on a lot is abandoned for a period of 12 consecutive months or longer, such nonconforming use shall be deemed to be abandoned and shall not be resumed. Once the nonconforming use is abandoned, the building or structure and/or lot shall not be used except in conformance with the regulations of the zoning district in which it is located.

Structural Alteration. No nonconforming structure shall be enlarged or structurally altered in a way that increases its nonconformity.

Damage or Destruction. If a nonconforming structure is partially or completely damaged or destroyed by fire, collapse, explosion or other disaster, it may be reconstructed or repaired provided that the reconstruction and repair activities for the structure commence within one year of the date that the original structure was damaged or destroyed, and are completed within two years of the date that the original structure was damaged or destroyed. However, reconstruction or repair shall not make the structure more nonconforming, in any respect, than it was prior to damage or destruction.

Moving. Should a nonconforming structure be moved for any reason for any distance, it shall thereafter conform to the requirements of the zoning district in which it is located.

Signs.

Repair or Maintenance. Nothing in this chapter shall be deemed to prevent the strengthening or restoring to a safe condition of any structure or part thereof declared to be unsafe by any official charged with protecting the safety of the populace.

Where two or more adjacent lots of record with continuous frontage have less than the required area and width and are held by one owner, the lots shall be considered to be an undivided lot for the purpose of complying with this chapter. No division of any lot shall be made which does not comply with the requirements of this chapter. Any change in lot lines necessary to meet the minimum requirements of this chapter shall constitute a revision to the recorded plan and shall meet all applicable requirements of the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance [Chapter 22].

Any lot of record existing at the effective date of this chapter and held in separate ownership different from the ownership of adjoining lots may be developed in accordance with the requirements of the zoning district of the lot of record.

Where structures exist on adjacent nonconforming lots of record which have front yards less than the minimum depth required, the minimum front yard for an adjacent undeveloped nonconforming lot of record shall be the average depth of the nonconforming front yards on the adjacent developed nonconforming lots which are in the same block on the same side of the street and in the same recorded plan as the undeveloped lot. Private garages, sheds, swimming pools and similar structures shall be located to the rear of the principal structure and may be permitted in the rear yard, provided that they are located no closer than 10 feet from the rear property line and are not on any easements or rights-of-way, unless otherwise provided in Part 5 of this chapter.

A residential lot existing at the time of this chapter's adoption, which does not meet the lot area/dwelling unit, frontage, front, side or rear yard setbacks listed under the conventional development option shall not be considered to be nonconforming in lot area/dwelling unit, frontage, front, side, or rear yard setbacks if it meets the minimum lot area/dwelling unit, frontage, front, side, and rear setbacks of the cluster lot development option.