Mount Jewett City Zoning Code
ARTICLE III
Applications of District Regulations
§ 450-300 District regulations.
A.
No structure or land shall hereafter be used or occupied, and no structure shall hereafter be erected, constructed, reconstructed, moved or structurally altered unless in conformity with all of the regulations of the district in which it is located except as may be otherwise provided in this chapter.
B.
There shall be only one dwelling per lot in any district, unless the owner of the lot does a minor or major subdivision following the guidelines of the McKean County Planning Commission.
C.
No part of a yard, open space, parking space or loading space required for a structure under this chapter shall be included as part of a yard, open space, parking space or loading space similarly required for another structure.
D.
No yard, lot or parking space now existing shall be reduced in size below the minimum requirements of this chapter. Yards or lots created after the effective date of this chapter shall meets its minimum requirements.
§ 450-301 General exceptions to lot size requirements.
If a property ownership, consisting of the entire contiguous land holdings held in a single ownership at the time of passage of this chapter, has an area or dimension which does not meet the lot size requirements of the zone in which the property is located, the holdings may be occupied by a use permitted in the zone subject to the other requirements of the zone, providing that if there is an area deficiency, residential use shall be limited to a single-family dwelling or to the number of dwelling units consistent with the density requirement of the zone. The record of ownership as recorded in the office of the County Recorder of Deeds at the time of passage of this chapter shall be the basis for application of this exception unless the owner submits proof that a different ownership existed at the time the provisions of this chapter became applicable to the land concerned.
§ 450-302 Exemptions.
This article shall not apply to any existing or proposed building, or extension thereof, used or to be used by a public utility corporation, if, upon petition of the corporation, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission shall, after a public hearing, decide that the present or proposed situation of the building in questions is reasonably necessary for the convenience or welfare of the public.
§ 450-303 Uniformity.
Within each district, the regulations established by this chapter shall be a minimum regulation and shall be applied uniformly to each call or kind of structure or land.
§ 450-304 Fences.
Fences shall be permitted in accordance with the following standards:
A.
"R," "CR," "I," "AC" Districts.
(1)
The front yard setback shall be at least eight feet from the roadway cartways and a half foot from any sidewalks. All fences shall be set back a minimum of 18 inches from all side and rear yard property lines.
(2)
Fences shall not be placed in public rights-of-way or easements.
(3)
Fences shall not be higher than four feet in the front yard, extending to the place of the front of the house.
(4)
Fences shall not be higher than six feet on the side yards, extending from the place of the front of the house to the rear yard fence. A rear yard fence shall not be higher than eight feet. Multiple-frontage lots shall be treated as front yards.
(5)
No fence shall be installed which is constructed of barbs, electrically charged, continuous coil or single-strand coil, with the exception in the "AC" District.
(6)
The "AC" District may utilize fences constructed of barbs, electrically charged or single-strand wire when such is made highly visible by color coating or color tagging.
B.
Construction standards.
(1)
All fenced erected must be of good quality and must be firmly and sturdily footed in the ground.
(2)
All fences shall be maintained in a sturdy and good condition. Fences which become loose, rusted or rotted, whether in whole or in part, shall be repaired, replaced or removed.
(3)
Any fence that cannot support the weight of a 150-pound man without bending, breaking, leaning or moving shall be deemed not to be sturdy.
(4)
Any fence which is made of a metal fabric or which is partially made of any metal fabric shall be galvanized or otherwise treated to prevent the formation of rust, and the metal used in the fabric shall be at least 11-gauge or heavier.
C.
Fences, barriers and gates for swimming pools shall comply with the applicable requirements of the Uniform Construction Code.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
§ 450-305 Signs.
The purpose of these sign regulations is to control the use of signs in terms of numbers, type, size and location, to encourage aesthetically pleasing design and to enable the fair and consistent enforcement of these sign regulations. A sign may be erected, placed, established, painted, created or maintained in the Borough only in conformance with standards, procedures, exemptions and other requirements of this section.
A.
Temporary signs such as signs advertising the sale, rental or development of property, temporary signs indicating the location and direction of the premises and not exceeding four square feet in an area; and temporary signs erected by churches, schools, civic organizations or other similar institutions, provided that the area of the sign does not exceed 16 square feet in area. All temporary signs shall not be erected or displayed more than 180 days.
B.
Permanent announcement signs designating professional offices such as those of a surgeon, attorney, engineer, architect, or similar professional person, provided that such signs do not exceed 12 square feet in area; and permanent signs erected by churches, schools, civic organizations or other similar institutions, provided that the area of the sign does not exceed 12 square feet.
C.
Signs advertising the sale of products at roadside stands are permitted if they do not exceed eight square feet in total area and are located on the premises of the owner-operator or resident of the stand. Signs are allowed only between May 1 and November 1.
D.
In addition to the other requirements of this section, every sign referred to herein must be removed within 30 days after the circumstances leading to its erection no longer apply.
E.
A permanent identification sign for a mobile home park shall be permitted in accordance with the other requirements of this subsection; provided, however, that such a sign does not exceed 12 square feet in area.
F.
In addition to the other requirements of this section, every sign referred to herein must be constructed of durable materials, kept in repair and not allowed to become dilapidated.
G.
All signs must be below the sills of second-story windows. The exception shall be signs painted upon second-story windows.