Patterson Township City Zoning Code
ARTICLE VI
R-1 Single-Family Residential District
§ 190-10 Purpose.
The R-1 Single-Family Residential District is intended to provide sites for low-density single-family residential uses, together with such public facilities and accessory uses as may appropriately be located in the same district. This district is intended to ensure adequate light, air, privacy and open space for each dwelling commensurate with low-density single-family occupancy and to maintain the residential quality of the sites by establishing appropriate site development standards.
§ 190-11 Permitted uses.
§ 190-12 Accessory uses.
[Amended 11-14-2024 by Ord. No. 483]
The following accessory uses shall be permitted in conjunction with authorized uses in the R-1 District: garages, carports, utility storage buildings, home gardening, playhouses, private greenhouses, swimming pools, tennis and similar courts, patios and similar facilities customarily incidental to private single-family activities. Accessory uses shall not include the raising, boarding, breeding, keeping or permitting of any livestock or poultry or any animals other than household pets on the premises, except for horses when approved as a conditional use.
A.
The keeping of chickens shall be allowed as an accessory use, subject to the requirements and standards in this section.
(1)
Any person wishing to engage in this accessory use shall submit an application for accessory use to the applicable zoning officer for review and approval, with the fee as established by resolution of the Township Board of Commissioners. There shall be submitted with all applications for the accessory use permit, two copies of a layout or plot plan drawn to scale showing the actual dimensions of the lot, the size and location of the coop and run and other such information as may be deemed necessary by the zoning officer to determine and provide for enforcement of this chapter. Approval shall be subject to the following standards:
(a)
For the first 4,000 square feet of any property, up to three chickens are allowed. An additional chicken is permitted for every additional 2,000 square feet. A maximum number of 10 chickens may be keep at once on a parcel.
(b)
No person shall keep or maintain a rooster.
(c)
The chicken coop shall be located in a backyard only, a minimum of 10 feet from any lot line, and shall be constructed to contain the chickens. Any chicken not contained shall be considered "running at large."
(d)
An outside run may be attached to the coop and must be 10 feet from any lot line and be constructed to contain the chickens. Any chicken not contained shall be considered "running at large."
(e)
All feed, water, and other items for keeping chickens shall be secured to prevent rats, mice, and other vermin from infesting.
(f)
Chicken feces must be properly collected, stored, and disposed of in a manner that prevents malodorous smells, nuisances, or other hazards.
(g)
The selling of chickens or chicken products for commercial purposes is prohibited.
(h)
Slaughtering and butchering of chickens is prohibited.
(i)
No chickens shall be kept in row house (townhouse) communities, apartment communities, multifamily or multiple-family dwellings, cluster developments, garden dwellings, or mobile home courts.
(2)
Each person who obtains an accessory use permit for the keeping of chickens, shall be required to annually file, with the zoning officer or designated representative, a registration renewal along with a fee to be set by resolution adopted by the Township Commissioners.
(3)
The zoning officer or designated representative shall inspect each property at least once annually. These annual inspections shall occur not withstanding more frequent inspections that may be required in the investigation of complaints regarding the property.
(4)
Nothing herein shall be interpreted to allow for the keeping of any other poultry, other than chickens.
(5)
No chickens shall be permitted to run at large.
§ 190-13 Conditional uses.
The following conditional uses may be permitted, subject to the issuing of a conditional use permit in accordance with the provisions of Article XIV of this chapter and the standards and criteria listed herewith:
A.
Limited home occupation, pursuant to the following standards and criteria:
(1)
Activities shall be limited to professional, technical or business pursuits which involve only office and office-related functions and practices.
(4)
All activities shall be conducted inside the principal dwelling structure and be free of any procedure, motion or action which could be construed as adversely influencing surrounding uses and site occupants or creating any nuisance factor in the immediate proximity.
(5)
No person other than members of the family residing on the premises shall be engaged in the occupation and involved in business activities in conjunction therewith at the site of the limited home occupation.
B.
Private recreation pursuant to the following standards and criteria:
C.
Keeping of horses and stables as an accessory use pursuant to the following standards and conditions:
(1)
Any horses to be kept on the property shall be owned by the residents of the property.
(2)
The horses shall be kept as pets or for personal enjoyment by residents.
(3)
The residents shall not engage in the business of buying or selling horses and shall not use the horses for any commercial purpose, but this shall not prevent the entering of the horses in shows or competitions off the premises.
(4)
The premises on which the horses are to be kept shall contain not more than one residence and shall be at least five acres in size. When determining the size of the lot for the purpose of this conditional use, all improved land (e.g., land with a residence or shed on it) and land scheduled to be improved is excluded from the calculation; however, land used or scheduled to be used for stables may be included with determining lot size. Should additional improvements be made after this calculation, the size of the lot shall be recalculated and the number of horses reduced (if required) to the new maximum. If more than one lot is combined for the purpose of meeting the minimum lot size requirements, the minimum/maximum requirements shall be recalculated if it is desired to remove the additional lot(s) from the calculation.
(5)
The number of horses permitted to be kept as an accessory use shall be limited to one horse for each full acre, over and above the five-acre minimum described in Subsection C(4) above.
(6)
A stable shall be provided that has an adequately sized stall for each horse to be kept. The stable shall be located a minimum of 100 feet from any property line. Requests for a waiver of the one-hundred-foot minimum distance may be presented along with supporting justification for this request.
(7)
All fence lines shall be a minimum of 20 feet from any property line (except for property lines of lots combined to meet the requirements of this conditional use).
(8)
The residents shall meet the following performance standards:
(a)
The stable shall be kept safe, clean and neat and in good repair.
(b)
The residents shall control odor, bugs, insects, vermin and rodents.
(c)
The residents shall keep unattended horses within the fenced enclosure(s), in the stable or attached to restraining devices and shall keep the fences and equipment in good repair. Fences constructed for the exterior fence line shall be constructed of wooden materials, woven wire, pipe or PVC materials and be at least 48 inches high with posts not more than 10 feet apart. Electric fence may be used for partition fences, where applicable, but shall not be used for an exterior fence. (Electric fencing may be attached to, but inside, the exterior fence.)
(d)
The fenced lot shall be so located and managed so that it does not become and remain muddy due to weather conditions, from surface drainage or from activity of the confined horses, and drainage should prevent any standing water from accumulating. The fenced area should not be extended to reach streams running through the property.
(e)
The residents shall not permit or allow manure piles or other wastes to accumulate which cause offensive odors or sights. Manure generally produces odors when it is allowed to accumulate. By eliminating these conditions, odor, fly and rodent problems can be minimized. The manure disposal area must be in a low-profile position, cause no nuisance and be at least 100 feet from a property line. Requests for a waiver of the one-hundred-foot minimum distance may be presented along with supporting justification for this request.
(f)
The installation of artificial lighting shall be such that it does not create a nuisance surrounding property owners.
(9)
All minimum lot, area and dimensional requirements are still applicable where they are not modified by the above requirements.
(10)
Any requirements for fencing or limitations on the fencing, as discussed in this conditional use, only apply to fences installed to meet the requirements of this conditional use.
§ 190-14 Lot, area and dimensional requirements.
The following requirements shall apply in the R-1 District:
A.
Minimum lot area shall be 20,000 square feet.
B.
Minimum lot width shall be 100 feet at the building line.
C.
Minimum front yard depth shall be 35 feet from the front lot line.
D.
Minimum side yard width on each side of the lot shall be 15 feet. The minimum side yard width on the street side of a corner lot shall be 25 feet.
E.
Minimum rear yard depth shall be 15 feet from the rear lot line.
F.
Not more than 30% of the total site shall be covered by structures.
G.
No structure shall exceed 35 feet in height.