Within each district, the regulations set forth by this chapter shall apply uniformly to each class or kind of structure or land.

In their interpretation and application, the provisions of this chapter shall be held to be minimum requirements, adopted for the promotion of the public health, safety, morals or general welfare. Wherever the requirements of this chapter are at variance with the requirements of any other lawfully adopted rules, regulations, or ordinances, the most restrictive, or that imposing the higher standards shall govern. Unless deed restrictions, covenants, or other contracts directly involve the Town as a party in interest, the Town shall have no administrative responsibility for enforcing such deed restrictions or covenants.

No building, structure, or land shall hereafter be used or occupied, and no building, structure or part thereof shall hereafter be erected, constructed, reconstructed, moved or structurally altered unless in conformity with the regulations specified in this chapter for the district in which it is located.

A nonconforming use, structure, or characteristic of use shall not be changed to any other nonconforming use, structure, or characteristic of use unless the Zoning Board of Appeals finds that the new use, structure or activity is more in character with the uses permitted in the district, in which case the Zoning Board of Appeals may require appropriate conditions and safeguards in accord with the purpose of this chapter.

The minimum yard requirements of this chapter shall not be construed as prohibiting the conversion of an existing building, which does not meet the minimum yard requirements to another permitted use, so long as no further encroachment is made into the existing yards.

A nonconforming structure shall not be demolished and rebuilt as a nonconforming structure.

A nonconforming use, structure or characteristic of use shall not be extended, enlarged, or intensified except in conformity with this chapter, provided however, that any nonconforming use may be extended throughout any parts of a building which were manifestly arranged or designed for such use at the time of adoption or amendment of this chapter, but no such use shall be extended to occupy any land outside such building.

A nonconforming use, or characteristic of use, shall not be reestablished after vacancy, abandonment, or discontinuance for any period of six consecutive months, except where § 300-18F applies.

A nonconforming structure shall not be rebuilt, altered, or repaired except in conformity with this chapter after sustaining damage or necessitating repair exceeding 50% of the replacement cost of the structure at the time of damage or wear, provided that any permitted reconstruction shall begin within six months from the time of damage or notice of wear and shall be completed within 12 months after the issuance of a building permit.

On any building devoted in whole or in part to any nonconforming use, work may be done on ordinary repairs, or on repair or replacement of nonbearing walls, fixtures, wiring or plumbing, provided that the cubic content of the building as it existed at the time of passage or amendment of this chapter shall not be increased. Nothing in this chapter shall be deemed to prevent the strengthening or restoring to a safe condition of any building or part thereof declared to be unsafe by any official charged with protecting the public safety, upon order of such official.

An owner of a nonconforming mobile home may replace said nonconforming mobile home with a newer manufactured home in standard condition of equal or greater size, provided all setback, lot coverage, and other requirements of this Zoning Ordinance are met. The replacement manufactured homes shall have skirting to screen all transportable features of the manufactured homes. If an owner of a nonconforming mobile home discontinues said use for more than one year, the mobile home use shall not be re-established on the lot of record.

Single lots. In any district in which single-family dwellings are permitted, notwithstanding limitations imposed by other provisions of this chapter, a single-family dwelling and customary accessory buildings may be erected on any single lot of record on the effective date of this chapter, provided that setback requirements of the district are met. The Board of Zoning Appeals may grant a variance to setback requirements if the lot size and/or configuration would preclude the construction of a viable residential unit within the allowable buildable area.

Adjoining lots. If two or more adjoining lots with continuous frontage are in a single ownership at any time after the adoption or amendment of this chapter and such lots individually are too small to meet the yard, width, or area requirements of the district in which they are located, such groups of lots shall be considered as a single lot or several lots of minimum permitted size and the lot or lots in one ownership shall be subject to the requirements of this chapter.

Those objects which are excluded from the definition of a "structure" under § 300-5 above shall not be subject to regulation under interpretation of the definition of "yard."

Steps and open porches without roofs shall be allowed in any required yard.

Screening walls and fences over 30 inches in height that substantially impede vision may be permitted in a required yard as a special exception, however, screening walls and fences not over seven feet in height are permitted outright in side and rear yards.

Eaves, cornices, gutters, and other minor architectural features projecting less than 18 inches from the main portion of a building shall be allowed to project into any yard.

In C-1, LI and BI districts, structures and devices incidental to servicing, and roofs over such structures and devices are permitted within required front yards, provided that they do not constitute a substantial impediment to visibility across such yards which would contribute to the creation of traffic hazards, and further provided that servicing operations in connection therewith can be conducted so as not to interfere with public use of adjacent sidewalks or public streets.

Retaining walls in excess of 30 inches in height may be permitted as a special exception in any yard; however, retaining walls that do not project more than 30 inches above the grade level at the property lines of adjoining lots are permitted outright.

Signs are permitted to encroach upon required yards in certain instances as set forth in Part 9, Signs.

Screening between commercial or industrial uses and lots zoned residentially, as required by this chapter.

Apparatus needed for the operation of active and passive solar energy systems, including but not limited to overhangs, movable insulating walls and roofs, the attached solar collectors, reflectors, and piping.

Through lots. In the case of through lots, unless the prevailing front yard pattern on adjoining lots indicates otherwise, front yards shall be provided on all frontages. Where one of the front yards that would normally be required on a through lot is not in keeping with the prevailing yard pattern, the Planning Official may waive the requirement for the normal front yard and substitute therefore a special yard requirement which shall not exceed the average of the yards existing on adjacent lots.

Corner lots with two frontages. In the case of corner lots with two frontages, a front yard of the required depth shall be provided on the frontage of the street having the higher traffic volumes. Where the traffic volumes on both streets are approximately equal, the required depth shall be provided on the street frontage having the minimum lot width. A second front yard of half the depth required generally for front yards in the district shall be provided on the other frontage.

Corner lots with more than two frontages. In the case of corner lots with more than two frontages, the Planning Official shall determine the front yard requirements, subject to the following limitations:

Appropriateness of orientation. Notwithstanding the above, the Planning Official may determine that the most appropriate orientation for any required yard is different from the orientation as set forth above in such instances that it appears that such different orientation will further the intent of this chapter. When a structure is to be built which will contain more than one dwelling unit, the orientation of required yards shall be based upon both the orientation of the lot and the orientation of the structure. The Planning Official may impose an orientation of yards different from the orientation set forth in this section and elsewhere in this chapter subject only to appeal of such decision to the Board of Appeals as an appeal from an administrative decision of the Planning Official.