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Port Washington City Zoning Code

ARTICLE XI

Accessory Uses and Structures

§ 485-38 General requirements for accessory uses and structures.

A. 
Any accessory use or structure shall conform to the applicable regulations of the district in which it is located except as specifically otherwise provided.
B. 
Any accessory use or structure not identified hereafter shall not be permitted unless approved by the Plan Commission.
C. 
No accessory use or structure shall be permitted that by reason of noise, dust, odor, appearance or other objectionable factor creates a nuisance or substantial adverse affect on the property value or interferes with the reasonable enjoyment of the surrounding properties.
D. 
Any permanent roofed structure serving an accessory use, if attached to the principal building, shall be considered as part of such principal building for all regulatory purposes. If such structure is a building and is not attached to the principal building it shall conform to the building location, height, and open space requirements of the district in which such building is located.

§ 485-39 Detached garages.

A. 
The primary use of the garage must be the required parking use.
B. 
No garage or driveway shall be used to carry on any contracting or repair business.
C. 
No more than one detached garage is permitted on a lot.
D. 
A detached garage shall have a floor area not greater than 720 square feet with doors that will accommodate no more than three vehicles, except that, in lieu of a permitted accessory shed, a storage area not exceeding 150 square feet may be added on to a garage if the floor area of the garage, before such addition, does not exceed the 720 square feet maximum allowed.
E. 
Subject to the maximum floor area limitation provided in Subsection D hereof, no detached garage shall have a floor area greater than 60% of the floor area of the principal building on the lot.
F. 
Only one floor is permitted, and the slope of the roof of the garage need not match the slope of the roof of the principal structure. The attic space immediately below the roof of the garage may be used for purposes of a recreation room, a home office in which the space used is incidental to the primary residential use, or similar activities accessory to the principal residence, but excluding bathrooms.
[Amended 6-21-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-9]
G. 
Carports or covered storage areas are permitted only when attached to an approved structure and shall be included when calculating the structure's maximum permitted floor area. Carports and covered storage are not permitted as stand-alone structures.
H. 
If a premises has an existing attached garage structure, no detached garage shall be permitted except upon the following conditions, which are hereby made a part of any permit so issued:
(1) 
The existing driveway shall be removed and landscaped.
(2) 
The garage door(s) shall be removed and the wall shall be remodeled to be compatible with the existing building.
(3) 
Subsection H(1) and (2) shall be completed within one year of the date of issuance of the garage permit.
(4) 
Any further remodeling of the interior shall require a separate permit.

§ 485-40 Sheds.

A. 
No more than two accessory buildings shall be permitted on a lot.
B. 
The maximum height of a shed shall be 15 feet.
C. 
The maximum floor area of a shed shall be 150 square feet.
D. 
Covered storage areas are permitted only when attached to an approved structure and shall be included when calculating the structure's maximum permitted floor area.
E. 
Sheds shall be constructed of solid common building materials or kits of premolded plastic-like materials commonly found in home improvement stores.
F. 
Foundations are not required unless the shed is constructed of masonry materials.
G. 
The shed shall be anchored to the ground to prevent uplift.

§ 485-41 Fences.

A. 
Fences shall be constructed of masonry, wood or other common fencing materials available from retail suppliers and fencing contractors. Materials such as barbed wire, chicken wire, snow fencing, safety fencing, doors, etc., shall not be permitted.
B. 
Structural supports of the fence shall face the interior of the lot and be capable of supporting the fence and the wind loads imposed on it.
C. 
Except for structural supports, both sides of a fence shall be constructed of the same materials and shall be of the same color and appearance.
D. 
Fences shall be plumb and straight when fully erected.
E. 
Fences are permitted to be erected up to the lot line.
F. 
The maximum height of a fence, or any portion thereof, located within the setback area shall be four feet. Outside of the setback area, within the offset area, and in all other areas on the lot a fence may be a maximum of six feet in height, except that:
(1) 
An additional two inches of height shall be permitted to hold fencing materials above grade and to allow for slight variation in grades.
(2) 
An eight-inch step in the top of an eight-foot-long section of fencing shall be permitted to allow for sloped yards.

§ 485-42 Other accessory structures.

A. 
Walks, patios, drives and purely decorative garden accessories such as manufactured ponds, fountains, statuary, etc., that are less than four feet in height are permitted in the setback and offset areas but in no event shall they be located closer than three feet to any lot line.
B. 
Arbors or trellises used to cover or embellish an entryway that are less than seven feet in height shall be permitted in the setback and offset areas but in no event shall they be located closer than three feet to any lot line.
C. 
Decks, arbors, trellises, walls, poles, children's play apparatus, lattice or other screening devices and other approved structures shall conform to the applicable regulations of the district in which they are located.
D. 
Retaining walls shall be permitted in the setback and offset areas, except that:
(1) 
Retaining walls shall not be closer than three feet to an abutting lot line.
(2) 
No individual wall shall exceed six feet in height, and a terrace of at least three feet in width shall be provided between any series of such walls.
E. 
Attached antennas and satellite dishes six feet or less in height measured vertically from base to vertex, including all mounting hardware and related equipment, shall be permitted.
F. 
Solar devices, windmills, and all antennas and satellite dishes and similar devices exceeding six feet in height, measured vertically from base to vertex, including mounting hardware and related equipment, shall not be permitted unless approved by the Plan Commission.
G. 
Any temporary structure serving as an accessory use may be permitted with the approval of the Plan Commission.

§ 485-43 Special exceptions.

A. 
Upon submittal of a building, site and operational plan, the Plan Commission may grant a special exception to the setback, offset, height, and open space requirements of the zoning district in which an accessory structure is located if the Commission determines that granting such special exception would not have a substantial adverse affect on surrounding properties by reason of noise, dust, odor, appearance or other objectionable factors, nor create a nuisance or substantial adverse affect on the property value or interfere with the reasonable enjoyment of the surrounding properties.
B. 
In granting a special exception, the Plan Commission may require such architectural treatment, screening by landscape or architectural means, lighting requirements or limitations, or other measures which, in the judgment and discretion of the Commission, shall be necessary conditions of such special exception.