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 at the effective date of adoption or amendment of this chapter. Such lot must be in a separate ownership and not of continuous frontage with other lots in the same ownership. This provision shall apply even though such lot fails to meet the requirements for area or width, or both, that are generally applicable in the district, provided that yard dimensions and other requirements not involving area or width or both, of the lot shall conform to the regulations for the district in which such lot is located. Variance of area, width, and yard requirements shall be obtained only through action of the Zoning Hearing Board.

If two or more lots or combinations of lots and portions of lots with continuous frontage in single ownership are of record at the time of passage or amendment of this chapter, and if all or part of the lots do not meet the requirements for lot width and area as established by parcel for the purposes of this chapter, and no portion of said parcel shall be used or sold which does not meet lot width and area requirement established by this chapter, nor shall any division of the parcel be made which leaves remaining any lot with width or area below the requirements stated in this chapter.

No such nonconforming use shall be enlarged or increased, nor extended to occupy a greater area of land than was occupied at the effective date of adoption or amendment of this chapter.

No such nonconforming use shall be moved in whole or in part to any other portion of the lot or parcel occupied by such use at the effective date of adoption or amendment of this chapter:

If any such nonconforming use of land ceases for any reason for a period of one year, any subsequent use of such land shall conform to the regulations specified by this chapter for the district in which such land is located.

No existing structure devoted to a use not permitted by this chapter in the district in which it is located shall be enlarged, extended, constructed, reconstructed, moved, or structurally altered except in changing the use of the structure to a use permitted in the district in which it is located, except that a single-family dwelling located in a C-1 district which is partially or totally damaged or destroyed by fire or other means may be reconstructed, provided the dwelling is rebuilt on the existing foundation and there is no increase in any nonconforming aspect of the dwelling.

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.

If no structural alterations are made, any nonconforming use of a structure, or structure and premises, may be changed to another nonconforming use provide that the Zoning Hearing Board, either by general rule or by making findings in the specific case, shall find that the proposed use is equally appropriate or more appropriate to the district than the existing nonconforming use. In permitting such change, the Zoning Hearing Board may require appropriate conditions and safeguards in accord with the provisions of this chapter.

Any structure, or structure and land in combination, in or on which a nonconforming use is superseded by a permitted use, shall thereafter conform to the regulations for the district in which such structure is located, and the nonconforming use may not thereafter be resumed.

When a nonconforming use of a structure, or structure and premises in combination, is discontinued or abandoned for one year, the structure, or structure and premises in combination, shall not thereafter be used except in conformance with the requirements of the district in which it is located.

Where nonconforming use status applies to a structure and premises in combination, removal or destruction of the structure shall eliminate the nonconforming status of the land.

No such structure may be enlarged or altered in any way which increases its nonconformity unless an enlargement or structural alteration makes the building more conforming or is required by law.

Should such structure be destroyed by any means to an extent of more than 50% of its replacement cost at the time of destruction, it shall not be reconstructed except in conformity with the provisions of this chapter.

Should such structure be moved for any reason for any distance whatever, it shall thereafter conform to the regulations for the district in which it is located after it is moved.

Structural alterations may be permitted if necessary to adapt a nonconforming building to new technologies or equipment pertaining to uses housed in such building. Any enlargement necessary to adapt to new technologies shall be authorized only by a variance.

The owner of a nonconforming use shall make an application for registration of the nonconforming use and upon presentation of documentation acceptable to the Zoning Officer that the use was lawfully in existence prior to the effective date of this chapter or any amendment thereto which created the nonconformity, the Zoning Officer shall register the same on a map and by Butler County Deed and Assessment Registry Block and Lot Number as a legal nonconforming use.

In the course of administering this chapter and reviewing applications for zoning certificates or variances, the Zoning Officer shall register all nonconforming lots and structures as they become known through the application process.