A subordinate building or use, the use of which is incidental to and customarily found in connection with the main building or use, and located on the same lot with the main building or use. An accessory use shall not exceed 1/4 of the use or area of the main business or building.

Any use, such as an adult bookstore, adult movie theater, or adult magazine racks, which has books, materials, movies, illustrations, or other activities which depict sexual or erotic behavior.

A public thoroughfare which affords only a secondary means of access to abutting property. An alley is not to be used for through traffic or as primary access to a property.

A dwelling unit used exclusively for lease or rent as a residence.

A street which accommodates large volumes of comparatively high-speed traffic from one area of the City to another.

Any structure or building having a common wall with another structure or building.

An owner-occupied dwelling, other than a hotel, motel, tourist facility or boardinghouse, in which lodging or boarding is offered to the public for compensation and where food is available for those who are resident. A bed-and-breakfast inn shall offer short-term tourist-oriented lodging to the public, whereas a boardinghouse shall offer more permanent lodging to a non-tourist clientele.[1]

A freestanding pole sign at least 128 square feet in size and eight feet above the ground surface which advertises or directs attention to a business product, service, or event, not appurtenant to the use(s) of the property on which it is located.

Property bounded on one side by a street, railroad, right-of-way, waterway, unsubdivided area, or other definite boundary.

A dwelling, other than a hotel, motel, tourist facility, or bed-and-breakfast inn, where, for compensation and by prearrangement, food and/or lodging are provided for five or more persons, 18 years of age older, unrelated by blood or marriage, including sorority and fraternity houses.

A shop where vehicle exteriors are replaced and reconditioned. Waxing, prefabrication, stripping, or similar activity shall not be considered body work.

Any structure having a roof supported by columns or walls for the shelter or enclosure of persons or property.

The area of a lot that is or may be occupied by buildings or structures pursuant to the requirement of this chapter.

The depth of the lot remaining to be built upon after the required front and rear yards are provided.

The vertical distance from the grade to the highest point of the coping of a flat roof or to the deck line of a mansard roof, or to the average height of the highest gable of a pitch or hip roof.

The width of the lot remaining to be built upon after the required side yards are provided.

A commercial or publicly sponsored establishment for the day or night care of more than six individuals under the age of 18, not to include a halfway house.

Any religious, nonprofit organization with a membership of more than 10 persons. Any secular commercial use associated with a church that involves the sale of merchandise shall be subject to the requirements of this chapter pertaining to that use and shall not be considered as a church use for the purposes of this chapter.

An area of unobstructed vision at street intersections, exits, or entrances over three feet above the finished grade of the street at the street corner which is bounded by:

An establishment where patients are not lodged overnight, but are admitted for examination or treatment by a physician, chiropractor, dentist, optometrist, or group that is practicing together. As used in this chapter, "clinic" does not refer to a veterinarian clinic.

Buildings and facilities owned or operated by a corporation, association, person or persons for a social, intellectual, educational, or recreational purpose, but not for profit; includes a lodge.

A street which carries moderate volumes of traffic from local or minor residential streets to arterial streets and highways, and is labeled as a major street in the City Street Plan.

A use that is considered compatible to a permitted use and is described as conditional in specific zones in Article VIII of this chapter. A conditional use shall limit and/or restrict those uses which would otherwise be permitted by right within a zone.

A residential, professional, commercial, official, or industrial development in which each unit is owned individually, whether the unit includes air space, walls, floors, or any combination thereof, and in which other areas and facilities within the development are owned and maintained jointly by a group, association or corporate entity. The ground beneath each unit is owned in common by the group, association, or corporate entity.

A retail sales establishment dealing primarily in groceries and sundry items which is typically open approximately 16 hours per day, seven days per week.

A minor street with one outlet, the end of which provides a circular turnaround.

A public easement that is dedicated for public use and is recorded as such in the office of the County Clerk. (See "easement.")

A unit, building, or structure that is apart or separate from another.

Any zone of the City of Socorro within which certain zoning and land use requirements are specified and are uniform, and which is designated on the Zoning Map.

A building arranged, intended or designed to be occupied by two families living independently of each other and having separate cooking facilities in each dwelling unit.

A building or unit thereof designed and used exclusively for residential occupancy.

A building or buildings designed for three or more families occupying separate, attached or detached living units.

A dwelling designed for and occupied exclusively by one family.

A building or buildings designed for two families occupying separate, attached or detached living units.

A nonpossessory interest held by one person, party, or entity in land of another, whereby that person is accorded particular use of such land for a specific use and enjoyment of his/her land. (See "dedicated easement.")

Persons related by blood or marriage, or a group of not more than five persons who need not be related by blood or marriage, living together as a single housekeeping unit in a dwelling.

An open-air market in which spaces are rented or leased for the purpose of selling secondhand articles and home crafts.

The gross square feet of a floor area within a building or portion thereof. For the purpose of this chapter, "floor area" and "gross floor area" shall be the same, and shall be based on the outside dimensions of a building as shown on a plot plan, and shall include interior balconies, mezzanines, stairwells, storage areas, mechanical equipment areas and basements.

Property on one side of a street measured along the line of the street.

An accessory building designed or used for the storage of not more than three motor-driven vehicles owned and used by the occupants of the building to which it is accessory. Not more than one of the vehicles may be a commercial motor vehicle of not more than two tons' capacity.

A building, or portion thereof, other than a private or storage garage, designed or used for servicing, repairing, equipping, hiring, selling or storing motor-driven vehicles.

A building or portion thereof designed or used exclusively for housing four or more motor-driven vehicles.

A business where the primary use is sale of motor vehicle fuels at retail prices.

The lowest point of elevation of the finished surface of the ground, paving, or sidewalk within the area between the building and property line or, when the property line is more than five feet from the building, between the building and a line five feet from the building.

That surface of a yard which directly abuts a wall, fence, building, or structure, or the average grade level, whichever is most appropriate.

A residential facility located in a structure or dwelling or any living unit thereof designed, used, or intended to be used as human habitation, with a principal use or goal of recovery or counseling from any physical, mental, emotional, penal, or legal infirmity in a family setting as part of a group rehabilitation or recovery program.

A geographically and culturally distinct area within the City of Socorro which is documented as dating from a particular significant period in history of the City and is associated with outstanding historical personages, events and/or an architectural style.

Any occupation or profession carried on by a member of a family residing on the premises and permitted in accordance with § 250-5.3 of this chapter. Signs used in conjunction with a home occupation shall conform to the requirements set forth in § 250-13.3A of this chapter.[2]

A building in which lodging or boarding is offered to the public and in which room assignments are made for compensation and in which entrance to and exit from all rooms is made through an inside lobby or office supervised by a person in charge at all times.

The ground area of a lot, tract, or parcel that is not penetrable by water, including, but not limited to, buildings, structures, pavement, sidewalks, and certain land covers for landscaping.

The use of a premises of any size for the storage, handling, dismantling, wrecking, keeping, or sale of wrecked or discarded automobiles and/or other vehicles and parts thereof, or for the storage of wood, plastic, fiber, or any other tangible scrap materials.

Any premises on which eight or more dogs, and/or eight or more cats, four months of age or older, are kept; and/or where the business of buying, selling, breeding, training, or boarding of dogs and/or cats is conducted; does not include veterinary hospitals, humane societies, or animal shelters or pounds approved by a governmental agency.

Any premises on which more than two dogs or two cats, or any combination thereof in excess of two animals, but not more than seven in number, four months of age or older are kept, and where the business of buying, selling, breeding, training, or boarding of dogs and/or cats is not carried on for primary business purposes.

A site which has been determined to be historically significant and worthy of preservation.

A district in which the uses, requirements and development standards are predominantly less intensive or are limited to a lesser extent than other districts. For example, an R-3 District is less restrictive than an R-1 District.

A portion of a legally platted subdivision that is shown as a lot, tract, or parcel of land and held in separate ownership, as shown on the record of the County Assessor. A "legal lot" is a parcel that has been divided in accordance with present or past zoning and subdivision requirements.

A lot abutting upon two or more streets at their intersection.

The mean horizontal distance between the front and rear lot lines.

A lot other than a corner lot.

A legal lot, tract, or parcel, the map or deed of which has been recorded in the office of the County Clerk of Socorro County prior to the effective date of this chapter.

The subdivision or division of a lot, tract or parcel of land into separate lots, tracts or parcels.

A lot fronting on three streets.

The width of a lot at the front property line.

A business enterprise or storage facility the primary purpose of which is the sale or storage of lumber in large quantities.

The primary building or buildings on a lot used for any use.

A manufactured home or modular home that is a single-family dwelling with a heated area of at least 36 feet by 24 feet and at least 864 square feet, constructed in a factory to the standards of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety standards of 1974 (42 U.S.C. § 5401 et seq.) and the Housing and Urban Development Zone Code II, or the Uniform Building Code (UBC), as amended to the date of the unit's construction, and installed consistent with the Manufactured Housing Act (NMSA 1978, Chapter 60, Article 14), with the regulations made pursuant thereto, relating to ground-level installation and ground anchors.

Small storage units, each used for the sole purpose of domestic storage for individuals and strictly prohibiting the use for a business activity.

A movable or portable housing structure larger than 40 feet in body length, eight feet in width or 11 feet in overall height, designed for and occupied by no more than one family for living and sleeping purposes, but does not include structures built to the standards of any municipal building code or other technical code.

A privately owned parcel of land within a mobile home subdivision, including required yards, parking areas, attached and/or detached accessory buildings and open spaces, used or intended to be used for setting up one mobile home. MHLs are the subdivided parcel of mobile home subdivisions and can be sold, fee simple, to prospective owners.

A privately owned tract of land at least two acres in size and in which mobile home and trailer spaces may be rented or leased for long-term residential use. It is also known as a "mobile home court" or "trailer court."

A parcel of land within a mobile home park rented or intended to be rented to prospective renters by the owner. MHSPs include required yards, parking yards, parking areas, attached and/or detached accessory buildings, open spaces and utilities.

A tract of land at least five acres in size, subdivided into mobile home lots designed for long-term residential use, with public streets and utilities for mobile homes.[3]

A district in which the uses, requirements, and development standards are predominantly more intensive or are limited to a greater extent than other districts. For example, an R-1 District is more restrictive than a R-3 District.

A building or buildings in which lodging and/or boarding are offered to the public for compensation, and which has separate entrance to the exterior from each unit with at least one parking space for each unit.

The use of land or a building, or a portion thereof, which does not conform to the current land use regulations of the zoning district in which it is located.

The use of property or land which creates unusual, unnecessary or undue problems or situations for persons in the vicinity that would not have normally occurred otherwise.

A mobile home (MH), modular home or manufactured home.

That area of a lot, tract or parcel not devoted to any building or structure.

A parcel of land devoted to unenclosed parking spaces.

A surfaced area, enclosed or unenclosed, sufficient in size to store one automobile, together with a surfaced driveway connecting the parking space with a street or alley and permitting ingress and egress of an automobile.

A building or structure which is permanently attached to a slab or foundation, the use of which is clearly incidental to the main building and which is located on the same lot. An accessory building shall not be used for a business or dwelling.

A roofed patio entrance or exit area, open on at least one side.

The office of a physician, dentist, attorney, accountant, or similarly trained persons that have a low traffic volume.

The official boundary of a parcel, lot or tract of land as designated by either a metes-and-bounds description or subdivision plat filed in the records and maps of the County Clerk.

Land area deeded, reserved or otherwise acquired by the City, the county or the State of New Mexico for public use or any other public entity.

Same as "halfway house."

A facility, at least two acres in size, designed to accommodate overnight parking of recreational vehicles, campers, and travel trailers.

A building or structure which has been officially designated as an historic site on the National Register of Historic Places or the New Mexico Register of Cultural Properties.

A building containing two dwellings units which share a common wall.

A building containing three or more dwelling units.

A single detached building containing one dwelling unit located on a lot with no other dwelling units.

A street of relatively short length and width that provides direct access to a limited number of abutting residential properties, and is designed to discourage its use for through traffic, designated as a local street on the City Street Plan.

An overhead structure used for protection or shielding from the sun, rain, or other elements of weather.

A school, conservatory, or business operated for a profit which is not approved by the state as a kindergarten, elementary, or secondary school, and where the primary function is instruction or teaching.

The use of walls, thick shrubbery or similar materials to minimize the potentially adverse impact of one land use on another.

A specific land use of unusual character or potentially incompatible in an area and which requires City Council approval for its use on one specific parcel of land, such use being subject to a particular set of conditions as approved in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, and not permitted by right in a zoning district.

The singling out of a lot or small area for a zoning change which is out of harmony with the Comprehensive Plan and surrounding land to secure special benefits for a particular property owner without regard for the rights of landowners.

A single-level area between a floor and its ceiling, excluding all subterranean building area.

A level measured from street surface to the top of an abutting curb.

The outermost boundary or property line of a street surface or the top of an abutting curb.

A private roadway which affords the traffic circulation within a development or parcel of land, and gives access to apartments, townhouses, condominiums, offices or businesses.

A public thoroughfare which affords the principal means of access to abutting property.

Any change in the supporting members of a building, bearing walls or partitions, columns, beams or girders, or any substantial change in the roof or in the exterior walls.

Anything constructed or erected between the ground and the sky, the use of which requires permanent location on the ground or attachment to something having permanent location on the ground.

A building or structure which is not attached permanently to a foundation, the use of which is clearly incidental to the main building and which is located on the same lot. An accessory building shall not be used for a business or dwelling.

A road giving public access to a property or parcel of land.

The distance between the ground surface level of a building or structure and the highest point of the structure.

A vertical structure whose principal function is to support an antenna.

Any single-family dwelling unit, including the land underneath, designed to be sold (fee simple) as a unit, but forming one of a group or series of two or more attached dwellings separated from one another by common property lines, but limited to a maximum of 10 attached units in one group.

Any movable or portable housing structure which does not conform to the definition of a recreational vehicle or to the minimum size requirements for a mobile home.

One who sells retail goods/services for profit on a transitory basis not associated with an existing permanent business, excluding fireworks vendors, carnivals, farmer's markets, and public festival or fiesta vendors.

When used in connection with residential zoning, a dwelling designed for and occupied exclusively by one family.

Open space within a lot, tract, parcel or development site, excluding areas devoted to roadways and parking. At least 1/2 of all areas designated as usable open space must have a slope of less than 10%.

The purpose for which land or a building is arranged, designed, maintained or occupied.

A building used primarily for storage of products or wares, in conjunction with retail stores, not including accessory uses, such as storerooms or stockrooms. Mini storage or self-storage of household goods and similar uses shall not be construed as a warehouse use.

The space on a lot unobstructed by buildings from the ground to the sky, including sidewalks, driveways, patios, and other ground-level surfaces.

The required yard between the front property line and a building or structure.

The required yard between a rear property line and a building or structure.

The required yard between the side property line and a building or structure.

Construction of a building where the edge of the building is coincident with the neighbor's property.