Springettsbury Township
City Zoning Code
City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XXVII
Accessory Uses
§ 325-133 Accessory uses defined.
Uses and structures normal, incidental and subordinate to the uses allowed as permitted uses in any zone are allowed as accessory uses and structures, subject to the provisions of this article.
§ 325-134 Accessory use development requirements.
[Amended 4-22-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-04]
All accessory structures must comply with the following provisions:
A.
Ownership. Accessory uses shall be operated and maintained under the same ownership and on the same building lot as the primary use.
B.
Location. An accessory building or structure must be located to the rear of the principal building or structure. The rear setback shall be 10 feet. All required side setbacks shall be maintained.
C.
Bulk. Accessory uses shall be subordinate in area, bulk, extent, and purpose to the primary use. The height of an accessory building or structure shall be less than or equal to that of the primary structure. The total square footage of all accessory buildings on a building lot shall not exceed 50% of the main floor area of the primary building or 25% of the rear or side yard area.
D.
Agricultural buildings in the R-R district are exempt from the size limitation requirements of § 325-134C.
E.
Timing. Accessory uses shall not be permitted on a lot prior to the erection of the primary building.
F.
Easements. Accessory uses shall not encroach upon, as the primary building shall not encroach upon, any platted easement.
G.
Height. For all residential uses, accessory buildings and structures shall be limited to 18 feet in height.
§ 325-135 Child day-care centers and child day-care homes.
A.
A child day-care center shall be permitted in R-1, R-7, R-10, R-20, N-C and N-C/H Districts only where such use is accessory to a house of worship, public or private school.
B.
A child day-care center shall be permitted by special exception in the R-R District only where such use is accessory to a house of worship, public or private school.
C.
Child day-care centers shall be permitted in the M-U, C-H and B-I Districts where such use is the primary use or accessory to a house of worship, public or private school or the principal use of any permitted use in the respective zones.
D.
Child day-care centers shall be permitted in the G-I District only where such use is an accessory to a house of worship, public or private school or the principal use of any permitted use in the respective zones.
E.
A child day-care home may be conducted in any zoning district in a detached, semidetached or attached single-family dwelling as defined in Article II.
F.
All child day-care facilities must apply for and be granted a use and occupancy permit prior to commencing operation.
G.
Proof of certification and/or registration by the State of Pennsylvania, where required, must be submitted to the Township. Any subsequent changes and/or recertification shall also be provided to the Township
H.
At least one off-street parking space for each person employed, plus one off-street space for each four children to be served by the facility, in addition to the off-street parking requirements for single-family detached homes, shall be provided.
I.
Whenever a child day-care center is located in a G-I District, in a building which is also used and occupied for industrial purposes, the Fire Department of the Township shall conduct semiannual inspections, at a fee to be set by a fee schedule established by the Township, to determine whether the industrial occupants of such building are storing or processing combustible or flammable materials in such quantities as to be considered hazardous to the health, safety or welfare of the occupants of the child day-care center. Should such materials in such quantities be found to exist, the Fire Department shall require the industrial occupant or occupants upon whose premises the condition exists to correct or abate the same within 30 days. If at the end of said thirty-day period, upon a further inspection, the condition shall not have been corrected or abated, then the Fire Department shall require the child day-care center to cease and terminate its operations at such locations within 30 days of the date of notice.
§ 325-135.1 Energy conversion systems.
[Added 3-24-2011 by Ord. No. 2011-04]
C.
Private use wind energy systems shall be permitted as accessory uses in all zoning districts except for R-7, subject to the provisions in Energy Conversion Systems, Article XXXIV of this chapter.
§ 325-136 Gazebos.
Gazebos may be erected in accordance with the following provisions:
A.
A gazebo shall not be erected except in the lot area behind a line drawn horizontally with the rear of the major part of the dwelling to each side lot setback line drawn to meet ordinance side yard requirements for that zone.
B.
A gazebo shall not be erected in any portion of the side yard and not less than 10 feet from the rear lot line.
C.
The height of any gazebo erected in a residential zone shall not exceed 12 feet in height.
§ 325-137 No-impact home-based business.
The business or commercial activity must satisfy the following requirements:
A.
The business activity shall be compatible with the residential use of the property and surrounding residential uses.
B.
The business shall employ no employees other than family members residing in the dwelling.
C.
There shall be no display or sale of retail goods and no stockpiling or inventory of a substantial nature.
D.
There shall be no outside appearance of a business use, including but not limited to parking, signs or lights.
E.
The business activity may not use any equipment or process which creates noise, vibration, glare, fumes, odors or electrical or electronic interference, including interference with radio or television reception, which is detectable in the neighborhood.
F.
The business activity may not generate any solid waste or sewage discharge, in volume or type, which is not normally associated with residential use in the neighborhood.
G.
The business activity shall be conducted only within the dwelling and may not occupy more than 25% of the habitable floor area.
H.
The business shall apply for and be granted a business license by the Springettsbury Township Tax Collector prior to commencing operation.
§ 325-138 Recreational vehicles, boats and trailers on-lot parking and storage.
[Amended 9-27-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-06]
A.
Recreational vehicles, boats and trailers may be parked or stored in any zoning district, provided the recreational vehicle, boat or trailer is solely owned by the owner of the property upon which it is stored, and that the unit can be parked or stored in a safe and secure manner so as not to be a hazard to either persons or property. The parking or storing of recreational vehicles in all residential zoning districts shall be subject to the following regulations. When any of the terms "recreational vehicle," "boat" or "trailer" are used, the regulation(s) shall apply to each.
B.
Classes of vehicles.
(1)
Class I: a recreational vehicle with a body length of less than 28 feet excluding the tongue and a height of less than eight feet when measured from the parking surface to highest point of the vehicle. Minor portions of such equipment not exceeding four square feet in vertical cross section as viewed from the adjacent lot line, but not more than 10 feet in height from the parking surface, are permitted.
(2)
Class II: a recreational vehicle with a length of 28 feet or more excluding the tongue or a height of eight feet or more.
C.
Number. The number of recreational vehicles permitted to be parked or stored on a premises in residential districts shall be governed by the following provisions:
(1)
No limit is placed on the number of Class I or Class II recreational vehicles that are parked or stored within a fully enclosed building.
(2)
The following alternative numerical limits are applicable to Class I and Class II recreational vehicles when either one is located outside of a fully-enclosed building:
D.
Storage location.
(1)
Parking or storage is permitted at any time inside a fully enclosed building, which building conforms to the zoning requirements of the particular district.
(3)
Front yard setback. Any yard that is adjacent to a public street is a front yard for purposes of this section. Front yard storage is permitted only if the recreational vehicle is located 100 feet from the public right-of-way.
(6)
Parking or storage is prohibited in any right-of-way.
E.
Parking surface. All motorized recreational vehicles shall be stored on hard-surfaced driveways or on a hard surface. Acceptable materials include the following:
(1)
Concrete or asphalt.
(2)
Pavers or brick.
(3)
Crushed rock or gravel with underlying weed barrier, provided that loose material must remain within the parking area and not be deposited on adjacent lots, sidewalks or public rights-of-way.
(4)
Other materials deemed to serve a similar protective function as determined by the Zoning Officer.
(5)
When the parking area is separate from a driveway, the approach between the driveway and parking area is not required to be paved.
F.
While parked or stored, a recreational vehicle, boat or trailer:
[Added 8-23-2018 by Ord. No. 2018-10]
(1)
Shall not be used or occupied for dwelling purposes. Cooking shall not be permitted at any time.
(2)
Shall not be permanently or temporarily connected to sewer lines or permanently connected to a waterline. A unit may be temporarily connected to a waterline while being loaded, unloaded or serviced. Any outdoor electrical lines or service for the recreational vehicle shall conform to the requirements of the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code.
(3)
May be parked anywhere on the lot during active loading, unloading or servicing of the unit for a period of time not in excess of 36 hours, provided that it:
G.
All recreational vehicles must be currently operable, registered and inspected in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
§ 325-139 Residential decks and patios.
A.
A residential deck or patio, whether attached to the dwelling or not, can be erected within the building area of any residential zoned lot, but cannot be constructed to encroach into any required setback of that lot.
[Amended 4-22-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-04]
§ 325-140 Satellite antennas, dishes and other antennas.
Wireless antennas and dishes shall be considered as a permissible accessory use, subject to the following:
A.
In commercial and industrial zoning districts:
(1)
Satellite antennas up to 16 feet in diameter may be installed and, when ground mounted, the total height of the satellite antennas shall not exceed 20 feet.
(2)
A ground-mounted satellite antenna shall be located no closer than 10 feet to any property line.
(3)
Roof-mounted satellite antennas shall be permitted, provided the diameter of the antenna does not exceed three feet and the total height of the satellite antenna does not exceed five feet above the roof peak.
(4)
Microwave antennas shall be properly anchored and installed to resist wind and snow loads. Supports, anchors and foundations shall take into account overturning movements and forces created by wind loading.
(5)
No satellite antenna may be erected in any district or any location within a district which is prohibited by regulations of the Federal Communications Commission or other regulatory agency having jurisdiction.
B.
In residential districts, the following types of antennas may be installed:
§ 325-141 Swimming pools.
A.
Location and setback. The swimming pool shall be located within the rear of the dwelling and shall observe the side yard setback for the appropriate district. The setback from the rear property line shall be a minimum of 10 feet for all districts. The setback shall include the deck, pad or apron around the pool.
B.
Fencing/gate requirements. Every outdoor swimming pool, except as noted in Subsection C below, shall be completely surrounded by a fence or wall not less than four feet in height, which shall be so constructed as not to have openings, holes or gaps larger than four inches in any dimension. If a picket fence is erected or maintained, the horizontal or vertical dimension of space between pickets shall not exceed four inches. A dwelling house or accessory building may be used as part of such enclosure. All gates or doors opening through such enclosure shall be equipped with a self-closing and self-latching device for keeping the gate or door securely closed at all times when not in actual use, except that the door of any dwelling which forms a part of the enclosure need not be so equipped.
[Amended 4-22-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-04]
C.
Aboveground pool requirements. All aboveground pools, whether installed permanently or on a temporary basis, with a wall height of 36 inches or greater, shall have access only by a removable ladder. If a deck or steps are constructed, then a fence four feet in height shall enclose the pool.
[Amended 4-22-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-04]
§ 325-142 Utility sheds and greenhouses.
Storage sheds, tool sheds and greenhouses may be erected in accordance with the following provisions:
A.
Sheds and greenhouses shall not be erected except to the rear of a dwelling.
C.
Sheds and greenhouses shall not have a floor area exceeding 150 square feet nor a height in excess of eight feet.
[Amended 4-22-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-04]
D.
Not more than one shed or greenhouse shall be permitted per lot in the R-1, R-7, R-10 and R-20 Zoning Districts.
§ 325-142.1 Research and testing laboratory as an accessory use.
[Added 1-10-2019 by Ord. No. 2019-01]
A research and testing laboratory may be conducted as an accessory use to a principal general office or professional office use under this section, as designated in this section, subject to compliance with the following requirements:
A.
The lot or parcel on which the principal use and accessory use are conducted shall not be less than three acres.
C.
The research and testing laboratory accessory use shall be conducted on the same lot or parcel as the principal use.
D.
The accessory use shall not cause to be disposed of in the Township's sanitary sewer system any toxic or hazardous substances.
E.
No products or materials on the property for purposes of testing shall be stored outside.
F.
The accessory use shall comply in all respects with the requirements of Article XXVIII of the Zoning Ordinance, pertaining to performance standards.
H.
The use or storage of a hazardous substance, as defined in this section, is permitted only in the General Industrial Zoning District.