Whenever title to two or more contiguous lots is held by the same owner, regardless of whether or not each of the lots may have been approved as portions of a major subdivision or acquired by separate conveyance or by other operation of law, and one or more of the individual lots should, by reason of exceptional narrowness, shallowness, topographical conditions, substandard area or yard space, not conform to the minimum lot area and dimension requirements for the zone in which it is located, the contiguous lots of the owner, for the purposes of this chapter, shall be considered as a single lot, and the provisions of this chapter shall hold.