Washougal City Zoning Code

means the cessation of a use on the property, by the owner or lessee without any intent of transferring rights of the property to another owner or of resuming the use of the property.

means having property or land use district lines in common, or having property separated by only an alley. Separation by a street right-of-way shall not be considered abutting.

means one or more rooms with private bath and kitchen facilities comprising an independent, self-contained dwelling unit within or attached to an existing single-family detached dwelling or in a detached building on the same lot as the principal primary dwelling unit. An ADU is distinguishable from a duplex in that, unlike a duplex, it is clearly subordinate to the primary dwelling unit, both in use and appearance.

means an independent building, such as a garage, carport, greenhouse, or garden shed, customarily incidental to and located on the same lot occupied by the principal building. An accessory building or use is subordinate in area, extent or purpose to the principal building.

means any single-faced or multi-faced sign, billboard, banner, poster or visual display whose principal use is the advertising or promotion of a service or product not for sale or rent on the immediate premises. These shall include directional signs (those meant to direct pedestrian or vehicular traffic to a facility, service or business located on other premises).

means a public way 20 feet or less in width, which affords only a secondary means of access to adjoining property.

means any building or portion thereof, other than a townhouse or a residential condominium, used for or containing three or more dwelling units.

means the record owner or owners of a unit, area or lot of land proposing land development activities covered by this title and includes the authorized representatives of the record owner or owners.

means a dwelling unit which is utilized by the owner/operator as short-term lodging for travelers and guests.

(bioretention) means a shallow depression or planter combining vegetation with a specified soil mix designed to filter, transpire, and infiltrate runoff in a way that mimics natural drainage functions. Bioretention facilities can be cells, swales or planters. For the purposes of this title, "bioretention facility" includes rain gardens.

means a building other than a lodging service, where, for compensation, meals or lodging and meals are provided for four or more persons.

means an open space on a given lot, not covered by buildings, pavement, or service areas, that is located between incompatible land uses for the purpose of visibly separating uses through distance and to shield and block noise, light, glare or visual or other nuisances through screening. The width of the buffer is measured from the common property line and extending the developed portion of the common property line. A buffer consists of trees, shrubs, berming, screening, other natural vegetation undisturbed and replanted vegetation where sparsely vegetated or where disturbed for approved access and utility crossings.

means a structure, or combination of materials to form a structure, either temporary or permanent, above or below ground, having a roof or other covering and designed, built or used as shelter for persons or animals, or property of any kind.

means a building in which is conducted the main use of the property on which the building is located.

means the building official of the city of Washougal, who is charged to administer and enforce the building code.

means a permit required pursuant to the Washougal building code or this title.

means a line established by the minimum yard requirement as the minimum allowable distance between the wall of a building, and the street right-of-way or property line when measured perpendicularly thereto.

means a structure for enclosure of motor vehicles but which is not enclosed on all sides by a sight-obscuring wall and/or doors.

means a legal statement or document issued by the building official indicating that the building and use or reuse of a particular building or land is in conformity with all applicable codes and regulations, and that such building or land may be occupied for the purpose stated thereon.

means an institution that people regularly attend to participate in or hold religious services, meeting and other purposes, including education, day care and recreation facilities when owned and operated by such institution or sponsored by such institution.

means a building or facilities owned or operated by a group for social, educational or recreational purposes, but not customarily for profit nor to render a service that is customarily carried on for gain.

means any use of building and/or land that involves the provision of sports and leisure activities to the general public for a fee, conducted entirely within an enclosed building, including, but not limited to, billiard halls, amusement and video arcades, bowling alleys, ice and roller skating rinks, indoor physical fitness facilities and indoor racquetball courts.

means any use of building and or land that involves the provision of sports and leisure activities to the general public for a fee, conducted at least partially outside of a building and in the open air, including, but not limited to, outdoor firearms shooting ranges, golf driving ranges, miniature golf courses, batting cages, race tracks, horse and pony riding rinks, circuses and carnivals, and zoological gardens.

means the characteristics of different uses or activities that permit such uses or activities to be located near each other in harmony and without conflict. Some elements affecting compatibility include intensity of occupancy as measured by dwelling units per acre or gross square footage per acre; pedestrian or vehicle traffic generated; volume of goods handled; and such environmental effects such as noise, vibration, odor, glare, air pollution, visual pollution and radiation.

means the plans, maps, reports or any combination thereof which has been adopted in December of 1994 by the city council, including modifications which may be made from time to time and in accordance with the State Growth Management Act.

means a condition where specified facilities and services have or will have the necessary capacity to meet the adopted level of service standard at the time of impact of the development project, or within the standard of the six-year capital facilities plan.

means a use which would not be appropriate without restriction throughout a zoning district and is not automatically permitted by right within a zoning district, but which may be permitted within a zoning district subject to meeting specific conditions as contained in this title or as required during the review process.

means a residential structure of two or more units, the interior space of which are individually owned. The balance of the property (both land and building) is owned in common by the owners of the individual units. The balance of the property is called the common area.

means an establishment engaged in the provision of construction activities including but not limited to plumbing, electrical work, building, paving, carpentry and other such contracting activities, including the storage of materials and the overnight parking of commercial vehicles.

means a development of detached dwellings which has the following characteristics:

means a building and premises operated by any person, entity or agency that provides child care and early learning services outside a child's own home for periods of less than 24 hours. A day care center shall not be located in a private family residence unless the portion of the residence to which the children have access is used exclusively for the children during the hours the center is in operation or is separate from the usual quarters of the family. As used in this title, the term is not intended to include: babysitting services of a casual, nonrecurring nature or in the child's own home; or, cooperative, reciprocative child care by a group of parents in their respective homes.

means a residence operated by a "family day care provider" as defined by RCW 43.216.010 who provides early childhood education and early learning services for not more than 12 children in the provider's home in the family living quarters.

means the number of dwelling units developed, or to be developed, per gross acre of land, or the gross square footage of a building per gross acre of land.

means any manmade change to improved or unimproved real estate, including but not limited to expansion and major alteration to buildings or other structures, subdivision or short subdivision, mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation or drilling operations or change in the use of the land or structure upon it.

means the community development director of the city, who is by virtue of adoption of the regulations contained in this title authorized to administer, enforce and interpret these regulations.

means a retail or service enterprise wherein service is provided to the customer within a motor vehicle on the outside of a principal building.

means a building, on a single lot, designed or used for residence purposes by not more than two families, and containing two dwelling units.

means an establishment engaged in providing laundry, dyeing, alterations, and dry cleaning services to individual customers.

means an establishment engaged in providing laundry, dyeing and dry cleaning services on a large scale for institutions, businesses or other such establishments.

means one or more rooms designed as a unit, with kitchen facilities, for occupancy by one household for living and sleeping purposes.

means a retail service enterprise, mainly serving coffee beverages, to customers in vehicles from inside a structure.

means a retail service enterprise mainly serving coffee beverages from inside a structure at a service window to customers that walk up to the service window.

means facilities provided by government, substantially funded by government, contracted for by government, or provided by private entities subject to public service obligations, that are typically difficult to site, such as, but not limited to, airports, state education facilities, state or regional transportation facilities, solid waste handling facilities and in-patient facilities including substance abuse and mental health facilities. Any use defined as "essential public facilities" by the Clark County comprehensive plan and/or development regulations shall also be considered an essential public facility under the terms of this title. Notwithstanding any conflicting provisions of this title, essential public facilities are considered conditional uses, with the exception of solid waste transfer stations within the heavy industrial district.

means individuals customarily living together as a single housekeeping unit and using common cooking facilities related by genetics, adoption, or marriage, or a group of not more than six unrelated individuals.

means a structural barrier or enclosure, screening or demarcation, presenting a solid face or having openings amongst or between its constituent members; also, a wall separate from or extending from a building.

includes, but is not limited to, banks, savings and loan institutions and credit unions; security and commodity exchanges; insurance agents, brokers and service; real estate brokers, agents, managers and developers; trusts; and holding and investment companies.

means a written statement of facts, conclusions and determinations based on the evidence presented in relation to approval criteria and prepared in support of a decision for approval, approval with conditions, or denial.

means an accessory building or portion of a principal building used only for the private storage of motor vehicles and other personal property as an accessory use.

means a sensation of brightness within the visual field that causes annoyance, discomfort, or loss in visual performance and visibility.

means a detached dwelling without any kitchen facilities, designed for and used to house transient visitors or nonpaying guests of the occupants of the principal dwelling, and are subject to WMC § 18.50.070.

means all dangerous and extremely hazardous waste as defined in RCW 70.105.010(15) or its successor, except for moderate-risk waste as set forth in RCW 70.105.010(17) or its successor.

means the holding of hazardous waste for a temporary period, as regulated by the State Dangerous Waste Regulations, Chapter 173-303 WAC or its successor.

means the physical, chemical or biological processing of hazardous waste for the purpose of rendering these wastes nondangerous or less dangerous, safer for transport, amenable for energy or material resource recovery, or reduced in volume, as regulated by the State Dangerous Waste Regulations, Chapter 173-303 WAC or its successor.

means the vertical distance at the center of a building's principal front, measured from the level of the first floor above grade to the highest point of the roof beams in the case of flat roofs, to the deck line of mansard roofs, or to the center height between eaves and ridges for gable, hip or gambrel roofs. For buildings set back from the street line, the height may be measured from the average elevation of the finished grade along the front of the building.

means an occupation carried on entirely within a residence by the occupants thereof, which activity is clearly incidental to the use of the residence as a dwelling and which does not change the residential character thereof, and is conducted in a manner as to not give any outward appearance of a business in the ordinary meaning of the term. This occupation does not infringe upon the right of neighboring residents to enjoy a peaceful occupancy of their homes for which purpose the residential zone was created and primarily intended.

means a building that provides lodging with or without meals for the public and especially for temporary guests, but which does not have cooking facilities in individual rooms.

means construction on vacant lots within previously established or approved developments that have one or more vacant lots available for the construction of new structures.

means any scrap, waste, reclaimable material, or debris, whether or not stored, for sale, or in the process of being dismantled, destroyed, processed, salvaged, stored, baled, disposed, or other use or disposition. Junk may include inoperable vehicles, tires, vehicle parts, equipment, paper, rags, metal, glass, building materials, household appliances, machinery, brush, wood and lumber.

means any motor vehicle not capable of being driven from the place of its location under its own power, and in addition any motor vehicle not equipped with four inflated tires, shall be considered a junked motor vehicle.

means the use of more than 200 square feet of a place where waste or discarded or salvaged materials are bought, sold, exchanged, stored, baled, cleaned, packed, disassembled or handled, including auto wrecking yards, house wrecking yards, and yards for use of salvaged house wrecking and structural steel materials and equipment.

means any lot or premises on which four or more dogs or cats over six months of age are kept for commercial or noncommercial purposes.

is that portion of a given lot, not covered by buildings, pavement, parking, access and service areas, established as landscaped open space, the width of which is measured from a given property line and extending the developed portion of the property line. A landscape strip, as distinguished from a buffer, may be disturbed by grading or site development but is maintained as landscaped open space. A landscape strip may consist of grass lawns, decorative and native plantings, berms, walls, fences or other features designed and arranged to produce an aesthetically pleasing effect within and outside of the development. A landscape strip may be used to manage stormwater runoff using bioretention facilities or dispersion.

means changing, rearranging or adding to the original vegetation or scenery of a piece of land to produce an aesthetic effect appropriate for the use to which the land is put. It may include reshaping the land by moving the earth, as well as preserving the original vegetation.

means a business that provides home-type washing and drying machines for hire to be used by customers on the premises.

are those adopted level of service standards in the local comprehensive plan.

is a space, typically with dimensions of 12 feet by 60 feet, logically and conveniently located for pickups and/or deliveries or for loading and/or unloading in such a way as it does not conflict with driveways or patron parking, scaled to the delivery vehicles to be used, and accessible to such vehicles.

means a single parcel of property, as recorded in the county assessor's office, which is occupied or intended to be occupied by a principal building or buildings, including such open spaces as are required by ordinance and having frontage upon a street.

means any lot which is located at an intersection of two or more streets.

means land of uneven dimensions in which the portion fronting on a public street is less than the required minimum width, but not less than 20 feet in width, for construction of a building or structure on that lot.

means the smallest permitted total horizontal area within the lot lines of a lot, exclusive of street rights-of-way but inclusive of utility easements.

means the largest permitted percentage of a lot occupied by the footprint of buildings and structures, including accessory buildings and structures, but not including unenclosed parking areas.

means the horizontal distance between the front and rear property lines measured in the mean direction of the side property lines.

is the smallest permitted width in linear feet of a lot where it abuts the right-of-way of any street, but is no less than 20 feet in width.

means a lot which has frontage on two streets which do not intersect.

means the horizontal distance between the side property lines measured at right angles in the mean direction of the side property lines.

means the converting of raw, unfinished materials or products, or any or either of them, into an article or articles or substance of a different character, or for use for a different character, or for use as a different purpose.

means a home built on permanent, internal chassis in one or more pieces and moved to a dwelling site. Built for use with or without a permanent foundation. Towed to building site on its internal chassis. Constructed after 1974 MHC&SSA. Construction Code – HUD.

means a manufactured home that meets or exceeds the requirements of a Class B manufactured home and in addition satisfies the following criteria:

means a manufactured home constructed after June 15, 1976, in accordance with state and federal requirements for manufactured homes, which:

means a manufactured home that does not meet the definition of a Class B manufactured home.

means a parcel of land under single ownership which has been planned or improved for the placement of three or more manufactured homes for residential use, including land, buildings and facilities used by the occupants of manufactured homes on such property.

means a building on permanent internal chassis in one or more pieces and moved to dwelling site. Built for use with or without a permanent foundation. Towed to building site on its internal chassis. Also known as noninsignia/pre-HUD home. Constructed prior to 1974 – Federal Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974; passed in 1974; enacted in 1976 (the law that changed the name of mobile homes to manufactured homes, even though the terms are often casually used interchangeably to this day). Not bearing HUD insignia.

is a factory fabricated transportable building consisting of units designed to be incorporated at a building site on a permanent foundation into a permanent structure to be used for residential or commercial purposes and which complies with local building codes or applicable industrial building regulations of the state of Washington.

means any property used for placement, parking, storage or dismantling of junked motor vehicles in accordance with Chapter 46.80 RCW and WAC 308-61-200.

means a building or portion thereof on a single lot designed or used as a residence by three or more families, and containing three or more dwelling units.

means vegetation comprised of plant species, other than noxious weeds, that are indigenous to the coastal region of the Pacific Northwest and which reasonably could have been expected to naturally occur on the site.

means a lot, the area, width or other characteristic of which fails to meet the requirements of the zoning district in which it is located and which was of record as of the date of adoption of this title. Any lot which was subsequently annexed into the Washougal city limits which does not meet the requirements of the particular zoning district shall also be considered a nonconforming lot.

means any building or structure which does not conform to the regulations governing the location, height, size of buildings or structures permitted in the district or of yards required for the district.

means an activity to which a building or land was being used at the date of adoption of this title, or at the time of any amendments thereto which does not conform to the permitted use provisions of the district within which such activity is located or a use in existence precedent to annexation to the city of Washougal.

means a permanently surfaced area of not less than 300 square feet, either within a structure or in the open, inclusive of driveway or access drives, for the parking of a motor vehicle.

means the keeping of any goods, landscaping materials consisting or rock, gravel, or bark dust, merchandise or material outside of a business, building or establishment in the same outdoor place for more than 24 hours, including the storage of trash in dumpsters and recycling bins, and other waste/recoverable material containers; provided, however, that outdoor display shall not be construed to be outdoor storage; and provided further, that automobile dealerships and similar retail vehicle sales shall not constitute an outdoor storage use. Further, that outdoor display for sale merchandise shall not encroach, hinder, or eliminate required parking or open space areas.

means a use permitted in a district without the need for special review and approval, upon satisfaction of the standards and requirement of this title.

means pervious concrete, porous asphalt, permeable pavers or other forms of pervious or porous paving material intended to allow passage of water through the pavement section. It often includes an aggregate base that provides structural support and acts as a stormwater reservoir.

means a form of development usually characterized by a unified site design for a number of housing units, clustered buildings, common open space, and a mix of building types and land uses in a more dense setting than allowable on separate zoned lots.

means the planning commission of the city, as established in Chapter 35.63 RCW and RCW 35A.63.020, and Chapter 2.12 WMC.

means a lot with or without buildings.

means the line separating the street from the front of the lot as shown on the official recorded plat of the property, and as modified by any subsequent vacation, condemnation, or conveyance for public purposes. A through lot shall be considered to have a front property line on each of the opposite streets upon which said lot has frontage.

means the property line of a lot most nearly parallel to the front line of the same lot, as defined herein, except that for triangular or gore-shaped lots, the rear property line shall be represented by the point of intersection of the two property lines which are not the front property line as herein defined.

means any building structure or use owned and/or operated by the federal government, state of Washington, Clark County, the city of Washougal or other city, or any authority, agency, board or commission of the above governments, which is necessary to serve a public purpose, such as, but not limited to, the following: government administrative buildings, police and fire stations, public health facilities and hospitals, parks and community centers, water and sanitary sewerage storage, intake, collection, treatment and pumping facilities.

means any building structure or use owned and/or operated by the city of Washougal, which is necessary to serve a public purpose and limited to neighborhood parks and water and sanitary sewerage storage, intake, collection, treatment and pumping facilities.

means a vehicular type portable structure which can be towed, hauled or driven and is primarily designed as temporary living accommodations for recreational, camping and travel uses. A recreational vehicle is not considered a permanent residence.

means collection and/or reclamation of any material or article having lost its value for the original purpose for which it was created or manufactured and which has a value only for the salvage of its material or parts; this definition shall not include motor vehicle recycling.

means a facility that is used for the business of sorting, baling, processing, storing and transporting recyclable material as defined in WMC § 7.06.010(7).

are containers, for public use, made for the collection of recyclable material.

means a building or portion thereof designed exclusively as a place of habitation for one or more persons, but excluding dormitories, motels, hotels, tourist homes, hospitals and nursing homes. Mobile homes, house trailers, campers and similar vehicles not complying with the city building code shall not be considered a residence.

means any retail establishment preparing and serving food which is not conducted entirely within the confines of the building where the food is prepared, such as serving customers from a service window to vehicles from inside a structure or service window.

means a retail service enterprise/establishment preparing and serving food from inside a structure at a service window to customers that walk-up to the service window.

means any business offering goods and products for sale to the public, which operates entirely within a building, except for outdoor display or other use during normal business hours and accessory storage in enclosed, accessory buildings. Incidental repair is also included.

means any business offering goods and products for sale to the public, which does not operate entirely within a building, and which all or a portion of the goods and products are displayed and/or stored, or business transacted, in the open-air or other shelter not completely enclosed.

means any object, lot or portion thereof, when screening is provided and maintained between the object, lot or portion thereof, except reasonable entrance ways, and all adjoining properties and streets as otherwise specified in this title.

means any natural or replanted growth, including plants within a bioretention facility, or wall, fence, berm or combination thereof not less than six feet high, except as otherwise specified in this title, which is sight-obscuring in that objects beyond the screen are indistinct to the sight or not visible. Fences, walls and berms may be used as screening only in compliance with these regulations.

is any building, structure or use owned and/or operated by private utilities or private companies for a public purpose, or which is reasonably necessary for the furnishing of adequate service by such utilities, including but not limited to underground or overhead gas, electrical, steam or water distribution or transmission lines or systems, electric power substations, wires, towers, cables and poles, and railroad facilities.

is an establishment providing services and repairs to motor-driven vehicles, including but not limited to repair shops; top and body, paint, automotive glass, transmission and fire repair shops; car washes, including automated, self-service and fully-staffed facilities; and oil change and lubrication shops.

is a facility engaged in support functions to establishments operating for a profit on a fee or contract.

includes health care facilities as well as establishments providing support to the medical profession and patients.

is a facility that offers temporary shelter accommodations, or place for such shelter, open to the public for a fee.

is a facility engaged in the provision of services to persons and their apparel.

means a retail establishment for the sale on the premises of motor vehicle fuel and other petroleum products including convenience grocery not exceeding 3,000 square feet.

means the minimum allowable horizontal distance from a given point or line of reference, such as a street right-of-way or property line, to the nearest point of a foundation or supporting post or pillar of any applicable structure.

means a building on a single lot designed or used for residence purposes by not more than one family, and containing one dwelling unit only. Single-family can be attached or detached.

means a graphic illustration, two-dimensional, prepared to scale, showing accurately and with complete dimensions, all proposed and existing buildings, stacks, buffers, landscaped open space structures and features, and parking proposed within accurately dimensioned boundaries of a lot, tract or specific parcel of land.

means a stormwater and land development strategy that strives to mimic predisturbance hydrologic processes of infiltration, filtration, storage, evaporation and transpiration by emphasizing conservation of soils and trees, reduction of impervious surfaces, use of on-site natural features, site planning, and distributed stormwater management practices that are integrated into a project design.

means a public or private way which provides the principal means of access to property.

means a combination of materials constructed or erected which has permanent or temporary location on the ground, or attached to something having permanent location on the ground.

means to transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built and operated, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy and prosperous environment that improves the quality of life (USGBC).

means a use that may be permitted, through an administrative approval process, whereby the city may permit uses to locate within the city on an interim basis without requiring full compliance with the development standards for the applicable zoning district, or by which the city may allow seasonal or transient uses not otherwise permitted, and in compliance with Chapter 18.47 WMC.

means a dwelling within a building containing multiple dwelling units which share one or more common walls with other dwelling units, and with each dwelling unit occupying its own lot with no side yards between adjacent dwelling units located in the same building.

include but are not limited to the following: bus passenger stations and terminals; airports, heliports and helistops; taxicab and limousine services; radio and television broadcasting towers; recycling collection centers; truck stops, truck terminals and courier services; marinas, railroad facilities, emergency medical services. Particular districts may specify some of these uses and not others.

means any self-supporting woody perennial plant having a trunk diameter of two inches or more which normally grows at a maturity to an overall height of a minimum of 15 feet.

means a purpose for which either land or a building is or may be occupied or maintained, or for which a building is arranged, designed or intended, or for which it is occupied or maintained, let or leased.

means a minimal relaxation or modification of the strict terms of the height, area, placement, setback, yard, buffer, landscape strip, parking and loading regulations as applied to specific property when, because of particular physical surroundings, or topographical condition of the property, compliance would result in a particular hardship or practical difficulty upon the owner, as distinguished from a mere inconvenience or a desire to make a profit.

means land or building used for the dispatch of towing vehicles, temporary storage of damaged and or impounded vehicles for redemption by vehicle owners.

means an application which is deemed technically complete at a certain date and is to conform to the zoning, environmental, and land division ordinances of the city at the time of vesting in order to process a preliminary application.

means building(s) with multiple spaces for rent or lease for storage of household goods, and associated secondary outdoor storage of RV, boats, and rental equipment and supplies.

means the storage, dismantling of salvaging, sale of wrecked vehicles, house wrecking, structural steel and equipment.

means a space on the same lot with a principal building, which is open, unoccupied, and unobstructed by buildings or structures from the ground to the sky except where encroachments and accessory buildings are expressly permitted. A yard may contain a parking and/or loading area unless otherwise specified by these regulations.

means a space on the same lot with a principal building, extending the full width of the lot, and situated between the street right-of-way and the front line of the building projected to the side lines of the lot. In the cases of a double frontage lot, both spaces with street frontage shall be considered front yards.

means a space on the same lot with a principal building, extending the full width of the lot and situated between the rear line of the lot and the rear line of the building projected to the side lines of the lot.

means a space on the same lot with a principal building, situated between the building and the side lot line and extending from the rear line of the front yard to the front line of the rear yard.

means the location of a building on a lot in such a manner that one or more building sides have no side building setback and rest directly on a side lot line.