Worth City Zoning Code

Permitted uses of land or buildings, as hereinafter listed, in each residence district shall be permitted in such districts indicated under the conditions therein specified. No land or buildings shall be devoted to any use other than a use permitted hereinafter in the residence district in which such land or buildings shall be located, with the exception of the following:

   A.   Uses lawfully established on the effective date of this title, except uses lawfully established on the effective date of this title and rendered nonconforming by the provisions herein shall be subject to the regulations of chapter 10 of this title.

   B.   Special uses allowed in accordance with subsection 5-3-13C of this title. (Ord., 12-15-1964 as amended)

Special uses, as hereinafter listed in each residence district, may be allowed only in the residence district indicated, subject to the issuance of special use permits in accordance with the procedures set forth herein. (Ord., 12-15-1964 as amended)

   A.   Permitted home occupations may include any of the following:

Art studio.

Beauty parlor and barbershop, provided that such services are not rendered to more than one person at a time or more than three (3) persons per day.

Dressmaking.

Professional offices of a clergyman, lawyer, physician, dentist, architect, engineer, or accountant.

Teaching including musical instruments or dancing, but limited to one pupil at a time.

   B.   Permitted home occupations shall not, under any circumstances, include any other occupation, such as, but not limited to, the following:

      1.   The operation of any wholesale or retail business unless conducted entirely by mail, and which does not involve the sale, receipt, or delivery of merchandise on the premises.

      2.   Any manufacturing or fabricating of products other than dressmaking.

      3.   A repair shop or service establishment of any kind operating on or from the premises.

      4.   A clinic or hospital.

      5.   A barbershop or beauty parlor, except as limited in subsection A of this section.

      6.   A stable or kennel, animal hospital, or dovecote.

      7.   A restaurant.

      8.   Any activity that produces noxious matter, or in any other respect constitutes a nuisance.

      9.   A gun shop or any establishment that engages in the sale of firearms and/or ammunition.

   C.   Permitted home occupations shall not be conducted in any building on the premises other than the building which is used by the occupant as his private dwelling.

   D.   Permitted home occupations may not include the employment of any additional persons in the performance of such service, except such members of the immediate family residing on the premises, and further, shall not include exterior display or exterior signs, except as such are permitted by the sign regulations for residence districts. There shall be no exterior storage of equipment or materials used in such home occupations, and no mechanical equipment shall be used except such as is permissible for purely domestic or household purposes. (Ord. 11-25, 9-20-2011)

   A.   In the R3 general residence district, conversions of existing residential buildings shall produce a minimum of five hundred (500) square feet of floor area per dwelling unit.

   B.   No existing residential use shall be so converted as to conflict with, or further conflict with the requirements in subsection A of this section.

   C.   Where applicable, an efficiency dwelling unit or a lodging room may be considered seventy five one-hundredths (0.75) dwelling unit in determining compliance with subsection A of this section. (Ord., 12-15-1964 as amended)

The following allowable special uses shall be permitted only in accordance with procedures, regulations, and standards set forth in this title; when applicable more restrictive federal, state, county or village regulations and standards, and additional regulations and standards that may be recommended by the real estate development board and required by the village board. Development plans and specifications shall be submitted at the time of application for a special use permit, such plans and specifications shall show when applicable, utility installations; site and land improvements; location, architectural elevations, and construction details of buildings and structures; locations of vehicular ingress and egress and traffic control facilities, and other improvements.

Art galleries and museums.

Boutique retail businesses, which are businesses no more than fifty percent (50%) of the size of the existing building in square feet, which employ three (3) or less full time equivalent employees and which sell small merchandise items such as crafts, soft goods, or apparel, in a low key setting which is compatible with the basic residential use of the zone. Special uses for boutique retail businesses shall be very limited, and shall only be issued in rare, extraordinary circumstances where the proposed use is compatible with the surrounding area due to the presence of proximate and/or adjacent commercial uses. Boutique retail businesses shall be only permitted mixed with residential uses on the same lot, as in the case of apartments being located above a ground level store.

Cemeteries.

Churches and uses incidental thereto, including rectories and parish houses.

Colleges and universities and uses accessory and incidental thereto, but not colleges or trade schools operated for profit.

Convents, monasteries, and seminaries.

Libraries.

Municipal or privately owned nonprofit recreational buildings and community centers.

Off street parking lots, municipal or accessory to business uses; provided, that such a parking lot adjoins, at least on one side, a business district, or is separated from such business district only by an alley; and that such a parking lot conforms at least with regulations set forth in section 5-9-2 of this title.

Parks and playgrounds, privately owned and operated.

Planned developments on a tract of land not less than twenty (20) acres in area.

Utility and public service uses including:

Electric substations and distribution centers.

Fire stations.

Gas regulator stations.

Police stations.

Railroad rights of way.

Telephone company exchange buildings.

Water filtration plants, pumping stations, and reservoirs. (Ord., 12-15-1964, as amended; amd. Ord. 02-16, 10-15-2002)

   A.   Lot Area: Not less than six thousand two hundred fifty (6,250) square feet.

   B.   Lot Width: Not less than fifty feet (50') at the buildable area.

   C.   Floor Area Ratio, Nonresidential Permitted Uses And Special Uses: Not to exceed 0.6.

   D.   Building Height, Single-Family Dwelling Uses: Not to exceed two (2) stories, or thirty five feet (35'), whichever is lower.

   E.   Ground Floor Area Per Dwelling:

      1.   One-story dwellings without basement, not less than one thousand (1,000) square feet.

      2.   One-story dwellings with basement, not less than one thousand (1,000) square feet.

      3.   Dwellings having more than one story, not less than six hundred (600) square feet, provided that the total floor area is not less than one thousand two hundred (1,200) square feet. (Ord., 12-15-1964, as amended; amd. Ord. 2023-44, 9-19-2023)

   A.   Front Yard, Single-Family Dwelling Uses: Not less than twenty five feet (25') in depth.

   B.   Side Yards, Single-Family Dwelling Uses:

      1.   Two (2) side yards of not less than five feet (5') each.

      2.   A side yard abutting a street not to be less than twenty five feet (25') wide, except if a corner lot, subdivided and duly recorded on the effective date of this title, has insufficient width to provide such yard of twenty five feet (25') width and still to maintain a buildable width of thirty two feet (32'), including required side yard along the side lot line, then the side yard abutting the street may be reduced in width by the distance necessary to maintain a buildable width of thirty two feet (32'), provided the side yard abutting a street is not reduced to less than twenty five percent (25%) of the width of the lot.

   C.   Rear Yard; Single-Family Dwelling Uses: Not less than twenty five feet (25') in depth.

   D.   Yards; Nonresidential Permitted Uses And Special Uses: Front, side, and rear yards, as required for single-family dwelling uses for buildings less than thirty five feet (35') in height, but for a building thirty five feet (35') or more in height, each yard, front, side, and rear, as required for single-family dwellings, shall be increased by one foot (1') in depth or width for each additional one foot (1') of building height over thirty five feet (35'). (Ord., 12-15-1964 as amended)

   A.   Off Street Loading; Nonresidential Permitted Uses And Special Uses: Loading berths in accordance with provisions set forth in chapter 9 of this title.

   B.   Off Street Parking: Parking spaces in accordance with provisions set forth in chapter 9 of this title. (Ord., 12-15-1964 as amended)

Uses permitted in the R1 district. (Ord., 12-15-1964 as amended)

Special uses allowed in the R1 district. (Ord., 12-15-1964 as amended)

   A.   Lot Area: Not less than six thousand two hundred fifty (6,250) square feet.

   B.   Lot Width: Not less than fifty feet (50') at the buildable area.

   C.   Floor Area Ratio, Nonresidential Permitted Uses And Special Uses: Not to exceed 0.6.

   D.   Building Height, Single-Family Dwelling Uses: Not to exceed two (2) stories, or thirty five feet (35'), whichever is lower.

   E.   Ground Floor Area Per Dwelling:

      1.   One-story dwellings without basement, not less than one thousand (1,000) square feet.

      2.   One-story dwellings with basement, not less than one thousand (1,000) square feet.

      3.   Dwellings having more than one story, not less than six hundred (600) square feet, provided that the total floor area is not less than one thousand two hundred (1,200) square feet. (Ord., 12-15-1964 as amended)

   A.   Front Yard, Single-Family Dwelling Uses: Not less than twenty five feet (25') in depth.

   B.   Side Yard, Single-Family Dwelling Uses:

      1.   Two (2) side yards having a combined width of ten feet (10'), and neither side yard less than five feet (5') in width.

      2.   A side yard abutting a street not to be less than twenty five feet (25') wide, except if a corner lot, subdivided and duly recorded on the effective date of this title, has insufficient width to provide such yard of twenty five feet (25') width and still to maintain a buildable width of thirty one feet (31'), including required side yard along opposite side lot line, then the side yard abutting the street may be reduced in width by the distance necessary to maintain a buildable width of thirty two feet (32'), provided that the side yard abutting the street is not reduced to less than twenty five percent (25%) of the width of the lot.

   C.   Rear Yard; Single-Family Dwelling Uses: Not less than twenty five feet (25') in depth.

   D.   Yards; Nonresidential Permitted Uses And Special Uses: Front, side, and rear yards, as required for single-family dwelling uses for buildings less than thirty five feet (35') in height, but for a building thirty five feet (35') or more in height, each yard- front, side, and rear, as required for single-family dwellings, shall be increased by one foot (1') in depth or width for each additional one foot (1') of building height over thirty five feet (35'). (Ord., 12-15-1964 as amended)

   A.   Off-Street Loading; Nonresidential Permitted Uses And Special Uses: Loading berths in accordance with provisions set forth in chapter 9 of this title.

   B.   Off-Street Parking: Parking spaces in accordance with provisions set forth in chapter 9 of this title. (Ord., 12-15-1964 as amended)

Uses permitted in the R2 district.

Churches on a lot having an area of not less than fifteen thousand (15,000) square feet.

Libraries.

Mobile home parks that have been in continuous existence since October 7, 2014.

Mobile homes, located in a mobile home park that has been in continuous existence since October 7, 2014.

Multiple-family dwellings; provided each dwelling unit does not contain more than three (3) bedrooms, or less than one bedroom.

Single-family dwellings, semidetached or attached, not including efficiency units.

Two-family dwellings not including efficiency units. (Ord. 2014-36, 10-7-2014)

Special uses allowed in the R2 district, except libraries.

Hospitals.

Institutions for the aged and for children.

Medical/dental center.

Municipally operated health centers.

Planned developments, containing dwelling types other than single-family detached dwellings, on a tract of land not less than ten (10) acres in area.

Sanatoriums and nursing homes, but not for mental cases.

Schools, boarding - elementary, junior high, and high.

Schools, nursery.

Telephone company exchange and transmission equipment buildings.

Trailer courts in existence at the time of the adoption of this title.

Undertaking establishments, funeral parlors and mortuaries in existence on the adoption date of this title. (Ord., 12-15-1964 as amended; amd. Ord. 87-13, 5-19-1987)

   A.   Lot Area: Lot area per dwelling shall be as follows:

 

(Ord., 12-15-1964 as amended)

   B.   Lot Width And Size: As in the R2 district for single-family detached and two-family detached dwellings. Not less than one hundred feet (100') for a two-family duplex dwelling. There will be one hundred fifty (150) linear feet street frontage and eighteen thousand seven hundred fifty (18,750) square feet required for multiple-family dwellings. (Ord. 94-33, 9-6-1994)

   C.   Floor Area Ratio: Not to exceed 0.6.

   D.   Building Height: Not to exceed two (2) stories or thirty five feet (35'), whichever is lower, except multiple-family dwellings not to exceed three (3) stories or thirty five feet (35'), whichever is lower. (Ord., 12-15-1964 as amended)

   A.   Front Yard: Not less than twenty five feet (25') in depth.

   B.   Side Yard:

      1.   Two (2) side yards of not less than five feet (5') each, except for single-family semidetached dwellings, only one side yard of five feet (5') is required and for single-family detached dwellings, no side yards are required.

      2.   A side yard abutting a street for all dwellings not to be less than twenty five feet (25') wide, except if a corner lot, subdivided and duly recorded prior to the effective date of this title has insufficient width to provide such yard of twenty five feet (25') width and still maintain a buildable width of thirty one feet (31'), provided the side yard abutting a street is not reduced to less than twenty percent (20%) of the width of the lot.

   C.   Rear Yard: Not less than twenty five feet (25') in depth.

   D.   Yards, General; Nonresidential Permitted Uses And Special Uses: Each yard, side, front, and rear, as required above, shall be increased in depth or width by one foot (1') for each additional foot of building height over thirty five feet (35'). (Ord., 12-15-1964 as amended)

   A.   Off street loading: Loading berths in accordance with provisions set forth in chapter 9 of this title.

   B.   Off street parking: Parking spaces in accordance with provisions set forth in chapter 9 of this title. (Ord., 12-15-1964 as amended)

Uses permitted in R1 district as well as single-family attached residences as defined in section 5-1-3 of this title. (Ord. 98-16, 11-17-1998)

Special uses allowed in the R1 district. (Ord. 98-16, 11-17-1998)

   A.   Lot Frontage: One hundred fifty feet (150').

   B.   Lot Area: Twenty thousand (20,000) square feet.

   C.   Building Height: Two (2) story or thirty five feet (35') whichever is the lesser.

   D.   Rear Yard Setback: Twenty five feet (25').

   E.   Front Yard Setback: Twenty five feet (25').

   F.   Side Yard: Five feet (5').

   G.   Units Per Building: No more than four (4).

   H.   Minimum Living Space: One thousand four hundred (1,400) square feet per unit.

   I.   Corner Lot: Same as R3 district. (Ord. 98-16, 11-17-1998)

   A.   Coverage Of Lot: Not more than fifty percent (50%).

   B.   Minimum Green Area: Fifteen percent (15%) – must include seven foot (7') green buffer in rear of lot. (Ord. 98-16, 11-17-1998)

Same as R3 district. (Ord. 98-16, 11-17-1998)