§ 122-52. Accessory buildings and structures.

(a)

General regulations.

(1)

Timing of construction. No accessory building, including private garages and utility buildings, shall be constructed upon or moved to any parcel of property until the principal building or use is at least two-thirds completed, except for the construction of an attached private garage which may proceed with the construction of the dwelling to which it is attached.

(2)

Conformance with lot coverage standards. Accessory buildings and structures shall be included in computations to determine compliance with maximum lot coverage regulations.

(3)

Construction on easements. Accessory buildings and structures shall not encroach on any easement unless the terms of the easement permit such encroachment.

(4)

Attached accessory buildings. Unless permitted by this section, an attached accessory building shall comply with the lot coverage and setback regulations established by applicable zoning district regulations for the principal building to which it is attached.

(5)

Use restrictions. No detached accessory building or portion thereof shall be used or occupied for dwelling purposes.

(b)

Accessory buildings in residential zoning districts as provided in article V.

(1)

Location.

a.

A detached or attached accessory building or portions thereof shall not be erected in nor extend into a required front yard setback.

b.

A detached accessory building or portions thereof shall not extend beyond the established building line of the dwelling.

c.

An attached accessory building may extend beyond the established building line of the dwelling provided it does not extend into a required front yard.

(2)

Setbacks.

a.

Accessory buildings on interior lots. Detached accessory buildings on interior lots shall be erected no closer than two feet from a side or rear lot line and shall be set back at least 20 feet from the front lot line.

b.

Accessory buildings in side yards. Accessory buildings located between any portion of a dwelling and a side lot line shall comply with setback regulations applicable to dwellings.

c.

Setbacks from alleys. When vehicle access to a building is by way of an alley, the building shall be set back not less than four feet from the lot line adjacent to the alley.

d.

Accessory buildings on corner lots:

1.

When an entrance for vehicles to a detached or attached accessory building faces a side street, the accessory building shall be set back at least 20 feet from the side street lot line.

2.

If the rear lot line of a corner lot is also the rear lot line of an adjacent lot then the required setback from the side street lot line shall be ten feet, when an entrance for vehicles to a detached or attached accessory building faces a front street.

e.

Double frontage lots. On double frontage lots, accessory buildings shall comply with applicable front yard setback regulations on both street frontages.

(3)

Floor area. Detached accessory buildings shall not exceed a floor area of 864 square feet.

(4)

Length. The length of an accessory building may not exceed 36 feet. This requirement shall not apply to carports and garages in multiple-family developments.

(5)

Building and wall height. Detached accessory buildings may have a building height of 14 feet. In rear yards, accessory building height may be increased where the roof pitch of a proposed detached accessory building is equal to, but not greater than, the roof pitch of the principal building. In such cases, planning department staff shall be provided with elevations of the proposed accessory building to make final determination. This height restriction shall not apply to attached accessory buildings.

Walls shall not exceed more than ten feet in height above grade.

(6)

Distance from other buildings. There shall be a minimum distance of two feet between detached accessory buildings and the principal building, provided that the buildings comply with the setback and fire rating regulations in the building and fire codes.

(7)

Number. There shall be no more than three accessory buildings on a residential lot.

(Ord. No. 2005-11, 11-21-05; Ord. No. 2008-17, § 3, 12-15-08; Ord. No. 2010-1, § 1, 1-2-10; Ord. No. 2012-8, § 3, 6-18-12)