All words used in this chapter shall carry their customary dictionary definitions as provided in the most recent edition of Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, except where specifically defined herein. Words used in the present tense shall include the future. The singular number shall include the plural, and the plural the singular. The word "shall" is always mandatory and not permissive; the word "may" is permissive. The words "used" or "occupied," as applied to any land or structures, shall be construed to include the words "intended, arranged or designed to be used or occupied." The word "person" shall include any individual, corporation, partnership, incorporated association or any other legal entity. Words in the masculine gender shall include the feminine gender. The words "includes" and "including" shall not limit the defined term to the specific examples, but are intended to extend the terms meaning to other instances of like kinds and character.
The following words and phrases shall have the particular meaning specified for the purpose of interpreting this chapter:
ACCESS ROAD or ACCESSWAY
Any road or access way extending from a Township road, private road or state road.
ACCESSORY FOOD OPERATIONS
The use of goods or equipment to enhance or facilitate food operations.
ACCESSORY USE OR STRUCTURE
A use or structure located on the same lot with the principal use or structure that is subordinate and incidental to the principal structure or use of the property and which may occupy a separate structure and/or area on or in the ground, including, but not limited to, storage sheds, garages, swimming pools, decks, fences, patios and similar structures.
ADULT ARCADE
Any place where the public is permitted or invited wherein electronically or mechanically controlled still- or motion-picture machines, projectors or other image-producing devices are maintained to show images to five or fewer persons per machine at any one time, and where the images displayed are sexually explicit or depict nudity or sexual conduct, as defined herein.
ADULT BOOKSTORE OR VIDEO STORE
An establishment having a substantial or significant portion of its stock-in-trade consist of video cassettes, movies, books, magazines and other media which are distinguished or characterized by their emphasis on matters depicting, describing or relating to nudity or sexual conduct, as defined herein, or an establishment with a segment or section devoted to the sale or display of such material.
ADULT BUSINESS
An adult arcade, adult bookstore, adult motel, adult mini motion-picture theater, adult motion-picture theater, adult news rack, adult nightclub, body painting studio, bathhouse, escort service, massage parlor or any other business establishment offering adult entertainment, as defined herein.
ADULT ENTERTAINMENT
Movies, videos, still or motion pictures, photographs, slides, films or other visual representations, books, magazines or other printed material or live dramatic, musical or dance performances which are sexually explicit or depict nudity or sexual conduct, as defined herein.
ADULT MINI MOTION-PICTURE THEATER
An enclosed building with a capacity for accommodating fewer than 50 persons used for presenting material distinguished or characterized by an emphasis on matter depicting, describing or relating to nudity or sexual conduct, as defined herein, for observation by patrons therein.
ADULT MOTEL
A hotel or motel presenting adult motion pictures by means of closed circuit television, the material being presented having as a dominant theme or presenting material distinguished or characterized by an emphasis on matter depicting, describing or relating to nudity or sexual conduct, as defined herein, for observation by patrons therein.
ADULT MOTION-PICTURE THEATER
An enclosed building with a capacity for accommodating 50 or more persons used for presenting materials distinguished or characterized by an emphasis on matter depicting, describing or relating to nudity or sexual conduct, as defined herein, for observation by patrons therein.
ADULT NEWSRACK
Any machine or device, typically coin-operated, which dispenses printed material substantially devoted to the depiction of nudity or sexual conduct, as defined herein.
ADULT NIGHTCLUB
Any nightclub, as defined herein, which offers adult entertainment, as defined herein.
AGRIBUSINESS
The food and fiber system comprising the economic activities of the farms and the firms that assemble, process, and transform raw agricultural commodities into final products for distribution to United States and foreign consumers, including all economic activity that supports farm production and the conversion of raw farm products to consumable goods (for example, machinery repair, fertilizer production, farming itself, food processing and manufacturing, transportation, wholesale and retail trade, distribution of food and apparel, wineries and eating establishments).
AGRICULTURE
Any use of land or structures for the purposes of cultivating the soil or producing crops and livestock (i.e., farming).
ANIMAL HOSPITAL
An establishment for the medical or surgical treatment of animals, including the boarding of hospitalized animals. An animal hospital shall not board or treat exotic animals and shall be subject to all state and federal regulations.
APARTMENT IN COMBINATION WITH BUSINESS
A dwelling unit located in the same building with an office and/or retail business.
APPLICANT
Any person, partnership, operator, company, owner, corporation and its subcontractors and agents who have an interest in real estate for the purpose of exploring or drilling for, producing or transporting oil or gas.
ARTERIAL STREET
See "street, arterial."
AUTOMOBILE SERVICE STATION
Any establishment which provides for one or more of the following activities:
A. 
The servicing of motor vehicles and operations incidental thereto and limited to one or more of the following activities: the retail sale of petroleum products; retail sales and installation of automobile accessories; automobile washing by hand; waxing and polishing of automobiles; tire changing and repair, excluding recapping; battery service, changing and replacement, excluding repair and rebuilding; radiator cleaning and flushing, excluding steam clean and repair; installation of accessories; and state inspection.
B. 
The following operations, if conducted within a completely enclosed building: lubrication of motor vehicles; replacement of exhaust systems; brake servicing, limited to servicing and replacement of brake cylinders, lines and brake shoes; wheel balancing; the testing adjusting and replacement or servicing of carburetors, filters, generators, points, rotors, spark plugs, voltage regulators, water and fuel pumps, water hoses and wiring, provided the major repairs authorized only in a vehicle repair garage, as defined herein, shall not be permitted.
BAR or TAVERN
A business that sells alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises as the principal use and that may offer food for consumption on the premises as an accessory use.
BASEMENT
That portion of a building below ground level but having at least 1/2 of its height above the average grade of the adjoining ground. (See also "cellar.")
BED-AND-BREAKFAST
A dwelling that is the principal residence of the operator where no more than four sleeping rooms are offered to transient overnight guests for compensation and where the only meal served and included with the overnight accommodations is breakfast.
BEEKEEPING
The occupation of owning and keeping bees for their honey.
BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
Practices that are designed to prevent or reduce impacts caused to air, water, soil or biological resources, and to minimize adverse impacts to public health, safety and welfare, including to the environment and wildlife resources, utilizing the best available technology to the maximum extent possible.
BEVERAGE PRODUCTION
See "brewery," "brewery pub/tap room," "storage facility," "limited distillery," "limited winery," "brewed beverage manufacturer."
BILLBOARD
Any off-premises sign with a changeable advertising face that advertises an establishment, person, activity, product or service that is unrelated to or not available on the premises on which the sign is located.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
The Board of Supervisors of Mount Pleasant Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania.
BOARDING HOUSE
A residential use in which individual rooms are rented that do not meet the definition of a dwelling unit.
BOARDING STABLE
The keeping of horses and ponies and associated facilities thereof owned by persons other than the owner of the stable, or the rental of horses owned by the owner of the stable for a fee or other form of compensation, that may include training of horses, riding lessons and riding facilities.
BOAT/RV STORAGE
A fully enclosed structure for the use of storing motorized or non-motorized watercraft and/or recreational vehicles where such structure meets the applicable requirements of the building code and/or recommendation of the Fire Chief.
BORE HOLES
See "mine portals, ventilating shafts, bore holes and tipples."
BREWED BEVERAGE MANUFACTURER
An establishment which produces brewed and/or malt beverages for on-site or off-site sale and/or distribution, and which may include a brewery pub or tap room on the premises, or as otherwise defined as "manufacturer" by Title 47, the Pennsylvania Liquor Code, as amended. See "brewery."
BREWERY
A facility which holds a license to manufacture, store and distribute brewed or malt beverages and which may include a brewery pub or tap room, as regulated by Title 47, the Pennsylvania Liquor Code, as amended.
MICRO BREWERY — A brewery producing brewed or malt beverages in a quantity of 1,000 barrels (US barrels) or less per year.
LARGE BREWERY — A brewery producing brewed or malt beverages in a quantity greater than 1,000 barrels (US barrels) per year.
BREWERY PUB/TAP ROOM
A portion of an establishment which holds a brewery license as regulated by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, which is open to the public for the sale of brewed and malt beverages for on-site and/or off-site consumption and which also offers food to patrons, as regulated by Title 47, the Pennsylvania Liquor Code, as amended.
BUFFER AREA
A landscaped area of a certain depth specified by this chapter that shall be planted and maintained in trees, grass, ground cover, shrubs, bushes or other natural landscaping material and shall consist of a mix of types and sizes of plant material that, within three years of planting, meets the standard of providing a compact year-round visual screen at least six feet in height or an existing natural barrier, such as vegetation and/or topography, that duplicates the effect of such a planting.
BUILDING
Any structure having enclosed walls and roofs and a permanent location on the land. (See also "completely enclosed building.")
BUILDING AREA
The total of areas taken on a horizontal plane at the finished grade level of the principal building and all accessory buildings, excluding one-story uncovered porches, bay windows, balconies, terraces and steps.
BUILDING HEIGHT
The vertical distance measured from the average elevation of the finished grade at the front of the building to the highest point of the roof for flat roofs, to the decklines of mansard roofs and to the mean height between eaves and ridge for gable, hip and gambrel roofs.
BUILDING LINE, FRONT
A line parallel or tangent to the front lot line, the minimum measurement of which is the front yard depth required by this chapter.
BUILDING SPACING
The minimum distance between two buildings on the same lot, measured from the outermost wall or projection, excluding bay windows, chimneys, flues, columns, ornamental features, cornices and gutters which project beyond the wall of the building no more than two feet.
BUNK HOUSING/BUNK HOUSE
A residential facility designed and intended to be used for a temporary period of time to house oil and gas exploration-related workers. Such facility is not intended to accommodate families or school-aged children. A bunk house may be a travel trailer, camper, mobile home or a structure manufactured for this particular use.
BUSINESS OR PROFESSIONAL OFFICES
Any office of recognized professions such as doctors, lawyers, architects, engineers, real estate brokers, insurance agents and others who, through training, are qualified to perform services of a professional nature, and other offices used primarily for accounting, correspondence, research, editing or other administrative functions, but not including banks or other financial institutions.
BUSINESS SERVICES
Establishments providing services primarily to business establishments on a fee or contract basis, such as advertising and public relations, management and consulting services, security and maintenance services, equipment rental/leasing, and computer and data processing services.
CAR WASH
A facility, whether automatic, semiautomatic or manual, for the washing and polishing of vehicles.
CARTWAY
That portion of the street right-of-way that is surfaced for vehicular use, excluding shoulders and curbs.
CELLAR
That portion of a building having 1/2 or more of its height below the average grade of the adjoining ground. (See also "basement.")
CEMETERY
Property used for interment of dead persons or domestic pets, including mausoleums, columbariums, crematoriums and family plots on private property.
CLINIC
Any establishment, including mobile diagnostic units, where human patients receive medical, dental, chiropractic, psychological or surgical diagnosis, treatment and counseling under the care of licensed medical doctors or dentists and their supporting staff, where said patients are not provided with board or room or kept overnight on the premises.
CLUB, PRIVATE
See "private club."
COAL MINE CLEANING PLANT
A facility used for the washing of minerals removed from underground coal mines.
COLLECTOR STREET
See "street, collector."
COMMERCIAL RECREATION
See "recreation, commercial."
COMMERCIAL SCHOOL
See "school, commercial."
COMMUNICATIONS ANTENNA
Any structure designed for transmitting or receiving wireless communications of video, voice, data, radio and similar transmissions, including, but not limited to, omnidirectional or whip antennas, directional or panel antennas and satellite or microwave dish antennas, which may be mounted on an existing building, an existing public utility storage or transmission structure or an existing communications tower, excluding transmission and receiving devices licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) exclusively for private use by citizens.
COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT CABINET
An unmanned structure that contains the equipment necessary to maintain and operate communications antennas.
COMMUNICATIONS TOWER
Any structure, whether freestanding or attached to a building, designed to support multiple communications antennas, including monopole, self-supporting and guyed towers and one or more of the following mounts for antennas: rotatable platform, fixed platform, multipoint or sidearm mounts and pipe mounts for microwave dish antennas.
COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE
A system that connects agricultural producers and consumers by allowing consumers to subscribe to the harvest of a certain farm or group of farms.
COMPARABLE USES NOT SPECIFICALLY LISTED
Any land use proposed in a zoning district which is similar in function, nature and form to a use which is currently permitted by right or by conditional use in the same district.
COMPLETELY ENCLOSED BUILDING
A building designed and constructed so that all exterior walls shall be solid from the ground to the roofline and containing no openings except for windows and doors designed so that they may be closed and any other small openings required for the ventilation system.
COMPRESSOR
A device that raises the pressure of oil and natural gas and/or by-products. Compressors are any devices that create a pressure differential to move or compress a liquid, vapor or gas. Any such device used alone or in series to adequately move a liquid, vapor or gas is considered a compressor.
CONCENTRATED FEED LOT
An agricultural operation where farm animals are kept at a much higher ratio of animals per acre than animals that are pastured and where such animals are fed a regimented diet until ready for slaughter.
CONDITIONAL USE
A use authorized by this chapter that may be granted only by the Board of Supervisors following review by the Planning Commission and a public hearing subject to express standards and criteria contained in this chapter.
CONSTRUCTION TRAILER, TEMPORARY
A structure designed, used or constructed to provide temporary offices for construction supervision on the site of an approved subdivision or land development during the time that a valid building permit or grading permit is in effect.
CONTRACTING BUSINESS
The administrative offices of a business that provides landscaping, construction, remodeling, home improvement, land development and related services on a contractual basis and that may include the storage of materials, equipment and vehicles, provided that all materials, equipment and vehicles are stored within a completely enclosed building.
CONTRACTOR'S YARD
An establishment that may or may not include administrative offices for a business that provides landscaping, construction, remodeling, home improvement, land development and related services on a contractual basis but which involves the storage, either indoor or outdoor, of materials, equipment and vehicles used in the business.
CONVENIENCE STORE
A retail store selling food products and household supplies for the convenience of the neighboring population.
CORNER LOT
A lot at the intersection of, and fronting on, two or more street rights-of-way.
COVERAGE
See "lot coverage."
CRAFTSMAN
An artisan who practices a trade or handicraft that may involve the fabricating of finished products from raw materials on a small scale and does not involve any automated production or a total floor area devoted to production of more than 5,000 square feet or the employment of more than five persons.
CREMATORIUM
An establishment containing a furnace designed to cremate or reduce to ashes human or animal remains of the deceased.
DAY-CARE CENTER
A facility, licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, located within a building that is not used as a dwelling unit, for the care, during part of a twenty-four-hour-day and on a regular basis, of children under the age of 16 or handicapped or elderly persons.
DAY-CARE CENTER, INSTITUTIONAL
Any day-care center licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that is located within a school, place of assembly or other similar institutional facility.
DAY-CARE HOME
See "family day-care home."
DENSITY, DWELLING UNIT
The number of dwelling units per acre of land area.
DISTRIBUTOR
As defined by Title 47, the Pennsylvania Liquor Code, as amended.
DISTRICT
See "zoning district."
DOMESTIC PETS
Animals or birds customarily found in a dwelling and kept for company or pleasure, including dogs and cats, provided that there is not a sufficient number to constitute a kennel, as defined herein; hamsters, gerbils, parakeets, canaries, and similar small animals or birds, but not including any exotic animals such as lions, tigers, bears, ocelots or other feral cats, large or poisonous snakes, alligators, monkeys or other animals normally found in a zoo, nor any horses, pigs, chickens or other fowl or livestock customarily found on a farm.
DRIVE-THROUGH FACILITY
Any principal use or accessory use which involves a window, service lane, bay or other facility where customers are provided services either inside or outside their vehicles and where cars may or may not wait in line to access these services, including, but not limited to, drive-in or drive-through windows at fast-food restaurants, banks or other businesses, exterior automated teller machines (ATMs), quick oil change facilities, car washes and similar automotive services and other such facilities.
DRIVEWAY
A private vehicular way providing access between a street and a parking area or garage located on a lot.
DRY CLEANER
An establishment for the receiving, pick-up and cleaning of clothing with the use of solvents rather than water.
DWELLING
A building designed exclusively as living quarters for one or more families, including single-family, two-family and multifamily dwellings, but not including hotels, motels or boardinghouses.
DWELLING TYPES
The following dwelling types are included in this chapter:
A. 
SINGLE-FAMILY DWELLINGA detached residential building that is the only principal structure on the lot, designed exclusively for occupancy by one family, as defined herein, and containing one dwelling unit.
B. 
TWO-FAMILY DWELLINGA residential building that is the only principal structure on the lot, designed exclusively for occupancy by two families living independently of each other, and containing two dwelling units, each with a separate entrance directly to the outside, including double houses and duplexes.
C. 
MULTIFAMILY DWELLINGA residential building designed exclusively for occupancy by three or more families living independently of each other and containing three or more dwelling units, including garden apartments and townhouses.
D. 
GARDEN APARTMENTA multifamily residential building no more than three stories in height containing three or more dwelling units that share a common entrance to the outside, usually through a common corridor, and that may have other dwelling units above or below them.
E. 
GROUP CARE FACILITYA facility licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that provides room and board and specialized services for any number of permanent residents who are not included in the protected classes covered by the Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. § 3601 et seq.) and who are in need of supervision and specialized services on a twenty-four-hour basis, including staff qualified by the sponsoring agency who may or may not reside at the facility and who provide health, social and rehabilitative services to the residents. The services shall be provided only by a governmental agency, its licensed or certified agents or any other responsible nonprofit social services corporation, and the facility shall meet all minimum requirements of the sponsoring agency.
F. 
PERSONAL CARE BOARDING HOMEA dwelling licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania where room and board is provided to more than three permanent residents, who are not relatives of the operator, and who are mobile or semimobile and require specialized services for a period exceeding 24 consecutive hours in such matters as bathing, dressing, diet and medication prescribed for self-administration, but who are not in need of hospitalization or skilled nursing care or intermediate nursing care.
G. 
TOWNHOUSEA multifamily residential building no more than 2 1/2 stories in height that contains at least three, but no more than eight dwelling units, each of which are separated from the adjoining unit or units by a continuous, unpierced vertical wall extending from the basement to the roof, each unit having independent access directly to the outside and having no other units above or below.
H. 
TRANSITIONAL DWELLINGA dwelling unit occupied on a permanent basis by persons of any age or condition who have been adjudicated by the criminal court system or on a short-term basis by persons assigned by a court of law or a public, semipublic or nonprofit agency, and managed by a public, semipublic or nonprofit agency responsible for the occupants' care, safety, conduct, counseling and supervision for a specified period of time, including for the purposes of alcoholic recovery, shelters for battered persons and their children, community reentry services following incarceration, prison assignment, house arrest or other court-ordered treatment and other such short-term supervised assignments.
DWELLING UNIT
Two or more rooms designed for or occupied by one family only and containing sleeping facilities, cooking and food storage facilities, and, in a separate room, toilet and tub or shower, with hot and cold water supply, all for the exclusive use of the family occupying the dwelling unit.
DWELLING UNIT DENSITY
See "density, dwelling unit."
EASEMENT
A grant of the specified use of a parcel of land to the public, a corporation or a person in which no permanent structures shall be permitted without the permission of all parties having rights to the easement.
EDUCATIONAL STUDIO
An establishment that provides training to individuals or groups in specialized recreational activities or avocations, including, but not limited to, dance, gymnastics, martial arts, photography, music, arts and crafts and similar pursuits.
EROSION
The removal of surface materials by the action of natural elements.
ESSENTIAL SERVICES
The provision by continuous conduit of distribution and collection systems by public utilities regulated by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) or by any agency, franchisee or authority of Mount Pleasant Township of underground or overhead gas, electric, telephone, steam or water lines, sewers, fire alarm boxes, traffic signals, hydrants, cable television (not including towers) and accessories in connection therewith, reasonably necessary to furnish adequate services within Mount Pleasant Township to the general public.
FAMILY
An individual, or two or more persons related by blood, marriage, adoption or foster child care, including domestic servants or gratuitous guests thereof; or a group of not more than three unrelated persons living together without supervision in a dwelling unit; or a group of not more than eight persons protected by the provisions of the Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. § 3601 et seq., as now or hereafter amended) living together in a group living arrangement with supervision, provided that those persons do not have a criminal record. "Family" shall not include persons living together in a group care facility, personal care boarding home or transitional dwelling, as defined herein, or any other supervised group living arrangement for persons other than those protected by the Fair Housing Act, or persons who constitute a direct threat to others or their physical property.
FAMILY DAY-CARE HOME
A facility licensed or approved by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as required by the laws of the Commonwealth, located within a dwelling, for the care on a regular basis during part of a twenty-four-hour-day of not more than six children under 16 years of age, including care provided to children who are relatives of the provider where such use shall be secondary to the use of the dwelling for living purposes.
FAMILY PLOT
Any property used for interring dead persons or domestic pets, the use of which is restricted to the members of a family, and which is owned and operated by the members of that family.
FARM
A site of 10 acres or more used for the pursuit of agriculture, as defined herein.
FARM CAFE
An eating establishment that prepares and serves food grown on-site and within Region 5 as defined by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. The principal objective of a farm cafe is to support local agriculture, to provide alternatives to the conversion of farmland through sustainable rural economic development and to empower farmers to undertake entrepreneurial endeavors which augment, support and highlight local agriculture.
FARM CAMP
The hosting of day and overnight events for students and/or other guests for farm education.
FARM MARKET
The offering for sale of fresh and packaged agricultural products directly to the consumer at an open-air market and/or a combination of enclosed and open-air facilities.
FARM STAND
A temporary structure from which fresh agricultural produce is sold.
FARM STRUCTURES, NON-TRADITIONAL-SCALE
Buildings and facilities greater than 25,000 square feet that are typically used for farm-related activity and found on land designated for such.
FARM STRUCTURES, TRADITIONAL-SCALE
Buildings and facilities 25,000 square feet or less in area that are typically used for farm-related activity and found on land designated for such.
FEED LOT
See "concentrated feed lot."
FENCE or WALL
A structure designed for the purpose of enclosing space or separating parcels of land. The term "fence or wall" shall not include retaining walls that are designed and approved in accordance with the Township Grading Ordinance.[1]
FINANCIAL INSTITUTION
A bank, savings and loan association or similar institution that lends money or is engaged in a finance-related business.
FLOODPLAIN
Areas adjoining any rivers, streams, ponds or lakes subject to the 100-year recurrence-interval flood as delineated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers or subject to erosion caused by a 100-year recurrence-interval flood, as well as any such areas identified in the future by an expert experienced in the preparation of hydrological studies and the determination of flood lines, subject to the review and approval of a professional engineer selected by the Township.
FOOD STORE
A retail establishment that has a gross floor area of no more than 10,000 square feet and that sells specialty or gourmet food items or meats and groceries that are packaged and that may or may not be available for consumption on the premises.
FORESTRY
The management of forests and timberlands when practiced in accordance with accepted silvicultural principles, through the development, cultivation, harvest, transport and selling of trees for commercial purposes, and that does not involve any land development.
FRONT BUILDING LINE
See "building line, front."
FRONT LOT LINE
See "lot line, front."
FRONT YARD
See "yard, front."
FUNERAL HOME
A building used for the embalming of the deceased for burial, but not including cremation, and for the display of the deceased and for the holding of ceremonies connected therewith before burial or cremation.
GARAGE, PRIVATE
An accessory structure or a portion of the principal building, enclosed on not less than three sides and not accessible to the general public, designed or used for the shelter or storage of private vehicles and personal property of the occupants of the principal building.
GARAGE, PUBLIC PARKING
A building other than a private garage containing two or more parking spaces accessible to the general public, and used for the storage or parking of motor vehicles, or where such vehicles are kept for remuneration, hire or sale, but not including the repair of vehicles or the storage of dismantled or wrecked motor vehicles, or other such items found in a junkyard, as defined by this chapter.
GARAGE, REPAIR
See "repair garage."
GARDEN APARTMENT
See Subsection D under the definition of "dwelling types."
GARDEN NURSERY
A retail establishment that sells flowers, plants, trees and other natural flora and products that aid their growth and care and that may include a greenhouse or the growing of plant material outside on the lot.
GAS WELL
See "oil and gas wells."
GOLF COURSE
A recreational facility that has a course, with a minimum of nine regulation-size holes, for playing golf as its principal use and that may have a clubhouse, locker rooms, restaurant, swimming pool, pro shop, facilities for racquet sports, maintenance facilities and other similar facilities as accessory uses.
GOLF OR COUNTRY CLUB
A recreational facility operated by a public or private entity that has as its principal use a golf course, as defined herein, and that may include one or more of the following accessory uses: a clubhouse and/or restaurant, locker rooms, pro shops, a swimming pool and facilities for racquet sports.
GREENHOUSE
The indoor raising of plants, shrubs and trees for sale and transplantation.
GROCERY STORE
A retail establishment in excess of 10,000 square feet of gross floor area that primarily sells meat and food products, but which may also include as accessory uses a pharmacy, a dry cleaner, a florist, a travel agency, video rental (excluding an adult video store), banking and copy/fax services.
GROSS FLOOR AREA
The sum of the gross horizontal areas of the floors of a building as measured between the exterior faces of the walls.
GROUP CARE FACILITY
See Subsection E under the definition of "dwelling types."
GROUP CHILD-CARE HOME
The care and supervision, for payment and for a period less than 24 consecutive hours, of up to 11 children who are unrelated to the occupant of the dwelling. Such home shall be licensed by the Department of Public Welfare.
HAZARDOUS WASTE
The definition of hazardous waste contained in Title 25, Chapter 261a, Identification and Listing of Hazardous Waste, of the Pennsylvania Statutes, is hereby adopted by reference.
HEIGHT OF BUILDING
See "building height."
HEIGHT OF STRUCTURE
The vertical distance measured from the average elevation of the finished grade around the structure to the highest point on the structure.
HOME OCCUPATION
An accessory use of a service character, other than a no-impact home-based business, in which the business or service is conducted entirely within a dwelling by the residents thereof, and which is clearly secondary to the use of the dwelling for living purposes and does not, in any way, change the character of the dwelling.
HOME-BASED BUSINESS, NO-IMPACT
See "no-impact home-based business."
HOSPITAL
An establishment licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for the care of human patients suffering from physical or mental illnesses, and that may or may not include facilities for major surgery and that may be publicly or privately operated.
HOSPITAL, ANIMAL
See "animal hospital."
HOTEL, MOTEL or INN
An establishment, other than a bed-and-breakfast, as defined herein, that offers transient overnight lodging accommodations to the general public and that also may provide additional supporting services such as restaurants, meeting rooms, recreation facilities and living quarters for a resident manager or proprietor.
HOUSE GUEST
A temporary occupant of a short-term-rental living quarter and/or meeting room(s) within a dwelling unit.
IMPERVIOUS SURFACE
Surfaces with a coefficient of runoff greater than 0.85, including all buildings, parking areas, driveways, streets, sidewalks and areas paved in concrete and asphalt and any other areas determined by the Township Engineer to be impervious within the meaning of this definition.
IMPORTING DISTRIBUTOR
As defined by Title 47, the Pennsylvania Liquor Code, as amended.
INDOOR AMUSEMENT
A theater, arena, bowling alley, pool hall, skating rink or similar cultural or recreational facility located within a completely enclosed building, excluding those facilities that are accessory to a place of assembly or school.
INDUSTRIAL, LIGHT
See "light industrial" or "light manufacturing."
JUNKYARD
Any premises devoted wholly or in part to storing, buying or selling, salvaging, recycling or otherwise handling or dealing in scrap metals, building materials, scrapped or used appliances or other household goods, fixtures, vehicles and vehicle parts, machinery and machinery parts or other forms of discarded materials.
KENNEL
Any premises wherein dogs are kept for the purpose of breeding, hunting, training, renting, research or vivisection, purchase, boarding, sale, show or any other similar purpose constructed so that dogs cannot stray therefrom, subject to regulation by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture under Act No. 1996-151, as now or hereafter amended.
LAKES AND PONDS
Natural or artificial bodies of water that retain water year-round. Artificial ponds may be created by dams or result from excavation. The shoreline of such bodies of water shall be measured from the maximum condition rather than permanent pool if there is any difference. Lakes are bodies of water two or more acres in surface area; ponds are bodies of water less than two acres in surface area.
LAND DEVELOPMENT
The improvement of one lot or two or more contiguous lots, tracts or parcels for any purpose involving:
A. 
A group of two or more residential or nonresidential buildings, whether proposed initially or cumulatively; or
B. 
A single nonresidential building on a lot or lots regardless of the number of occupants or tenure, including any change of use or structural alteration that results in an increase in total lot coverage by structures and/or paving of 5,000 square feet or more; or
C. 
The division or allocation of land or space, whether initially or cumulatively, between or among two or more existing or prospective occupants, by means of or for the purpose of streets, common areas, leaseholds, condominiums, building groups or other features.
LAND DEVELOPMENT PLAN
A plan prepared in accordance with the application requirements of Chapter 178, Subdivision and Land Development, for approval of a land development, as defined herein.
LANDFILL
Any site licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) for the disposal of solid waste, other than hazardous waste, as defined and regulated by federal statute.
LANDOWNER
The legal or beneficial owner or owners of land, including the holder of an option or contract to purchase (whether or not such option or contract is subject to any condition), a lessee if he is authorized under the lease to exercise the rights of the landowner, or other person having a proprietary interest in land.
LANDSCAPING PLAN
A plan prepared by a person knowledgeable in the characteristics of plant materials and the proper techniques for installing and maintaining them, including a registered architect or landscape architect or a member of the American Nurserymen's Association, identifying each tree and shrub by size, type and scientific name; the location of each, including a planting diagram; and such other diagrams or reports as are necessary to show the method of planting, staking and mulching, grass seeding specifications and mixtures and existing trees to be preserved, if any.
LANDSLIDE SUSCEPTIBILITY
Areas of moderate to high susceptibility to land sliding produced by the influence of natural and/or man-made activity.[2]
LAUNDROMAT
A business establishment equipped with a number of individual clothes-washing machines and clothes dryers and that may include individual dry-cleaning machines for use by the general public, excluding laundry facilities provided as an accessory use in a multifamily residential building.
LIGHT MANUFACTURING
The processing, fabrication, treatment, or assembly of materials, raw or otherwise, or the manufacturing of products that may or may not require additional processing, fabrication, treatment, or assembly and that may or may not be for ultimate use by the consumer (i.e., "light industrial").
LIMITED DISTILLERY
An establishment licensed by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board to operate a distillery that shall not exceed production of 100,000 gallons of distilled liquor per year, or as otherwise defined by Title 47, the Pennsylvania Liquor Code, as amended.
LIMITED WINERY
An establishment licensed by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board to operate a winery that shall not exceed production of 200,000 gallons of wine per year, or as otherwise defined by Title 47, the Pennsylvania Liquor Code, as amended.
LIVESTOCK
Any member of the bovine or equine species, including, but not limited to, cows, steers, horses, ponies, llamas, alpacas, sheep, goats and pigs, and chickens and other fowl customarily found on a farm.
LOCAL STREET
See "street, local."
LOT
A designated parcel, tract or area of land established by a plat or otherwise as permitted by law to be used, developed or built upon as a unit.
LOT AREA
The total area within the lot lines, excluding the area within any street right-of-way.
LOT COVERAGE
That percentage of the lot area covered by the principal building or buildings and all accessory buildings and structures, including, but not limited to, decks, swimming pools, storage sheds, garages and similar structures.
LOT FRONTAGE
That portion of the lot that adjoins the street right-of-way or through which access is provided to a public street.
LOT LINE
A line of record bounding a lot that divides one lot from another lot or from a public or private street or other public space.
LOT LINE, FRONT
That lot line that is contiguous with the street center line or the street right-of-way line. In the case of a lot that has no frontage on a street, the front lot line shall be the lot line through which vehicular access is provided, regardless of which direction the dwelling faces.
LOT LINE, REAR
That lot line that is generally opposite the front lot line.
LOT LINE, SIDE
Any lot line that is not a front lot line or rear lot line.
LOT OF RECORD
Any lot that, individually, or as part of a subdivision, has been recorded in the office of the Recorder of Deeds of Washington County.
LOT WIDTH
The straight line distance between the points of intersection of the front building line with the side lot lines.
LOT, CORNER
See "corner lot."
LOT, DEPTH OF
The average distance from the street right-of-way line to its opposite rear lot line, generally measured parallel to the side lot lines.
MACHINE SHOP
A work shop where a machinist fabricates, assembles or repairs parts and/or equipment.[3]
MEDIATION
A voluntary negotiating process in which parties to a dispute mutually select a neutral mediator to assist them in jointly exploring and settling their differences, culminating in a written agreement that the parties themselves create and consider acceptable.
MEDICAL MARIJUANA
Marijuana for certified medical use as legally permitted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with Act 16.
MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARY
A business establishment, corporation, partnership, association, trust or other entity, or combination thereof, which holds a permit issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Health to dispense medical marijuana.
MEDICAL MARIJUANA GROWER/PROCESSOR
A business establishment, corporation, partnership, association, trust or other entity, or combination thereof, which holds a permit issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Health to grow and process medical marijuana.
MINE PORTALS, VENTILATING SHAFTS, BORE HOLES AND TIPPLES
Support facility required for and used only in connection with an underground coal mine to enter an underground coal mine; supply air or power to the underground coal mine; ventilate air or gas from the underground coal mine including the use of fans and fan buildings; remove water from the underground coal mine; and remove coal from the underground coal mine.
MINE WASTE DISPOSAL AREA
A facility permitted by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) to receive materials remaining after underground mining activities.
MINERAL EXTRACTION
Any extraction of any mineral for sale or other commercial purpose that involves removal of the surface of the earth or exposure of the mineral or subsurface of the earth to wind, rain, sun or other elements of nature, including mining activities carried out beneath the surface of the earth by means of shafts, tunnels or other underground mine openings. The term "mineral" includes, but is not limited to, anthracite and bituminous coal, lignite, limestone and dolomite, sand, gravel, rock, stone, earth, slag, ore, vermiculite, clay and other mineral sources.
MINI-WAREHOUSE or SELF-STORAGE FACILITY
A building or group of buildings in a controlled-access and fenced compound that contains various sizes of individual, compartmentalized and controlled-access stalls and/or lockers leased to the general public for a specified period of time for the storage of personal property.
MOBILE HOME
A transportable, single-family dwelling intended for permanent occupancy, contained in one unit or in two or more units designed to be joined into one integral unit capable of again being separated for repeated towing, that arrives at a site complete and ready for occupancy except for minor and incidental unpacking and assembling operations and that is constructed so that it may be used without a permanent foundation.
MOBILE HOME LOT
A parcel of land in a mobile home park improved with the necessary utility connections and other appurtenances necessary for the erection thereon of a single mobile home.
MOBILE HOME PARK
A parcel or contiguous parcels of land that has been so designated and improved that it contains two or more mobile home lots for the placement thereon of mobile homes.
MULTIFAMILY DWELLING
See Subsection C under "dwelling types."
MUNICIPAL FACILITY
Buildings, structures and land uses owned and occupied by Mount Pleasant Township or any of its agencies and used to provide services to the residents of the Township. Municipal facilities may include, but are not limited to, Township administrative offices, public works buildings, storage yards, libraries, fire company buildings, senior centers and recreation facilities and buildings.
MUNICIPALITIES PLANNING CODE (MPC)
Act 247 of 1968, as amended by Act 170 of 1988 (53 P.S. § 10101 et seq., as may be amended from time to time).
NIGHTCLUB
A restaurant, or portion thereof, or any other establishment serving food and/or drink, whether or not the consumption of alcoholic beverages is permitted or allowed on the premises, that offers on a monthly or more frequent basis live entertainment on a stage or bandstand and/or dancing to music, either live or recorded, and that has a maximum permitted occupancy as authorized by the Township Building Code of 50 or more persons.
NO-IMPACT HOME-BASED BUSINESS
A business or commercial activity administered or conducted as an accessory use to a dwelling that is clearly secondary to its principal use as a residential dwelling and that involves no customer, client or patient traffic, whether vehicular or pedestrian, or pickup, delivery or removal functions to or from the premises in excess of those normally associated with residential use.
NONCOMMERCIAL RECREATION
See "recreation, noncommercial."
NONCONFORMING LOT
Any lot, the area or dimension of which was lawful prior to the adoption or amendment of this chapter, that fails to conform to the requirements of the zoning district in which it is located by reasons of such adoption or amendment.
NONCONFORMING STRUCTURE
A structure or part of a structure that does not comply with the applicable area and bulk provisions of this chapter or any amendment heretofore or hereafter enacted, where such structure lawfully existed prior to the enactment of this chapter or an amendment thereto or prior to the application of this chapter or amendment to its location by reason of annexation. Such nonconforming structures include, but are not limited to, nonconforming signs.
NONCONFORMING USE
A use, whether of land or of a structure, that does not comply with the applicable use provisions in this chapter or any amendment heretofore or hereafter enacted, where such use was lawfully in existence prior to the enactment of this chapter or an amendment thereto or prior to the application of this chapter or amendment to its location by reason of annexation.
NUDITY
The appearance of a human bare buttock, anus, male or female genitals or female breast.
NURSING HOME
An institution licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for the care of human patients requiring skilled nursing or intermediate nursing care, but not including facilities for major surgery or care and treatment of drug or alcohol addiction.
OFF-STREET LOADING SPACE
A space not located within any street right-of-way used by motor vehicles for the temporary storage of trucks and other commercial vehicles while loading and unloading merchandise or materials.
OFF-STREET PARKING SPACE
A space not located within any street right-of-way used by motor vehicles for the temporary storage of one motor vehicle.
OFFICES
See "business or professional offices."
OFFICIAL MAP
A map adopted by ordinance according to the procedures outlined in Article IV of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (Act 247, as amended) reserving lands for future taking for public purposes. [Note: See also Official Zoning District Map at Appendix C.]
OIL AND GAS COMPRESSOR STATION
A facility or location that contains a compressor, compressors and all related components to facilitate the movement of oil and/or natural gas and/or its by-products through a pipeline.
OIL AND GAS METERING STATIONS/ABOVEGROUND GATHERING FACILITIES
A system used to measure all oil and/or natural gas entering or exiting the pipeline system to provide accurate and continuous gas measurements and/or regulate gas pressure and delivery volumes.
OIL AND GAS PIPELINES
All parts of those physical facilities through which oil and/or natural gas moves in transportation, including pipes, valves, and other appurtenances attached to pipes, compressor units, metering stations, regulator stations, delivery stations, holders and fabricated assemblies.
OIL AND GAS PROCESSING FACILITY
A facility that receives oil and/or natural gas and associated hydrocarbons from a truck, railway car or pipeline system serving one or more wells, which processes, compresses, condenses, pressurizes, deals with dew point control or gas-quality-related issues or otherwise treats oil and/or natural gas to make it suitable for, among other things, pipeline transmission, or which removes and separates or adds other materials, products, and impurities to or from the oil or gas, and which may or may not include compressor stations, cooling facilities, storage tanks and related equipment and facilities.
OIL AND GAS WELLS
The removal of oil and natural gas resources for sale or other commercial purposes, including the structures and equipment necessary to accomplish the removal.
ON-SITE SALES ACCESSORY TO A FARM
The sale of products raised, grown or produced on a farm, provided that the sales are conducted on the farm property where the products are raised, grown or produced and that any products sold that are not raised, grown or produced on the farm shall comprise less than 50% of the total sales.
OPEN SPACE
An area of land or water on a development site in which no structures are permitted and which is set aside for the use and enjoyment of the general public or the owners and tenants of property which adjoins the open space.
OWNER
See "landowner."
PARKING AREA
A portion of a lot designated for the parking of motor vehicles in accordance with the requirements of this chapter.
PARKING GARAGE, PUBLIC
See "garage, public parking."
PARKING LOT, PUBLIC
See "public parking lot."
PARKING SPACE
A portion of a garage or parking area designated for the parking of one motor vehicle in accordance with the requirements of this chapter.
PERSONAL CARE BOARDING HOME
See Subsection F under "dwelling types."
PERSONAL SERVICES
Any enterprise providing services to a person, his apparel or his personal effects commonly carried on or about his person, including, but not limited to, shoe repair, tailoring, clothes cleaning, watch repair, beauty shops, barbershops and the like.
PHARMACY
A retail business establishment which primarily sells prescription drugs, patent medicines and surgical and sickroom supplies.
PIPELINE CORRIDOR
The pathway in which the pipelines and facilities of a pipeline operator are located in the jurisdiction of Mount Pleasant Township, including public rights-of-way and easements over and through public or private property.
PLACE OF ASSEMBLY
A building and/or lot designed for the assembly or collection of persons for civic, political, religious, educational or social purposes and where recreation, amusement or dining may occur as accessory activities. A place of assembly does not include a private club.
PLANNED RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT
An area of land controlled by a landowner to be developed as a single entity for a number of dwelling units or a combination of residential and nonresidential uses, the development plan for which does not correspond in lot size, bulk, type of dwelling unit or use, density or intensity, lot coverage and required open space to the regulations otherwise applicable in the zoning district in which it is located.
PLANNING COMMISSION
The Planning Commission of Mount Pleasant Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania.
POLLUTION
Man-made or man-induced contamination or other degradation of the physical, chemical, biological or radiological integrity of air, water, soil or biological resources.
PRESCHOOL FACILITY
An establishment offering private educational services to children who are under the minimum age for education in public schools.
PRINCIPAL BUILDING OR STRUCTURE
The building or structure in which the principal use is conducted.
PRINCIPAL USE
The primary or predominant use to which the property is or may be devoted, and to which all other uses on the premises are accessory.
PRIVATE
Owned, operated or controlled by an individual, group of individuals, association or corporation or not-for-profit and restricted to members and their guests.
PRIVATE CLUB
Any establishment, other than a sportsmen's club, operated by a legally-chartered organization for social, recreational, educational, fraternal or sororal purposes, which is open only to members and their guests and not to the general public.
PRIVATE GARAGE
See "garage, private."
PRIVATE STABLE
The keeping of horses and/or ponies for the personal use and enjoyment of the residents of the lot and which does not involve any profit-making activity.
PRIVATE STREET
A street, including the entire private right-of-way, which is privately owned and maintained and which is intended for private rather than public use.
PROFESSIONAL OFFICES
See "business or professional offices."
PROTECTED USE or PROTECTED STRUCTURE
Any habitable structure, religious institution, public building, health care facility, school, camp or public park. This term shall not apply to accessory buildings, garages, hangars, or storage buildings.
PUBLIC
Owned, operated or controlled by a federal, state, county or local government agency.
PUBLIC BUILDING
Any building or habitable structure used or designed and intended to be used for gathering purposes such as deliberation, entertainment, amusement, or health care. Public buildings include, but shall not be limited to, theaters, assembly halls, auditoriums, mortuary chapels, dance halls, exhibition halls, office buildings, government-use facilities, gymnasiums, libraries, restaurants, stores and health care facilities.
PUBLIC MEETING
A forum held pursuant to notice under the act of July 3, 1986 (P.L. 388, No. 84), known as the "Sunshine Act" (65 P.S. § 271 et seq.).
PUBLIC NOTICE
Notice published once each week for two successive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the Township to advertise a public hearing. Such notice shall state the time and place of the hearing and the particular nature of the matter to be considered at the hearing. The first publication shall not be more than 30 days and the second publication shall not be less than seven days from the date of the hearing.
PUBLIC PARKING GARAGE
See "garage, public parking."
PUBLIC PARKING LOT
A parking area on the surface of the ground that is the principal use on the lot and that may be operated by either a public agency or private entity, whether for profit or not, and that is available for use by the general public, usually for a fee.
PUBLIC RECREATION
See "recreation, public."
PUBLIC STREET
See "street, public."
PUBLIC UTILITY INSTALLATION
Any administrative building, maintenance building, garage or other structure intended for human occupancy or storage of movable equipment or any part of the essential public utility installations, as defined herein, provided by public utilities regulated by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) or any agency, franchisee or authority of Mount Pleasant Township, which is reasonably necessary to furnish adequate services to the general public both within Mount Pleasant Township and outside the Township, including, but not limited to, long-distance transmission facilities such as electrical power lines or high-pressure natural gas or petroleum lines, switching facilities, substations and similar facilities.
REAR LOT LINE
See "lot line, rear."
REAR YARD
See "yard, rear."
RECREATION, COMMERCIAL
An enterprise operated for profit by other than a public entity, either indoors or outdoors, for the pursuit of sports, recreation or leisure activities, including, but not limited to such establishments as miniature golf, golf or batting practice facilities, bowling alleys, ice or roller rinks, playing fields, racquet clubs, swimming pools, theaters, dance halls, amusement parks, amphitheaters and other similar facilities.
RECREATION, NONCOMMERCIAL
An enterprise operated by an individual, association or corporation, other than a public entity, whether or not for profit, and whether or not the facilities are advertised to the general public, for the pursuit of sports, recreation or leisure activities, the use of which is limited to members and their guests, including, but not limited to such establishments as country clubs, golf courses, sportsmen's clubs, golf practice facilities, playing fields, tennis or racquet clubs, swimming pools and other similar facilities.
RECREATION, PUBLIC
An enterprise other than a municipal facility, as defined herein, operated by a public entity and available to the general public, whether or not an admission fee is charged, including either indoor or outdoor facilities for the pursuit of sports, recreation or leisure activities, including, but not limited to, parks, playgrounds, playing fields, golf courses, golf or batting practice facilities, ice rinks, tennis courts, swimming pools and other similar facilities.
RECREATIONAL VEHICLE
A single-axle or multiple-axle structure mounted on wheels or otherwise capable of being made mobile, either with its own motive power or designed to be mounted on or drawn by an automotive vehicle, for the purpose of travel, camping, vacation and recreational use, including, but not limited to, travel trailers, mobile homes, motor homes, tent trailers, boats, boat trailers, pickup campers, horse trailers, snowmobiles, motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles.
RENTAL HOUSING EXCHANGE POLICY
A web- or non-web-based application or similar platform, including real estate agent(s), that mediates the short-term rental of living quarters and/or meeting rooms within a dwelling unit for a set or negotiated price.
REPAIR GARAGE
A building, or part thereof, used for the servicing and repair of motor vehicles, including engine overhaul, body work and recapping/retreading of tires and where all storage of parts and dismantled vehicles and all repair work are conducted entirely inside a completely enclosed building, as defined by this chapter.
REPAIR SHOP
A service establishment providing maintenance and repairs of items that can be carried in by hand, including personal effects (such as jewelry, watches and bicycles), small household appliances, office equipment, small gasoline engines and other similar items, but not including repair of large appliances, motorized vehicles or heavy equipment.
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Any establishment, including laboratories, that carries on investigation in the natural, physical or social sciences or engineering and development as an extension of such investigation, with the objective of creating end products and which may include supporting storage and transportation facilities.
RESIDENTIAL USE IN COMBINATION WITH AN AUTHORIZED NONRESIDENTIAL USE
A building containing both residential and nonresidential uses authorized by the zoning district, in which the ground floor is exclusively nonresidential and the non-ground floor(s) is residential or a combination of residential and nonresidential uses.
RESIDUAL WASTE
Garbage, refuse, other discarded material or other waste, including solid, liquid, semisolid or contained gaseous materials resulting from industrial, mining, drilling or agricultural operations and sludge from an industrial, mining or agricultural water supply treatment facility, wastewater treatment facility or air pollution control facility, if it is not hazardous.
RESTAURANT
An establishment that offers food and beverages for sale and consumption either on or off the premises as the principal use and that may serve alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises as an accessory use.
RETAIL BUSINESS
The sale on the premises of commodities and/or services directly to consumers, but not including the manufacturing or processing of any products.
RETAIL ESTABLISHMENTS, AGRICULTURE-SUPPORTED
A commercial enterprise that provides goods and/or services in which the majority of the customer base consists of non-public agriculture-business-to-farm or business-to-business relationships.
RETAIL ESTABLISHMENTS, VALUE-ADDED AGRICULTURE
A commercial enterprise that provides goods and/or services in which the majority of the customer base is public as related to farm-to-business or farm-to-consumer relationships.
RIDING ACADEMY
An establishment where instruction in riding, jumping and showing is offered for a fee and where horses may be hired for riding. A riding academy may also include a boarding stable, as defined herein.
RIGHT-OF-WAY
An area of land reserved or dedicated for public purposes to provide access across private property.
SANITARY SEWER, PRIVATE
An on-lot disposal system providing for the disposal of effluent for one building and its accessory building on a single lot, subject to the approval of the Washington County Sewage Council.
SANITARY SEWER, PUBLIC
Any municipal or privately-owned sewer system in which sewage is collected from more than one lot and piped to an approved sewage disposal plant or approved community treatment system, including capped sewers which are installed to Township specifications.
SCHOOL, COMMERCIAL
A privately operated, for-profit establishment providing technical or skilled training or vocational or trade educational courses and programs.
SCHOOL, PRIVATE OR PUBLIC
An accredited institution of learning which offers elementary- and secondary-level instruction in the several branches of learning required by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or which offers associate, bachelor or higher degrees.
SEASONAL RESIDENCE
A dwelling with a permanent foundation that is occupied by its owner for no more than six months of the calendar year.
SELF-STORAGE FACILITY
See "mini-warehouses/self-storage facility."
SERVICE STATION
A. 
The servicing of motor vehicles and operations incidental thereto and limited to one or more of the following activities: the retail sale of petroleum products; retail sales and installation of automotive accessories; automobile washing by hand; waxing and polishing of automobiles; tire changing and repairing, excluding recapping; battery service, changing and replacement, excluding repair and rebuilding; radiator cleaning and flushing, excluding steam cleaning and repair; installation of accessories; and state inspection; and/or
B. 
The following operations, if conducted within a completely enclosed building as defined by this chapter: lubrication of motor vehicles; replacement of exhaust systems; brake servicing limited to servicing and replacement of brake cylinders, lines and brake shoes; wheel balancing; testing, adjustment and replacement or servicing of carburetors, filters, generators, points, rotors, spark plugs, voltage regulators, water and fuel pumps, water hoses and wiring; and/or
C. 
The operation of a convenience food store, provided that retail sale of petroleum products is a part of the operation.
SEXUAL CONDUCT
Patently offensive representations or descriptions of ultimate sexual acts, normal or perverted, actual or simulated, and patently offensive representations, descriptions or acts of masturbation, excretory functions, homosexuality, sodomy, sexual intercourse or physical contact with a person's clothed or unclothed genitals, pubic area, buttocks, or, if such person be female, breast.
SHOPPING CENTER
A site under one ownership and control which is developed as a unit for two or more retail businesses in one or more buildings and designed with shared parking, loading and access facilities.
SHORT-TERM RENTAL
The act of offering temporary living quarters and/or meeting rooms within a dwelling unit by the owner or lessee for a negotiated price to a transient person with or without the mediating use of a rental housing exchange agency.
SIDE LOT LINE
See "lot line, side."
SIDE YARD
See "yard, side."
SIGN
Any structure or device used to attract attention by word or graphic display.
SIGN, SURFACE AREA OF
The area enclosed by one continuous line connecting the extreme points or edges of an advertising panel containing letters or the sum of the areas of each letter, in the case of freestanding letters that are mounted on a building wall rather than painted on or affixed to an advertising panel. In the case of freestanding pole or ground signs, this area shall not include the main supporting sign structure, but shall include all other ornamental attachments and connecting features that are not part of the main supports of the sign. In the case of letters that are painted on or affixed to an awning or canopy rather than mounted on a wall or affixed to an advertising panel, the area of the sign shall be the area of the geometric shape formed by outlining the height and width of all of the letters, including the space between the individual letters. For two-sided signs, only one face is counted in computing the surface area.
SILOS
Towers or other structures on a farm used to store grain.
SINGLE-FAMILY DWELLING
See Subsection A under "dwelling types."
SITE
A tract of land or one or more contiguous lots proposed for development.
SITE AREA
The total area within the boundary lines of a site proposed for development, expressed in acres or square feet.
SLAUGHTERHOUSE
An establishment where animals are butchered for human consumption and where the meat is prepared and packaged for retail or wholesale sales, including seasonal processing of game animals.
SLOPE
The degree of rise or descent of the land surface calculated by dividing the number of feet of vertical rise/descent in elevation by the number of feet of horizontal distance, expressed as a percentage.
SMALL WIND-ENERGY SYSTEM
See "wind energy system, small."
SOLAR/WIND ENERGY CONVERSION SYSTEMS
Any device which converts solar or wind energy to a form of usable energy.
SPECIAL EXCEPTION
See "use by special exception."
SPECIALTY RETAIL
A business located in an existing building that is devoted to the sale of a small inventory of distinctive, high quality merchandise, including one or more of the following: apparel and accessory boutique; art, music or photography studio or gallery; antique or interior design shop; custom bakery; bookstore; card, gift or stationery store; confectionery; florist; historic or museum shop; ice cream parlor, jeweler, kitchen accessory shop; optical shop; newsstand; tobacco shop; travel agency; wine shop; and other similar specialty shops with small inventories of distinctive, high quality merchandise.
SPORTS COURT
An accessory use designed for active recreation, including, but not limited to, basketball and tennis courts, baseball batting cages, skateboard ramps, trampolines, inflatable structures and other private recreation structures.
SPORTSMEN'S CLUB
A legally-chartered organization for the pursuit of hunting, fishing, marksmanship and related activities that may or may not include a clubhouse and that has a roster of membership and a regular calendar of activities limited to members and their guests.
STABLE, BOARDING
See "boarding stable."
STABLE, PRIVATE
See "private stable."
STORAGE FACILITY
A portion of a warehouse or a separate structure, owned and maintained by a person or entity which holds a license that permits the temporary storage of brewed or malt beverages and which may also include a brewery pub or tap room, as regulated by Title 47, the Pennsylvania Liquor Code, as amended.
STORY
That portion of a building included between the surface of any floor and the surface of the floor next above it, or, if there is no floor above it, then the space between any floor and the ceiling next above it, excluding cellars.
STREET
A public or recorded private right-of-way that affords primary means of vehicular access to abutting property but not including alleys.
STREET LINE
The legal right-of-way line that forms the dividing line between the street and the lot.
STREET, ARTERIAL
A public street that serves large volumes of high-speed and long-distance traffic. Streets classified as arterial in the Township for the purposes of interpreting this chapter are State Route 50, State Route 18 and State Route 519.
STREET, COLLECTOR
A public street that, in addition to giving access to abutting lots, intercepts local streets and provides a route for carrying considerable volumes of local traffic to community facilities and arterial streets. For the purposes of interpreting this chapter, streets classified as collector in the Township are Baker Road, Cherry Valley Road, Fort Cherry Road, Hornhead Road, McCarrell Road, Red Fox Road, Southview Road, Wabash Road, Walnut Road and Waterdam Road.
STREET, LOCAL
Any public street not defined herein as an arterial or collector street.
STREET, PUBLIC
A public right-of-way dedicated and open to public use that has been adopted by the Township, county, commonwealth or other governmental body.
STRUCTURAL ALTERATIONS
A change or rearrangement of the structural parts or in the exit facilities of a structure, or an enlargement or diminution of the structure, whether by extending on the side or increasing the height or depth, or the moving of the structure from one location or position to another.
STRUCTURE
Any man-made object having an ascertainable stationary location on or in land or in water, whether or not affixed to the land.
STRUCTURE, HEIGHT OF
See "height of structure."
SUBDIVISION
The division of a lot, tract or parcel of land by any means into two or more lots, tracts or parcels or other division of land, including any changes in existing lot lines for the purpose, whether immediate or future, of lease, partition by the court for distribution to heirs or devisees, transfer of ownership or building or lot development, provided, however, that the subdivision by lease of land for agricultural purposes into parcels of more than 10 acres, not involving any new street or easement of access or any residential dwelling, shall be exempted.
SURFACE AREA OF SIGN
See "sign, surface area of."
SWIMMING POOL
Any body of water or receptacle for water having a depth at any point greater than two feet and a surface area greater than 100 square feet, used or intended to be used for swimming or bathing and constructed, installed or maintained outside any building.
TANK PAD
An aboveground assembly of fluid storage containers that are each certified by a nationally recognized testing laboratory or organization such as the ASA, American Petroleum Institute, ASTM International, The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, or the American Water Works Association and used to support hydraulic fracturing operations. Tank pads are permitted as new development or on an existing approved well pad.
TAVERN
See "bar or tavern."
TEMPORARY CONSTRUCTION TRAILER
See "construction trailer, temporary."
TEMPORARY USE OR STRUCTURE, OTHER THAN A CONSTRUCTION TRAILER, MODEL HOME OR SALES OFFICE
A use or structure, other than a construction trailer, model home or sales offices, established for a fixed period of time with the intent that such use will terminate automatically upon expiration of the fixed time period unless permission to maintain the use or structure is renewed.
TEMPORARY WATER STORAGE FACILITIES
An aboveground assembly of water storage containers that are each certified by a nationally recognized testing laboratory or organization such as the ASA, American Petroleum Institute, ASTM International, The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, or the American Water Works Association and used intermittently by the Operator (for a period not to exceed six months in a calendar year) to support water storage for hydraulic fracturing operations. Temporary water storage facilities may be permitted as new development or on an existing approved well pad.
TIPPLES
See "mine portals, ventilating shafts, bore holes and tipples."
TOURISM
An activity or business enterprise not otherwise defined and regulated by this chapter that attracts and serves people visiting the area for educational, leisure or vacation purposes directly related to the available historic, agricultural and recreational resources of the immediate area, including, but not limited to, bait and tackle shops, fishing and boating events, campgrounds, demonstration or exhibit farms, farm stays, nature, game or wildlife preserves, museums, military or cultural reenactments or encampments, fish hatcheries, worm farms, seasonal farm festivals, educational activities, country stores, hayrides, pick-your-own produce and other similar activities or events that draw people from outside the immediate area. (See also 'bed-and-breakfast', 'sportsmen's club' and 'commercial recreation' which are not included in the definition of "tourism" and are regulated separately.)
TOWNHOUSE
See Subsection G under "dwelling types."
TOWNSHIP
Mount Pleasant Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania.
TRACTOR SALES AND SERVICE
The sale and service of tractors and tractor-related products.
TRAFFIC CONTROL SITES
An area used as a stopping place or assembly point designed to accommodate trucks during their course of travel to an oil and gas development. Traffic control sites may be permitted as a new development or on an existing approved well pad.
TRANSITIONAL DWELLING
See Subsection H under "dwelling types."
TRUCK AND HEAVY EQUIPMENT RENTAL, SALES AND SERVICE
An establishment engaged in the rental, sale and/or service of vehicles in excess of 26,000 pounds gross vehicle weight (GVW) and/or any other heavy equipment, including but not limited to construction or farm equipment, whether or not the equipment is classified as a motor vehicle.
TWO-FAMILY DWELLING
See Subsection B under dwelling types.
URBAN AGRICULTURE
Small-scale agricultural activities conducted as an accessory use on a lot in conjunction with an authorized principal use.
USE
The purpose, business or activity for which any land or structure is utilized.
USE BY SPECIAL EXCEPTION
A use authorized by this chapter that may be granted only by the Zoning Hearing Board following a public hearing subject to express standards and criteria contained in this chapter.
VARIANCE
A departure from the specific regulations of this chapter that may be granted by the Zoning Hearing Board in accordance with the criteria established by the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code [Act 247 of 1968 (53 P.S. § 10101 et seq.), as amended] for a particular piece of property that, because of special circumstances applicable to it, cannot be developed in compliance with the literal terms of this chapter without undue physical hardship.
VEHICLE ACCESSORIES SALES AND INSTALLATION
An establishment engaged in the retail sales and installation of accessories for trucks, automobiles and motorcycles, including, but not limited to such items as tires, hubcaps, mirrors, seat covers, floor mats, tonneau covers, truck caps, windshields, windshield wipers, trim packages, running boards and the like, but not including any mechanical parts.
VEHICLE RENTAL, SALES AND SERVICE
The rental, sales and service of automobiles, motorcycles and trucks under 26,000 pounds gross vehicle weight (GVW), but not including any heavy equipment or any other vehicle or equipment that is not classified as a "motor vehicle" under the Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Code.
VEHICLE REPAIR GARAGE
A building, or part thereof, used for the servicing and repair of motor vehicles, including engine overhaul, body work and recapping/retreading of tires and where all storage of parts and dismantled vehicles and all repair work are conducted entirely inside a completely enclosed building, as defined by this chapter.
VENTILATING SHAFTS
See "mine portals, ventilating shafts, bore holes and tipples."
WAREHOUSE
A building used for the storage and handling of freight or merchandise, but not including the maintenance or fueling of commercial vehicles. Warehousing that is incidental to retail sales and that does not constitute in excess of 30% of the total floor area of the retail establishment shall be excluded from this definition.
WATER IMPOUNDMENT, FRESH
A lined depression, excavation, pit or facility situated in or upon the ground, whether natural or artificial, used to store fresh water.
WATER IMPOUNDMENT, WASTE
A lined depression, excavation, pit or facility situated in or upon the ground, whether natural or artificial, used to store wastewater, including, but not limited to, brine, fracturing fluid or residual waste.
WELDING SHOP
A store that sells products from the fabrication or sculptural process that joins materials by causing fusion.
WHOLESALE BUSINESS
An establishment engaged in selling merchandise to retailers, other wholesalers or institutional, commercial or professional business customers rather than to the general public, or acting as a broker for such merchandise sales.
WIND FARM
An area of land under common ownership and control containing one or more wind turbines used primarily for generating electricity to off-site customers, including substations, meteorological towers to measure wind speed, cables, wires and other accessory structures and buildings necessary to the operation of the facility.
WIND-ENERGY SYSTEM, SMALL
A wind energy conversion, system consisting of a wind turbine, a tower and associated control or conversion electronics primarily for private use to reduce on-site consumption of utility power.
WOODLANDS
Areas, groves or stands of mature or largely mature trees that are greater than six inches caliper (diameter) at a height of 14 inches above the ground and that cover a land area greater than 0.25 acre; or any grove of more than 10 individual trees that are mature having a caliper (diameter) greater than 12 inches at a height of 14 inches above the ground.
YARD
A required open space located on a lot that is unobstructed by any portion of a principal structure other than certain projections expressly permitted by this chapter.
YARD, FRONT
A yard extending between side lot lines across the full lot width from the street right-of-way line to a line parallel to the front lot line, the minimum horizontal distance between the principal structure and the front lot line as required by this chapter.
YARD, REAR
A yard extending across the rear of the lot between the required side yard lines parallel to the rear lot line, the minimum horizontal distance between the principal structure and the rear lot line as required by this chapter.
YARD, SIDE
A yard extending from the required front building line to the rear lot line parallel to the side lot line, the minimum horizontal distance between the principal structure and the side lot line as required by this chapter.
ZONING CERTIFICATE
A document signed by the Township Zoning Officer which is required by this chapter prior to the commencement of a use or the erection, construction, reconstruction, alteration, conversion or installation of a structure or building.
ZONING DISTRICT
An area accurately defined as to boundaries and location on the Zoning District Map and within which area only certain types of land uses are permitted and within which other types of land uses are excluded, as set forth in this chapter.
ZONING DISTRICT MAP
The official map delineating the zoning districts of Mount Pleasant Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, together with all amendments subsequently adopted which is incorporated in and made a part of this chapter by reference thereto.
ZONING HEARING BOARD
The Zoning Hearing Board of Mount Pleasant Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania.
ZONING OFFICER
That person appointed by the Mount Pleasant Township Board of Supervisors and charged with the responsibility of administering and enforcing this chapter.
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 178, Subdivision and Land Development, § 178-30, Grading.
[2]
Editor's Note: The former definition of "light manufacturing," which immediately followed this definition, was repealed 6-22-2011 by Ord. No. 122.
[3]
Editor's Note: The former definition of "manufacturing, light" which immediately followed this definition, was repealed 6-22-2011 by Ord. No. 122.