[Amended 5-7-1984; 9-6-2005 by Ord. No. 2005-8; 12-1-2008 by Ord. No. 2008-08]
A.
A private detached garage may be permitted as follows:
(1)
Only one private detached garage may be permitted.
(2)
A private detached garage shall not exceed one story or be more than 20 feet in height.
(3)
A private detached garage may be located in any required side or rear yard.
(4)
A private detached garage located in any required side or rear yard shall be set back a minimum of five feet from any side or rear lot line.
(5)
A private detached garage shall not exceed 1,000 square feet.
[Added 12-2-2024 by Ord. No. 2024-04]
B.
A building accessory to a residential principal building, other than a private detached garage, and not attached to the principal building (examples include workshops, storage/utility sheds and tool/garden sheds, playhouses and animal shelters), may be permitted as follows:
(1)
Only one accessory building may be permitted.
(2)
An accessory building shall not exceed one story or be more than 20 feet in height.
(3)
An accessory building shall not exceed 240 square feet.
(4)
An accessory building may be located in any required side or rear yard.
(5)
An accessory building located in any required side or rear yard shall be set back a minimum of five feet from any side or rear lot line.
C.
Residential buildings sharing common walls.
(1)
Where residential principal buildings share common walls (examples include single-family attached dwelling or single-family semidetached dwelling), buildings accessory to the principal building, other than a private detached garage, and not attached to the principal building, may be permitted as follows:
(a)
Only one accessory building may be permitted.
(b)
An accessory building shall not exceed one story or be more than 20 feet in height.
(c)
An accessory building shall not exceed 240 square feet.
(d)
An accessory building may be located in a required side or rear yard.
(e)
A single accessory building located in a required side or rear yard shall be set back a minimum of five feet from any side or rear lot line.
(2)
Accessory buildings, including private detached garages, may be located in pairs or groups on contiguous lots in the required side or rear yard along the common lot line; provided, however, they shall be constructed at the same time and shall be set back a minimum of five feet from the rear lot line.
D.
A building accessory to a nonresidential use, or use permitted in the Community Commercial District (CC), shall be set back a minimum of 10 feet from any side or rear lot line abutting a residential district or lot used for residential purposes.
E.
A building accessory and attached to the principal building shall comply in all respects with the requirements of this chapter applicable to the principal building.
F.
All buildings accessory to the principal building in the aggregate shall not occupy more than 30% of the area of the required rear and/or side yard.
G.
No part of a building accessory to the principal building shall be located closer to the street, on which the principal building fronts, than the front of the principal building.
H.
No building accessory to the principal building shall be erected on a corner lot in either required front yard.
I.
No building accessory to the principal building shall be inhabited.
J.
Fences, walls and retaining walls.
[Amended 8-3-2015 by Ord. No. 2015-04]
(1)
Fences.
(a)
Unless otherwise stated, fences are permitted uses in all districts, subject to the following:
[1]
Fences may be located in the front, side, or rear yard.
[b]
Barbed wire fences shall not be permitted in any district other than in the (I) Industrial and (HC) Highway Commercial districts. Barbed wire shall not be permitted in the front yard in any district other than the (I) Industrial District.
[c]
Chain-link fences or a pattern similar (including but not limited to chicken wire, galvanized garden fencing, etc.) to that of a chain-link fence shall not be permitted in the front yard in any district other than the (I) Industrial and (HC) Highway Commercial districts. For any chain-link fences located in the (I) Industrial or (HC) Highway Commercial Districts, vegetative material of sufficient height and density on the exterior of the fence or chain-link fence privacy slats to conceal the chain-link fence from the view of the adjoining lots must be provided in conjunction with any chain-link fence which fronts upon a street or shares a lot line with any lot located in a district other than (I) Industrial and (HC) Highway Commercial. Any chain-link fence privacy slats shall not be cracked or broken.
[2]
In the R-1, R-2, and RM districts, fences shall be limited to a maximum height of eight feet in side and rear yards; however, a fence of up to 10 feet in height may be constructed solely in the rear yard for the sole purpose of enclosing a court for tennis, basketball, or other similar sport. In all other districts, fences shall have a maximum height of 10 feet.
[3]
In the CC, CC-II, HC, and I districts, businesses with garden centers and the permitted outdoor storage of inventory or materials which share one common wall with the principal use may erect a fence equal in height to the height of the common wall for the remaining three sides of the garden center or outdoor storage area.
[4]
No fence shall be constructed in a location which interferes with the minimum sight distance required by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Publication 13M, Highway Design Manual, as amended and supplemented from time to time.
[5]
No fence shall be located within a public access or public utility easement or right-of-way unless the applicant has written permission of the person who has been granted the public access or public utility easement. If the Borough or applicable utility needs access to the easement or right-of-way, the portion of fence obstructing the easement or right-of-way shall be removed by the property owner at their sole cost and expense.
[6]
The finished or smooth side of the fence must face the exterior of the lot, so that any exposed posts, frames, or supports face the interior of the lot unless the fence is designed in a manner in which both sides are equally finished or smooth. Simply put, the "attractive" side of the fence must face outward.
[7]
Any fence located in a front yard of a property without existing sidewalks may have to be removed or relocated at the property owner's sole cost and expense if sidewalks are required at the property.
(b)
A fence shall not be required to comply with accessory structure setbacks and may be constructed on the applicant's side of the property line, subject to Subsection J(1)(c) below.
(c)
Any applicant for a zoning permit to construct a fence bears sole responsibility for the accurate representation of any property lines and in the event information presented by the applicant is incorrect, the applicant shall bear all liability for the correction of the error.
(2)
Walls.
(a)
Unless otherwise stated, walls are permitted uses in all districts, subject to the following:
[1]
Walls may be located in the front, side, or rear yard.
[a]
In the R-1, R-2, RM, CC and CC-II districts:
[i]
Walls located in the front yard shall not exceed four feet in height and must be set back one foot from the property line for every foot or portion thereof of the wall's height, subject to Subsection J(2)(b) below. For example, if the proposed wall is 3 1/2 feet in height, it must be set back four feet from the front lot line. There shall be no required setback for walls in a side or rear yard.
[ii]
On a corner lot in the R-1, R-2, RM, CC, and CC-II Districts, the wall height shall be limited to four feet on both front yards.
[b]
Barbed wire shall not be permitted to be combined with walls in any district other than in the (I) Industrial and (HC) Highway Commercial districts. Barbed wire shall not be permitted in the front yard in any district other than the (I) Industrial District.
[2]
Walls shall have a maximum height of six feet except in the (I) Industrial and (HC) Highway Commercial districts, where the maximum height shall be limited to eight feet.
[3]
No wall shall be constructed in a location which interferes with the minimum sight distance required by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Publication 13M, Highway Design Manual, as amended and supplemented from time to time.
[4]
No wall shall be located within a public access or public utility easement or right-of-way unless the applicant has written permission of the person who has been granted the public access or public utility easement. If the Borough or applicable utility needs access to the easement or right-of-way, the portion of wall obstructing the easement or right-of-way shall be removed by the property owner at their sole cost and expense.
[5]
The exterior of all walls must be finished with brick, stone, or other decorative block or decorative concrete product and must be architecturally compatible with the primary use structure and surrounding landscape. Concrete masonry blocks (alone, painted, stained or treated) shall not be considered a "finished wall."
[6]
The finished side of the wall must face the exterior of the lot, so that any exposed pillars, columns, or supports face the interior of the lot unless the wall is designed in a manner in which both sides are equally finished or smooth. Simply put, the "attractive" side of the wall must face outward.
[7]
Any wall located in a front yard of a property without existing sidewalks may have to be removed or relocated at the property owner's sole cost and expense if sidewalks are required at the property.
(b)
Any applicant for a zoning permit to construct a wall bears sole responsibility for the accurate representation of any property lines and in the event information presented by the applicant is incorrect, the applicant shall bear all liability for the correction of the error.
(3)
Retaining walls.
(a)
Unless otherwise stated, retaining walls are permitted uses in all districts, subject to the following:
[1]
Retaining walls may be located in the front, side, or rear yard.
[2]
No retaining wall shall be constructed in a location which interferes with the minimum sight distance required by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Publication 13M, Highway Design Manual, as amended and supplemented from time to time.
[3]
No retaining wall shall be located within a public access or public utility easement or right-of-way unless the applicant has written permission of the person who has been granted the public access or public utility easement. If the Borough or applicable utility needs access to the easement or right-of-way, the portion of retaining wall obstructing the easement or right-of-way shall be removed by the property owner at their sole cost and expense.
[4]
Retaining walls must be finished with brick, stone, or other decorative block or concrete product and must be architecturally compatible with the primary use structure and surrounding landscape.
(b)
Retaining walls may be placed on the applicant's side of the property line, subject to Subsection J(3)(c) below.
(c)
Any applicant for a zoning permit to construct a retaining wall bears sole responsibility for the accurate representation of any property lines and in the event information presented by the applicant is incorrect, the applicant shall bear all liability for the correction of the error. An applicant to construct a retaining wall bears sole responsibility to ensure that the proposed retaining wall is properly engineered and designed to serve the purpose for which it is intended.