These regulations shall be known, cited and referred to as the subdivision regulations of the city.
(Prior code § 24-1)
A. 
It is declared to be the policy of the city to consider the subdivision of land and the subsequent development of the subdivided plat as subject to the control of the municipality pursuant to the official master plan of the municipality for the orderly, planned, efficient and economical development of the municipality and urban service area.
B. 
Land to be subdivided shall be of such character that it can be used safely for building purposes without danger to health or peril from fire, flood or other menace, and land shall not be subdivided until available public facilities and improvements exist or are planned for and proper provision has been made for drainage, water, sewerage and capital improvements such as schools, parks, recreation facilities, transportation facilities and improvements.
C. 
The existing and proposed public improvements shall conform to and be properly related to the proposals shown in the master plan, official map and the capital budget and program of the municipality, and it is intended that these regulations shall supplement and facilitate the enforcement of the provisions and standards contained in building and housing codes, zoning ordinances, master plan, official map and land use plan and capital budget and program of the city.
(Prior code § 24-2)
These regulations are adopted for the following purposes:
A. 
To protect and provide for the public health, safety and general welfare of the municipality and urban service area;
B. 
To guide the future growth and development of the municipality, in accordance with the master plan;
C. 
To provide for adequate light, air and privacy, to secure safety from fire, flood and other danger, and to prevent overcrowding of the land and undue congestion of population;
D. 
To protect the character and the social and economic stability of all parts of the municipality and to encourage the orderly and beneficial development of all parts of the municipality;
E. 
To protect and conserve the value of land throughout the municipality and the value of buildings and improvements upon the land, and to minimize the conflicts among the uses of land and buildings;
F. 
To guide public and private policy and action in order to provide adequate and efficient transportation, water, sewerage, schools, parks, playgrounds, recreation and other public requirements and facilities;
G. 
To provide the most beneficial relationship between the uses of land and buildings and the circulation of traffic throughout the municipality, having particular regard to the avoidance of congestion in the streets and highways, and the pedestrian traffic movements appropriate to the various uses of land and buildings, and to provide for the proper location and width of streets and building lines;
H. 
To establish reasonable standards of design and procedures for subdivisions and resubdivisions, in order to further the orderly layout and use of land; and to insure proper legal description and monumenting of subdivided land;
I. 
To insure that public facilities are available or planned for and will have sufficient capacity to serve the area;
J. 
To prevent the pollution of air, streams and ponds; to assure the adequacy of drainage facilities; to safeguard domestic water supplies and to encourage the wise use and management of natural resources throughout the municipality in order to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the community and the value of the land;
K. 
To preserve the natural beauty and topography of the municipality and to insure appropriate development with regard to these natural features;
L. 
To provide for open spaces through the most efficient design and layout of the land, including the use of average density in providing for minimum width and area of lots, while preserving the density of land as established in Title 17.
(Prior code § 24-3)
As used in this chapter, the following words shall be interpreted and defined in accordance with the provisions set forth in this section.
A. 
Rules of Construction.
1. 
The particular controls the general.
2. 
In case of difference of meaning or implication between the test of this chapter and the captions for each section, the test shall control.
3. 
The word "shall" is mandatory and not directory. The word "may" is permissive.
4. 
Words used in the present tense include the future, words in the singular include the plural and words of one gender include all other genders, unless the context clearly indicates the contrary.
B. 
Definitions.
"Alleys"
means minor ways used primarily for vehicular service access to the back of properties otherwise abutting on a street.
"Building site"
means an area consisting of all or part of a parcel or tract which is devoted to or utilized for one zone use carried on in not more than one principal building and accessory buildings, as these terms are defined in Section 17.08.010.
"Capital improvements program"
means a proposed schedule of all future projects listed in order of construction priority together with cost estimates and the anticipated means of financing each project. All major projects requiring the expenditure of public funds, over and above the annual local government's operating expenses, for the purchase, construction or replacement of the physical assets for the community are included.
"Central sewerage system"
means a community sewer system including collection and treatment facilities established by the developer to serve a new subdivision in an outlying area.
"Central water system"
means a private water company formed by a developer to serve a new community development in an outlying area. It includes water treatment and distribution facilities.
"Certificate of occupancy"
means official certification that a premises conforms to provisions of the Building code, zoning ordinances and subdivision regulations and may be used or occupied. Such a certificate is granted for new construction or for alteration or additions to existing structures. Unless such a certificate is issued, a structure cannot be occupied.
"Cul-de-sac"
means a local street with only one outlet and having an appropriate terminal for the safe and convenient reversal of traffic movement.
"Long range planning goals and guidelines (part of the master plan)"
means the policy manual known as the Long Range Planning Goals, Policies and Objectives for the City of Riverton, Wyoming, and its Urban Service Area.
"Lot"
means a piece, plat or parcel of land or assemblage of contiguous parcels of land, as established by survey, plat or deed, occupied by a single principal building, or principal use and accessory building or uses thereto, together with such open spaces as are required under this chapter and having the frontage on a dedicated public street or officially approved place.
"Marginal access street"
means local streets which are parallel to and adjacent to expressways or major arterials and which provide access to abutting properties and protection from through traffic.
"Master plan, official map, land use plan"
means the comprehensive plan for development of the city, prepared and adopted by the planning commission, pursuant to state law, and including any part of such plan separately adopted and any amendment to such plan, or parts thereof.
"Minor subdivision"
means the division of a lot, tract or parcel of land into not more than five lots, plots, sites or other divisions of land for the purpose, whether immediate or future, of sales for building development.
"Nonresidential subdivision"
means a subdivision whose intended use is other than residential, such as commercial or industrial. Such subdivision shall comply with the applicable provisions of these regulations.
"Planning commission"
means the city's planning commission as established in accordance with law.
"Sketch plat"
means a sketch preparatory to the preparation of the preliminary plat (or subdivision plat in the case of minor subdivisions) to enable the subdivider to save time and expense in reaching general agreement with the city staff as to the form of the plat and the objectives of these regulations.
"Street"
means a way for vehicular traffic whether designated as street, highway, thoroughfare, parkway, throughway, road, avenue, boulevard, land, place or however otherwise designated.
1. 
"Major arterial streets"
means streets or highways which are used primarily for fast or heavy traffic.
2. 
"Collector streets"
means streets or roads which carry traffic from local streets to the system of major arterial streets or highways and are designed to move traffic to parks, schools and shopping centers serving residential neighborhoods.
3. 
"Residential streets"
means streets which are used primarily for access to the abutting properties.
4. 
"Industrial streets"
means streets serving traffic within an industrial or heavy commercial development.
"Subdivider"
means any person, firm, partnership, joint venture, association or corporation participating as an owner, promoter, developer or sales agent in the planning, platting, development, promotion, sale or lease of a subdivision.
Subdivision or Subdivided Land.
1. 
"Subdivision" or "subdivided land"
means:
a. 
Any lot, parcel or tract of land which is divided into two or more parcels, separate interests or interests in common;
b. 
Any parcel which is to be used for condominiums, apartments, triplex or any other multiple dwelling, mobile home courts, or multiple commercial unit, unless previously subdivided pursuant to a grant of exemption under this chapter or to the filing of a final subdivision plat with substantially the same density; or
c. 
Any parcel or tract of land which is divided into two or more building sites.
2. 
Unless the method of disposition is adopted for the purpose of evading this chapter, the terms "subdivision" and "subdivided land" shall not apply to any division of land:
a. 
Which is created by order of any court in this state or by operation of law;
b. 
Which is created by a security or unit of interest in any investment trust regulated under the laws of this state or any other interest in any investment entity;
c. 
Which is created by a lien, mortgage, deed of trust or other security instruments;
d. 
Which creates cemetery lots;
e. 
Which creates an interest in oil, gas, minerals or water which is severed from the surface ownership of real property;
f. 
Which is created by the acquisition only of an interest in land in the name of a husband and wife or other persons in joint tenancy or as tenants in common, and any such interest shall be deemed for the purpose of this section as only one interest;
g. 
Which is created by the combination of contiguous parcels of land not previously subdivided into one part or parcel, but the resulting parcel shall constitute only one interest in land and only one building site; provided, however, the easements and rights-of-way shall not be considered interests for purposes of this subparagraph;
h. 
Which involves the realignment of boundaries between adjoining landowners, providing the adjustment does not violate any existing ordinances or regulations of the city, and further provided a copy of the realignment survey is filed with the city engineering department within 15 days after recording with the county clerk;
i. 
Which involves the splitting of a lot creating a parcel or parcels of 35 acres or large, as described by normal rectilinear subdivision;
j. 
Which involves the sale of land to the state or any of its political subdivisions.
"Urban service area, planning jurisdiction"
means the area within the municipal city limits and all areas lying within one mile of the municipal limits.
(Prior code § 24-4; Ord. 12-001 § 1, 2012)