A. 
As used in this chapter, words in the singular include the plural and those in the plural include the singular. The word "person" includes a corporation, unincorporated association, and a partnership, as well as an individual. The word "building" includes structure and shall be construed as if followed by the phrase "or part thereof." The word "watercourse" includes channel, creek, ditch, drain, dry run, swale, spring and stream. The words "may" and "should" are permissive; the words "shall," "will" and "must" are mandatory.
B. 
The phrases "shall be approved by" and "shall be submitted for approval," et al., are not to be construed to imply mandatory approval by an agency or governing body.
C. 
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
APPLICANT
A landowner or developer, as hereinafter defined, who has filed an application for development, including his heirs, successors and assigns.
APPLICATION FOR DEVELOPMENT
Every application for which any required fees have been paid, whether preliminary or final, which is required to be filed and approved prior to start of construction or development including, but not limited to, an application for a building permit, for the approval of a subdivision plat or plan for the approval of a development plan.
APPROVAL
The official sanction of plans or documents by the Township Board of Supervisors.
BLOCK
A tract of land or a lot or group of lots, bounded by streets, public parks or parkways or other public land, railroad right-of-way, watercourse, subdivided land, or a boundary of the Township.
BUILDING SETBACK LINE
The line within a lot of property defining the minimum required distance between the principal building and an adjacent right-of-way or lot line.
CARTWAY
The portion of a street designated for vehicular use.
CORNER LOT
Any lot that abuts two intersecting streets or abuts, for a length of more than 30 feet, the concave side of a curved street if such curved street has a center line radius of less than 300 feet.
CROSSWALK
A sidewalk or pathway located in a right-of-way, or pedestrian easement, municipally or privately owned, at least 20 feet in width, which cuts across a block or furnishes access for pedestrians to adjacent streets or properties.
DEDICATION
A grant of land for public use, made by the owner.
DEVELOPER
Any landowner, agent of such landowner or tenant with the permission of such landowner, who makes or causes to be made a subdivision of land or a land development. The words "subdivider" and "builder" are construed to mean the same as "developer" when used herein.
DEVELOPMENT OF REGIONAL SIGNIFICANCE
Any land development that, because of its character, magnitude or location, will have substantial effect upon the health, safety or welfare of citizens in more than one of the NazCOG (Nazareth Area Council of Governments) municipalities.
[Added 1-9-2024 by Ord. No. 24-01]
DEVELOPMENT PLAN
The provisions for development of a planned residential development, including a plat of subdivision or land development, all covenants relating to use, location and bulk of buildings and other structures, intensity of use or density of development, streets, ways and parking facilities, common open space and public facilities. The phrase "provisions of the development plan" shall mean the written and graphic materials referred to in this definition.
DRIVEWAY
A minor vehicular access between a street and a parking area or garage within a lot or property.
EASEMENT
A right to land generally established on a plan or in a deed to permit the use of land by the public, a corporation, or particular persons for specified uses, not inconsistent with the general property rights of the owner.
EXISTING TREE
Any live deciduous tree with a trunk of four inches or more in diameter when measured at 4.5 feet above the ground and not otherwise classified and regulated as a shade tree or street tree as defined in this chapter.
IMPROVEMENT
Survey monuments, grading, paving, curbing, structures of any type, street lights and signs, wells, fire hydrants, water mains, sanitary sewers, septic tanks, storm drains, sidewalks, crosswalks, street shade trees, underground gas mains, electric and telephone circuits.
INDUSTRIAL PARK
One or more industrial plants on a single parcel of land, or on separate parcels contiguously arranged, to form a planned development of industrial sites, industrial building or buildings.
LAND DEVELOPMENT
(1) 
A subdivision of land.
(2) 
The improvement of one lot or two or more contiguous lots, tracts or parcels of land for any purpose involving a group of two or more buildings, or a division or allocation of land or space 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.
(3) 
Any alteration of the existing topography on a single nonresidential lot, tract or parcel of land that alters the drainage characteristics of an adjoining land parcel(s) or publicly held right-of-way by increasing the rate of surface water runoff by more than 10%.
(4) 
Any nonresidential development of land.
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 any other person having a proprietary interest in the land.
LOT[1]
One of the following:
(1) 
A lot of record existing at the effective date of this chapter.
(2) 
A tract or parcel of land, either unsubdivided or consisting of two or more contiguous lots of record, located within a single block, which, on the effective date of this chapter or any applicable amendment thereto, was in single ownership.
(3) 
Sublot. A lot shown on an approved subdivision plan that is not large enough for building or land development by itself without merging with adjacent land.
LOT AREA
The total projected horizontal area of a lot, but excluding space within all dedicated or recognized Township streets or rights-of-way, and within all permanent drainage easements, or within a floodway or a flood fringe, but including the areas of all other easements.
LOT LOCATION PLAN
A plan prepared by a registered engineer or surveyor showing lot lines and areas, right-of-way lines, easements, deed restrictions and any other relevant information pertaining to which land development abuts existing dedicated streets.
MOBILE HOME
A transportable dwelling, office, or place of assembly contained in one unit, or in two units, designed to be joined into one integral unit capable of again being separated for repeated towing, which arrives at the site complete and ready for occupancy except for minor and incidental unpacking and assembly operations, and 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, which is leased by the park owner to the occupants of the mobile home erected on the lot.
MOBILE HOME PARK
A parcel of land under single ownership which has been planned and improved for the placement of mobile homes for nontransient use, consisting of two or more mobile home lots.
MULTIPLE-FAMILY DEVELOPMENT
One or more multiple-family dwelling buildings planned as a unit.
OWNER
Same as "landowner," which words may be used interchangeably.
PAPER STREET
A platted street shown on a development plan.
PLANNED RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT
A contiguous area of land controlled by a landowner, to be developed as a single entity for a number of dwelling units, the development plan for which does not correspond in lot size, bulk or type of dwelling density, land use, lot coverage and required open space to regulations established in any one residential district created, from time to time, under the provisions of Chapter 185, Zoning.
PLANNING COMMISSION
The Hanover Township Planning Commission.
PLAT
The map or plan of a subdivision or land development, whether preliminary or for record.
PRELIMINARY PLAN
A plan prepared by a registered engineer or surveyor showing existing features and topography of the land and proposed street and lot layout within and adjacent to a subdivision. A type of development plan for specific application.
PUBLIC GROUNDS
Includes parks, playgrounds and other open space, for active or passive public use; and sites for schools, sewage treatment, refuse disposal and other publicly owned or operated facilities.
PUBLIC NOTICE
Notice published once each week for two successive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the municipality. 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 be not more than 30 days or less than seven days from the date of the hearing.[2]
RECORD PLAN
A plan prepared for recording by a registered engineer or surveyor showing right-of-way lines, easements, lot lines and areas, and any other relevant information pertaining to the streets or lot layout of a subdivision, for construction in conformance with an approved preliminary plan and Township standards and specifications. A type of development plan for specific application.
REVIEW
The official examination of plans of subdivisions as required by law by appropriate agencies, commissions, and bodies, and authenticated by the signature of an authorized representative.
RIGHT-OF-WAY
The total width of any land reserved or dedicated as a street, walkway or for other public or semipublic purposes.
SHADE TREE
Any deciduous tree as specified on a shade tree list which is approved, from time to time, by resolution of the Board of Supervisors (or any tree which is otherwise approved by the Board of Supervisors) and is located within:
(1) 
Any public street or highway right-of-way; or
(2) 
Any planting easement adjacent to a public street or highway; or
(3) 
Any public lands; or
(4) 
Any of the following:
(a) 
Any designated tree planting or protection easement.
(b) 
Any designated planting easement or strip.
(c) 
Any designated landscaping easement or strip.
(d) 
Any designated landscaping buffer strip or area.
SIGHT DISTANCE
The distance of unobstructed view along the center line of a street from the height of five feet to the farthest visible point four inches above the street surface.
STREAM
A continuing current or flow of water.
STREET
A strip of land including the entire right-of-way (not limited to the cartway or traveled portion). "Street" includes street, avenue, boulevard, road, highway, freeway, parkway, lane, alley, viaduct and any other ways used or intended to be used by vehicular traffic and pedestrians, whether public or private. A street includes any publicly used cartway so shown on the Official Township Map.
(1) 
ALLEY- A minor way which is used primarily for vehicular service access to the rear or side of properties otherwise abutting on a street.
(2) 
ARTERIAL STREETA street or road which is so designated by the Township Engineer or designated on the Township of Hanover Official Map and which has a minimum right-of-way width of 100 feet and minimum paving width of 38 feet and is designed to carry traffic to and from local and collector streets.
(3) 
COLLECTOR STREET- A street or road designed to carry vehicular traffic between one or more residential or nonresidential areas and arterial streets and highways, or from one part of a municipality to another part of that same municipality.
(4) 
CUL-DE-SAC- A dead-end street, terminating in a vehicular turnaround area.
(5) 
LOCAL STREET- A street or road designed to carry vehicular traffic from one or more individual residential or nonresidential units to or from a collector street.
(6) 
SERVICE ROAD- A street or road generally paralleling and abutting major streets to provide access to adjacent property, so that each adjacent lot will not have direct access to the major street.
(7) 
STUB STREET- A street or road extending from within a subdivision and terminating with no permanent vehicular turnaround. Stub streets are provided to permit adjacent undeveloped parcels of land to be developed later with an adequate connecting street system.
(8) 
EXPRESSWAY- S.R. 0022 and any of its associated access and egress ramps.
STREET TREE
Any shade tree located within the right-of-way of any public street or adjacent thereto in a planting easement, or that part of any tree, shrub or other woody plant which extends within the right-of-way of any public street.
SUBDIVIDER
Same as "developer," which words may be used interchangeably.
SUBDIVISION
The division or redivision of a lot, tract or parcel of land by any means into two or more lots, tracts, parcels or other divisions of land, including 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.
TOWNSHIP
The Township of Hanover in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, as governed and represented by the Board of Supervisors of Hanover Township.
TOWNSHIP STANDARDS
The standards and specifications adopted and amended by Hanover Township, Northampton County, describing specifications for constructing and maintaining site improvements such as roads, curbs, sidewalks, street trees, planting screens and other improvements.
TOWNSHIP ENGINEER
The Engineer for the Township of Hanover, Northampton County.
TRACT
A parcel of land, the dimensions and extent of which are determined by the latest official records or by the latest approved recorded map of a subdivision of which the tract is a part. A tract may include lands covered by more than one legal description.
TREE DRIPLINE
The line on the ground marking the horizontal limit of the branches of the tree.
TREE PROTECTION ZONE
An area around the trunk of a tree in which construction activity shall be restricted. The tree protection zone shall extend 20 feet from the center of the trunk of the tree, or the distance from the trunk to dripline, whichever is greater. Where there is a group of trees or woodland, the tree protection zone shall be the aggregate of the protection zones for the individual trees.
TREE ROW
A line of existing trees at least 100 feet in length containing at least four existing trees as located by the center of their trunks.
ULTIMATE RIGHT-OF-WAY
The expected future right-of-way width computed from the center line of an established right-of-way shown on the Street and Road Map for Hanover Township, adopted by the Township Board of Supervisors as a part of the Official Map of Hanover Township, which map may be examined at the office of the Township Secretary-Treasurer.
WATERCOURSE
A natural or artificial channel where water would or does flow.
(1) 
WATERCOURSE, INTERCEPTOR- Any watercourse receiving stormwaters from an upstream watershed of over 40 acres in size.
(2) 
WATERCOURSE, COLLECTOR- Any watercourse receiving stormwater from an upstream watershed of 40 acres or less.
WOODLANDS
A parcel of land and/or portion of a lot that is covered with existing trees, as determined by the limit of their driplines, and meeting or exceeding the following area and density of trees:
(1) 
20,000 square feet or more in area in any geometric configuration; and
(2) 
Containing one or more existing tree per 1,000 square feet as located by the limit of their dripline.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
[2]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).