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City Departments

Building Department

Zoning Board of Appeals

Instructions for filing Zoning Board of Appeals Applications

(Regular meetings of the Zoning Board of Appeals are held the first and third Tuesdays of each month, subject to change for holidays, etc.)

  1. Obtain Appeal Application form(s) at the Building Department.
  2. Fill out the form(s) completely. Residential appeals require the inclusion of a Mortgage Survey, commercial appeals require a site plan, either of which being prepared in accordance with the following requirements:
    1. A scale of not less than 1 inch = 20 feet.
    2. The location of all drives, approaches and parking layout.
    3. The location and size of all existing and proposed structures. Show all overhangs, cornices, porches, fences and walls.
    4. The dimensions of all lot and property lines showing the relationship of subject property to abutting property and structures.
    5. Show right-of-way widths of all abutting streets and alleys.
    6. The date of preparation and the North point.
    7. The name and address of the person preparing the plan.
    8. If the appeal involves a waiver of front, side or rear yard, the relationship of existing buildings on adjacent properties shall be shown on a plot plan drawn to a scale of 1 inch = 50 feet.
    9. If the property that is subject to the appeal is located within 300 feet of a commercial building or residential complex, the appellant must provide listings of tenant or occupant names and unit numbers located within those abutting properties.
    10. If the appeal involves a waiver of lot coverage, computation of lot and building area shall be shown.
    11. - SIGNS - With respect to appeals regarding signs, in addition to the information contained in 2 (a-j), it will be necessary that an accurately dimensioned plan showing detailed elevations and twelve (12) color renderings of the sign(s) be provided.
    12. - DWELLINGS - If the appeal involves the movement of a dwelling into the city (existing, modular, pre-manufactured), plans & elevations for the home must also be submitted.
  3. Return completed, notarized Application Form in triplicate (3 originals) with twelve (12) copies of the plans, the completed and notarized owner authorization along with the appropriate fee. Plans for commercial appeals must be sealed by a registered design professional. Plans for new residences must be notarized. PLANS MUST BE FOLDED IN SETS, TO A 9" X 12" SIZE.
  4. When the application is filed, the fee is paid and all required documents are received, a case number is assigned and it is then entered on the agenda of the next available regular meeting as a new case. You will be notified of your meeting date.
  5. Appeal applications will be scheduled for a hearing date based on date of receipt and available hearing date. Appeal applications must be received a minimum of 21 days in advance of a hearing date (subject to change as the agenda may be full).
  6. At the public hearing, the owner, authorized appellant or other authorized representative must appear to present the appeal.
  7. All property owners registered on the tax roll within three hundred (300) feet of the affected property will be notified by mail of the appeal
  8. At the time of the public hearing, the Zoning Board of Appeals will hear any arguments for or against the proposed request and may either grant or deny the request. When an appeal is granted there will be a five (5) day waiting period before the appeal becomes effective.
  9. In all instances, a building, sign, occupancy or use permit must be issued and effectuated to validate an appeal that has been favorable to the appellant.
  10. In the event that your appeal is tabled, new revised plans and any amendments to the original appeal must be in this office no later than the Thursday preceding the tabled meeting date.
  11. If the appellant is not the property owner, the appropriate authorization letter must be completed, signed by the property owner, notarized and included with the appeal application documents.
  12. If you anticipate a difficult presentation or would like to more clearly illustrate your request, facilities are available for visual presentations.
 

Did You Know?

  • Temperature of water and time until skin damage
  • 120°                        4 minutes and 50 seconds
  • 125°                        50 seconds
  • 130°                        15 seconds
  • 135°                        5.5 seconds
  • 140°                        2.6 seconds
  • Greater than 140°     Less than 1 second

  • Residential plans are required to be kept by the Building Department for 10 years. As a courtesy, the plans are returned to the property owner after that time period.

  • The required width of an exit door in a residential home is 3 feet. This dimension was based on the ability to get a coffin through the door.

  • It's OK to be square.....sometimes.
    When the top and bottom are the same length and the sides are identical the job should be square (90 degree angles).

  • The weight of one cubic foot of concrete weighs 150 pounds.

  • The weight of the average house is 40 pounds per square foot.

  • The Building Code of Hammurabi, King of the Babylonian Empire, is the earliest known written Building Code of Law, written in 2200 B.C. It is noted that exact requirements for construction are not given; rather, the code assesses penalties if the building is not properly constructed. An example: In Hammurabi’s kingdom the ultimate penalty for unsafe construction was death.