Hanover County Unincorporated

Bed and breakfasts.

Short-term rentals.

When any proposed change of a zoning district boundary lies within five hundred (500) feet of a County boundary, notice of the proposal, together with the date, time, and place of the public hearing thereon, if such hearing has been scheduled, shall be forwarded to the Planning Commission, if such exists, or the governing body of the adjacent county or municipality in order to give such jurisdiction an opportunity to appear at the hearing or express its opinion on the effect of said boundary change.

A site plan shall be required for the following uses and activities: 1. Any new principal building or structure; 2. Any addition to an existing principal building or structure that increases the gross floor area by more than five hundred (500) square feet; 3. Any change in use of a building or structure that results in a change in the parking or loading requirements, or that involves a use that is subject to additional standards or conditions; 4. Any new parking lot or expansion of an existing parking lot by more than five (5) spaces; 5. Any new sign or sign structure, except as otherwise provided in this Zoning Ordinance; 6. Any land disturbing activity that requires a grading permit or erosion and sediment control plan; 7. Any other use or activity for which a site plan is specifically required by the provisions of this Zoning Ordinance.

A special exception may only be granted if the Board makes the following findings: 1. The proposed use or proposed modification of generally applicable regulations is compatible with the character of the surrounding area; 2. The proposed use or proposed modification will not produce noise, odor, vibration, or glare beyond that which is generally produced by uses that are permitted by right in the applicable zoning district; 3. The proposed use or proposed modification will not create traffic congestion and will not impair the safe and efficient travel along the county's road network; 4. The proposed use or proposed modification will not diminish the view shed as seen from the public right-of-way, or unreasonably impact historic or natural resources; 5. The proposed use or proposed modification will not impair the public health, safety, and general welfare; 6. The approval of the special exception is consistent with good zoning practices and the comprehensive plan; and 7. All other additional requirements for a proposed use or proposed modification that are set forth elsewhere in this chapter are satisfied.

Exceptions to parking and loading requirements as follows: a. Waiver or reduction of the loading requirements in any district whenever the character or use of the building is such as to make unnecessary the full provision of loading facilities. b. Waiver or reduction of loading space requirements where adequate community loading facilities are provided. c. Waiver or reduction of loading space requirements for uses which contain less than ten thousand (10,000) square feet of floor area where construction of existing buildings, problems of access, or size of lot make impractical the provision of required loading.

A special width exception may be approved by the Board to allow an exception to lot width in any R-1, R-2, or R-3 district.

No exception shall be granted which allows a structure located within ten thousand (10,000) feet of any airport runway to exceed an elevation which is one hundred fifty (150) feet above the elevation of the lower end of the airport runway.

The Board may, upon application, permit an exception to the maximum height provided in each zone, subject to the following procedures and limitations: ... 3. An exception to the height limit shall be granted only where the Board finds that such exception will not impair the appropriate use and enjoyment of surrounding property nor derogate from the intent and purpose of this Ordinance.

Exceptions to the buffer, access, front yard, and landscaping requirements may be granted by the Board in accordance with the procedures set out in this Ordinance.

Any request for a variation in the permitted height, area, location, or number of signs in any district may be granted as a special exception by the Board in accordance with the procedures, set out in this Ordinance.

Exceptions allowing for multiple use structures or the reduction in required front yard setbacks in those areas designated on the General Land Use Plan of the Comprehensive Plan as Rural Village may be granted by the Board in accordance with the provisions set forth in this section.

No building shall be erected, constructed, altered, moved, converted, extended, or enlarged, without the owner or owners first having obtained a building permit.

No vacant land shall be occupied or used, except for agricultural uses associated with the conduct of a farm, until a certificate of occupancy shall have been issued by the zoning administrator.

The zoning administrator may issue temporary certificates of occupancy for single-family residences before the off-street parking required by the Zoning Ordinance shall have been completed, provided such temporary certificate shall be valid for a period not to exceed ninety (90) days.

Any person who violates or fails to comply with any of the provisions or requirements of the Zoning Ordinance as described in section 26-347 shall be subject to a civil penalty of two hundred dollars ($200.00) for the initial summons or ticket, and a civil penalty of five hundred dollars ($500.00) for each additional summons or ticket arising from the same set of operative facts.

A nonconforming use may be continued except as provided in this section. A nonconforming use may not be expanded, enlarged or extended...

A nonconforming structure in a residential district may not be physically enlarged or expanded unless the area of enlargement or expansion complies with the regulations for the zoning district...

The owner of a nonconforming lot may erect a single-family dwelling or make other improvements on a nonconforming lot if the following conditions are present...

A nonconforming sign shall lose its nonconforming status when: 1. The sign has been demolished or damaged by any cause whatsoever to the extent of fifty (50) percent or more of the fair market value of the sign immediately prior to damage; or 2. The sign, including any support structures, is removed, replaced, reconstructed, moved, relighted or structurally altered. Any sign which has lost its nonconforming status pursuant to this subsection shall be removed within three (3) months of the loss of nonconformity.