SW MI Planner
Cyburbian
- Messages
- 3,199
- Points
- 27
of a front yard setback. Here it is:
"Front Yard: The minimum distance between the front line of a building, excluding steps, and the street line, unoccupied and extending for the full width of the lot." Front line of the building being the building feature (foundation and/or roofline) nearest the property line.
So what about a patio, deck, etc. that is NOT attached to the house? Do they need to comply with front yard setback? It's not part of the building, so based on our ordinance, I would have to say that decks/patios are not required to meet front yard setback requirements. But then a deck that is attached to the building would have to comply with the setback.
Granted thats not ideal, nor the probable intent of the ordinance. We have regulations in place for accessory BUILDINGS (as opposed to structures), but a deck/patio is not a building, so we can't use those. (right??)
Is my logic making sense? Am I on the right track? But then what does UNOCCUPIED mean?
Basically, our defintion sucks. So how would you all interpret this, and if you have a good definition of front yard, please share!!
Thanks!
"Front Yard: The minimum distance between the front line of a building, excluding steps, and the street line, unoccupied and extending for the full width of the lot." Front line of the building being the building feature (foundation and/or roofline) nearest the property line.
So what about a patio, deck, etc. that is NOT attached to the house? Do they need to comply with front yard setback? It's not part of the building, so based on our ordinance, I would have to say that decks/patios are not required to meet front yard setback requirements. But then a deck that is attached to the building would have to comply with the setback.
Granted thats not ideal, nor the probable intent of the ordinance. We have regulations in place for accessory BUILDINGS (as opposed to structures), but a deck/patio is not a building, so we can't use those. (right??)
Is my logic making sense? Am I on the right track? But then what does UNOCCUPIED mean?
Basically, our defintion sucks. So how would you all interpret this, and if you have a good definition of front yard, please share!!
Thanks!