Chapter 18.02
DEFINITIONS

Sections:

18.02.010    Definitions.

18.02.010 Definitions.

For the purposes of this title, certain words and terms used herein are defined as follows:

A. All words in the present tense shall include the future tense. All words in the singular number shall include the plural number, and all words in the plural number shall include the singular number, unless the natural construction of the wording indicates otherwise.

B. The word “shall” is mandatory and not directory.

C. The word “City” shall mean the City of Dixon, Solano County, California. The words “City Council” and “Council” shall mean the City Council of the City of Dixon. The words “City Planning Commission” shall mean the Planning Commission duly appointed by the City Council.

D. Definitions:

“Alley” means a public way permanently reserved primarily for a vehicular service access to the rear or side of properties otherwise abutting on a street.

“Alter” means any change, addition or modification in construction.

“Assembly use” means any land use that includes regular gatherings as a group to participate in, listen to or view an event, such as a class, meeting, show or worship service. Assembly uses include, but are not limited to: theaters, auditoriums, meeting halls, music or dance studios, gymnasiums, schools, nightclubs with entertainment, sports arenas, churches, and clubs or lodges. An assembly use shall not include a use where persons commonly arrive and depart at varying times, such as when shopping or dining in a restaurant.

“Athletic club” is a health and/or fitness center or gymnasium, which may include such facilities as an indoor sauna, common spa or hot tub or swimming pool, tennis, basketball, handball, racquetball, croquet/bocce ball courts, and other sports activities.

“Block” means the properties abutting on one (1) side of a street and lying between the two (2) nearest intersecting or intercepting streets, or nearest intersecting or intercepting street and railroad right-of-way, undivided land or watercourse.

“Breezeway” means a structure for the principal purpose of connecting the main structure in a site with another main structure or an accessory structure on the same site, not exceeding fourteen (14) feet in height.

“Brew pub” means a restaurant with a microbrewery as an accessory use. A brew pub may sell other beers than those produced on the premises. Off-sale of alcohol shall be limited to those beers produced on site.

“Building” means any structure having a roof supported by columns or walls, for the housing or enclosure of persons, animals or chattels or property of any kind.

“C districts” means any CN, PAO, CC, CS, or CH zone districts.

“Child care centers” means a commercial facility operated for the care or education of children which is not deemed to be a permitted residential use under the laws of the State of California.

“Clinic, medical/dental” is a medical or dental facility, other than a hospital, with five (5) or more doctors or dentists where medical or dental care is provided on an outpatient basis. (Also see “office, medical/dental.”)

“Communication equipment building” means a structure containing communication equipment.

“Cul-de-sac” means a turn-around bulb at the end of a street.

“Domestic animals” means animals other than dogs, cats, or fowl, which are commonly kept or raised as pets or farm or livestock animals.

a. “Domestic animals, large” means horses, donkeys, mules, burros, cattle, swine, sheep, goats, and other domestic animals of similar size or nature.

b. “Domestic animals, small” means rabbits and other domestic animals of similar size or nature.

“Driveway” means a private road, the use of which is limited to persons residing or working on the site and their invitees, licensees, and business visitors, which provides access to off-street parking or loading facilities.

“Dwelling groups” means a group of two (2) or more detached or semi-detached one (1) family, two (2) family, or multiple-family dwellings occupying a parcel of land in one (1) ownership, and having any yard or court in common.

Dwellings.

a. “Dwelling, one (1) family” means a building designed or used for one (1) (single) family.

b. “Dwelling, two (2) family” means a building designed or used for two (2) families, including duplexes.

c. “Dwelling, three (3) family” means a building designed or used for three (3) families, including triplexes.

d. “Dwelling, four (4) family” means a building designed or used for four (4) families, including fourplexes.

e. “Dwelling, multiple-family” means a building designed or used for five (5) or more families.

“Dwelling unit” means one (1) or more rooms and a single kitchen, designed for occupancy by one (1) family for living, sleeping, cooking and eating purposes.

“Efficiency unit” means a dwelling unit containing only one (1) habitable room and includes an efficiency unit as defined in Cal. Health & Safety Code § 17958.1.

“Employee housing” means that use defined as employee housing in Cal. Health & Safety Code § 17008.

“Family” means an individual or two (2) or more persons related by blood or marriage, or a group of not more than five (5) persons, not including servants, who need not be related by blood or marriage, living as a single housekeeping unit.

“Farm laborer/worker” means any person (and family of such person) who receives a substantial portion of his or her income from the primary production of agricultural or aquacultural commodities or the handling of such commodities in the unprocessed stage; any person who services in connection with cultivating the soil, raising or harvesting any agricultural or aquacultural commodity; or in catching, netting, handling, planting, drying, packing, grading, storing, or preserving. (Also see “farm labor housing.”) For purposes of this definition, a family consisting of two (2) or more persons related by blood or marriage shall be deemed a person.

“Farm labor housing” means living quarters, including dwelling, sleeping accommodations and dining facilities, maintained for occupancy by persons employed principally in farming and related pursuits on land owned, leased or rented by the owner, lessee or tenant of the site on which the farm employee housing is located; excepting a labor camp and trailer park as defined in this section. For purposes of this definition, a family consisting of two (2) or more persons related by blood or marriage shall be deemed a person. (Also see “farm laborer/worker.”)

“Fence” means a structure or natural barrier consisting of any permitted material as defined in DMC 18.33.040(A)(3) and (4), which forms a screen or enclosure, marks a boundary, or prevents intrusion.

“Floor area” (to be used for parking determination only) means the total horizontal area in square feet on each floor within the exterior walls of a structure, but not including the area of inner courts, shaft enclosures or exterior walls. “Floor area,” in the case of offices, merchandising or service types of uses, shall mean the gross floor area used or intended to be used by tenants, or for service to the public as customers, patrons, clients, or patients, including areas occupied by fixtures and equipment used for display or sales of merchandise. It shall not include areas used principally for nonpublic purposes, such as storage, incidental repair, commercial processing or packaging of merchandise.

“Fowl” means animals which are feathered and commonly kept or raised as farm or livestock animals.

a. “Fowl, large” means emus, ostriches, geese, turkeys, and other fowl of similar size or nature.

b. “Fowl, small” means chickens, ducks, pigeons, and other fowl of similar size and nature.

“Frontage” means the property line of a site abutting on a street, other than the side line of a corner lot. (Also see “lot, double frontage.”)

“Garage” or “carport” means an accessory structure or a portion of a main structure, having a permanent roof, and designed for the storage of motor vehicles.

“Garage, repair” means a structure or part thereof where motor vehicles are repaired or painted.

“Garage, storage” means a structure or part thereof used for the storage, parking or servicing of motor vehicles but not for the repair thereof.

“Gasoline station” means a place where gasoline or other motor fuel, oil, and other related products are offered for sale. Also can include automated car washes and vacuuming. Does not include motor vehicle repair.

“Home occupation” means the conduct of an art or profession, the offering of a service or the conduct of a business, or the handcraft manufacture of products in a dwelling in accord with the regulations prescribed in Chapter 18.30 DMC.

“Junkyard” means a site or portion of a site on which waste, discarded or salvaged materials are bought, sold, exchanged, stored, baled, cleaned, packed, disassembled or handled, including used furniture and household equipment yards, house wrecking yards, used lumber yards and the like; excepting a site on which such uses are conducted within a completely enclosed structure and excepting motor vehicle wrecking yards as defined in this section. An establishment for the sale, purchase or storage of used cars or salvaged machinery in operable condition and the processing of used or salvaged materials as part of a manufacturing operation shall not be deemed a junkyard.

“Labor camp” means living quarters including dwellings, tents, bunkhouses, trailer coaches or other housing accommodations, maintained in connection with any work or place where work is being performed and the site on which they are located, and/or a site set aside and provided for camping of five (5) or more employees by a labor contractor; excepting farm employee housing as defined in this section.

“LEED, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design” means the rating system and design guidelines established by the United States Green Building Council.

“Liquor store” means a place where alcoholic beverages, including beer, wine, and other spirits are sold and is the store’s primary source of revenue.

“Lodging house” means a dwelling in which lodging or lodging and meals are provided for compensation for more than three (3) but not more than fifteen (15) persons other than members of the resident family, excepting a nursing home as defined in this section. A residence or dwelling, other than a hotel, in which three (3) or more rooms, with or without cooking facilities, are rented to individuals or families under separate rental agreements or leases, either written or oral, whether or not an owner, agent or rental manager is in residence.

“Lot” means a site, as defined in this section.

“Lot, corner” means a site bounded by two (2) or more adjacent street lines which have an angle of intersection of not more than one hundred thirty-five (135) degrees.

“Lot depth” means the horizontal distance between the front and rear property lines of site measured along a line connecting the midpoint of the front and rear property lines.

“Lot, double frontage” means an interior lot having frontage on two (2) parallel or approximately parallel streets. (Also see “frontage.”)

“Lot, interior” means a lot other than a corner lot.

“Lot, key” means the first interior lot to the rear of a reversed corner lot.

“Lot line, front” means, as to an interior lot, a line separating the lot from the street right-of-way. As to a corner lot, a line separating the lot from that street which the owner designates as the front of the lot. Once such designation is made, it cannot be changed unless all requirements for yard space are met.

“Lot, reversed corner” means a corner lot the side line of which is substantially a continuation of the front property line of the first lot to its rear.

“Manufactured home” means a structure constructed on or after June 15, 1976, transportable, eight (8) feet or more in width, or forty (40) feet or more in length, more than three hundred twenty (320) square feet, built on a permanent chassis and designed to be a single-family dwelling with or without a permanent foundation and as defined in Cal. Health & Safety Code § 18007.

“Massage establishment” means any establishment having a fixed place of business where any person, firm, partnership, association, corporation, or combination thereof engages in, carries on, or permits to be engaged in or carried on any massage technique for compensation or any other consideration. “Massage establishment” shall not include any business identified in DMC 6.11.210.

“Medical cannabis dispensary” or “medical marijuana dispensary” means any facility or location where medical cannabis is made available to and/or distributed by or to two (2) or more of the following: a primary caregiver, a qualified patient, or a person with an identification card, in strict accordance with Cal. Health & Safety Code § 11362.5 et seq., including but not limited to Cal. Health & Safety Code § 11362.7(d)(2) and (3). The terms “primary caregiver,” “qualified patient,” and “person with an identification card” shall be as defined in Cal. Health & Safety Code § 11362.5 et seq. A “medical cannabis dispensary” shall not include the following uses, as long as the locations of such uses are otherwise regulated by this code or applicable law: a clinic licensed pursuant to Cal. Health & Safety Code Division 2, Chapter 1, a health care facility licensed pursuant to Cal. Health & Safety Code Division 2, Chapter 2, a residential care facility for persons with chronic life-threatening illness licensed pursuant to Cal. Health & Safety Code Division 2, Chapter 3.01, a residential care facility for the elderly licensed pursuant to Cal. Health & Safety Code Division 2, Chapter 3.2, a residential hospice, or a home health agency licensed pursuant to Cal. Health & Safety Code Chapter 8, as long as such use complies strictly with applicable law including, but not limited to, Cal. Health & Safety Code § 11362.5 et seq.

“Microbrewery” means a small-scale brewery that produces less than fifteen thousand (15,000) gallons of beer. The beer produced is intended primarily for local or regional consumption and may be consumed on site.

“Mobile home park” means a site or portion of a site which is used or intended to be used by persons living in trailer coaches on a permanent or a transient basis, excepting a camp, farm employee housing or a labor camp as defined in this section.

“Motel” or “hotel” means a structure or portion thereof or a group of attached or detached structures containing individual guest rooms, suites or dwelling units, where lodging is provided primarily for transients for compensation.

“Motor vehicle wrecking yard” means a site or portion of a site on which the dismantling or wrecking of used vehicles, whether self-propelled or not, or the storage, sale or dumping of dismantled or wrecked vehicles or their parts is conducted. The presence on a site of a motor vehicle which has not been capable of operating under its own power for thirty (30) days or more shall constitute prima facie evidence of a motor vehicle wrecking yard.

“Nursery school” means a school for five (5) or more pre-elementary school age children, or a site or portion of a site used for a group day care program for five (5) or more children other than those resident on the site, including a day nursery play group or after-school group.

“Nursing home” means a structure operated as a lodging house in which nursing, dietary and other personal services are rendered to convalescents, invalids or aged persons not suffering from contagious or mental disease, alcoholism or drug addiction, and in which surgery is not performed and primary treatment is not provided, including a convalescent home or a rest home.

“Occupancy” means the purpose for which a building or portion of a building is used or intended to be used. The term also includes the building or room housing such use.

“Off-street loading facilities” means a site or a portion of a site devoted to the loading or unloading of motor vehicles or trailers, including loading berths, aisles, access drives and landscaped areas.

“Off-street parking facilities” means a site or a portion of a site devoted to the off-street parking of motor vehicles, including parking spaces, aisles, access drives and landscaped areas.

“Office, medical/dental” means a medical or dental facility with fewer than five (5) doctors or dentists where medical or dental care is provided on an outpatient basis. (See also “Clinic, medical/dental.”)

“Office, professional and administrative” means an office, excluding medical and dental, that includes, but is not limited to, accounting, auditing, bookkeeping, architects, engineers, attorneys, banking, financial management and investing, real estate, title companies, travel agencies, and insurance agents and companies.

Outdoor Advertising Structure. Refer to DMC 18.24.030.

“Patio cover” means a structure typically designed to cover a deck or patio, which is located in the rear or side yard, may have an open or solid roof, and is open on two (2) or more sides.

“Public safety facility” means a structure owned by the City, the Federal government, or the State of California such as fire and police structures. The primary goal of a public safety facility is to support the operation of such services as police and fire in the prevention and protection of the public from dangers affecting safety such as crimes or disasters.

“R districts” includes the R1 district and RM districts.

“Railroad right-of-way” means any land owned by the Union Pacific Railroad or any other entity operating a passenger or freight rail service on which railroad tracks, switching equipment and signals are located.

“Secondary living unit” means an additional residential dwelling unit which provides complete and independent living facilities for one (1) or more persons on the same parcel as an existing single-family dwelling is situated. It shall include permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking, and sanitation. A secondary living unit also includes the following:

a. An efficiency unit, as defined in Cal. Health & Safety Code § 17958.1.

b. A manufactured home, as defined in this section and in Cal. Health & Safety Code § 18007.

“Senior housing” means a housing development which has been designed to meet the physical and social needs of senior citizens and which otherwise qualifies as “housing for older persons,” as that phrase is used in Cal. Civ. Code §§ 51.3 and 51.12 and Federal statutes.

“Service station” means a place where gasoline or any other motor fuel, lubricating oil or grease for the operation of motor vehicles is offered for sale to the public and automobiles and other motor vehicles are repaired. Does not include major overhauling, such as rebuilding of engines and transmissions.

Sign. Refer to DMC 18.24.030.

Sign Area. Refer to DMC 18.24.030.

“Single housekeeping unit” means the functional equivalent of a traditional family; a single housekeeping unit is a nontransient interactive and interdependent group of persons who jointly occupy a dwelling. When a single housekeeping unit rents a dwelling, it does so under a single rental or lease agreement, either written or oral, with the owner of the dwelling. An interactive and interdependent group is one whose members use common areas jointly, share expenses for food or rent, and share in household decisions and chores.

“Single room occupancy (SRO) housing” means housing characterized by smaller individual dwelling units with all functions in a single room. SRO housing requires communal/shared facilities and services. Typically occupied by one (1) person.

“Site” means a parcel of land, subdivided or unsubdivided, of record in Solano County and capable of being used under the regulation of this title.

“Site area” means the total horizontal area included within the property lines of a site.

“Site width” means the horizontal distance between the side property lines of a site measured at right angles to the depth at a point midway between the front and rear property lines.

“Solar farm” means a group of solar collectors or panels which generate power from the sun primarily for use off site of the property containing the solar farm.

“Stable” means a structure accessory to dwelling, used or designed to be used to shelter horses belonging to the occupants of the dwelling and not available for hire, including corral or paddock. A structure or other facility accessory to a dwelling that is used or designed for the keeping of one (1) or more horses, mules, burros or donkeys belonging to an occupant of the dwelling and not available for hire, including a corral or paddock.

“Street” means a thoroughfare, dedicated as such or acquired for public use as such, other than an alley, which affords the principal means of access to abutting land.

“Structure” means anything constructed or erected which requires a location on the ground, including a building but not including a swimming pool, a fence or a wall used as a fence.

Structure, Accessory. “Accessory structure” means a subordinate structure the use of which is incidental and accessory to that of the main structure on the same lot.

“Structure, main” means a structure housing the principal use of a site or functioning as the principal use.

“Supportive housing” means housing with no limit on length of stay, that is occupied by the target population, and that is linked to on-site or off-site services that assist the supportive housing resident in retaining the housing, improving his or her health status, and maximizing his or her ability to live and, when possible, work in the community.

“Swimming pool” means any public or private swimming pool, wading pool, spa, hot tub, fish pond, fountain, or any other outside body of water, whether above- or below-ground, maintained in connection with a single- or multiple-family residence, apartment house or complex, motel, hotel or any other type of building and having a depth of more than eighteen (18) inches and located within a completely enclosed building.

“Transitional housing” means housing with supportive services for no more than twenty-four (24) months exclusively designated and targeted for recently homeless persons. Transitional housing includes self-sufficiency development services, with the ultimate goal of moving recently homeless persons to permanent housing as quickly as possible, and limits rents and service fees to an ability-to-pay formula reasonably consistent with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development’s requirements for subsidized housing for low income persons. Rents and service fees paid for transitional housing may be reserved, in whole or in part, to assist residents in moving to permanent housing.

“Transit station” means a facility that accommodates buses, trains, or other forms of transit, where persons can board a bus or train that travels inter- or intra-city.

“Use” means the purpose for which a site or structure is arranged, designed, intended, constructed, erected, moved, altered or enlarged or for which either a site or a structure is or may be occupied or maintained.

“Visibility obstruction” means any plant, fence, structure, mound, rock, or other object which obstructs visibility to the extent that a hazardous or potentially hazardous traffic problem develops.

“Wind farm” means a group of windmills or turbines which generate power from the wind primarily for use off site of the property containing the wind farm.

“Windmill/turbine” means a structure either roof-mounted or secured to the ground which generates power from the wind for use primarily on the site containing the windmill/turbine.

“Xeriscaping” means landscaping and gardening in ways that reduce or eliminate the need for supplemental water from irrigation.

“Yard” means an open space on the same site as a structure, unoccupied and unobstructed from the ground upward, except as permitted by this title, including a front yard, side yard, rear yard, or space between structures.

“Yard, front” means an area extending across the front of the lot between the side lot lines, the building wall and the back of sidewalk or other line prescribed by Chapter 18.20 DMC.

“Yard, rear” means an area extending across the back of the lot between the side lot lines, the building wall and the rear property line.

“Yard, side” means an area extending from the front yard to the rear yard, between the building wall and property line, measured as prescribed in Chapter 18.20 DMC. On corner lots, the street side yard shall extend to the rear property line. [Ord. 13-008 § 2; Ord. 13-009 §§ 2(1), (3), (4); Ord. 15-002 § 3; Ord. 15-014 § 2; Ord. 18-004 § 1.]