Information on Ordinances & Forms associated with Building & Zoning |
The Building and Zoning Department has several Ordinances, which include Zoning Ordinance, Sign Ordinance, Flood Prevention Ordinance, and Mobile Home Park Ordinance, We also have Land Development Regulations, and Traffic Impact Study Guidelines. |
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| The purpose of the Zoning Ordinance is to: |
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Guide development in accordance with existing and future needs. |
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Protect, promote, and improve the public health, safety, morals, convenience, order, appearance, prosperity, and general welfare. |
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Lessen congestion in the streets. |
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Secure safety from fire, panic, and other dangers. |
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Provide adequate light and air. |
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Prevent the overcrowding of land. |
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Avoid undue concentration of population. |
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Protect scenic areas. |
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Facilitate the adequate provision of transportation, water, sewage, schools, parks and other public requirements in accordance with the Town of Lexington Comprehensive Plan, and with reasonable consideration of the character of each area and its peculiar suitability for particular uses. Also with view to promoting desirable living conditions and sustained stability of neighborhoods, protecting property against blight and depreciation, securing economy in governmental expenditures, conserving the value of land and buildings, and encouraging the most appropriate use of land, buildings and structures. |
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The Lexington Town Council does ordain and enact into law the following regulations: |
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Dividing the town into districts and establishing the boundaries thereof. |
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Regulating and restricting the height, number of stories, and size of buildings and other structures. |
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Regulating and restricting the percentage of lot area, which may be occupied. |
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Regulating and restricting the size of yards, courts, and other open spaces. |
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Regulating and restricting the density and distribution of population. |
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Regulating and restricting the location and uses of buildings, structures, and land for trade, industry, residence, recreation, agriculture, forestry, conservation, public activities, airports and approaches thereto, water supply, sanitation, and protection against flood. |
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Providing for the method of administration and amendment of these regulations. |
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Defining the powers and duties of the Board of Zoning Appeals with respect to these regulations. |
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Defining certain terms used in the Zoning Ordinance. |
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Providing penalties for violations of these regulations. |
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| The purpose of the Sign Ordinance is to: |
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Enhance the health, safety, economy, visual communication and environment of the community. |
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Promote traffic safety by providing the signs not distract or confuse motorists nor impair the ability of the motorists to see pedestrians, other vehicles, obstacles, or traffic signs. |
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Promote the safety of persons and property by providing that signs do not create a hazard due to collapse, fire, collision, decay, or abandonment. |
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Promote the efficient transfer of general public and commercial information through the use of signs. |
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Safeguard the public health and comfort. |
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Prevent the visual overcrowding of land, streets, and highways. |
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Prevent adverse community appearance. |
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Protect the character of the area. |
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| The purpose of the Flood Prevention Ordinance is to: |
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Protect human life and health |
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Minimize public and private losses due to flood conditions by requiring that uses vulnerable to floods, including facilities, which serve such uses, be protected against flood damage at the time of initial construction. |
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Restrict or prohibit uses of the floodplain which are dangerous the health, safety, and property due to water or erosion. |
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Attempt to control the alteration of natural floodplains, stream channels, and natural protective barriers, which are involved in the accommodation of floodwater, and control filling, grading, dredging and other development, which may increase flood damage or erosion. |
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Regulate or prevent the construction of flood barriers, which will unnaturally divert floodwaters or increase flood hazards to other lands. |
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| In order to construct, alter or expand a mobile park, a developer must secure the appropriate approval for the site plan and construction drawing from the Planning Commission. The plans and construction of the mobile home park must comply with the Mobile Home Park Ordinance. |
Definitions associated with Mobile Home Parks: |
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Mobile Home – A residential dwelling that was fabricated in an off-site manufacturing facility, designed to be a permanent residence, but built prior to the enactment of the Federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards Act. This law went into effect in 1976. The Town of Lexington DOES NOT allow mobile homes in town. Any current mobile homes in the town are grandfathered. They may be replaced by manufactured homes or modular homes ONLY if they meet Zoning and Land Development Ordinances. |
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Manufactured Home – A residential dwelling built in a factory in accordance with the Federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards Act. |
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Modular Home – A residential dwelling constructed in a factory to the Standard Building Code, which is the building code approved by the State of South Carolina. |
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| The purpose of the Land Development Regulations is to: |
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Encourage the development of an economically sound and stable community. |
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Assure the timely provision of required streets, utilities, other facilities and services to new land developments. |
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Assure the adequate provision of safe and convenient traffic access and circulation, both vehicular and pedestrian, in and through new land developments. |
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Assure the provision of needed public open spaces and building sites in new land developments through the dedication or preservation of land for recreational, educational, transportation, and other public purposes. |
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Assure, in general, the wise and timely development of new areas or redevelopment of areas in harmony with the adopted Town of Lexington Comprehensive Plan. |
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If the property is unusual and cannot meet the requirements of the above mentioned ordinances, the owner/agent may want to apply for a variance. The owner/agent must fill out the Variance Forms, Notice of Appeal and Variance Application , completely and submit it to the Building & Zoning Department by the first Monday of any month for the Board of Zoning Appeals meeting the following month. |
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| A Notice of Appeal , and an Appeal from Action of the Zoning Official may be submitted if the owner/agent wants to challenge the decision of the zoning official. |
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| A Zoning Map/Street Classification Change Form is used for the two types of zoning change that a property owner may need to submit to the Building and Zoning Department. If you need to change the zoning map, a plat of the property must be attached |
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