Chapter 17.03 — RULES OF MEASUREMENT

The purpose of this chapter is to explain how various measurements referred to in this Title are to be calculated.

(Ord. 20-03 § 6)

For all calculations, the applicant is responsible for supplying drawings and/or graphics illustrating the measurements that apply to a project. These drawings must be drawn to scale and be of sufficient detail to allow verification upon inspection by the Director or other Review Authority. (Ord. 20-03 § 6)

• A. Corner Lot. The frontage of a corner lot is measured from whichever adjoining lot line to corner yields the shortest dimension. The location of the corner for purposes of the lot frontage

measurement is the intersection of the two side lot lines or, if there is a rounded corner, the intersection of the two lot lines as projected and extended into the adjoining street.

• B. Through Lot. The frontage of a through lot is measured along the street from which the principal use is architecturally oriented and is the primary pedestrian access. For an undeveloped lot, the owner/applicant may irrevocably designate either street for purposes of lot frontage provided the proposed and/or future uses are architecturally oriented towards and take primary pedestrian access from the same designated street.

• (Ord. 20-03 § 6)

The calculation for determining whether more than 50 percent of a structure has been demolished pursuant to this Title is based on a horizontal measurement of the perimeter exterior wall removed between the structure’s footings and the ceiling of the first story. (Ord. 20-03 § 6)

• A. Measurements Are Shortest Distance. When measuring a required distance, such as the minimum distance between a structure and a lot line, the measurement is made at the closest or shortest distance between the two objects.

• B. Distances Are Measured Horizontally. When determining distances for setbacks and structure dimensions, all distances are measured along a horizontal plane from the appropriate line, edge of building, structure, storage area, parking area, or other object. These distances are not measured by following the topography or slope of the land.

• C. Measurements Involving a Structure. Measurements involving a structure are made to the closest support element of the structure. Eaves, overhangs, and structures or portions of structures that are entirely underground are not included in measuring required distances.

• D. Measurement of Vehicle Stacking or Travel Areas. Measurement of a minimum travel distance for vehicles, such as garage entrance setbacks and stacking lane distances, are measured down the center of the vehicle travel area. For example, curving driveways and travel lanes are measured along the center arc of the driveway or traffic lane.

• E. Measuring Distances for Noticing and Between Land Uses. When measuring distance for required public noticing or for separation of uses where specified land use is required to be located a minimum distance from another land use, the minimum distance is measured in a straight line from all points along the lot line of the subject property, in all directions.

FIGURE 17.03.050: DISTANCES

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(Ord. 20-03 § 6)

Dwelling unit density per acre is calculated using total lot area. (Ord. 20-03 § 6; Ord. 23-05 § 4)

The floor area of a building is the sum of the horizontal areas of all floors of a building and other enclosed structures, measured from the inside perimeter of the exterior walls, subject to measurement particulars provided below:

• A. Included in Floor Area. Floor area includes, without limitation, all space that is below the roof and within the inner surface of the main walls or supporting columns of principal or accessory structures, or within lines drawn parallel to and within two feet of the perimeter roof line of any building without walls. In the case of a multi-story building that has covered or enclosed stairways, stairwells, or elevator shafts, the total horizontal area of such features is counted only once at the floor level of their greatest area of horizontal extent.

• B. Excluded from Floor Area. Floor area does not include mechanical, electrical, and communication equipment rooms; attics; any crawl space or other non-habitable space below finished grade; bay windows or other architectural projections where the vertical distance between the lowest surface of the projection and the finished floor is 30 inches or greater; areas that qualify as restricted open space; and areas required for off-street parking spaces or loading spaces, driveways, ramps between floors of a multi-level parking garage, and maneuvering aisles that are located below the finished grade of the property.

• C. Non-Residential Uses. For non-residential uses, floor area includes interior courtyards, walkways, paseos, arcades, or corridors covered by a roof or skylight. Non-residential floor area does not include exterior courtyards, porticos, and similar open areas provided they are not designed or used as sales, display, storage, service, habitable, or production areas.

• (Ord. 20-03 § 6; Ord. 20-09 § 5; Ord. 23-05 § 4)

• A. Rounding Required. Whenever this Title requires consideration of aspects of development or the physical environment expressed in whole numerical quantities, the numeric quantity must be a whole number (e.g., number of units, parking spaces, etc.). If the result of a calculation contains a fraction of a whole number, then, except as otherwise provided, fractions of one-half or greater are to be rounded up to the nearest whole number and fractions of less than one-half are to be rounded down to the nearest whole number.

• B. Fractions and Decimals Required. Whenever this Title requires aspects of development or the physical environment to be expressed in fractions or decimals, the resulting numeric quantity shall not be rounded to a whole number (e.g., height, setbacks, buffers, noise and light levels, etc.).

• (Ord. 20-03 § 6)

• A. Exception to Height Limits. The height of a habitable building may exceed the applicable height limit in compliance with the following:

  1. Roof Pitch. When the entire roof of the structure exhibits a pitch of 4:12 (rise to run) or greater, an additional three feet may be added to the applicable height limit.

• B. Measuring Building Height.

  1. Maximum Allowable Height. Building height is the vertical distance between the existing grade and the uppermost point of the roof of the structure directly above that grade, including mechanical equipment but not including allowed projections.

FIGURE 17.03.090(B)(1): BUILDING HEIGHT

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• C. Measuring Height of Other Structures. The height of other structures, such as a fence or exterior deck, is measured as the vertical distance from the existing grade immediately under the structure to the top of the structure unless special measurement provisions are provided below.

  1. Measuring the Height of Fences on Retaining Walls. The overall height of a fence that is situated on top of or within two feet of the top of a retaining wall is measured from the midpoint of the exposed retaining wall to the top of the fence.

FIGURE 17.03.090(C)(1): MEASURING HEIGHT OF FENCES ON RETAINING WALLS

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2. Measuring the Height of Fences That Are Separated from Retaining Walls. The overall height of a fence situated more than two feet from the top of a retaining wall is measured separate from the wall if providing landscape screening between the two structures.

3. Measuring the Height of Decks. Deck height is determined by measuring from the finished grade below to the top of the floor of the deck directly above.

FIGURE 17.03.090(C)(3): HEIGHT OF DECKS

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• D. Number of Stories in a Building. In determining the number of stories in a building, the following rules apply:

1. Mezzanines. A mezzanine is counted as a full story if its floor area exceeds one-third of the total area of the nearest full floor directly below or if it is enclosed on more than two sides.

(Ord. 20-03 § 6)

• A. Dimension of Landscaped Areas. Landscaped areas must be greater than two feet by three feet to count toward required landscaping.

• B. Prescribed Heights. The prescribed heights of landscaping in this Title are the heights to be attained within five years after planting.

• (Ord. 20-03 § 6)

Lot coverage is the ratio of the total footprint area of all structures on a lot to the lot area, typically expressed as a percentage. The footprints of all principal and accessory structures (including, but not limited to, garages, carports, covered patios, and roofed porches) are summed in order to calculate lot coverage. The following structures are excluded from the total footprint area used in the lot coverage calculation:

• A. Unenclosed and unroofed decks, uncovered paved patio area(s), porches, landings, balconies, and stairways less than 18 inches in height at surface of deck (and less than six feet including

railings);

• B. Eaves and roof overhangs projecting up to three feet from a wall; any portion of an eave or roof overhang beyond three feet is considered part of lot coverage;

• C. Trellises and similar structures that have roofs that are at least 50 percent open to the sky with uniformly distributed openings;

• D. Swimming pools and hot tubs that are not enclosed in roofed structures or decks; and

• E. One, non-habitable accessory structure under 120 square feet.

FIGURE 17.03.110: LOT COVERAGE

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(Ord. 20-03 § 6; Ord. 23-05 § 4)

• A. Lot Width. Lot width is the horizontal distance between the side lot lines, measured at right angles to the lot depth line at a point midway between the front and rear lot lines.

• B. Lot Depth. Lot depth is measured along a straight line drawn from the midpoint of the front property line of the lot to the midpoint of the rear property line or to the most distant point on any other lot line where there is no rear lot line.

• C. Irregular Lots. In the case of irregular lots, the Director shall determine the width and/or depth of the lot. Dimensions shall approximate as closely as possible the standard width and depth measurements above, with the intent of having the average width of the buildable portion of the lot be the lot width.

FIGURE 17.03.120: LOT WIDTH AND DEPTH

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• (Ord. 20-03 § 6)

Open space areas must meet the following minimum dimensions to count toward required open space.

• A. Restricted Open Space. Restricted open space must have horizontal dimensions of six feet or more in each direction.

• B. Common Open Space. Common open spaces must have horizontal dimensions of 20 feet or more in each direction and less than 10 percent slope.

• (Ord. 20-03 § 6)

A setback line delineates the required area parallel to and at the specified distance from the corresponding front, side, or rear property line where no development is intended to occur.

• A. Determining Setbacks. Setbacks are measured from the property line or edge of a public or private road right-of-way/easement, inward at right angles to the lot line to the distance prescribed for the required setback. Setbacks must be unobstructed from the ground to the sky, except as otherwise provided in this Title.

FIGURE 17.03.140: SETBACKS

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• B. Special Setback Requirements. The following special requirements apply when a lot abuts a proposed street or existing alleyway.

  1. Abutting Planned Street Expansions. If a property abuts an existing or proposed street for which the existing right-of-way is narrower than the established ultimate future right-ofway for the street as determined by the Public Works Department, the required setback is measured from the future right-of-way line rather than the current property line.

  2. Abutting Alleyways.

     • a. If a side lot line abuts a public or private alley or easement, the side setback is considered an interior side setback rather than a street side setback.

     • b. In measuring the minimum setback for any lot where such setback abuts a public or private alley or easement, no part of the width of the alley is considered as part of the required setback.

  3. Flag Lots. The front setback for a flag lot shall only be taken from the property line abutting the public road right-of-way. Any additional lot line parallel to the road will be considered a side lot line.

  4. Interior Lots. The setback regulations of the applicable zone district shall not apply to an interior lot.

     • a. Any structure located upon an interior lot shall have a setback of at least 10 feet from all property lines.

     • b. The total setback area of all setbacks combined shall equal the total area of all setbacks otherwise required in the zone district.

  5. Through Lots. The interior side setbacks shall extend the full depth of the lot between the street lines and there shall be two front setbacks for the purpose of computing setbacks.

6. Irregular Lots. Setback designations for property boundaries for irregular lots, except for interior, through, and flag lots, shall be determined by the director. The setback designation(s) shall approximate as closely as possible the required setback designations of corresponding setbacks on rectangular lots in the applicable zone district. The underlying base zoning district setback standards apply to setback designations made by the director.

(Ord. 20-03 § 6; Ord. 21-07 § 4; Ord. 24-01, 4/16/2024)

The calculation of measuring sign area is described in Section 17.40.060(H) , General Provisions for All Sign Types.

(Ord. 20-03 § 6)