Skip to content

Series 700 — GENERAL TERMSArticle 701 — USE CLASSIFICATIONS

701.02: LAND USE CLASSIFICATIONS:

Porterville Zoning Code · 2026-07 edition · updated 2026-07-09 · Porterville

Aircraft Sales, Services, And Storage. Uses related to the rental, sales and leasing, storage, repair, and washing of aircraft. Airports. Facilities for the takeoff and landing of airplanes, including runways, aircraft storage buildings, public terminal buildings and parking, and support activities such as airport operations, crew quarters, and air traffic control. Animal Care, Sales And Services.

Kennels. Facilities for keeping, boarding, training, breeding or maintaining for commercial purposes, four (4) or more dogs, cats, or other household pets not owned by the kennel owner or operator. This classification excludes pet shops and animal hospitals that provide twenty four (24) hour accommodation of animals receiving medical or grooming services. Pet Stores. Retail sales of animals and/or services, including grooming, for animals on a commercial basis. This classification excludes dog walking and similar pet care services not carried out at a fixed location, and excludes pet supply stores that do not sell animals or provide on- site animal services.

Veterinary Services, Large. Medical care for large animals which generally includes agricultural animals, on a commercial basis. This classification allows twenty four (24) hour accommodation of animals receiving medical or grooming services.

Veterinary Services, Small. Medical care for small animals on a commercial basis. This classification allows twenty four (24) hour accommodation of animals receiving medical or grooming services but does not include kennels. Animal Raising. The raising, grazing, or feeding of animals for animal products, animal increase, or value increase, and dairying as an accessory use on farms with dairy cattle.

Artists' Studios. Work space for artists and artisans, including individuals practicing one of the fine arts or performing arts, or skilled in an applied art or craft. Incidental retail sales of items produced on the premises is required. Automobile/Vehicle Sales And Services.

Automobile/Vehicle Rentals. Rental of automobiles, including storage and incidental maintenance.

Automobile/Vehicle Sales And Leasing. Sales or leasing of automobiles, boats, motorcycles, trucks, and motor homes, including storage and incidental maintenance.

Automobile/Vehicle Service And Repair, Major. Repair of automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, motor homes, boats and recreational vehicles, including the sale, installation, and servicing of related equipment and parts, generally on an overnight

basis. This classification includes auto repair shops, body and fender shops, and transmission shops, but excludes vehicle dismantling or salvaging and tire retreading or recapping.

Automobile/Vehicle Service And Repair, Minor. The service and repair of automobiles, light-duty trucks, boats, and motorcycles, including the sale, installation, and servicing of related equipment and parts. This classification includes quickservice oil, tune-up, wheel and brake shops, auto glass services, tire sales and installation, muffler shops and upholstery shops where repairs are made or service provided in enclosed bays and no vehicles are stored overnight. This classification excludes establishments providing engine repair, body and fender work, vehicle painting, or towing. It also excludes repair of heavy trucks or construction vehicles.

Automobile/Vehicle Washing. Washing, waxing, or cleaning of automobiles or similar light vehicles, including self-serve washing facilities.

Emergency Ambulance Services. The location of emergency ambulance service vehicles.

Large Vehicle And Equipment Sales, Service And Rental. Sales, servicing, rental, fueling, and washing of large trucks, trailers, tractors, and other equipment used for construction, agricultural, or landscape gardening activities. Includes large vehicle operation training facilities. Sales of new or used automobiles or trucks are excluded from this classification. Service Station. Establishments primarily engaged in retailing automotive fuels or retailing these fuels in combination with activities, such as providing repair services; selling automotive oils, replacement parts, and accessories; and/or providing food services.

Towing And Impound. Establishments primarily engaged in towing light or heavy motor vehicles, both local and long distance. These establishments may provide incidental services, such as vehicle storage and emergency road repair services. (For automobile/dismantling, see Salvage And Wrecking.)

Banks And Financial Institutions.

Banks And Credit Unions. Financial institutions providing retail banking services. This classification includes only those institutions engaged in the on-site circulation of money, including credit unions, but excluding check-cashing businesses. Check Cashing Businesses. Establishments that, for compensation, engage in the business of cashing checks, warrants, drafts, money orders, or other commercial paper serving the same purpose. This classification also includes the business of deferred deposits, whereby the check casher refrains from depositing a personal check written by a customer until a specific date pursuant to a written agreement as provided in Civil Code 1789.33. Check cashing businesses do not include State or Federally chartered banks, savings associations, credit unions, or industrial loan companies. They also do not include retail sellers engaged primarily in the business of selling consumer goods, such as consumables to retail buyers, that cash checks or issue money orders incidental to their main purpose or business.

Bed And Breakfast. A small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and inclusive breakfast, where the host lives at the establishment.

Building Materials And Services. Retailing, wholesaling, or rental of building supplies or equipment. This classification includes lumber yards, tool and equipment sales or rental establishments, and includes establishments devoted principally to taxable retail sales to individuals for their own use. This definition does not include contractors' yards and hardware stores less than ten thousand (10,000) square feet in floor area (see Retail Sales).

Business Services. Establishments that primarily provide goods and services to other businesses on a fee or contract basis, including printing and copying, blueprint services, advertising and mailing, equipment rental and leasing, office security, custodial services, photo finishing, and model building, but excluding vehicle rentals, bulk items, or print shops.

Cannabis Dispensary. See section 301.23 of this chapter, and the definitions for "cannabis dispensary or dispensary" and "medical cannabis dispensary" located in section 15-85 of the Municipal Code.

Cemetery. Establishments primarily engaged in operating sites or structures reserved for the interment of human or animal remains, including mausoleums, burial places, and memorial gardens.

Clubs And Lodges. Meeting, recreational, or social facilities of a private or nonprofit organization primarily for use by members or guests. This classification includes union halls and social clubs.

Colleges And Trade Schools, Public Or Private. Institutions of higher education providing curricula of a general, religious or professional nature, typically granting recognized degrees, including conference centers and academic retreats associated with

such institutions. This classification includes business and computer schools, management training, technical and trade schools, but excludes personal instructional services such as music lessons.

Commercial Entertainment And Recreation. Provision of participant or spectator entertainment to the general public. Cinema/Theaters. Facilities for indoor display of films, motion pictures, or dramatic, musical, or live performances. This classification may include incidental food and beverage services to patrons.

Downtown Entertainment. This classification includes facilities such as amusement and theme parks, amphitheaters, facilities with more than ten thousand (10,000) square feet in building area, including fitness centers, gymnasiums, handball, racquetball, ice or roller skating rinks, swimming or wave pools, miniature golf courses, bowling alleys, or archery or indoor shooting ranges. This classification may include restaurants, snack bars, and other incidental food and beverage services to patrons.

hitheaters, facilities with more than ten thousand (10,000) square feet in building area, including fitness centers, gymnasiums, handball, racquetball, ice or roller skating rinks, swimming or wave pools, miniature golf courses, bowling alleys, or archery or indoor shooting ranges. This classification may include restaurants, snack bars, and other incidental food and beverage services to patrons.

Large-Scale. This classification includes large outdoor facilities such as amusement and theme parks, casinos, sports stadiums and arenas, racetracks, amphitheaters, drive-in theaters, driving ranges, golf courses, and facilities with fifty thousand (50,000) square feet or more in building area, including fitness centers, gymnasiums, handball, racquetball, or large tennis club facilities; ice or roller skating rinks; swimming or wave pools; miniature golf courses; bowling alleys; archery or indoor shooting ranges; riding stables; campgrounds; stables, etc. This classification may include restaurants, snack bars, and other incidental food and beverage services to patrons.

Small-Scale. This classification includes indoor facilities that occupy less than fifty thousand (50,000) square feet of building area, such as billiard parlors, card rooms, health clubs, fitness centers, gymnasiums, handball, racquetball; ice or roller skating rinks; swimming or wave pools; miniature golf courses, bowling alleys, dance halls, small tennis club facilities, poolrooms, indoor shooting ranges, and amusement arcades. This classification may include restaurants, snack bars, and other incidental food and beverage services to patrons.

Communication Facilities.

Antenna And Transmission Towers. Broadcasting and other communication services accomplished through electronic or telephonic mechanisms, as well as structures designed to support one or more reception/transmission systems. Examples of transmission towers include, but shall not be limited to, radio towers, television towers, telephone exchange/microwave relay towers, and cellular telephone transmission/personal communications systems towers.

Broadcasting Facility. Includes radio or television stations. Transmission towers must comply with section 301.20, "Telecommunication Facilities", of this chapter.

Call Centers. Includes customer support, direct sales, order processing, customer service, surveys, research, credit management, help desk, reservations, billing and accounting, sales and telemarketing. These services are either provided internally by the company for its own use or provided externally by an outsourcing agency which provide these services for several companies.

Recording Studio. Facility for sound recording which can consist of a studio or live room and control room, where sound is recorded and manipulated.

Community Center. Any noncommercial facility established primarily for the benefit and service of the population of the community in which it is located. Examples include youth centers and senior centers.

Construction And Material Yards. Storage of construction materials or equipment on a site other than a construction site. Correctional Facility. A building such as a jail or prison used for the confinement of persons held while awaiting trial or for the confinement of persons convicted of offenses.

Cottage Food Operations. A private home food operation where low- risk food products are prepared or packaged for sale to consumers which complies with California Government Code section 51035.

Crop Cultivation. The cultivation of tree, vine, field, forage, and other plant crops intended to provide food or fibers. The classification excludes wholesale or retail nurseries. (See Nurseries And Garden Centers.)

Crop Cultivation, Commercial. Results in quantities of crops greater than what could be reasonably consumed in personal use and/or crops that are produced with the intent to sell commercially.

Crop Cultivation, Non-Commercial. Includes orchards and flower and vegetable gardens for personal use.

Cultural Institutions. Public or non-profit institutions engaged primarily in the display or preservation of objects of interest in the arts or sciences that are open to the public on a regular basis. This classification includes performing arts centers for theater, dance, and events; buildings of an educational, charitable or philanthropic nature; libraries; museums; historical sites; aquariums; art galleries; and zoos and botanical gardens.

Day Care Centers. Establishments providing non-medical care for persons on a less than 24-hour basis other than family day care home. This classification includes nursery schools, preschools, and day care facilities for children or adults, and any other day care facility licensed by the State of California.

Eating, Drinking, And Smoking Establishments. Businesses primarily engaged in serving prepared food, beverages, and/or tobacco for consumption on or off the premises.

Bars/Night Clubs/Lounges. Businesses serving beverages for consumption on the premises as a primary use and including on-sale service of alcohol including beer, wine, and mixed drinks. This classification includes establishments that provide dancing or entertainment.

Coffee Shops/Cafes. Establishments that serve nonalcoholic beverages, such as coffee, juices or sodas for consumption on or near the premises, or a specialty snack, such as ice cream, frozen yogurt, cookies or popcorn.

Restaurants. Establishments where meals are served to customers. This classification includes full-service restaurants with table service as well as establishments providing limited table service, such as fast-food restaurants, carryout sandwich shops, limited service pizza parlors and delivery shops, and delicatessen restaurants. This classification excludes establishments that provide dancing or entertainment (see Eating, Drinking, And Smoking Establishments: Bars/Night Clubs/Lounges).

Tobacco Bars. Any business establishment which in whole or in part is dedicated to or includes as part of the business, the smoking of tobacco or other substances. This classification includes cigar lounges, hookah bars/cafes, tobacco cafes/bars, and smoking parlors.

Elderly And Long-Term Care. Establishments that provide twenty four (24) hour medical, convalescent or chronic care to individuals who, by reason of advanced age, chronic illness or infirmity, are unable to care for themselves, and is licensed as a skilled nursing facility, by the, including but not limited to, rest homes and convalescent hospitals, but not residential care, hospitals, or clinics.

Family Day Care Home. A home that regularly provides care, protection, and supervision for fourteen (14) or fewer children, in the provider's own home, for periods of less than twenty four (24) hours per day, while the parents or guardians are away, and is either a large family day care home or a small family day care home as follows.

A. Large. A home that provides family day care for seven (7) to fourteen (14) children, including children under the age of ten (10) years who reside at the home 1 . A large family day care home may provide care for more than twelve (12) children

and up to and including fourteen (14) children, if all of the following conditions are met 2 :

  1. At least one child is enrolled in and attending kindergarten or elementary school and a second child is at least six (6) years of age.

  2. No more than three (3) infants are cared for during any time when more than twelve (12) children are being cared for.

  3. The licensee notifies a parent that the facility is caring for two (2) additional school-age children and that there may be up to thirteen (13) or fourteen (14) children in the home at one time.

  4. The licensee obtains the written consent of the property owner when the family day care home is operated on property that is leased or rented.

B. Small. A home that provides family day care for eight (8) or fewer children, including children under the age of ten (10) years who reside at the home 3 . A small family day care home may provide care for more than six (6) and up to eight (8)

children, without an additional adult attendant, if all of the following conditions are met 4 :

  1. At least one child is enrolled in and attending kindergarten or elementary school and a second child is at least six (6) years of age.

  2. No more than two (2) infants are cared for during any time when more than six (6) children are cared for.

  3. The licensee notifies each parent that the facility is caring for two (2) additional school-age children and that there may be up to seven (7) or eight (8) children in the home at one time.

  4. The licensee obtains the written consent of the property owner when the family day care home is operated on property that is leased or rented. Food And Beverage Retail Sales. Retail sales of food and beverages for off-site preparation and consumption. Typical uses include food markets, convenient markets, groceries, liquor stores, and retail bakeries. Freight/Truck Terminals And Warehouses. Facilities for local or worldwide freight, courier, local messenger, and postal services by truck or rail. Funeral Parlors And Mortuaries. An establishment primarily engaged in the provision of services involving the care, preparation, or disposition of the human dead and conducting memorial services. Typical uses include a crematory, columbarium, mausoleum, or mortuary.

Government Offices. Administrative, clerical, or public contact offices of a government agency, including postal facilities, together with incidental storage and maintenance of vehicles. This classification excludes corporation yards, equipment service centers, and similar facilities that primarily provide maintenance and repair services and storage facilities for vehicles and equipment (see Utilities, Major).

Group Residential. Shared living quarters without separate kitchen or bathroom facilities for each room or unit, offered for rent for permanent or semi-transient residents on a weekly or longer basis. This classification includes rooming and boarding houses, dormitories, private residential clubs, and residential hotels intended for long-term occupancy (30 days or more) but excludes hotels and motels, residential care, limited or general. Handicraft/Custom Manufacturing. Manufacture of crafts, art, sculpture, stained glass, jewelry, apparel, and similar items using hand tools and small mechanical devices.

Heliports. Facilities for the takeoff and landing of helicopters, as a primary use. Heliports typically contain one or more helipads and may have limited facilities such as fuel, lighting, a windsock, or even hangars. Hotels And Motels. Establishments offering lodging to transient patrons. These establishments may provide additional services, such as conference and meeting rooms, restaurants, bars, or recreation facilities available to guests or to the general public. This classification includes motor lodges, motels, hostels, extended-stay hotels, and tourist courts, but does not include rooming houses, boarding houses, or private residential clubs.

g lodging to transient patrons. These establishments may provide additional services, such as conference and meeting rooms, restaurants, bars, or recreation facilities available to guests or to the general public. This classification includes motor lodges, motels, hostels, extended-stay hotels, and tourist courts, but does not include rooming houses, boarding houses, or private residential clubs.

Industry, General. Manufacturing of products from extracted or raw materials or recycled or secondary materials, or bulk storage and handling of such products and materials. This classification includes operations such as biomass energy conversion; food and beverage processing; textile mills; production apparel manufacturing; photographic processing plants; leather and allied product manufacturing; wood product manufacturing; paper manufacturing; chemical manufacturing; plastics and rubber products manufacturing; nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing; primary metal manufacturing; fabricated metal product manufacturing; and automotive, ship, aircraft, and heavy equipment manufacturing. Industry, Limited. Establishments engaged in light industrial activities taking place primarily within enclosed buildings and producing minimal impacts on nearby properties. This classification includes operations such as manufacturing finished parts or products primarily from previously prepared materials; commercial laundries and dry cleaning plants; mobile home manufacturing; monument works; printing, engraving and publishing; computer and electronic product manufacturing; furniture and related product manufacturing; and industrial services.

Instructional Services. Establishments that offer specialized programs in personal growth and development such as music, vocal, fitness and dancing instruction.

Light Fleet-Based Services. Passenger transportation services, local delivery services, medical transport, and other businesses that rely on fleets of three (3) or more vehicles with rated capacities less than ten thousand (10,000) pounds. This classification includes parking, dispatching, and offices for taxicab and limousine operations, non-emergency medical transport, local messenger and document delivery services, home cleaning services, and similar businesses. This classification does not include towing operations (see Automobile/Vehicle Sales And Services: Towing And Impound) or taxi or delivery services with two (2) or fewer fleet vehicles on-site (see Business Services).

Maintenance And Repair Services. The on-site maintenance or repair of office machines, household appliances, furniture, and similar items. This classification excludes maintenance and repair of vehicles or boats (see Automobile/Vehicle Sales And Services) and personal apparel (see Personal Services).

Massage Establishments. Healing arts.

Medical Facilities. These classifications exclude veterinary and animal hospitals (see Animal Care, Sales And Services). Hospitals. State-licensed facilities providing medical, surgical, psychiatric, or emergency medical services to sick or injured persons.

Medical Clinic. This classification includes facilities for multiple physicians, medical groups, inpatient or outpatient treatment, including substance-abuse programs as well as training, research, and administrative services for patients and employees.

Professional/Medical. This classification is for the single practitioner; to include offices where medical and dental services are provided by physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists, and similar medical professionals, including, where affiliated with a medical practitioner, massage therapy.

Mining And Quarrying. The extraction of nonmetallic minerals, including dredging and sand and gravel pit operations. This classification includes surface mining operations.

Mobile Home Parks. Mobile housing in a planned development with common area amenities. Spaces for mobile homes may be rented, leased or owned through a subdivision, cooperative, condominium or other form of resident ownership. Multi-Family Residential. Two (2) or more dwelling units on a lot. Types of multiple family dwellings include duplexes, garden apartments, senior housing developments, and multi-story apartment buildings.

Nurseries And Garden Centers. Establishments primarily engaged in retailing nursery and garden products - such as trees, shrubs, plants, seeds, bulbs, and sod - that are predominantly grown elsewhere. These establishments may sell a limited amount of a product they grow themselves. Fertilizer and soil products are stored and sold in package form only. This classification includes wholesale and retail nurseries offering plants for sale. Offices.

General Offices. Offices of firms or organizations providing professional, executive, management, administrative or design services, such as accounting, architectural, computer software design, engineering, graphic design, interior design, investment, and legal offices, excluding banks, and savings and loan associations (see Banks And Financial Institutions).

Walk-In Clientele. Offices of firms or organizations providing services to the public that rely on heavy pedestrian activity and constant visits by clients, including real estate offices, landlord-tenant services, credit counseling, and financial tax services.

Park And Recreation Facilities, Public. Parks, playgrounds, fairgrounds, recreation facilities, trails, wildlife preserves, and related open spaces, all of which are noncommercial. This classification also includes playing fields, courts, gymnasiums, swimming pools, picnic facilities, tennis courts, and golf courses, botanical gardens, as well as related food concessions or community centers within the facilities.

n Facilities, Public. Parks, playgrounds, fairgrounds, recreation facilities, trails, wildlife preserves, and related open spaces, all of which are noncommercial. This classification also includes playing fields, courts, gymnasiums, swimming pools, picnic facilities, tennis courts, and golf courses, botanical gardens, as well as related food concessions or community centers within the facilities.

Parking, Public Or Private. Surface lots and structures for use of occupants, employees, or patrons on the subject site or offering parking to the public for a fee when such use is not incidental to another activity. Personal Services. Provision of recurrently needed services of a personal nature. This classification includes barber and beauty shops, massage therapy, tattoo parlors, seamstresses, tailors, dry cleaning agents (excluding large-scale bulk cleaning plants), shoe repair shops, self-service laundries, photocopying and photo finishing services, and travel agencies.

Public Safety Facilities. Facilities providing public-safety and emergency services, including police and fire protection and emergency medical services, with incidental storage, and maintenance facilities.

Recycling Facility. A facility for receiving, temporarily storing, transferring and/or processing materials for recycling, reuse, or final disposal. A certified recycling facility or certified processor means a recycling facility certified by the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act. A recycling facility does not include storage containers or processing activity located on the premises of a residential, commercial or manufacturing use and used solely for the recycling of material generated by that residential property, business or manufacturer. This use type does not include waste transfer facilities that operate as materials recovery, recycling, and solid waste transfer operations and are classified as utilities. Recycling Collection Facility. A use that serves as a neighborhood drop off point for the temporary storage of recyclable materials but where the processing and sorting of such items is not conducted on-site.

Recycling Processing Facility. Facilities that receive, sort, store and/or process recyclable materials.

Reverse Vending Machine. An automated mechanical device that accepts, sorts and processes recyclable materials and issues a cash refund or a redeemable credit slip.

Religious Facilities. A facility for religious worship and incidental religious education and offices, including churches, temples, and other facilities used primarily for religious services or activities. This classification excludes private schools for primary or secondary education, as defined in this section, which also may be available for temporary use by the general public or civic, cultural, or educational organizations.

for religious worship and incidental religious education and offices, including churches, temples, and other facilities used primarily for religious services or activities. This classification excludes private schools for primary or secondary education, as defined in this section, which also may be available for temporary use by the general public or civic, cultural, or educational organizations.

Residential Care Facilities, General. Facilities that require a State license or are State licensed and provide twenty four (24) hour primarily non-medical care and supervision, or skilled nursing services, for more than six (6) persons in need of personal services, supervision, protection, or assistance for sustaining the activities of daily living. Living accommodations are shared living quarters with or without separate kitchen or bathroom facilities for each room or unit. This classification includes facilities that are operated for profit as well as those operated by public or not-for-profit institutions, including hospices, nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, and convalescent facilities. This category excludes transitional housing, foster family homes, community service facilities, and any facilities supervised by or under contract with the State Department of Corrections.

Residential Care Facilities, Limited. Facilities that require a State license or are State licensed and provide twenty four (24) hour non-medical care and supervision for six (6) or fewer persons in need of personal services, supervision, protection, or assistance for sustaining the activities of daily living, excluding the licensee or members of the licensee's family or persons employed as facility staff. Living accommodations are shared living quarters with or without separate kitchen or bathroom facilities for each room or unit. This classification includes facilities that are operated for profit as well as those operated by public or not-for-profit institutions, including hospices.

Retail Sales. The retail sale or rental of merchandise not specifically listed under another use classification. This classification includes department stores, clothing stores, furniture stores, pet supply stores, small hardware stores (with 10,000 square feet or less of floor area), and businesses retailing the following goods: toys, hobby materials, handcrafted items, jewelry, cameras, photographic supplies and services (including portraiture and retail photo processing), medical supplies and equipment, pharmacies, electronic equipment, records, sporting goods, kitchen utensils, hardware, appliances, antiques, art galleries, art supplies and services, paint and wallpaper, carpeting and floor covering, office supplies, bicycles, video rental, and new automotive parts and accessories (excluding vehicle service and installation). Retail sales may be combined with other services such as office machine, computer, electronics, and similar small-item repairs. This classification includes secondhand and wholesale stores.

es, art supplies and services, paint and wallpaper, carpeting and floor covering, office supplies, bicycles, video rental, and new automotive parts and accessories (excluding vehicle service and installation). Retail sales may be combined with other services such as office machine, computer, electronics, and similar small-item repairs. This classification includes secondhand and wholesale stores.

Swap Meet. Any indoor or outdoor place, in an approved location, or for an approved activity where new or used goods or secondhand personal property is offered for sale or exchange to the general public by a multitude of individual licensed vendors, usually in compartmentalized spaces. The term swap meet is interchangeable with and applicable to: flea markets, auctions, open air markets, farmers markets, or other similarly named or labeled activities; but the term does not include the usual supermarket or department store retail operations.

Salvage And Wrecking. Storage and dismantling of vehicles and equipment for sale of parts, as well as their collection, storage, exchange or sale of goods including, but not limited to, any used building materials, used containers or steel drums, used tires, and similar or related articles or property.

Schools, Public Or Private. Facilities for primary or secondary education, including public schools, charter schools, and private institutions having curricula comparable to that required in the public schools of the State of California.

Sexually Oriented Business. An establishment or concern that, as a regular and substantial course of conduct, offers, sells or distributes adult-oriented merchandise, or that offers to its patrons materials, products, merchandise, services, entertainment or performances that have sexual arousal, sexual gratification, and/or sexual stimulation as their dominant theme, or are characterized by an emphasis on specified sexual activities or specified anatomical areas and are not customarily open to the general public because they exclude minors by virtue of their age. This classification does not include any establishment offering professional services conducted, operated, or supervised by medical practitioners, physical therapists, nurses, chiropractors, psychologist, social workers, marriage and family counselors, osteopaths, and persons holding licenses or certificates under applicable State law or accreditation from recognized programs when performing functions pursuant to the

respective license or certificate. Includes sexually oriented businesses defined in subsection 301.17B, "Definitions", of this chapter.

Single Family Dwelling. A dwelling unit designed for occupancy by one household, and located on a separate lot from any other unit (except accessory living quarters, where permitted). This classification includes individual manufactured housing units installed on a foundation system pursuant to section 18551 of the California Health and Safety Code.

Attached. A single-family dwelling unit, located singly on a lot, but attached through common vertical walls to one or more dwellings on abutting lots. An attached single-family dwelling unit is sometimes referred to as a “townhome”. Detached. A single-family dwelling unit that is not attached to any other dwelling unit.

Single Room Occupancy. A residential facility where individual secure rooms, which may or may not include cooking facilities, are rented to one or two (2) person households for a weekly or monthly period of time. This use type is distinct from a hotel or motel, which is a commercial use.

Social Service Facilities. Any noncommercial facility, such as homeless shelters, and emergency shelters, that may also provide meals, showers, and/or laundry facilities. Specialized programs and services related to the needs of the residents may also be provided. This classification excludes transitional housing facilities that provide living accommodations for a longer term. This classification includes interim housing options such as navigation centers, bridge housing, and respite and recuperative care. Transitional And Supportive Housing. As defined in sections 50675.2 and 50675.14, respectively, of the Health and Safety Code.

Transportation Passenger Terminals. Facilities for passenger transportation operations. This classification includes rail stations, bus terminals, and scenic and sightseeing facilities, but does not include airports or heliports.

Utilities, Major. Generating plants, electric substations, solid waste collection, including transfer stations and materials recovery (recycling processing) facilities, solid waste treatment and disposal, water or wastewater treatment plants, and similar facilities of public agencies or public utilities.

Utilities, Minor. Facilities accessory to an established use involving only minor structures, such as electrical distribution lines, solar panels and underground water and sewer lines.

Utilities, Renewable Energy Facility. Facilities including solar, wind or other facility utilizing renewable energy. Warehousing And Storage. Storage and distribution facilities without sales to the public on-site or direct public access. Chemical, Mineral, And Explosives Storage. Storage of hazardous materials including but not limited to: bottled gas, chemicals, minerals and ores, petroleum or petroleum- based fuels, fireworks, and explosives.

Indoor Warehousing And Storage. The storage of general merchandise or refrigerated goods within enclosed buildings. Establishments in this classification provide facilities to store commercial goods, but do not sell the goods they handle. They may provide a range of services related to the distribution of goods, including labeling, breaking bulk, inventory control and management, order entry and fulfillment, price marking and ticketing, and transportation arrangement. However, they always provide warehousing or storage in addition to any logistics services.

cilities to store commercial goods, but do not sell the goods they handle. They may provide a range of services related to the distribution of goods, including labeling, breaking bulk, inventory control and management, order entry and fulfillment, price marking and ticketing, and transportation arrangement. However, they always provide warehousing or storage in addition to any logistics services.

Personal Storage. Facilities offering storage for individual use, including mini-warehouses and mini-storage. Wholesaling And Distribution. Indoor storage and sale of goods to other firms for resale; storage of goods for transfer to retail outlets of the same firm; or storage and sale of materials and supplies used in production or operation, including janitorial and restaurant supplies. Wholesalers are primarily engaged in business-to-business sales, but may sell to individual consumers through mail or internet orders. They normally operate from a warehouse or office having little or no display of merchandise, and are not designed to solicit walk-in traffic.

(Ord. 1854, 5-7-2019; amd. Ord. 1909, 1-21-2025)

Notes

1 1. HSC § 1596.78(b).
2 2. HSC § 1597.465.
3 1. HSC § 1596.78(c).
4 2. HSC § 1597.44.

Get a plain-English answer with a citation back to this text.

Ask AI about this code
Contents — Porterville Zoning Code

GoCodebook provides public access, search, citation, multilingual explanation, and practical interpretation of legally adopted building regulations. It is not a substitute for the official ICC or California code publications.