ORDINANCE 507AORDINANCE NO. 507 {
AN ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING 'ZONES IN THE CITY OF
EL SEGUNDO AND THEREIN REGULATING THE USE OF
LAND, HEIGHT OF BUILDINGS AND YARD SPACES;
PROVIDING FOR THE ADOPTION OF MAPS SHOWING THE
BOUNDARIES OF SAID ZONES; DEFINING THE TERMS
USED IN THIS ORDINANCE; PROVIDING FOR ITS AD-
JUSTMENT, AMENDMENT AND ENFORCEMENT; PRESCRIB-
ING PENALTIES FOR VIOLATION; REPEALING ORDI-
NANCES OR PORTIONS OF ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT
THEREWITH.
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA,
DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
ARTICLE 1
DECLARATION OF PURPOSE
SECTION 100: PURPOSE OF ORDINANCE. A Precise Land -Use
Plan for the City of El Segundo is hereby adopted and established
to serve the public health, safety and general welfare and to pro-
vide the economic and social advantages resulting from an orderly
planned use of land resources.
SECTION 101: NAPE OF ORDINANCE. This ordinance shall
be known as "The Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance ".
ARTICLE 2
DEFINITIONS
SECTION 200: PROVISIONS NOT AFFECTED BY HEADINGS. Arti-
cle and section headings contained herein shall not be deemed to
govern, limit, modify or in any manner affect the scope, meaning
or intent of any section hereof.
SECTION 201: TENSES. The present tense includes the
future and the future the present.
SECTION 202: NUMBER. The singular number includes the
plural, and the plural the singular.
SECTION 203: ACCESSORY. "Accessory" means a building,
part of a building or structure, or use which is subordinate to
and the use of which is incidental to that of the main building,
structure, or use on the same lot. If an accessory building is
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attached to the main building by a common wall or if the roof of
the accessory building is a continuation of the roof of the main
building and is wider than six feet, then such accessory building
shall be considered a part of the main building.
SECTION 204: ALLEY. "Alley" means a public thorough-
fare or way having a width of not more than twenty (20) feet which
affords only a secondary means of access to abutting property.
SECTION 205: AMENDMENT. "Amendment" means a change in
the wording, context or substance of this ordinance, or a change
in the zone boundaries upon the zoning map, which map is a part of
this ordinance when adopted by ordinance passed by the City Council
in the manner prescribed by law.
SECTION 206: APARTMENT. "Apartment" means a room, or a
suite of two or more rooms in a multiple dwelling, occupied or
suitable for occupancy as a dwelling unit for one family.
SECTION 207: APARTMENT, BACHELOR. 'Bachelor apartment"
means one room with bath, without cooking facilities, In a multiple
dwelling.
SECTION 20$: APARTMENT HOUSE. "Apartment house" means
a building or a portion of a building, designed for occupancy by
three (3) or more families living independently of each other and
containing three (3) or more dwelling units.
SECTION 209: AUTOMOBILE 'WRECKING. "Automobile wrecking"
means the dismantling or wrecking of used motor vehicles or trailers,
or the storage, sale or dumping of dismantled or wrecked vehicles
or their parts.
SECTION 210: BASEMENT. 'Basement" means that portion
of a building between floor and ceiling, which is partly below
and partly above grade (as defined in Section 240), but so located
that the vertical distance from grade to the floor below is less
than the vertical distance from grade to ceiling. A basement, when
designed for, or occupied for business or manufacturing, or for
dwelling purposes (rumpus rooms and recreation rooms without kitchens
excepted), shall be considered a story.
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SECTION 211: BLOCK. "Block" means all
property fronting
upon one side of a street between intersecting and intercepting
streets, or between a street and a railroad right -of -way, water
way, terminus or dead end street, or city boundary. An intercept-
ing street shall determine only the boundary of the block on the
side of the street which it intercepts.
SECTION 212: BOARDING HOUSE. "Boarding house" means a
building with not more than five (5) guest rooms where lodging and
meals are provided for compensation for not more than ten (10) per-
sons, but shall not include rest homes or convalescent homes.
Guest rooms numbering six (6) or over shall be considered a hotel.
SECTION 213: BUILDING. "Building" means any structure
having a roof, but excluding all forms of vehicles even though im-
mobilized. Where this ordinance requires, or where special authori-
ty granted pursuant to this ordinance requires that a use shall be
entirely enclosed within a building, this definition shall be quali-
fied by adding "and enclosed on all sides ".
SECTION 214: BUILDING HEIGHT. "Building height" means
the vertical distance measured from the average level of the high-
est and lowest point of that portion of the building site covered
by the building to the ceiling of the uppermost story.
SECTION 215: BUILDING, MAIN. "Main building" means the
principal building on a lot or building site designed or used to
accomodate the primary use to which the premises are devoted; where
a permissible use involves more than one structure designed or used
for the primary purpose, as in the case of group houses, each such
permissible building on one lot as defined by this ordinance shall
be construed as comprising a main building.
SECTION 216: BUILDING SITE. "Building site" means (a)
the ground area of one (1) lot or, (b) the ground area of two (2)
or more lots when used in combination for a building or group of
buildings, together with all open spaces as required by this ordi-
nance.
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SECTION 217: BUNGALOW COURT. "Bungalow court" shall
mean a group of three (3) or more detached one - story, one - family
or two - family dwellings located upon a single lot, together with
all open spaces required by this ordinance.
SECTION 21$: BUSINESS OR COMMERCE. "Business" or "com-
merce" means the purchase, sale or other transaction involving the
handling or disposition of any article, service, substance or com-
modity for livelihood or profit; or the management of office build-
ings, offices, recreational or amusement enterprises; or the main-
tenance and use of offices, structures and premises by professions
and trades rendering services.
SECTION 219: CELLAR. "Cellar" means that portion of a
building between floor and ceiling which is wholly or partly below
grade and so located that the vertical distance from the grade to
the floor below is equal to or greater than the vertical distance
from grade to ceiling.
SECTION 220: CHURCH. "Church" as used in this ordinance
shall mean an establishment the principal purpose of which is re-
ligious worship and for which the principal structure contains the
sanctuary, and including accessory uses in the main structure or in
separate buildings, including Sunday School rooms, assembly rooms,
kitchen, library room and a one - family dwelling unit, but excluding
day care nurseries and facilities for residences of or training of
religious orders.
SECTION 221:
sons for some common n
organized primarily to
ried on as a business.
SECTION 222:
Commission of the City
means:
CLUB. "Club" means an association of per -
:)n- profit purpose, but not including groups
render a service which is customarily car -
COMMISSION. "Commission" means the Planning
of El Segundo, California.
SECTION 223: CONFORMING BUILDIN. "Conforming building
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(a) In the "R" Zones a conforming building is one which fully
meets the requirements of the State Housing Act and the Uniform
Building Code as they pertain to residential buildings and which
building also conforms to the requirements of this ordinance in the
matter of height, yards and area coverage and is limited to the num-
ber of dwelling units prescribed for the zone in which it is located;
and
(b) In the "C" and "M" Zones a conforming building is one
which fully conforms to the structural design, building materials
and their assembly as prescribed for commercial or industrial build-
ings by the Uniform Building Code and which building fully conforms
to the requirements of this ordinance with respect to the zone in
which It is located.
SECTION 224: COURT. "Court" means any portion of the
interior of a lot or building site which is wholly or partially sur-
rounded by buildings, and which is not a required yard or open space.
SECTION 225: DAIRY. "Dairy" means any premises where
three (3) or more cows, three (3) or more goats, or any combination
thereof are kept, milked or maintained.
SECTION 226: DAY NURSERY. "Day nursery" means any type
of group day care programs, including nurseries for children of
working mothers, nursery schools for children under minimum age for
education in public schools, parent cooperative nursery schools,
playgroups for pre - school children, programs covering after school
care for school children, provided such establishment is licensed
by the State and City and conducted in accordance with State and
City requirements.
SECTION 227: DUMP. "Dump" means an area devoted to the
disposal of refuse, including incineration, reduction, or dumping
of ashes, 7arbage, combustible or non - combustible refuse, offal or
dead animals.
SECTION 228: DWELLING. "Dwelling" means a building or
portion thereof designed exclusively for residential purposes,
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including one - family, two - family and multiple dwellings, but not
including hotels.
SECTION 229: DWELLING UNIT. "Dwelling unit" means one
or more rooms in a dwelling or apartment house and designed for
occupancy by one family for living or sleeping purposes, and having
kitchen facilities for the exclusive use of only one family.
SECTION 230: DWELLING, ONE- FAMILY. "One- family dwelling"
means a detached building designed exclusively for occupancy by one
family and containing one dwelling unit.
SECTION 231: DWELLING, TWO- FAMILY. "Two - family dwelling
means a building designed for occupancy by two families living in-
dependently of each other, and containing two dwelling units.
SECTION 232: DWELLING, MULTIPLE. "Multiple dwelling"
means a building, or portion thereof, designed for occupancy by
three or more families living independently of each other, and con-
taining three (3) or more dwelling units.
SECTION 233: EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION. "Educational in-
stitution" means elementary, ,junior high, high schools, colleges or
universities or other schools giving general academic instruction
in the several branches of learning and study required to be taught
by the Education Code of the State of California.
SECTION 234: ERECTED. "Erected" means the construction
of any building or structure, or the structural alteration of a
building or structure the result of which would be to change the
exterior walls or roof or to increase the square foot floor area
of the interior of the building or structure.
SECTION 235: FAMILY. "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 who are not related by blood or mar-
riage, excluding servants, living together as a single housekeeping
unit in a dwelling unit.
SECTION 236: FIRE ESCAPE. "Fire escape" means an auxiliary
means of emergency escape from a building, as defined or designated
by the Fire Department and the Building Department of the City of
E1 Segundo.
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SECTION 237: FOSTER FA &1ILY DAY CARE HOME. "Foster
family day care home" means a residence licensed by the State of
California and the City of E1 Segundo to be used to care for child-
ren by the day, with or without compensation, provided the number
of children cared for at any one time shall not exceed six (6).
SECTION 23$: GARAGE, PRIVATE. "Private garage" means an
accessory building or an accessory portion of the main building,
enclosed on three sides and designed or used for the shelter or
storage of vehicles owned or operated only by the occupants of the
main building.
SECTION 239: GARAGE, PUBLIC. "Public garage" means a
building other than a private garage used for the care, repair or
equipment of automobiles, or where such vehicles are kept for re-
muneration, hire or sale.
SECTION 240: GRADE. "Grade" means the average of the
finished ground level at the center of all walls of a building. In
case walls are parallel to and within five (5) feet of a sidewalk,
the above - ground level shall be measured at the sidewalks.
SECTION 241: GROUP HOUSES. "Group houses" means two (2)
or more separate buildings, each containing one (1) or more dwell-
ing units, and including row houses.
SECTION 242: GUEST HOUSE OR ACCESSORY LIVING QUARTERS.
"Guest house" or "Accessory living quarters" means living quarters
within an accessory building for the sole use of persons employed
on the premises or for temporary use by guests of the occupants of
premises. Such quarters shall have no kitchen facilities and shall
not be rented or otherwise used as a separate dwelling unit.
SECTION 243: HOME OCCUPATIONS. "Home occupation" means
an occupation conducted on the premises by the occupant of the
dwelling as a secondary use in connection with which there is no
display, no stock in trade or commodity sold upon the premises, no
person employed and in connection with which no mechanical equip-
ment is used except such mechanical equipment as is customarily
used for housekeeping purposes.
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SECTION 244: HOSPITAL. "Hospital" means an institution
specializing in giving clinical, temporary and emergency services of
a medical or surgical nature to human patients and injured persons,
and licensed by State Law to provide facilities and services in
surgery, obstetrics and general medical practice as distinguished
from treatment of mental and nervous disorders, but not excluding
surgical and post - surgical treatment of mental cases.
SECTION 245: HOSPITAL, MENTAL. "Mental hospital" means
an institution licensed by State agencies under provisions of law
to offer facilities, care and treatment for cases of mental and
nervous disorders but not licensed to provide facilities and ser-
vices in surgery, obstetrics and general medical practice. Estab-
lishments limiting services to juveniles below the age of five (5)
years, and establishments housing and caring for cases of cerebral
palsy are specifically excluded from this definition.
SECTION 246: HOSPITAL, SMALL ANIMAL. "Small animal
hospital" means an establishment in which veterinary services,
clipping, bathing, boarding and other services are rendered to dogs,
cats and other small animals and domestic pets.
SECTION 247: HOTEL. "Hotel" means a building in which
there are six (6) or more guest rooms where lodging with or without
meals is provided for compensation, and where no provision is made
for cooking in any individual room or suite, but shall not include
jails, hospitals, asylums, sanitariums, orphanages, prisons, deten-
tion homes and similar buildings where human beings are housed and
detained under legal restraint.
SECTION 248: INSTITUTION. "Institution" means an estab-
lishment maintained and operated by a society, corporation, individ-
ual, foundation or public agency for the purpose of providing chari-
table, social, educational or similar services to the public, groups
or individuals.
SECTION 249: KENNEL. "Kennel" means a place where four
(4) or more adult dogs or cats, or any combination thereof, are
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kept, whether by owners of the dogs and cats or by persons provid-
ing facilities and care, whether or not for compensation. An adult
dog or cat is one of either sex, altered or unaltered, that has
reached the aFe of four (4) months.
SECTION 250: KITCHEN. "Kitchen" means any room, or por-
tion of room used or intended or designed to be used for cooking
or the preparation of food.
SECTION 251: LODGING HOUSE. "Lodging house" means the
same as boarding house, but no meals shall be provided.
SECTION 252: LOT. "Lot" means: (1) a parcel of real
property when shown as a delineated parcel of land with a number
or other designation on a plat recorded in the office of the County
Recorder of Los Angeles County;
(2) a parcel of land containing not less than the prescribed
minimum square footage required in the zone in which it is located,
nor more than one (1) acre, the dimensions or boundaries of which
are defined by a record of survey recorded pursuant to law when re-
corded in the office of the County Recorder of Los Angeles County
and which abuts at least one public street or private easement de-
termined by the Commission to be adequate for purposes of access
from a street, and provided further that before building improve-
ments are erected upon such lot the private easement right -of -way,
if established subsequent to February 22, 1947, shall be improved
to a standard not less than that defined by the City's specifica-
tions for a local street, and shall be inspected and approved by
the Street Superintendent; or
(3) a parcel of real property not delineated as in (1) or (2)
above, and containing not less than the prescribed minimum square
footage required in the zone in which it is located, nor more than
one (1) acre, and which abuts at least one public street or a private
easement determined by the Commission to be adequate for purposes of
access from a street, and provided further that before building im-
provements are erected upon such lot the private easement right -of-
way, if established subsequent to February 22, 1947, shall be improved
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to a standard not less than that defined by the City's specifications
for a local street, and shall be inspected and approved by the Street
Superintendent.
SECTION 253: LOT AREA. "Lot area" means the total hori-
zontal area within the boundary lines of a lot.
SECTION 254: LOT, CORNER. "Corner lot" means a lot sit-
uated at the intersection of two (2) or more streets, which streets
have an angle of intersection of not more than one hundred and
twenty -eight (12$ °) degrees. (Plate 1)
SECTION 255: LOT DEPTH. "Lot depth" means the horizontal
length of a straight line drawn from the midpoint of the lot front
line and at right angles to such line, connecting with a line in-
tersecting the midpoint of the lot rear line and parallel to the
lot front line. In the case of a lot having a curved front line
the lot front line, for purposes of this section, shall be deemed to
be a line tangent to the curve and parallel to a straight line con-
necting the points of intersection of the lot side lines of the lot
with the lot front line. (Plate 3)
SECTION 256: LOT, INTERIOR. "Interior lot" means a lot
other than a corner lot or reversed corner lot. (Plate 1)
SECTION 257: LOT, KEY. "Key lot" means the First lot
to the rear of a reversed corner lot and whether or not separated
by an alley. (Plate 1)
SECTION 258: LOT FRONT LINE. "Lot front line" means, in
the case of an interior lot, a line separating the lot from the
street. In the case of a corner lot the lot front line shall be the
line separating the narrowest street frontage of the lot from the
street. (Plate 2)
SECTION 259: LOT LINE, REAR. "Lot rear line" means a lot
line which is opposite and most distant from the lot front line (Plate
2). For the purpose of establishing; the lot rear line of a triangu-
lar or trapezoidal lot, or of a lot the rear line of which is formed
by two or more lines, the following shall apply:
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(a) for a triangular or goreshaped lot, a line ten (10) feet
in length within the lot and farthest removed from the lot front
line and at right angles to the line comprising the depth of such
lot shall be used as the lot rear line (Plate 2);
(b) in the case of a trapezoidal lot the rear line of which is
not parallel to the lot front line, the lot rear line shall be
deemed to be a line at right angles to the line comprising the
depth of such lot and drawn through a point bisecting the recorded
lot rear line (Plate 2); or
(c) in the case of a pentagonal lot the rear boundary of which
includes an angle formed by two lines, such angles shall be employed
for determining the lot rear line in the same manner as prescribed
for a triangular lot (Plate 2).
In no case shall the application of the above be inter-
preted as permitting a main building to locate closer than three
feet to any property line.
SECTION 260: LOT LINE, SIDE. ^Lot side line" means any
lot boundary line not a lot front line or a lot rear line (Plate 2).
SECTION 261: LOT, REVERSED CORNER. "Reversed corner lot"
means a corner lot, the side street line of which is substantially
a continuation of the lot front line of the lot upon which the rear
of said reversed corner lot abuts. (Plate 1)
SECTION 262: LOT, THROUGH. "Through lot" means a lot
having frontage on two (2) parallel or approximately parallel streets.
SECTION 263: LOT WIDTH. "Lot width" means the horizontal
distance between the lot side lines measured at right angles to the
line comprising the depth of the lot at a point midway between the
lot front line and the lot rear line (Plate 3), provided that the
length of the line constituting the rear line of the required front
yard shall never be less than fifty (50) feet.
SECTION 264: MEDICAL- DENTAL BUILDING. "Medical- dental
building" shall mean a building or group of buildings designed for
the use of and occupied and used by physicians and dentists and
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others engaged professionally in such healing arts for humans as
are recognized by the laws of the State of California, including
the installation and use of therapeutic equipment, X -ray equipment
or laboratories, chemical, bio- chemical and biological laboratories
used as direct accessories to the medical- dental professions; den-
tal laboratories including facilities for the making of dentures
on prescription, and pharmacies limited to the retail dispensing
of pharmaceuticals and sick room supplies (but not room or ortho-
pedic equipment), provided there shall be no exterior display win-
dows or signs pertaining to such accessory uses other than a di-
rectory sign.
SECTION 265: MOTEL OR TOURIST COURT. "Motel" and "Tour-
ist court" means a group of attached or detached buildings containing
individual sleeping or living units where a majority of such units
open individually and directly to the outside, and where a garage
is attached or a parking space is conveniently located to each
unit, all for the temporary use by automobile tourists or transients,
and such words shall include auto courts and motor lodges. An es-
tablishment shall be considered a motel when it is required by the
Health and Safety Code of the State of California to obtain the
name and address of the guests, the make, year and license number
of the vehicle and the State in which it was issued.
SECTION 266: NONCONFORMING BUILDING. "Nonconforming
building" means a building, or portion thereof, other than a "con-
forming building" as defined by this ordinance and which was law-
fully erected or altered and maintained but which, because of the
application of this ordinance to it no longer conforms to the pro-
visions of this ordinance. A nonconforming building, or noncon-
forming portion of the building shall be deemed to constitute a
nonconforming use of the land upon which it is located.
SECTION 267: NONCONFORMING USE. "Nonconforming use"
means a use which was lawfully established and maintained but
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