Exciting enhancements are coming soon to eCode360! Learn more 🡪
Village of Camillus, NY
Onondaga County
By using eCode360 you agree to be legally bound by the Terms of Use. If you do not agree to the Terms of Use, please do not use eCode360.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
[Amended 8-11-2011 by L.L. No. 3-2011]
The regulations contained herein are in addition to any special conditions which may be imposed by the Board of Trustees or Board of Appeals as provided for by Article III of this chapter.
[Amended 11-13-2001 by L.L. No. 9-2001]
On lots which are contiguous to two or more intersecting public rights-of-way used for vehicular traffic, there shall be no principal, accessory or secondary structure, including screening devices or natural vegetation, and there shall be no permanent or temporary storage of vehicles or other personal property, including but not limited to cars, boats, trailers, signs or any such obstructions, within an elevation between two feet and 10 feet above grade, within an area extending inward on said lot bounded by the lot lines contiguous to said rights-of-way and an arc having a radius of 25 feet from the point of intersection of said lot lines.
The following sign regulations shall be applicable within all districts:
A. 
Obstructions. No sign shall obstruct, by physical or visual means, any fire escape, window, door or any opening providing ingress or egress or designed for fire or safety equipment, any passageway from one part of a structure or roof to another portion thereof, or any opening required for ventilation or which is required to remain unobstructed by any applicable law.
B. 
Projections.
(1) 
No sign shall project into a vehicular driveway on private property at an elevation less than 14 feet above grade.
(2) 
No sign shall project into any public vehicular driveway, including those situated on private property open to the general public, at any elevation.
(3) 
No sign shall project into an area on private or public property designed as a pedestrianway at an elevation less than 10 feet above grade.
C. 
Placement. No sign shall be placed upon or attached to any public or private utility pole, lamppost, water or fire hydrant, sidewalk, bridge, tree or similar installation or improvement, whether situated upon public or private property.
D. 
Hazards to public safety. Signs which, by their use or simulation of colors, design or placement, tend to confuse, detract from or in any other way obstruct the utilization of traffic regulatory devices are prohibited. All determinations of this type shall be made by the Building Official, who shall consider but not be limited to the following:
(1) 
The use of words such as "stop," "go," "look," "caution," "danger," "warning" and similar nomenclature.
(2) 
The use of colors and lights in the spectrum of colors utilized by traffic regulatory devices.
(3) 
The use of blinking, intermittent, flashing or other animated forms of illumination or light and all sources of illumination which, through direct or indirect means, create glare.
E. 
Illumination.
(1) 
No sign shall produce illumination in excess of one footcandle at a distance of four feet.
(2) 
No illumination shall cause direct light rays to cross any property line.
(3) 
All permanent outdoor lights, such as those used for area lighting or building floodlighting, shall be steady, stationary, shielded sources directed so as to avoid causing a hazard to motorists, pedestrians or causing direct light rays on neighboring properties. The marginal increase in light, as measured at any property line other than a street line, shall not exceed one footcandle.
F. 
Corner visibility. Except for official signs and wall or marquee signs affixed to structures situated within the area of prohibition referred to in § 110-30 of this chapter, no sign shall be located within the area of prohibition referred to therein.
G. 
Exemptions. The provisions of this section shall not apply to signs established pursuant to governmental authority or used for the identification of public buildings, facilities and activities sponsored by or of an official character, such as traffic regulation devices authorized by the Vehicle and Traffic Law of the State of New York, civil defense warnings, railroad crossing designations, bus stops and any other signs authorized and required under local, state or federal law or which contain information required and designed for the protection and safety of the general public, such as danger areas, work areas, utility warnings, street elevators, safety warning devices and similar notices.
H. 
Abandoned signs. The Building Official shall order the removal of any sign which has become abandoned. In making such determination, the Building Official shall consider but need not be limited to the following elements:
(1) 
The period of nonuse of the activity, product, service or other item relative to the message content of the sign, provided that, where a business activity has been discontinued for a period of 90 days, the sign shall be presumed to have become abandoned unless the owner, beneficial user or other party in interest files a written certification with the Building Official indicating that such sign, including its appurtenances, is to be utilized within 30 days following such ninety-day period.
(2) 
The sign is situated upon or incidental to a site which has been scheduled for demolition, and it appears that the activity, product, service or other item relative to the message content is no longer viable, irrespective of the lapse of time.
(3) 
The sign is otherwise nonconforming or illegal, and the owner or beneficial user cannot with reasonable diligence be located.
I. 
Billboards.
[Added 4-4-2000 by L.L. No. 1-2000]
(1) 
Billboards prohibited. Any sign unrelated to a business or profession, commodity or service offered upon the immediate premises where the sign is located, herein defined as a "billboard," is prohibited, except for directional signs or temporary event signs relating to any community, civic, commemorative, political, charitable, social, educational, religious or athletic function or assembly or event authorized by municipal authorities.
(2) 
Nonconforming billboards. Any billboard, as defined herein, which was lawfully existing prior to April 4, 2000, may continue to remain only as long as it stands and as long as the owner thereof repairs and maintains the billboard in good condition; such nonconforming sign may not be enlarged or replaced.
A. 
Passageway restrictions. No screening device or portion thereof in excess of 2 1/2 feet in height shall be located closer than three feet to the exterior wall of a principal or accessory structure except where said screening device is connected to said exterior wall or terminated at a post or similar fixture adjacent to said exterior wall. For the purpose of avoiding narrow passageways, that portion of screening device terminating at the exterior wall of a principal or accessory structure or at a post or fixture adjacent thereto shall not have an interior angle with reference to the exterior wall of said structure of less than 45°. All portions of a lot enclosed by a screening device shall be made accessible for firefighting purposes by the installation of appropriately located pedestrian gates not less than three feet in width.
B. 
Front yards. No screening device shall exceed four feet in height if placed within a required front yard.
C. 
Side and rear yards. No screening device shall exceed six feet in height within required side and/or rear yards.
D. 
Corner lots. On corner lots, that portion of a lot contiguous to a public right-of-way shall be considered as a front yard area for the purpose of applying the regulations herein.
E. 
Special height allowance. Within the Commercial District only, screening devices may attain a height of eight feet within any yard area, required or otherwise.
F. 
Plantings. Plantings, except trees, shall not exceed two feet in height if placed within 10 feet of the front property line. There shall be no limit to the height of plantings if located more than 10 feet from the property line.
G. 
Certain screenings prohibited. Barbed wire or electrical screening devices are prohibited.
H. 
Corner visibility. All screening devices shall be subject to the provisions of § 110-30 of this chapter.
In addition to the minimum lot size specified in the Geometric Control Chart attached to this chapter, 2,000 square feet of lot area shall be provided for each dwelling unit over the first two in multiple-family dwelling units. Single- and two-family dwelling units and commercial and group residences shall otherwise be subject to the minimum lot size requirements only.
[Amended 7-14-2009 by L.L. No. 2-2009]
Outside storage of garbage, rubbish and refuse shall be governed by the provisions of Chapter 61 entitled "Solid Waste, Litter, Hauler Regulation and Village Borrow Policy."
Except as otherwise specifically provided for by this chapter, all secondary structures shall comply with the front, side and rear yard setback and height regulations applicable to accessory structures, provided that freestanding radio towers, antennas and flagpoles may exceed the applicable height limits.
The placement of mobile dwelling units within the Village of Camillus is prohibited. This prohibition is based upon the following characteristics of the municipality:
A. 
Narrow lot sizes.
B. 
Generally steep topography.
C. 
Narrow width and configuration of rights-of-way, particularly acute at intersections.
D. 
Density of population and land use, leaving no undeveloped areas appropriate for residential development with mobile as opposed to conventional dwelling units.
E. 
Severe drainage and floodplain areas.
[1]
Editor's Note: Section 110-36.5, Motor Vehicle sales or leasing restricted, added 3-27-2003 by L.L. No. 2-2003, which immediately followed this section, was repealed 11-18-2013 by L.L. No. 6-2013.
Home occupation business shall be subject to the following restrictions:
A. 
Not more than two occupant members and one nonoccupant member of the family dwelling unit may be actively engaged in the activity, except in the case of a medical practitioner requiring a paramedical assistant, in which case nonoccupant members may not exceed two.
B. 
Where the activity involves tutoring, training in the arts or a similar educational service, no more than two persons shall receive service at any one time. This restriction shall not apply to other professional services and may be modified by the Village Board of Trustees upon the issuance of a special permit.
C. 
Day-care facilities shall not exceed provision for more than six children per day.
D. 
The on-premises retail sale of merchandise of any kind or description is prohibited. This shall not preclude on-premises production for off-premises sale. This prohibition may be modified by the Village Board of Trustees upon the issuance of a special permit.
E. 
The following activities shall be permitted by special permit only: hairdressing, barbering and cosmetology.
F. 
Such activity shall be confined to the principal structure, and no accessory structure, secondary structure or yard shall be used in conjunction therewith, except for required parking spaces. No display or indication of any such activity shall be visible from outside the principal structure, except identification signs as permitted by this chapter.
G. 
The activity shall not involve more than 25% of any one story or exceed a cumulative total of 400 square feet of gross floor area within the principal structure. These figures shall be inclusive of basements, cellars and similar areas, whether partially or completely below grade.
H. 
The activity shall not involve or require the cartage of inventory, equipment or materials on a daily or weekly basis or necessitate the use of other than passenger cars for such purpose.
I. 
The use of heavy-type equipment, tools or machinery is prohibited.
The following limitations shall apply to farming activities:
A. 
Cows, horses, sheep or goats cannot be kept on lots having an area of less than 20,000 square feet. The total number of all such animals, other than their young under the age of six months, allowed on a lot shall be limited to the square footage of the lot divided by the total minimum areas required for each animal as listed below:
Animal
Minimum Area per Animal
(square feet)
Horses
20,000
Cows
20,000
Goats or sheep
20,000
B. 
The number of chickens, fowl and/or rabbits over the age of six months shall not exceed one for each 500 square feet of property, provided that no roosters over the age of six months shall be kept. The number of young chickens, fowl and/or rabbits under the age of six months allowed on the property at any one time shall not exceed three times the allowable number of chickens, fowl and/or rabbits over the age of six months.
C. 
The number of colonies of bees allowed on a lot shall be limited to one colony for each 1,000 square feet of lot area.
D. 
Animal runs or barns, chicken or fowl pens and colonies of bees shall be located on the rear half of the property but not closer than 70 feet to the front property line nor closer than 50 feet to any residence.
E. 
Animals, chickens and/or fowl shall be properly caged or housed, and proper sanitation shall be maintained at all times. All animal or poultry food shall be stored in metal or other rodentproof receptacles.
F. 
The storage of manure and other raw fertilizer, open or enclosed, shall be prohibited within 500 feet of all property lines.