Chapter 19.08 DEFINITIONS

For the purpose of this title, certain terms and words are defined in this chapter. When not inconsistent with the context, words used in the present tense shall include the future; the singular shall include the plural, and the plural the singular. The word “shall” is always mandatory and the word “may” indicates a use of discretion in making a decision. (Ord. 1750-0709 § 2 (part), 2009: Ord. 1701-0407 § 1 (part), 2007: Ord. 1041 (part), 1981)

19.08.015 Administrator.

“Administrator” shall mean the director of the department of community and economic development for the city of Shelton. (Ord. 1750-0709 § 2 (part), 2009)

19.08.020 Alleys.

“Alleys” shall mean minor ways which provide vehicular service access to the back side of properties otherwise abutting on and served by a street or road. Alleys shall be public rights-of-way having twenty feet or less in width. (Ord. 1750-0709 § 2 (part), 2009: Ord. 1701-0407 § 1 (part), 2007: Ord. 1041 (part), 1981)

19.08.021 Auditor.

“Auditor” shall mean the auditor of Mason County, Washington. (Ord. 1750-0709 § 2 (part), 2009)

19.08.025 Auditor’s lot.

“Auditor’s lot” means any lot created by the subdivision of land, boundary line adjustment, or deed conveyance, without the city of Shelton’s review and approval. (Ord. 1750-0709 § 2 (part), 2009: Ord. 1701-0407 § 1 (part), 2007: Ord. 1658-1105 § 1, 2005)

19.08.030 Block.

“Block” means a group of lots, tracts, or parcels within well-defined and fixed boundaries. (Ord. 1750-0709 § 2 (part), 2009: Ord. 1701-0407 § 1 (part), 2007: Ord. 1041 (part), 1981)

19.08.040 Comprehensive plan.

“Comprehensive plan” means the plan adopted by the Shelton city council pursuant to the Washington State Growth Management Act, Chapter 36.70A RCW. (Ord. 1921-0518 (part), 2018; Ord. 1750-0709 § 2 (part), 2009: Ord. 1701-0407 § 1 (part), 2007: Ord. 1041 (part), 1981)

19.08.050 Condominium.

“Condominium” means a multiple residential building or buildings organized under the Horizontal Regimes Act of the state of Washington so as to permit the individual mortgage, sale or transfer of suites or apartments and retaining to the purchaser and owner rights in certain common areas and facilities. (Ord. 1750-0709 § 2 (part), 2009: Ord. 1701-0407 § 1 (part), 2007: Ord. 1041 (part), 1981)

19.08.060 City and city officials.

“City” shall mean the city of Shelton, county of Mason, state of Washington. “City council” shall mean the elected officials of the city of Shelton. “Planner” shall mean the director of community and economic development (or designee) for the city of Shelton. “Engineer” shall mean the city engineer of the city of Shelton. “Health officer” shall mean the Mason County health officer (or designee), and “hearings examiner” shall mean the hearings examiner for the city of Shelton. (Ord. 1921-0518 (part), 2018; Ord. 1750-0709 § 2 (part), 2009: Ord. 1701-0407 § 1 (part), 2007: Ord. 1041 (part), 1981)

19.08.070 Dedication.

“Dedication” means the deliberate appropriation of land by an owner for any general and public uses, reserving to himself no other rights than such as are compatible with the full exercise and enjoyment of the public uses to which the property has been devoted. The intention to dedicate shall be evidenced by the owner by the presentment for filing of a final plat showing the dedication thereon; and the acceptance by the public shall be evidenced by the approval of such plat for filing by the appropriate governmental unit. (Ord. 1750-0709 § 2 (part), 2009: Ord. 1701-0407 § 1 (part), 2007: Ord. 1041 (part), 1981)

19.08.080 Easement.

“Easement” means a right granted by a property owner to specifically named persons, or to the general public, for the use of certain areas or strips of land for particular purposes. Where appropriate to the context, “easement” may also refer to the land covered by the grant. This may include (but is not limited to) pedestrian paths, utility easements, storm drainage easements, open space, and park land. (Ord. 1750-0709 § 2 (part), 2009: Ord. 1701-0407 § 1 (part), 2007: Ord. 1041 (part), 1981)

19.08.090 Final plat.

“Final plat” means the final drawing of the subdivision and dedication prepared for filing for record with the county auditor and containing all approvals, elements, and requirements set forth in this title and required as conditions of preliminary plat approval. (Ord. 1750-0709 § 2 (part), 2009: Ord. 1701-0407 § 1 (part), 2007: Ord. 1041 (part), 1981)

19.08.100 Land.

“Land” means all property or parcels of property in a single or unified ownership, regardless of the type or time of acquisition (excluding acquisition by easement), that are contiguous or abutting upon each other and which may be in different sections or different government lots that are not separated from each other by public roads, except lots in a recorded plat or short plat and those unrecorded plats accepted and on record in the Mason County assessor’s office, each of which is separate land; provided, that tidelands and shorelands shall not be considered land nor considered part of the dimensional requirements for minimum lot size. (Ord. 1750-0709 § 2 (part), 2009: Ord. 1701-0407 § 1 (part), 2007: Ord. 1041 (part), 1981)

19.08.120 Lot.

“Lot” means a fractional part of subdivided lands having fixed boundaries, being of sufficient size and dimension to meet minimum requirements for width and area. The term includes tracts or parcels. (Ord. 1750-0709 § 2 (part), 2009: Ord. 1701-0407 § 1 (part), 2007: Ord. 1041 (part), 1981)

19.08.130 Monumentation.

Monuments set as required by this code shall be of concrete with the following dimensions: length, thirty inches; bottom, six inches square; top, four inches square. There shall be imbedded in the concrete a number six rebar eighteen inches long. There shall be a metal disk showing the surveyor’s name or registration number, as well as a punch mark denoting the angle point. Monuments having a different configuration may be approved by the engineer, providing they have equal or better durability and stability. (Ord. 1750-0709 § 2 (part), 2009: Ord. 1701-0407 § 1 (part), 2007: Ord. 1041 (part), 1981)

19.08.140 Original tract.

“Original tract” means a unit of land which the owner holds under single or unified ownership, the configuration of which may be determined by the fact that all land abutting a tract is separately owned by others. (Ord. 1750-0709 § 2 (part), 2009: Ord. 1701-0407 § 1 (part), 2007: Ord. 1041 (part), 1981)

19.08.145 Owner.

“Owner” means the owner of record, as determined by the records of the auditor; provided, that the owner under a real estate contract is the purchaser-vendee and the owner of mortgaged property is the mortgagor. (Ord. 1750-0709 § 2 (part), 2009)

19.08.150 Panhandle lot.

“Panhandle lot” means a division of land connected to a road by a narrow strip. (Ord. 1750-0709 § 2 (part), 2009: Ord. 1701-0407 § 1 (part), 2007: Ord. 1041 (part), 1981)

19.08.160 Planned unit development.

“Planned unit development” means the unified development of a site for the construction of residential, commercial or industrial projects utilizing building groups, large-scale site planning, and the arrangement of specific structures and open spaces to permit a more advantageous use of the property. (Ord. 1750-0709 § 2 (part), 2009: Ord. 1701-0407 § 1 (part), 2007: Ord. 1041 (part), 1981)

19.08.170 Plat.

“Plat” means a map or representation of a subdivision showing thereon the division of a tract or parcel of land into lots, blocks, streets and alleys or other divisions and dedications. (Ord. 1750-0709 § 2 (part), 2009: Ord. 1701-0407 § 1 (part), 2007: Ord. 1041 (part), 1981)

19.08.180 Preliminary plat.

“Preliminary plat” means a neat and approximate drawing of a proposed subdivision showing the general layout of streets and alleys, lots, blocks, and restrictive covenants applicable to the proposed subdivision and all data and information furnished therewith as to provide a basis for the approval or disapproval by the hearings examiner. (Ord. 1750-0709 § 2 (part), 2009: Ord. 1701-0407 § 1 (part), 2007: Ord. 1041 (part), 1981)

19.08.190 Right-of-way.

“Right-of-way” means that which provides vehicular circulation or principal means of access to abutting properties and which may also include provisions for public utilities, pedestrian walkways, cut and fill slopes, and drainage. (Ord. 1750-0709 § 2 (part), 2009: Ord. 1701-0407 § 1 (part), 2007: Ord. 1041 (part), 1981)

19.08.200 Roadway.

“Roadway” means that portion of a street right-of-way that is improved for vehicular traffic and/or pedestrian traffic. (Ord. 1750-0709 § 2 (part), 2009: Ord. 1701-0407 § 1 (part), 2007: Ord. 1041 (part), 1981)

19.08.210 Short plat.

“Short plat” means the map or representation of a short subdivision, together with written certificate or dedication on data. (Ord. 1750-0709 § 2 (part), 2009: Ord. 1701-0407 § 1 (part), 2007: Ord. 1041 (part), 1981)

19.08.220 Short subdivision.

“Short subdivision” means the division of land into four or less lots, tracts, parcels, sites or subdivisions for the purpose of sale, lease, transfer, or site development. (Ord. 1750-0709 § 2 (part), 2009: Ord. 1701-0407 § 1 (part), 2007: Ord. 1041 (part), 1981)

19.08.230 Street.

“Street” means a public or private right-of-way which affords the principal means of access to abutting property; including avenue, place, way, drive, land, boulevard, highway, road, and any other thoroughfare. (Ord. 1750-0709 § 2 (part), 2009: Ord. 1701-0407 § 1 (part), 2007: Ord. 1041 (part), 1981)

19.08.260 Street, cul-de-sac.

“Cul-de-sac street” means a street opening at one end and having a turnaround at the other end. (Ord. 1750-0709 § 2 (part), 2009: Ord. 1701-0407 § 1 (part), 2007: Ord. 1041 (part), 1981)

19.08.290 Subdivider.

“Subdivider” means any person, firm, corporation, association or partnership who undertakes to create a subdivision or short subdivision. (Ord. 1750-0709 § 2 (part), 2009: Ord. 1701-0407 § 1 (part), 2007: Ord. 1041 (part), 1981)

19.08.300 Subdivision.

“Subdivision” means division of land into five or more lots, tracts, parcels, or sites for the purpose of sale, lease, transfer, or site development, and shall include all resubdivision of land. (Ord. 1750-0709 § 2 (part), 2009: Ord. 1701-0407 § 1 (part), 2007: Ord. 1041 (part), 1981)

19.08.310 Tidelands and shorelands.

“Tidelands and shorelands” means the beach areas waterward of the line of ordinary high water. (Ord. 1750-0709 § 2 (part), 2009: Ord. 1701-0407 § 1 (part), 2007: Ord. 1041 (part), 1981)

19.08.315 Treasurer.

“Treasurer” means the treasurer of Mason County, Washington, or designee. (Ord. 1750-0709 § 2 (part), 2009)