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Industrial Zoning Regulations

City of Janesville Zoning Ordinance

18.36.050 INDUSTRIAL DISTRICTS

  • A. General Requirements. Industrial district regulations are intended to govern the development and use of a full range of industrial establishments.

    • 1. Permitted Uses. All buildings, structures and land, and the erection, construction, reconstruction, moving or structural alteration of such shall hereafter be used or occupied in conformity with all the provisions specified for the district in which it is located. No land or buildings shall be devoted to any use other than a use permitted in tile industrial district in which such land, structures, or buildings shall be located.

    • 2. Nonconforming Uses. All buildings, structures and land which were lawful before this title was adopted or amended and which become legally nonconforming as a result to the provisions of Section 18.32.060.

    • 3. Conditional Uses. Conditional uses, as listed in each industrial district, may be allowed only in the industrial district indicated. The conditional use shall be subject to the issuance of conditional use permits in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 18.24.040.

    • 4. Green Area.

      • a. Green area shall be permanently provided and properly maintained on each lot devoted to any industrial use as set forth in each industrial zoning district. Such green area shall not be devoted to service driveways, walks, off-street parking spaces, loading berths, or other similar uses, but shall include landscaping such as grass, shrubs, bushes, rock gardens, trees, flowers, and other types of aesthetic treatment.

      • b. The green area requirement is based on gross lot area. Gross lot area does not include the area between the sidewalk and the future curb line as shown in the JATS plan; however such area may be used to fulfill up to twenty-five percent (25%) of the green area requirement if authorized by the Site Plan Review Coordinator. The Site Plan Review Coordinator may consider in his/her review of such a credit one or more of the following:

        • i. The quality and size of landscape plantings within the green areas provided on site, and installation of terrace trees within the adjoining terrace; and

        • ii. Redevelopment sites where the ability of providing green area in front of the building is limited; and

        • iii.The amount of green area provided in front of the building over the minimum requirement.

      • c. At least fifty percent of the green area shall be provided in the front or corner side yard between the principal building and the front or corner side property line.

    • 5. Driveway Openings. Driveway openings shall be located at least forty feet from a block corner. The maximum driveway opening shall be thirty-five feet at the curb and thirty feet at the sidewalk line. Where a driveway is in joint use with adjacent property, there shall be at least ten feet of drive on each parcel.

    • 6. Screening. There shall be provided and maintained a permanent screening buffer strip at least ten feet in width along any boundary of any industrial district which adjoins or is opposite from a residence district. Such screening shall be a living hedge, shrubs or trees which at the time of planting shall be of sufficient density to effectively screen the industrial use from view of the adjoining or opposite residence district. Such screening shall be at the time of planting a minimum of three feet in height and shall within a period of four years attain a height of at least five feet. When such screening is located in the required front or corner side setback, the maximum height shall be thirty inches.

Janesville M - 1 Zoning District Requirements

  • 1. Ml - Light Industrial District. The light industrial district is designed to provide a suitable environment for those industrial activities that require a pleasant environment which is substantially hazard and nuisance free and also for those activities which do not create appreciable hazards or nuisances.

    • a. General conditions:

      • i Residential uses are prohibited except for watchman's quarters. Retail sales are prohibited except if incidental to the primary industrial use.

      • ii. All Uses Shall be conducted in such manner so as not to exceed the standards established in Wisconsin Administrative Code, as amended, as it relates to noise, dust, fumes, gases and storage of flammable liquids.

      • iii. All manufacturing activities shall be conducted within completely enclosed buildings except for off-street parking and loading. Outside storage of materials and merchandise shall be effectively screened from view when adjoining or opposite from a nonindustrial zoned district.

    • b. Permitted uses:

      • i. Agriculture;

      • ii. Any production, processing, assembling, cleaning, servicing, testing;

      • iii. Building material sales;

      • iv. Bakery, dairy and other food products;

      • v. Bottling or distribution plants, milk or soft drinks;

      • vi. Cleaning and dyeing establishments;

      • vii. Contractors' offices and shops;

      • viii. Parks, playgrounds and open spaces;

      • ix. Frozen food stores, lockers;

      • x. Garages for repair and servicing of motor vehicles including body repair, painting or motor rebuilding;

      • xi. Greenhouses wholesale;

      • xii. Laboratories - research, development and testing;

      • xiii. Machine shops;

      • xiv. Mail order houses;

      • xv. Metal finishing, plating, grinding, sharpening, polishing, cleaning, rustproofing and heat treatment;

      • xvi. Metal stamping;

      • xvii. Miniwarehouses;

      • xviii. Monument works including accessory open sale lots;

      • xix. Parking lots and storage garages;

      • xx. Plumbing, heating and ventilating;

      • xxi. Printing and publishing;

      • xxii. Public utility and public service facilities such as: sewage treatment plants, bus terminals, garages and lots, electric substations, gas regulator stations, telephone transmission equipment buildings, telephone exchanges, sewage lift stations, water pumping stations, water reservoirs, fire stations, public safety training facilities;

      • xxiii. Storage and warehouse establishments including wholesaling;

      • xxiv. Storage yards, but not including junk or salvage yards;

      • xxv. Public recreation facilities.

    • c. Conditional uses: The following may be allowed in the Ml district subject to the provisions of Section 18.24.040, Conditional uses:
      • i. Industrial planned unit developments;

      • ii. Airports and heliports and aircraft landing fields;

      • iii. Railroad freight terminals, switching

      • iv. Motor freight terminals

      • v. Commercial uses if they are incidental to a permitted use;

      • vi. Correctional institutions.

      • vii. Archery lanes and rifle and pistol ranges within an enclosed building that has met the minimum NRA standards for safe ranges.

      • viii. Communication towers including but not limited to radio, television, microwave relay, cellular phone and all other towers. Television and radio antennas 30 feet or less in height are not included in this listing.

      • ix. Day care centers.

    • d. Lot area: None.

    • e. Lot width: None.

    • f. Maximum building height: None.

    • g. Minimum setback requirements:

      • i. Front yard, fifty feet;

      • ii. Corner side yard, fifty feet;

      • iii. Side yard, ten feet or none if common party fire wall provided;

      • iv. Rear yard, twenty-five feet;

      • v. Adjoining a residence district, where a building or structure is located on a lot which adjoins a residence district, a side yard setback equal in dimension to the height of the building or structure and a rear yard setback equal in dimension to the height of the building or structure, or fifty feet, whichever is greater, shall be provided.

    • h. Green area: Not less than twenty percent of the gross lot area shall be permanently set aside, planted and maintained as green area.

    • i. Off-street parking and loading shall be provided as required in Sections 18.32.070 and 18.32.080.

Janesville M - 2 Zoning District Requirements

  • 2. M2 - General Industrial District. The M2 general industrial district is designed to accommodate those industrial activities which may produce moderate nuisances hazards in areas that are relatively remote from residential development in areas so designated on the comprehensive plan.

    • a. General conditions:

      • i. Residential uses are prohibited except for watchman's quarters. Retail sales are prohibited except if incidental to the primary industrial use.

      • ii. All uses shall be conducted in such manner so as not to exceed the standards established in Wisconsin Administrative Code, as amended, as it relates to noise, dust, fumes, gases and storage of flammable liquids.

      • iii. All manufacturing activities shall be conducted within completely enclosed buildings except for off-street parking and loading. Outside storage of materials and merchandise shall be effectively screened from view when adjoining or opposite from a nonindustrial zoned district.

    • b. Permitted uses:

      • i. Any use permitted in Ml district;

    • c. Conditional uses: The following may be allowed in M2 district subject to the provisions of Section 18.24.040, Conditional uses:

      • i. Industrial planned unit developments;

      • ii. Airports and heliports and aircraft landing fields;

      • iii. Asphalt and concrete batching or ready-mix plants located no closer than five hundred feet from a residence district;

      • iv. Chemical manufacturer;

      • v. Concrete products castings;

      • vi. Junkyards, salvage yards--provided they are licensed by the common council, fully screened, and located no closer than three hundred feet from a residence district;

      • vii. Motor freight terminals;

      • viii. Restaurant or commercial uses if they are incidental to a permitted use;

      • ix. Railroad freight terminals, railroad;

      • x. Storage of petroleum products;

      • xi. Archery lanes and rifle and pistol ranges within an enclosed building that has met the minimum NRA standards for safe ranges.

      • xii. Communication towers including but not limited to radio, television, microwave relay, cellular phone and all other towers. Television and radio antennas 30 feet or less in height are not included in this listing.

    • d. Lot area: None.

    • e. Lot width: None.

    • f. Maximum building height: None.

    • g. Minimum Setback requirements:

      • i. Front yard, twenty-five feet;

      • ii. Corner side yard, twenty-five feet;

      • iii. Side yard, ten feet or none if common party fire wall provided;

      • iv. Rear yard, twenty-five feet;

      • v. Adjoining a residence district, where a building or structure is located on a lot which adjoins a residence district, side and rear yard setbacks equal in dimension to the height of the building or structure or one hundred feet whichever is greater, shall be provided.

    • h. Green area: Not less than ten percent of the gross lot and shall be permanently set aside, planted and maintained as green area.

    • i. Off-street parking and loading shall be provided as required in Sections 18.32.070 and 18.32.080.

Janesville Zoning District Requirements.

18.32.07O OFF-STREET PARKING.

  • A. General Requirements. No permit shall be issued for new construction of buildings, structures or uses or additions thereof, or changes of use, or change in seating capacity, or addition of dwelling units, or gross floor area, or other limits of measurement in the amount specified herein unless there is provided off-street parking areas in accordance with the standards of this section. No permit shall be issued for construction, reconstruction or expansion of an off-street parking lot, open storage lot or loading area unless they are developed in accordance with the standards of this section. For purposes of this section, reconstruction shall be defined as the removal of all the existing parking lot, open storage lot or loading area surface(s) and base course to the subgrade. (Effective 12/1/93)

    • 1.Size. An off-street parking space is a hard surfaced area with size determined by the parking table in subsection I of Section 18.32.070 and designed so there shall be adequate provision for ingress and egress to all parking spaces.

    • 2. Ingress and Egress Aisles
      • (A). Ingress and egress aisles to and from any parking lot to a public street or alley shall be of the following minimum widths:

        One-Way Two-Way
        3 or more dwelling units or other uses
        permitted in the residence district        		 10 ft. 20 ft.
        Office, commercial and industrial uses 12 ft. 24 ft.

      • (B) The Site Plan Review Coordinator shall have discretionary authority to increase or decrease the above minimum standards as he/she deems necessary for the specific site and under the particular facts and circumstances, but in no event ever more than two feet per lane.

    • 3. Surfacing. With the exception of single-family residences, all driveways and open off-street parking areas shall be surfaced with a dustless all-weather material such as bituminous, concrete pavement, or brick. Such parking areas shall be so graded and drained as to dispose of all surface water.

    • 4. Lighting. Any lighting used to illuminate off-street parking areas shall be directed away from residential properties and public streets in such a way as not to create a nuisance.

    • 5. Screening and Landscaping.
      • a. Screening of Parking Lots. For all off-street parking areas containing more than four parking spaces there shall be provided and maintained a permanent screening buffer strip along any boundary of such parking lot which adjoins an R1 or R2 district. Such screening may be accomplished by a wall or fence not less than five feet in height or by a living hedge, shrubs or trees which at the time of planting shall be a minimum of three feet in height and three feet in width and shall within a period of four years attain a height and width of at least five feet. When such screening is within the required front or corner side yard, the maximum height shall be thirty inches. The building official may modify the screening requirements when screening exists on adjoining property.

      • b.Landscaping of Parking Lots. Each parking lot containing more than four (4) parking spaces shall provide and maintain landscaping within such parking lot. Landscaping shall include natural plantings such as trees, shrubs, or bushes. Such landscaping area shall be not less than five percent (5%) of the total parking lot area and shall be reasonably distributed throughout the parking lot. All parking lots shall have a five foot wide landscaping strip along all adjoining property lines. The landscape strip adjoining any public street shall contain at least one (1) tree per each fifty feet (50') of street frontage with the remainder of the area left in grass, ground cover or other natural plantings. The Site Plan Review Coordinator may reduce or waive said five foot (5') wide landscape strip where the ability of providing such five foot (5') wide landscape strip creates a practical difficulty or causes one of the following:

        • i. The reduction of off street parking below the ordinance minimum for the use it serves.

        • ii. The inability to develop or implement a joint driveway use between properties.

        The five percent (5%) landscaping requirement may be used to satisfy a portion of the green area requirement.

      • c.Landscaping of Open Storage Lots. All open storage lots for motor vehicles, and other merchandise, service areas, and loading areas shall have a five foot wide landscaped planting strip along all adjoining property lines. The landscape strip adjoining any public street shall contain at least one (1) tree per each fifty feet (50') of street frontage with the remainder of the area left in grass, ground cover or other natural plantings. The Site Plan Review Coordinator may reduce or waive said five foot (5') wide landscape strip where the ability of providing such five foot (5') wide landscape strip creates a practical difficulty or causes one of the following:

        • i.The reduction of off street parking below the ordinance minimum for the use it serves.

        • ii.The inability to develop or implement a joint driveway use between properties.

    • 6. No Parking Permitted on Lawns. No vehicle shall be permitted to park on a required front or corner side setback except upon a paved or hard surfaced driveway or parking area.

  • B. Location. All parking spaces required to serve buildings or uses erected or established after the effective date of the ordinance codified in this title shall be located on the same lot as the building or use served except that parking spaces to serve business buildings or uses may be located no more than three hundred feet from the nearest property line of such business building or use. Parking spaces to serve industrial buildings or uses may be located no more than one thousand feet from the nearest property line of such industrial building or use.

  • C. Ownership of Parking Facilities not on Same Lot as Principal Use. In cases where parking facilities are not located on the same lot as the building or use they serve, such facilities shall be in the possession of the holder of said building or use either by deed or land contract.

  • D. Computation.

    • 1. When determination of the number of off-street parking spaces required by this title results in a requirement of a fractional space, any fraction of less than one-half may be disregarded, while a fraction of one-half or more shall be counted as one parking space.

    • 2. Parking spaces required on an employee basis shall be based on the maximum number of employees on duty or residing, or both, on the premises at any one time. Floor area to be used in determining parking requirements shall be the total usable floor area on all floors as determined by the building official.

  • E. Provisions for Two or More Uses. Where two or more uses are located on the same lot or within the same building, parking spaces equal in number to the sum of the separate requirements for each such use shall be provided.

  • F. Submission of Plot Plan. Any application for a building permit or for a certificate of occupancy where no building permit is required shall include therewith a plot plan, drawn to scale and fully dimensioned, showing any parking or loading facilities to be provided in compliance with this title and any additional information as may be required by the site plan review committee.

  • G. Exemption. This title shall apply only to territory located outside of the parking assessment district.

  • H. Required Spaces. The minimum number of off-street parking spaces accessory to designated uses shall be provided as follows, unless otherwise required by the Site Plan Review Coordinator: The Site Plan Review Coordinator may decrease the required number of off-street parking spaces to be improved by up to twenty-five percent (25%) of the requirement. However, area in reserve for development of future off-street parking spaces must be provided on site to satisfy the parking requirement. Said reserve parking spaces shall be improved when necessary as determined by the Building Official.

    • 1. Dwelling and Lodging Uses.

      • a. Boardinghouses or roominghouses, one space for each lodging room;

      • b. Hotels, motels and tourists homes, one space for each lodging room plus one space for each employee (based upon the maximum number of employees on the premises at any one time);

      • c. Single-family and two-family dwellings, two parking spaces for each dwelling, plus one additional parking space for each two roomers or lodgers accommodated; but no more than four parking spaces for each dwelling unit;

      • d. Multiple-family dwellings

        • i. Multiple-family dwellings located on a through arterial street as listed in Chapter 10 of the municipal code shall provide two parking spaces for each dwelling unit.

        • ii. Multiple-family dwellings located on all other streets shall provide one and one-half parking spaces for each dwelling unit.

        • iii. Multiple-family dwellings which are located in the R4, 02, and B6 districts shall provide one and one-half parking spaces for each dwelling unit whether located on an arterial street or any other street.

      • e. Multiple-family subsidized elderly rental housing, one space per unit. When originally constructed, such a building need only be provided with fifty percent of this requirement unless located within the B5 or B6 district where twenty-five percent of this requirement may be provided, but sufficient land for the remaining spaces must be reserved for use as needed or for a changed use. In the event that the building official feels the parking facilities of the subsidized elderly rental housing are not sufficient to accommodate the parking needs, he can require the owner to pave additional spaces up to one stall per unit as he deems appropriate, subject to site plan review approval. In the event that such multiple-family housing fails to qualify or loses its classification as subsidized elderly rental multiple-family housing under the rules and regulations of the state and/or federal agency under which the housing project has been funded, the provisions for multiple- family housing shall apply. To be classified as multiple-family subsidized elderly rental housing for the purposes of this subsection, the housing project must be so qualified under the rules and regulations of the appropriate state and/or federal agencies;

      • f. Nursing homes, convalescent homes, one space for each two beds;

      • g. Mobile home parks, two spaces per each lot.

      • h. Community Living Arrangements (CLA), one space for each employee plus one space for each lodging room. If the clientele of the CLA are not capable of obtaining driver licenses or it is not expected that they would obtain driver licenses, the parking spaces for lodging rooms need not be improved, but shall be reserved on the site. Such reserved spaces shall be improved when the clientele of the CLA changes to residents who possess or are expected to obtain driver licenses. Exempted from this requirement are CLA's for 8 or fewer occupants located in an R1 or R2 District. Those establishments shall provide a minimum of two off-street stalls.

    • 2. School, Institution, Auditorium, or other Places of Assembly Uses.

      • a. Colleges, junior colleges, and universities, one parking space for each four students, based upon the maximum number of students that can be accommodated in accordance with design capacity, plus one space for each employee;

      • b. Hospitals, one parking space for each two hospital beds, plus one parking space for each two employees, plus one parking space for each doctor assigned to the staff;

      • c. Libraries and museums, one parking space for each six hundred square feet of floor area;

      • d. Medical and dental clinics, one parking space per each one hundred fifty square feet of gross floor area for the first ten thousand square feet of building and one parking space per each two hundred square feet of gross floor area above ten thousand square feet;

      • e. Meeting halls, convention halls, exhibition halls, auditoriums, theaters, funeral homes, and churches, one parking space for each three seats in accordance with design seating capacity, or one space for each thirty square feet of floor area, whichever is greater;

      • f. Private clubs and lodges, one parking space for each thirty square feet of floor area or one space for each lodging room and one parking space for each three seats in accordance with design seating capacity, whichever is greater;

      • g. Schools, commercial, trade, music, dance or business, one parking space for each two employees, plus one space for each two students based on the maximum number of students that can be accommodated in accordance with such design capacity;

      • h. Schools, child's dance, one parking space for each five students plus one space for each employee;

      • i. Schools, senior high (public or private), one parking space for each six students based on the maximum number of students that can be accommodated in accordance with such design capacity of the building plus one space for each employee;

      • j. Schools, elementary or junior high public or private), one parking space for each employee.

      • k. Nursery schools and day care centers, one parking space per employee plus one space per six children based on the maximum capacity the facility may be licensed for.

    • 3. Recreational Uses (Commercial or Noncommercial).

      • a. Bowling alleys, five parking spaces for each lane, plus such additional spaces as may be required herein for affiliated uses such as restaurants and bars, plus one space for each employee;

      • b. Health salons, swimming pools, skating rinks, dance halls and billiard parlors (commercial), one parking space for each three persons, based upon the maximum number of persons that can be accommodated at one time in accordance with such design capacity, and one parking space for each employee.

      • c. Parks, resorts, recreation areas, grandstands, stadiums or community centers (private, semipublic or public), one parking space for each two employees, plus spaces in adequate number as determined by the site plan review committee to serve the visiting public.

    • 4. Business, Commercial and Industrial Uses.

      • a. All business and commercial establishments, except those specified hereafter, one parking space for each two hundred square feet of floor area, unless the building official determines that the use is so similar to a use listed in one of the following subsections that the parking requirement for the similar use shall apply;

      • b. Carwash, one parking space for each two employees, plus one space for the owner or manager, and in addition, parking spaces to accommodate automobiles awaiting entrance to the carwash equal in number to five times the maximum capacity of the carwash. Maximum capacity, in this instance, shall mean the greatest possible number of automobiles undergoing some phase of washing at the same time;

      • c. Automobile service stations, one parking space for each employee plus three spaces for each bay intended for service, repair, or other use;

      • d. Business, professional and public administration or service office building, one parking space for each two hundred square feet of floor area, except for a suite of rooms used for offices for physicians or dentists, parking spaces are required herein for medical and dental clinics shall apply.

      • e. Cartage, express, parcel delivery and freight terminal establishments, one parking space for each employee employed on the premises and one parking space for each vehicle maintained on the premises;

      • f.. Restaurants, taverns and other establishments dispensing food or drink:

        • i.. Establishments which provide indoor serving areas shall provide parking as follows:

          • I. One parking space for each thirty-five square feet of net floor area; and

          • II. One parking space for each two employees or eight parking spaces, whichever is greater.

        • ii. Establishments which do not provide indoor serving areas shall provide parking as follows:

          • I. One parking space for each thirty-five square feet of gross floor area; and

          • II. One parking space for each two employees or four parking spaces, whichever is greater.

        Net floor area equals the area where patrons are served.

      • g. Motor vehicle sales, greenhouses and building materials sales, one parking space for each six hundred square feet of floor area, plus one space for each two employees;

      • h. Furniture and appliance stores, wholesale stores, stores for repair of household equipment or furniture, one parking space for each four hundred square feet of floor area;

      • i. Industrial uses such as production, processing, assembly, cleaning, servicing, testing or repair of materials, goods or products warehouse and wholesale, one parking space for each two employees on any one shift. However, space for future parking stalls shall be reserved on the site, but does not need to be improved to ordinance standards until an increase in employment or change in use requires the improvement. Such space reservation shall equal at least one space per five hundred square feet of floor area.

18.32.080 LOADING REQUIREMENTS. Off-street loading berths accessory to designated uses shall be provided as follows:

  • A. Location. All loading berths shall be located on the same as the use served. All major vehicle loading berths which abut a residence district or intervening alley separating a residence district from a business or industrial district shall be effectively screened therefrom by building walls, or a uniformly painted solid fence, wall or effective screen or any combination thereof, not less than eight feet in height. No loading berth shall be located within forty feet of the nearest point of intersection of any two streets. No loading berth shall be located in a required front or side yard setback.

  • B. Area. Unless otherwise specified, an off-street loading berth shall be designed to accommodate vehicles intended to dock at this berth but in no event shall such loading berth be less than twelve feet in width by at least thirty-five feet in length, exclusive of aisle and maneuvering space, and shall have a vertical clearance of at least fourteen feet.

  • C. Access. Each required off-street loading berth shall be designed with appropriate means of vehicular access to a street or alley in a manner which will least interfere with traffic movement.

  • D. Surfacing. All open off-street loading berths shall be surfaced with a dustless, all-weather material, such as bituminous, concrete pavement, or brick.

  • E. Repair and Service. No motor vehicle repair work or service of any kind shall be permitted in conjunction with loading facilities.

  • F. Utilization. Space allowed to any off-street loading berth shall not, while so allocated, be used to satisfy the space requirements for any off-street parking facilities or portions thereof.