“Laboratory” means a place devoted to experimental study, such as testing and analyzing, as well as physical diagnostic facilities and soil and water testing facilities. The manufacturing of any product or products is not considered to be part of this definition.

“Land clearing” means the exposure of earth by the removal of vegetative cover of any kind.

“Land use” means the employment of a site or holding so as to derive revenue or other benefit from it; also the delineation by the government of the utilization to which land may be put so as to promote the most advantageous development of the city of Stanwood.

“Land-disturbing activity” means any activity that results in a change in the existing soil cover (both vegetative and nonvegetative) and/or the existing soil topography. Land-disturbing activities include, but are not limited to, demolition, construction, clearing, grading, filling and excavation.

“Landfill” means the depositing of soil, sand, gravel, shell, or other materials on or in any land area, or the artificial alteration of water levels for land reclamation purposes.

“Landmark” means a historical or culturally significant site, building, or other element that is recognized as such by the city and is in part or wholly open to the public.

“Landscape” means the use of materials such as trees, ornamental shrubs, ground cover, gravel, river rock, driftwood, rockeries, or combination of such materials.

Landscape, Perimeter. See “Perimeter landscape.”

“Landscape plan” means a detailed sketch to scale, illustrating the type, size, location and number of plants and other landscape elements to be placed in a development.

“Landscape strip” means a strip of land along the perimeter of the site containing trees, barriers, ground cover and/or other plant material.

“Laundromat” means an establishment providing washing, drying, or dry cleaning machines on the premises for rental use to the general public for family laundering or dry cleaning purposes.

“Laundry plant” means an establishment for the mechanized washing and/or dry cleaning of clothing, linens, and the like.

“Laundry service” means a retail sales and service establishment that provides for the drop-off of clothing, linens, and the like to be washed, dry cleaned, ironed, mended, or repaired with no machines or equipment for the dyeing of same, and specifically no machines or equipment available for self-service directly by the consumer.

“Legal services” business means an establishment providing legal services to clients.

“Library” means either a public or private facility that houses shelves containing books, reading rooms and/or other reading areas and, possibly, meeting rooms.

“Live entertainment” means an activity characterized by amplified music, dance, or similar venue at which a performer sings, acts, recites or engages an audience or group in a manner intended to entertain and/or to augment another activity or in which amplified music is used for group exercise and/or dance. Performers/leaders may or may not be paid. Live entertainment includes karaoke, all forms of group dances conducted by a disc jockey, and exercises carried out to music such as zumba, but excludes background music.

“Live/work unit” means a single dwelling unit in a detached building, or in a multifamily or mixed-use building, that also accommodates limited commercial uses within the dwelling unit. The predominate use of a live/work unit is residential, and commercial activity is a secondary use.

“Livestock” means animals, such as horses, cattle, pigs, or goats, kept for their services or raised for food and other products.

“Loading space” means an off-street space on the same lot with a building or group of buildings for the temporary parking of a commercial vehicle while loading and unloading merchandise or materials.

“Local road or street” means a roadway providing for direct access to abutting land, and for local traffic movements.

“Local utility” (SMP) means public or private utilities normally servicing a neighborhood or defined subarea in the city, e.g., telephone exchanges; sanitary sewer; stormwater facilities; distribution lines, electrical distribution less than 55 kV, telephone, cable TV, etc.

“Lodging house” means a building other than a hotel where lodging is provided for five or more persons for compensation pursuant to previous arrangements, but not open to the public or transients, and meals and drinks are not served.

“Lot” means a fractional part of divided land having fixed boundaries and being of sufficient area and dimensions to meet minimum zoning requirements for width, depth, and area. This term shall also include tracts or parcels, but shall not include land divided for purposes of financing or taxation.

“Lot area” means the total horizontal area contained within the boundary lines of a lot.

Lot, Building. See “Building lot.”

Lot, Corner. See “Corner lot.”

“Lot depth” means the mean horizontal distance between the front and rear lot lines of a lot measured within the lot boundaries.

Lot, Interior. See “Interior lot.”

Lot Line, Front. See “Front lot line.”

Lot Line, Rear. See “Rear lot line.”

Lot Line, Side. See “Side lot line.”

“Lot of record” means an area or parcel of land as shown on an officially recorded plat or subdivision, or an area or parcel of land to which a deed or contract is officially recorded as a unit of property, or which is described by metes and bounds, or as a fraction of a section.

Lot, Through. See “Through lot.”

“Lot width” means the mean horizontal distance between the side lines, measured at right angles to the side lot line. Where side lot lines are not parallel, the lot width shall be considered as the average distance between such side lot lines.

Lot, Zoning. See “Zoning lot.”

“Lounge” means a building or portion of a building, wherein alcoholic beverages are sold by the drink and consumed on the premises.

Lowest Floor. For the purposes of Chapter 17.120 SMC, “lowest floor” means the lowest floor of the lowest enclosed area (including basement). An unfinished or flood-resistant enclosure, usable solely for parking of vehicles, building access, or storage in an area other than a basement area, is not considered a building’s lowest floor; provided, that such enclosure is not built so as to render the structure in violation of the applicable nonelevation design requirements provided there are adequate flood ventilation openings.

“Lumber and wood products processing” means a facility that fabricates wood products and/or provides mill work or construction and assembly of products made from wood. (Ord. 1499 § 1 (Exh. A), 2021; Ord. 1418 § 4, 2016; Ord. 1373 § 11, 2014; Ord. 1294 §§ 5, 6, 2011; Ord. 1267 § 3, 2010; Ord. 1251 § 3, 2009; Ord. 1250 § 3, 2009; Ord. 1110 § 3, 2002; Ord. 929 Ch. 5, 1995).