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Council narrows generator setback rules, removes screening requirement
Summary
Council approved an amendment to zoning code chapter 106.741 allowing permanent standby generators in side yards with a minimum 1-foot setback; council struck a screening requirement for equipment visible from abutting streets and discussed FEMA quick-disconnect guidance and grandfathering of existing installations.
The La Porte City Council voted on June 8 to amend chapter 106.741 of the city code to explicitly allow permanent standby generators to be located in required side yards, provided they maintain a minimum 1-foot clearance from the side property line. Planning staff framed the change as a clarification of past informal interpretations that had allowed side-yard placement but were not reflected in the written code.
Ryan, planning staff, told council the Planning & Zoning Commission recommended approval 7–0 and explained the amendment would keep building-code clearance requirements in place while adding a one‑foot side‑setback allowance: "Permanent standby generators located in a required side yard must maintain a minimum clearance of 1 foot from the side property line." Council members raised concerns about a clause carried over from the AC-unit language that would have required equipment visible from abutting streets to be "fully screened." Several council members said that requirement could create practical problems for elevated generators or those already installed, and Ms. Williams moved to remove the screening sentence, which the council approved.
Council also discussed Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) guidance and state code affecting generators in flood-prone areas. Staff noted that generators can be installed at grade if equipped with a quick-disconnect and inspected as part of permitted gas and electrical work; staff said applications already stuck in a backlog because the code did not expressly permit side-yard placement would be able to proceed once the ordinance was adopted. The ordinance was read into the record as Ordinance 2026-5042 and the motion carried.
