§ 4.97. Standards for the approval of indoor and outdoor paintball/airsoft ranges.

Indoor paintball and airsoft ranges are permitted uses in the CA, General Business, CB, Business and Manufacturing, and I, Industrial Zones, and subject to the requirements of subsection 4.97.01.C. below. Indoor paintball and airsoft ranges are allowed as a use permitted on review in the A, Agricultural, Zone as permitted in subsection 4.97.01.C.2. below. Outdoor paintball and airsoft ranges are permitted as uses on review in the A, Agricultural, CB, Business and Manufacturing, and I, Industrial Zones, and subject to the requirements of subsections 4.10.14 through 4.10.19, "Development standards for uses permitted on review," and section 6.50, "Procedures for authorizing uses permitted on review." Outdoor paintball and airsoft ranges are also subject to the standards and requirements of subsections 4.97.01.A and B. below.

4.97.01. Minimum requirements.

A.

A use-on-review application for an outdoor paintball or airsoft range shall include the following:

1.

A site plan drawn to scale that shows the following information:

a.

Location of any permanent structures on the site and designation of areas for playing, staging, tune-up, and spectators.

b.

Vehicular and pedestrian circulation, including points of access to the site, loading and unloading areas, and areas for employee and customer parking.

c.

Proposed landscaping and buffer areas.

d.

Location and description of signs used for directing participants, employees and spectators for the protection of their safety and welfare.

2.

A plan of operations which shall specify the following:

a.

Days and hours of operation.

b.

Procedures needed for the safety and protection of participants, employees and spectators, including a description of any safety equipment that will be required to be worn by participants, employees and spectators.

c.

Procedures needed to minimize any noise, litter, lighting, traffic, or other forms of pollution created by the proposed operation that may have an adverse impact on the proposed paintball or airsoft range, as well as surrounding properties. This shall include the proper storage, maintenance and use of CO2 and other compressed air fuel stations based on standards adopted by the state department of transportation.

d.

Number of employees per workday shift which shall be a minimum of one (1) employee for every fifteen (15) participants.

e.

Description of the type of paintball and airsoft guns that will be allowed to be used on the paintball or airsoft range.

3.

Prior to the issuance of any building permits, the site plan and plan of operations shall be reviewed and approved by the county sheriffs department, the county health department, and the state department of transportation.

B.

An outdoor paintball or airsoft range shall also comply with the following requirements:

1.

No outdoor paintball or airsoft range shall be located within five hundred (500) feet of an existing residential district, place of worship, school or day care facility. This distance shall be measured from the property line of the outdoor paintball or airsoft range to the affected building or structure.

2.

No outdoor storage shall be allowed.

3.

Any outdoor public address system shall be limited to announcements regarding the beginning and ending of each paintball or airsoft competition, as well as announcements related to the maintenance of on-site safety procedures and regulations.

4.

No outdoor lighting shall be allowed other than for building access, parking area and signs. Nighttime use of a paintball or airsoft range may be permitted if in the opinion of the planning commission such use will not be disruptive to the surrounding area. In these cases, playing, staging, tune-up and spectator areas will be required to be lighted.

5.

A minimum two hundred (200) foot buffer zone between the property line of the outdoor paintball or airsoft range and the playing, staging, tune-up, and spectator areas shall be maintained. This buffer width may be reduced when a fence, wall, or nylon mesh screen, or combination thereof, is installed and in the opinion of the planning commission, the proposed buffer and screening will protect adjacent properties and public right-of-way from fired projectiles.

6.

A twenty (20) foot high, nylon mesh screen shall be installed to separate the playing, staging, tune-up and spectator areas from the two hundred (200) foot buffer zone, or as otherwise approved by the planning commission in accordance with subsection B.5 above. This screen shall be anchored at the bottom and secured by a non-stretchable cable at the top and bottom. Two (2) such screens shall be installed a minimum of five (5) feet apart to separate the spectator area from the playing area.

7.

The minimum lot size for each outdoor paintball or airsoft range shall be ten (10) acres. The minimum lot size may be reduced by the planning commission when the buffer area is reduced and an alternative screening plan is approved in accordance with subsection B.5. above.

C.

An indoor paintball or airsoft range shall comply with the following requirements:

1.

The minimum size for an indoor paintball or airsoft range shall be twenty-five thousand (25,000) square feet. The minimum size of an indoor paintball or airsoft range may be reduced by the planning commission when associated with an outdoor paintball or airsoft range under the same management.

2.

An indoor paintball or airsoft range may be located in the A, Agricultural, Zone only when associated with an approved outdoor paintball or airsoft range and shall not be located within five hundred (500) feet of an existing residential district, place of worship, school or day care facility. This distance shall be measured from the property line of the indoor range to the affected building or structure.

3.

Prior to the issuance of any building permits, a plan of operations shall be submitted for review and approval to the director of codes enforcement and administration. The plan of operations shall also be submitted for review and approval to the county sheriff's department, the county health department, and the state department of transportation. The plan shall include the following information:

a.

An interior floor plan designating areas for playing, staging, tune-up, and spectators.

b.

A description of signs used for directing participants, employees and spectators for the protection of their safety and welfare. The location of these signs shall be shown on the interior floor plan.

c.

Days and hours of operations.

d.

Procedures needed for the safety and protection of participants, employees and spectators, including a description of any safety equipment that will be required to be worn by participants, employees and spectators.

e.

Procedures for the proper storage, maintenance and use of CO2 and other compressed air fuel stations based on standards adopted by the state department of transportation.

f.

Number of employees per workday shift which shall be a minimum of one (1) employee for every fifteen (15) participants.

g.

Description of the type of paintball and airsoft guns that will be allowed to be used on the paintball or airsoft range.

(Ord. No. O-00-11-106, § 1(Exh. A), 1-4-01; Ord. No. O-12-9-102, § 1(Exh. A), 10-22-12; Ord. No. O-17-7-102, § 1(Exh. A), 8-28-17 )