City of Watertown, NY Chapter 279 Tourist Camps

[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Watertown as Ch. 41 of the 1949 Code. Section 279-1 amended and § 279-13 added at time of adoption of Code; see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I. Other amendments noted where applicable.]

GENERAL REFERENCES

Housing standards — See Ch. 176.

Sanitation — See Ch. 248.

Sewers — See Ch. 253.

Water — See Ch. 301.

Zoning — See Ch. 310.

Subdivision regulations — See Ch. A322.

§ 279-1 Definitions.

[Amended 12-1-1986 by L.L. No. 1-1986]

When used in this chapter, unless otherwise expressly stated, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:

TENT HOUSE

Any tent or other structure under canvas used for living or sleeping quarters.

TOURIST CAMP

Any lot, piece or parcel of land which is offered as a location for, or upon which are located, two (2) or more camp cottages, cabins, tent houses or trailers used as living or sleeping quarters, whether the same is operated with or without compensation.

TRAILER

Any structure or vehicle for, or capable of, human habitation and mounted upon wheels or capable of being moved from place to place, either by its own power or by power applied by some vehicle attached or to be attached thereto.

UNIT

A section of land in any tourist camp of not less than six hundred (600) square feet in area designating the location for only one (1) camp cottage, cabin, tent house or trailer.

§ 279-2 Permit required.

No person shall conduct a tourist camp within the city without having first secured a permit therefor from the City Engineer.

§ 279-3 Application for permit.

Applications for the permit required in § 279-2 shall be filed in writing, sworn to under oath and shall state the name and address of the applicant, the location of the proposed tourist camp, the name of the owner, proprietor and manager of the same, the dimensions of and number of units in said camp, its toilet and sanitary facilities and the maximum number of trailers and tent houses which can be accommodated therein.

§ 279-4 Plat required.

With the aforesaid application, the applicant shall file a plat of said tourist camp showing the location and arrangement of units therein, the proposed location of trailers and tent houses, the location of streets, toilets, showers, slop sinks and water hydrants and supply.

§ 279-5 Issuance of permit.

The City Engineer is authorized to issue or renew permits required by § 279-2. Such permits shall issue only if, and upon the condition that, the applicant, his agents and employees and the premises of the proposed tourist camp conform to all laws and regulations relating to tourist camps or the public health and safety, to include laws and codes of the state as well as ordinances and regulations of this city.

§ 279-6 Trailers or tent houses outside of tourist camps restricted.

[Amended 3-9-1959; 5-7-1984; 7-17-1995]

The City Engineer is authorized to issue a permit allowing for the use of a temporary office or construction trailer if used in conjunction with a construction project. The City Engineer may approve the use of said trailer by the issuance of a permit for a period not to exceed two (2) years. No person shall live in or occupy any trailer or tent house in the city, except in a tourist camp for which a permit has been issued hereunder; however, an exception to this requirement may be granted by special approval of the City Council for temporary use of office trailers in appropriately zoned districts, subject to the following conditions:

A. The special approval of the City Council shall be considered only after a full review and receipt of a recommendation from the City Planning Board.

B. As used in this section, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:

OFFICE TRAILER

Includes an office mobile home, and shall be defined as vehicle used for business purposes, standing on wheels or on a rigid support.

C. (Reserved)[1]

[1] Editor's Note: Former Subsection C, which dealt with issuing permits, as amended, was repealed 7-17-1995.

D. A bond may be required to be posted, as determined by the City Manager, in an amount equal to the value of the trailer to ensure compliance with the permit requirements, and it shall be forfeited should the applicant not comply.

E. A permit shall still be required and shall be obtained from the City Engineer to ensure compliance with the requisite engineering, building and zoning requirements, and photographs of the actual trailer shall show all sides of the trailer and will be filed with the Engineer's office as part of the permit application.

F. If special approval is granted by the City Council, then the trailer will not be moved on site until the necessary permits are obtained and the bond posted.[2]

[2] Editor's Note: Former Subsection (7), which immediately followed this subsection and which dealt with penalties for violation of this section, was deleted 12-1-1986 by L.L. No. 1-1986; see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I. For current penalty provisions relating to the entire chapter, see § 279-13.

§ 279-7 Unit restriction.

Not in excess of one (1) structure, whether camp cottage, cabin, tent house or trailer, shall be located on any unit of a tourist camp.

§ 279-8 Adequate water supply.

In each tourist camp there shall be provided an adequate and proper supply of pure and wholesome water approved by the City Engineer.

§ 279-9 Toilets and showers.

In each tourist camp toilets and showers shall be connected to the city sewerage system or, in the absence of available sewerage, to a septic tank. For a tourist camp of ten (10) occupied units or less, there shall be provided one (1) flush toilet and one (1) shower for each sex. A like number of toilets and showers shall be provided for each additional ten (10) occupied units or fraction thereof. Toilets shall be located not more than two hundred (200) feet from any unit served by them. All shower compartments shall have concrete floors.

§ 279-10 Garbage cans.

In each tourist camp there shall be provided at least one (1) regulation garbage can for each unit used or occupied.

§ 279-11 Maintenance in clean and sanitary condition.

Each tourist camp shall be kept and maintained in a clean and sanitary condition at all times. The accumulation of any trash, junk or garbage, other than in regulation containers awaiting removal, shall not be permitted or allowed.

§ 279-12 Register book.

In each tourist camp there shall be maintained and kept a register book for guests, and persons living or staying therein shall be required to register thereon their names, addresses and car licenses. This register shall be open for inspection of law enforcement agencies at all reasonable times.

§ 279-13 Penalties for offenses.

[Added 12-1-1986 by L.L. No. 1-1986]

Any person, firm or corporation violating any provision of this chapter shall, upon conviction, be subject to a fine of not less than fifty dollars ($50.) nor more than two hundred fifty dollars ($250.) or imprisonment for not more than fifteen (15) days, or both. Each day of continued violation is a separate and distinct offense.