[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the Township
of Lancaster 4-9-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-02. Amendments noted
where applicable.]
The title of this chapter shall be the "Property Maintenance
Code of Lancaster Township."
The "2009 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC)," as published by the International Code Council, is adopted as the Property Maintenance Code of Lancaster Township to create a comprehensive and uniform code of regulations for the protection of the public health, safety and welfare of the residents of the Township. Each of the sections of the 2009 IPMC, except as otherwise provided in § 204-3 below, are hereby adopted and made a part of this chapter as if fully set out herein, with the additions, deletions and changes as enumerated in § 204-3 below.
Additions, deletions and changes from the IPMC adopted as the
Property Maintenance Code of Lancaster Township are as follows:
The fees for activities and services performed by the Code Official
in carrying out his responsibilities under this code shall be established
by resolution as enacted or adopted by the Board of Supervisors from
time to time.
A.
Any person, partnership or corporation who shall neglect, fail or
refuse to comply with any provision of this chapter or applicable
standard codes incorporated by this chapter, or which has permitted
the violation of any of the provisions of this chapter or applicable
standard codes incorporated by this chapter shall, upon conviction
thereof before a District Justice, be sentenced to pay a fine or penalty
of not more than $1,000 and all costs of prosecution, such fine and
penalty to be paid over to the Township treasury. In default of payment
of such fine or penalty, such person shall be sentenced and committed
to the county jail for a period not to exceed 30 days. Each day that
the violation of this chapter continues shall constitute a separate
offense, unless the district justice determining that there has been
a violation further determines that there was a good faith basis for
the person, partnership or corporation violating the ordinance to
have believed that there was no such violation, in which event there
shall be deemed to have been only one such violation until the fifth
day following the date of the determination of the violation by the
district justice and thereafter each day that a violation continues
shall constitute a separate violation. All judgments, costs and reasonable
attorney fees collected for the violation of this chapter shall be
paid over to the Township. This Code may also be enforced by an action
in equity brought in the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas or
by the institution of proceedings to place a lien upon the premises
for which a violation of this code has been determined. In the event
that any uniform code incorporated by this chapter prescribes different
penalties from those imposed herein, the penalty contained in the
uniform code shall not apply.
B.
Nothing contained in this section shall be construed or interpreted
to grant to any person or entity other that the Township the right
to commence any action or enforcement pursuant to this section.
C.
Abatement of violation. The imposition of the penalties herein prescribed
shall not preclude the Township from instituting appropriate action
to prevent unlawful erection or construction or to restrain, correct
or abate a violation or to prevent illegal use or occupancy of any
structure, building, sign, fence, parking lot, driveway, land or premises
or to stop an illegal act, conduct business, use or occupancy of a
structure, building, sign or land in and about any premises.