[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors
of the Township of Hempfield at time of adoption of Code as readoption
of Resolution No. 68-6 adopted 5-13-1968; see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I. Amendments noted where applicable.]
This chapter is adopted for the following purposes:
A.
To assist the orderly, efficient and integrated development
of the Township.
B.
To promote the health, safety, morals and general
welfare of the residents of the Township.
C.
To secure equitable handling of all building, razing
or altering of structures by providing uniform procedures and standards.
A.
Usage. Words in the singular include the plural, and
words in the plural include the singular. The word "persons" includes
a corporation and unincorporated association; and the word "building"
includes "structure" and shall be construed as if followed by the
words "or parts thereof." The word "street" includes "drain," "ditch"
and "streams." The word "shall" is mandatory.
B.
ALLEY
ALTERATION
BLOCK
BUILDING
Definitions. For the purpose of this chapter, the
following terms shall have the meanings indicated unless otherwise
specifically stated:
A permanent serviceway providing secondary means of access
to abutting lands.
Any enlargement of any building, or any work of repair, rearrangement,
removal or replacement of any exterior or interior wall, roof, floor
or support or any part thereof of any building.
Property abutting on one side of a street and lying between
the two nearest intersecting or intercepting street and railroad right-of-way,
waterway, unsubdivided area or other definite barrier.
Any structure or part thereof affixed to the land.
It shall be unlawful to construct, alter or
raze any building or structure in the Township, except fences, when
the cost of such construction or alteration exceeds $100 or where
the effect of such construction or alteration is to enlarge the capacity
or affect the bearing walls of any building or the roof thereof, without
having first secured a permit therefor.
Application for such permits shall be made to
the Secretary of the Township or an agent designated by the Township
Supervisors and shall be accompanied by plans and specifications in
duplicate showing the work to be done; such plans shall be verified
by the signature of either the owner of the premises or the architect
or contractor in charge of the operations.
It shall be unlawful to vary materially from
the submitted plans and specifications unless such variations are
submitted in an amended plan to the Building Inspector and approved
by him.
The Building Inspector shall make or cause to
be made such inspections as are necessary to see to the enforcement
of the provisions of this chapter.
[Amended 8-14-1989 by Ord. No. 89-16; 10-27-2003 by Ord. No.
2003-18]
Any person, partnership, corporation or any
other type of entity filing an application for a building permit within
the Township of Hempfield shall, at the time of said filing, pay to
the Township of Hempfield a fee as set forth in a resolution duly
adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the Township of Hempfield.
The use of streets for the storage of materials
in the process of construction or alteration of a building may be
granted when the same will not unduly interfere with traffic and will
not reduce the usable width of the street to less than 18 feet; no
portion of a street other than that directly abutting on the premises
on which work is being done shall be used except with the consent
of the owner or occupant of the premises abutting on such portion.
Any person seeking to make such use of the street shall file an application
with the Secretary, to indemnify the Township for any loss or damage
which may be incurred by reason of such use and occupation.
No construction or alteration operations shall
be carried on at nighttime if the same are accompanied by loud or
annoying noises.
No sidewalk shall be obstructed in the course
of building operations without a special permit from the Secretary;
and whenever a removal of a sidewalk is required, such work shall
not be done until a special permit is secured from the Secretary.
A.
It shall be the duty of a person or corporation doing
any construction, altering or wrecking to do the same with proper
care for the safety of persons and property.
B.
Warning barricades and lights shall be maintained
whenever necessary for the protection of pedestrians or traffic; and
temporary roofs over sidewalks shall be constructed whenever there
is danger from falling articles or materials to pedestrians.
If any work authorized by any permit issued
under this chapter shall not have been commenced within six months
after the issuance of such permit, the Township Secretary shall require
the permit holder to relinquish such unused permit, which shall thereupon
become invalid. Under such conditions, neither the permit fee nor
any part thereof shall be returned to such permit holder, and if at
any future time such permit holder shall make application for another
permit for the same work, he shall follow the same procedure and pay
the same fee as if no previous permit had been issued.
[Amended 6-12-1989 by Ord. No. 89-13; 4-8-1996 by Ord. No.
96-4; 6-9-1997 by Ord. No. 97-9]
A.
Any person who shall violate or fail to comply with
any of the provisions of this chapter or the members of a copartnership
or the officers of a corporation responsible for such violation or
noncompliance shall, upon conviction thereof by the District Justice
in a summary criminal proceeding, be punishable by a fine not to exceed
$1,000 for each offense, together with all costs of prosecution, court
costs and reasonable attorney fees incurred by Hempfield Township
in the enforcement of this chapter or, in default of the payment thereof,
by imprisonment for not more than 30 days.
B.
In the enforcement of this section, the Code Enforcement
Officer of Hempfield Township may, at his sole discretion, utilize
a citation notice, in a form to be approved by the Board of Supervisors,
notifying the person responsible as to the violation of this chapter
and providing that person an opportunity to remedy said violation
within five days of the date of that notice and to impose a fine not
to exceed $50 payable to the Township of Hempfield, without the necessity
of a court proceeding and the imposition of attorney fees and court
costs.
C.
When and where necessary to protect the interests
of the Township of Hempfield, the Code Enforcement Officer be and
hereby is authorized to serve upon the offending person or entity
a stop-work order, compelling the cessation of all construction activity
in violation of the within chapter.
