Exciting enhancements are coming soon to eCode360! Learn more 🡪
City of Northampton, MA
Hampshire County
By using eCode360 you agree to be legally bound by the Terms of Use. If you do not agree to the Terms of Use, please do not use eCode360.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
[Adopted 2-1-2007]
The ordinances of the City of Northampton of a general and permanent nature adopted by the City Council, as previously consolidated in the 1977 Code of the City of Northampton, and the ordinances of a general and permanent nature adopted by the City Council subsequent to that date, all as revised, codified and consolidated into chapters and sections by General Code LLC, and consisting of Chapters 1 through 350, together with an Appendix, are hereby approved, adopted, ordained and enacted as the Code of the City of Northampton, hereinafter known and referred to as the "Code."
This ordinance and the Code shall supersede all other general and permanent ordinances enacted prior to the enactment of this Code, except such ordinances as are hereinafter expressly saved from repeal or continued in force.
This ordinance shall take effect immediately upon passage and publication according to law.
This ordinance shall, upon adoption, be included in the Code as Chapter 1, General Provisions, Article I, Adoption of Code.
A copy of the Code in loose-leaf form has been filed in the office of the City Clerk and shall remain there for use and examination by the public until final action is taken on this ordinance; and, if this ordinance shall be adopted, such copy shall be certified to by the Clerk of the City of Northampton by impressing thereon the Seal of the City as provided by law, and such certified copy shall remain on file in the office of the Clerk of the City to be made available to persons desiring to examine the same during all times while the said Code is in effect.
The Clerk of the City of Northampton, pursuant to law, shall cause to be published, in the manner required, a copy of this adopting ordinance in a newspaper of general circulation in the City. Sufficient copies of the Code shall be maintained in the office of the Clerk for inspection by the public at all times during regular office hours. The enactment and publication of this adopting ordinance, coupled with the availability of copies of the Code for inspection by the public, shall be deemed, held and considered to be due and legal publication of all provisions of the Code for all purposes.
Any and all additions, amendments or supplements to the Code, when passed and adopted in such form as to indicate the intent of the City Council to make them a part thereof, shall be deemed to be incorporated into such Code so that reference to the Code of the City of Northampton shall be understood and intended to include such additions and amendments. Whenever such additions, amendments or supplements to the Code shall be adopted, they shall thereafter be printed and, as provided hereunder, inserted in the loose-leaf book containing the Code as amendments and supplements thereto.
All ordinances of a general and permanent nature adopted subsequent to the date given in § 1-15A and prior to the effective date of this ordinance given in § 1-3 are hereby deemed to be part of the Code and shall, upon being printed, be included therein. Attested copies of all such legislation shall be temporarily placed in the Code until printed supplements are included.
It shall be the duty of the Clerk, or someone authorized and directed by him or her, to keep up-to-date the certified copy of the book containing the Code required to be filed in his or her office for the use of the public. All changes in said Code and all ordinances adopted subsequent to the effective date of this codification which shall be adopted specifically as part of the Code shall, when finally adopted, be included therein by reference until such changes or new ordinances are printed as supplements to said Code book, at which time such supplements shall be inserted therein.
Copies of the Code book containing the Code may be purchased from the Clerk upon the payment of a fee to be set by the City Council, which may also arrange for procedures for the periodic supplementation thereof.
It shall be unlawful for anyone to improperly change or amend, by additions or deletions, any part or portion of the Code, or to alter or tamper with such Code in any manner whatsoever which will cause the law of the City of Northampton to be misrepresented thereby. Anyone violating this section of this ordinance shall be subject, upon conviction, to a penalty as set forth in Article III of this chapter.
A. 
Severability of Code provisions. Each section of the Code, and every part of each section, is an independent section or part of a section, and the holding of any section or a part thereof to be unconstitutional, void or ineffective for any cause shall not be deemed to affect the validity or constitutionality of any other sections or parts thereof.
B. 
Severability of ordinance provisions. Each section of this ordinance is an independent section, and the holding of any section or part thereof to be unconstitutional, void or ineffective for any cause shall not be deemed to affect the validity or constitutionality of any other sections or parts thereof.
All ordinances or parts of ordinances of a general and permanent nature, adopted and in force on the date of the adoption of this ordinance and not contained in the Code, are hereby repealed as of the effective date of this adopting ordinance, except as hereinafter provided.
The adoption of this Code and the repeal of ordinances provided for in § 1-13 of this ordinance shall not affect the following ordinances, rights and obligations, which are hereby expressly saved from repeal:
A. 
Any ordinance adopted subsequent to November 2, 2006.
B. 
Any right or liability established, accrued or incurred under any legislative provision prior to the effective date of this ordinance, or any action or proceeding brought for the enforcement of such right or liability.
C. 
Any offense or act committed or done before the effective date of this ordinance in violation of any legislative provision, or any penalty, punishment or forfeiture which may result therefrom.
D. 
Any prosecution, indictment, action, suit or other proceeding pending, or any judgment rendered, prior to the effective date of this ordinance, brought pursuant to any legislative provision.
E. 
Any franchise, license, right, easement or privilege heretofore granted or conferred.
F. 
Any ordinance providing for the laying out, opening, altering, widening, relocating, straightening, establishing grade, changing name, improvement, acceptance or vacation of any right-of-way, easement, street, road, highway, park or other public place, or any portion thereof.
G. 
Any ordinance or resolution appropriating money or transferring funds, promising or guaranteeing the payment of money or authorizing the issuance and delivery of any bond or other instruments or evidence of the City's indebtedness.
H. 
Ordinances authorizing the purchase, sale, lease or transfer of property, or any lawful contract or obligation.
I. 
The levy or imposition of taxes, assessments or charges.
J. 
The dedication of property or approval of preliminary or final subdivision plats.
K. 
Any ordinance providing for salaries or compensation.
L. 
Any ordinance relating to traffic or parking.
M. 
Any ordinance establishing or amending the Salary Schedule.
A. 
In compiling and preparing the ordinances for adoption and revision as part of the Code, certain grammatical changes and other minor changes were made in one or more of said ordinances. It is the intention of the City Council that all said changes be adopted as part of the Code as if the ordinances so changed had been previously formally amended to read as such.
B. 
In addition, the amendments and/or additions as set forth in Schedule A attached hereto and made a part hereof are made herewith, to become effective upon the effective date of this ordinance. (Chapter and section number references are to the ordinances as they have been renumbered and appear in the Code.)[1]
[1]
Editor’s Note: In accordance with § 1-15B, the chapters, parts and sections which were added, amended, adopted or deleted by this ordinance are indicated throughout the Code by a footnote referring to Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I. During routine supplementation, footnotes indicating amendments, additions or deletions will be replaced with the following history: “Amended (added, deleted) 2-1-2007.” Schedule A, which contains a complete description of all changes, is on file in the City offices.
[Added 8-13-2015]
A. 
A special committee is established to conduct a review of some or all of the ordinances of the City, to be conducted at five-year intervals in years ending in a 5 or in a 0 in accordance with Section 10-5 of the City Charter.
B. 
The special committee shall be comprised of five members. Three members shall be members of the City Council appointed by the Council President. Two members shall be voters of the City appointed by the Mayor. The special committee shall be under the supervision of the City Solicitor.
C. 
The special committee shall convene within 30 days of the appointment of the members, hold meetings as necessary, and file the following with the City Clerk no later than December 31 of the year in which its review is conducted:
(1) 
A report summarizing the Committee's recommendations; and
(2) 
Any proposed revision or recodification of the ordinances of the City contained therein.