This article shall be known as the "Uniform Vector Control Ordinance."
The purpose of this article is to protect the public health,
safety and general welfare by:
A.
Preventing or controlling the spread of vector-borne disease.
B.
Averting the blighting effects which the presence of vector infestation
places on an affected neighborhood, including undermining the desirability
of housing, causing a decline in property value and contributing to
the image of an environmentally unfit area.
C.
Facilitating the services of Town code enforcement by making more
uniform municipal regulations concerning vector control.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
The control and elimination of vectors by eliminating harborage
areas, by removing food sources or making them inaccessible, by poisoning,
spraying, fumigating, trapping or any other legal vector elimination
method which is not injurious to human health or the safety of domestic
animals.
Wastes from the preparation, cooking and consumption of foods;
market refuse; waste from handling, storage and sale of produce; papers,
excluding newspapers; cartons; wooden boxes and barrels; empty glass
bottles; small tin cans; rags and miscellaneous combustible household
trash.
The presence of vectors within or contiguous to a structure
or premises.
The Zoning Officer and/or any other persons authorized, in
writing, by the governing body of the Town of Seneca Falls to conduct
inspections and administrative procedures to enforce the provisions
of this article.
Any person living, sleeping, cooking or eating in or actually
having possession of a dwelling unit or a rooming unit, except that
in dwelling units a temporary guest will not be considered an occupant.
Any person who, alone or jointly or severally with others:
Shall have legal title to any premises, dwelling or dwelling
unit, with or without accompanying actual possession thereof; or
Shall have charge, care or control of any premises, dwelling
or dwelling unit, as owner or agent of the owner, or an executor,
administrator, trustee, assignee of rents or guardian of the estate
of the owner. Any such person thus representing the actual owner shall
be bound to comply with the provisions of this article to the same
extent as if he or she were the owner.
All areas of a property, including all interior, exterior,
grounds and yard spaces.
Tree branches, leaves, grass and hedge clippings and similar
garden refuse; wood; furniture; bedding; metals; crockery; small stones;
dirt and other mineral refuse.
Any area which is located within 1,000 feet of either:
An organism which, either directly or indirectly, via microorganisms
which it carries, can transmit disease to people. For the purposes
of this article, the term "vector" shall ordinarily but not exclusively
refer to rodent, insect or vermin species.
Any area where vectors can live, nest, breed or seek any
form of shelter.
A form of construction which prevents the ingress or egress
of vectors to and from a given space or structure or which prevents
vectors from gaining access to food, water or harborage.
A.
Inspection procedures shall be conducted by the Zoning Officer.
B.
The Zoning Officer, or a contractor authorized by the Town Board,
shall be empowered to inspect any structure or premises in the Town
of Seneca Falls at any reasonable time.
C.
The Zoning Officer, or a contractor authorized by the Town Board,
shall continue to inspect the premises periodically, as he or she
deems necessary, until he or she has certified that the violation
has been corrected.
D.
The Zoning Officer, or a contractor authorized by the Town Board,
shall reinspect any premises which have previously been cited for
violating the terms of this article within 180 days of the date on
which the violation has been certified as having been corrected.
E.
Any owner or occupant within the Town of Seneca Falls may issue a
complaint requesting action by the Zoning Officer. The complaint must
be signed and in writing. The identity of the complainant shall be
kept confidential unless otherwise requested by the complainant or
a court of competent jurisdiction.
A.
When the Zoning Officer has deemed any premises in violation of this
article, he or she shall issue a written notice of violation to the
owner and/or occupant, depending on the nature of the violation, and
shall require the owner and/or occupant to correct the cited violation.
B.
The written notice of violation shall contain, at a minimum, the
following information:
(1)
Indicate the address and/or location of the premises.
(2)
Describe all violations, including the dates on which they were
observed, and indicating where on the premises the violations exist
or were practiced.
(3)
Issue an order to correct and indicate the penalties for noncompliance.
(4)
Specify a period of time by which the violation must be corrected.
(5)
Carry the signature or a facsimile of the signature of the Zoning
Officer.
(6)
Indicate the name, office mailing address and office telephone
number of the Zoning Officer.
C.
The notice of violation shall be served upon the owner of record
or the occupant of the structure by any one of the following methods:
(1)
Delivering the notice directly to the hands of the owner or
occupant or responsible person in his or her household who will sign
for him or her; or
(2)
Mailing the notice, or a copy thereof, by return-receipt mail
to the last known address of the owner or occupant; or
(3)
If the letter is returned showing that it cannot be delivered,
posting a copy of the notice in a conspicuous place on or about the
cited premises.
D.
The Zoning Officer shall certify to the correction of the violation
cited in the notice. Such certification, at a minimum, shall consist
of the Zoning Officer's signature and the date on which the certification
is made.
A.
General requirements for all property owners.
(1)
The interior and exterior of all premises shall be maintained
in a clean and sanitary condition which shall prevent vector harborage.
(2)
Upon receipt of a notice of violation, proper techniques of
vectorproofing and/or extermination must be taken by the owner to
correct the identified violation. If continued reapplication is necessary
to correct the problem, the owner shall continue the extermination
techniques as determined by the Zoning Officer.
B.
General requirements for occupants and lessees.
(1)
Every occupant of a dwelling unit or a rooming unit and every
lessee of space of a commercial, office or industrial premises shall
be responsible to maintain said unit or space in a clean and sanitary
condition which shall prevent vector harborage.
(2)
Every occupant and lessee shall dispose of all garbage and rubbish
in a safe, clean and sanitary manner. Garbage must be temporarily
stored prior to its collection for ultimate disposal in a tightly
sealed, metal or heavy plastic container designed specifically for
this purpose, or multiple polyethylene trash bags, sealed with a tie
so the garbage smell does not become objectionable.
(3)
On multiple-occupancy premises, an occupant or lessee, rather
than the property owner, shall be held responsible for the extermination
of vectors when the unit or space occupied by the occupant or lessee
is the only one in which infestation is detected. However, where infestation
is found to be a direct result of owner neglect, the owner shall be
held responsible for extermination.
(4)
Upon receipt of a notice of violation, proper steps must be
taken by the occupant or lessee to correct the identified violation.
If continued reapplication is necessary to correct the problem, the
occupant or lessee shall continue the extermination techniques as
determined by the Zoning Officer.
C.
Yard and grounds requirements.
(1)
The exterior spaces of all premises shall be kept free of all
accumulated garbage, rubbish and junk.
(2)
Firewood shall be stacked neatly and maintained.
(3)
Any exterior spaces located in an urbanized area shall be kept
free of high grass or weed growth exceeding five inches in height
so as not to serve as a vector harborage.
(4)
No material, including firewood or building lumber, which may
serve as a vector harborage shall be stored or stacked directly against
the exterior wall of any structure.
