Borough of Colwyn, PA Chapter 42 BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Borough Council of the Borough of Colwyn as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]

GENERAL REFERENCES

Code Enforcement Officer — See Ch. 6.

Uniform construction codes — See Ch. 44.

Contractor registration — See Ch. 48.

Fire prevention — See Ch. 65.

Construction in flood hazard areas — See Ch. 70.

Grading and erosion control — See Ch. 80.

Housing — See Ch. 86.

Oil-burning equipment — See Ch. 98.

Plumbing — See Ch. 111.

Property maintenance — See Ch. 115.

Smoke detectors — See Ch. 124.

Subdivision of land — See Ch. 133.

Article I Building Code

[Adopted 10-13-1983 by Ord. No. 426; amended in its entirety 12-28-1994 by Ord. No. 486]

§ 42-1 Adoption of standards.

A certain document, a copy of which is on file in the office of the Borough Manager of the Borough of Colwyn, being marked and designated as the "BOCA National Building Code, Twelfth Edition, 1993," as published by the Building Officials and Code Administrators International, Inc., be and is hereby adopted as the Building Code of the Borough of Colwyn, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and each and all of the regulations and provisions, penalties, conditions and terms of said BOCA National Building Code are hereby referred to, adopted and made part hereof as if fully set out in this article with the additions, insertions, deletions and changes, if any, prescribed in § 42-3 of this article.

§ 42-2 Repealer.

Ordinance 438 of the Borough of Colwyn and all other ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict herewith are hereby repealed.

§ 42-3 Additions, deletions and changes.

The following sections of the BOCA National Building Code, 12th Edition, 1993, shall be revised accordingly:

A. In Section 101.1, Title, the words, "Borough of Colwyn" shall be inserted in the second line where the words "(name of jurisdiction)" appear.

B. Delete Section 112.3.1, Fee schedule, in its entirety and add the following:

112.3.1 Fee schedule: A fee for each plan examination, building permit and inspection shall be paid in accordance with the schedule of permit fees adopted by resolution of the Borough Council and on file in the Borough Office.

C. In Section 116.4, Violation penalties, the words "violation, punishable by a fine or penalty of not more than $1,000 or by imprisonment not exceeding 30 days" shall be inserted in the sixth through eighth lines where the words "(specify offense), punishable by a fine of not more than (amount), or by imprisonment not exceeding (number of days)" appear.

D. In Section 119.0, Unsafe Structures and Equipment, add the following:

	119.7 Fire-damaged structures: All structures damaged by fire shall commence restoration within 60 days of the damage and shall be restored in accordance with the following requirements:
		119.7.1 All burned materials shall be removed from the building and discarded and new building material shall replace that damaged by fire.
		119.7.2 All smoke-damaged materials shall be painted or otherwise treated to eliminate the smoke odor.
		119.7.3 All insulation in the ceiling and drop-ceiling tiles shall be removed and replaced.
		119.7.4 All electrical wiring, circuit boards and electrical equipment damaged by fire and heat shall be replaced and all wiring will be updated to the latest National Electrical Code.
		119.7.5 Underwriter certificates and municipal cards shall be required for all wiring requiring electrical permits in residential and commercial property.

E. Amend Section 117.2, Unlawful continuance, so that it reads as follows:

117.2 Unlawful continuance: Any person who shall continue to work in or about the structure after having been served with a stop-work order, except that work as that person is directed to perform to remove a violation or unsafe condition, shall be liable to a fine as provided in Section 116.4 of this code.

F. In Section 3408.2, Applicability, the words "October 13, 1983" shall be inserted in the first through fourth lines where the words in brackets appear.

§ 42-4 Construction of provisions.

Nothing in this article or in the Building Code hereby adopted shall be construed to affect any suit or proceeding pending in any court, or any rights acquired, or liability incurred, or any cause or causes of actions acquired or existing, under any act or ordinance hereby repealed, as cited in § 42-2 of this article; nor shall any just or legal right or remedy of any character be lost, impaired or affected by this article.

Article II Truss Structure Emblems

[Adopted 10-11-2001 by Ord. No. 507]

§ 42-5 Display of identifying emblems required.

The affixing and display of an emblem identifying property as truss construction is required by the owner of any multifamily apartment, townhouses and commercial or industrial buildings on the front of said structures.

§ 42-6 Shape, size and content of emblem.

The emblem shall be a bright and reflective color or made of reflective material. The colors or reflective material shall be such that they present some visible contrast to the building face to which it is attached, so that such emblem is reasonably visible in the event of fire. The shape of the emblem shall be an isosceles triangle and the size shall be 12 inches horizontally by six inches vertically. The following letters, of a size and color to make them conspicuous, shall be printed on the emblem: "F" to signify a floor with truss construction; "R" to signify a roof with truss construction; or a "F/R" to signify both a floor and roof with truss construction.

§ 42-7 Placement of emblem.

Owners of properties presently in existence at the time of adoption of this article shall have 90 days within which to affix said emblems. Owners of properties presently being constructed shall have emblems affixed immediately. The emblem shall be permanently affixed to the left of the main entrance door at a height between four feet and six feet above the ground and shall be installed and maintained by the owner of the building. Individual structures and dwelling units with truss construction which are part of a cluster development shall not be required to have an identifying emblem if there is one affixed at each entranceway to the development.

§ 42-8 Violations and penalties.

Any person violating any provision of this article shall, upon conviction thereof in a summary proceeding, be sentenced to a fine of not more than $1,000, plus costs of prosecution, for each and every offense and, in default of payment of such fines and costs, be imprisoned for not more than 90 days. Each day during which any person violates any provisions of this article shall constitute a separate offense.