[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Martinsburg as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 10-11-1989]
It is hereby determined by the Town Board that the operation of dumps or facilities for the disposal of garbage and rubbish in the Town of Martinsburg are likely to constitute a hazard and menace to the health and safety of the residents of the Town of Martinsburg and it is the intent of this article to prohibit the operation of dumps and facilities for the disposal of garbage and rubbish in the Town of Martinsburg.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
DUMP
A place used for disposal and leaving of paper, rubbish, and waste material of any nature by the public or by any person as herein defined.
FACILITY FOR THE DISPOSAL OF GARBAGE AND RUBBISH
An incinerator or any place where waste, food material, cans, bottles and containers for food, dead animals or parts thereof, vegetable matter of any kind, or any other matter which shall be inflammable or capable of fermentation or decay, including sewage waste, may be placed or left for disposal by the public or any persons.
PERSON
Includes any individual, firm, partnership, corporation, municipality or municipal corporation, other than the Town of Martinsburg, or any associations of persons and the singular shall include the plural number.
The operation or maintenance of a dump or facility for the disposal of garbage and rubbish as the same as herein defined is hereby prohibited in the Town of Martinsburg.
Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to prohibit any person from disposing of rubbish, waste material, and garbage on property upon which such rubbish, waste material and garbage is produced.
[Amended 8-21-2013 by L.L. No. 2-2013]
Any person violating any of the provisions of this article shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be punishable by a fine not exceeding $250 for each offense and/or by imprisonment for a period not exceeding 60 days or by both such fine or imprisonment.
The Town Board of the Town of Martinsburg shall have the power to bring civil action to restrain any violation of this article.
[Adopted 12-21-2011 by L.L. No. 2-2011; amended in its entirety 3-16-2022 by L.L. No. 1-2022]
The Town Board of the Town of Martinsburg, pursuant to the authority granted in Article 4 of the Town Law and §§ 10 and 20 of the Municipal Home Rule Law, hereby enacts as follows.
The Town Board of the Town of Martinsburg hereby declares that a clean, wholesome and attractive environment is of vital importance to the continued general health, safety and welfare of its citizens and that regulation for the deposit, accumulation, or maintenance of junk, regardless of quantity, is hereby prohibited by means of the adoption of minimum standards. By adoption of this article, the municipality declares its intent to preserve and promote a reasonable quality of environment and aesthetics and to prohibit actions and conduct that end to depreciate not only the property on which it is located but also the property of other persons in the neighborhood and the community generally.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
CLUTTER, LITTER AND DEBRIS
Ordinary household or store trash such as paper, barrels, cartons, boxes, bags, discarded plastic storage materials, crates, furniture, rugs, clothing, rags, mattresses blankets, tires, lumber, brick, stone and other building materials no longer intended or in condition for ordinary use; and any and all tangible personal property or implements no longer intended or in condition for ordinary and customary use, including vehicles and appliances, as defined below.
ENFORCEMENT OFFICER
The person(s) appointed by the governing board to enforce the provisions of law.
JUNK
Any scrap, waste, reclaimable material, or debris, whether or not stored, for sale or in the process of being dismantled, destroyed, processed, salvaged, stored, baled, disposed, or other use or disposition, including tires, vehicle parts, equipment, paper, rags, metal, glass, building materials, household appliances, machinery, brush, wood and lumber.
JUNK APPLIANCE
Any household appliance, including but not limited to a stove, washing machine, dryer, dishwasher, freezer, refrigerator, air conditioner, heating unit, storage containers, water heater or television, which is stored outside of any residence or structure.
JUNK FARM MACHINERY AND IMPLEMENTS
Farm machinery or farming implements which are either abandoned, wrecked, discarded or dismantled. [Agriculture equipment requiring extensive repair and of no value for parts for working equipment on an idle farm.]
JUNK FURNITURE
Abandoned, discarded or irreparably damaged furniture, including, but not limited to, sofas, lounge chairs, mattresses, bed frames, desks, tables, chairs and chests of drawers which is stored outside of any residence or structure.
JUNK MOBILE HOME
Any enclosed dwelling built upon a chassis, motor vehicle, or trailer used or designed to be used for either permanent or temporary living or sleeping purposes, including motor homes, truck campers, camping trailers, campers, travel trailers, pop-up trailers, tent trailers and overnight haulers. To qualify as a junk mobile home, the dwelling must meet two out of three of the following conditions for six months or more:
A. 
The electrical service is disconnected or terminated.
B. 
It is abandoned as a dwelling unit.
C. 
It is no longer habitable for residential occupancy.
JUNK MOTOR VEHICLE
A. 
Any motor vehicle, whether all-terrain vehicle, automobile, bus, trailer, truck, tractor, motor home, motorcycle, mini-bicycle, or snowmobile, or any other device originally intended for travel on the public highways, which meets all of the following conditions:
(1) 
Unlicensed or unregistered; or
(2) 
Abandoned, wrecked, stored, discarded, dismantled, or partly dismantled; or
(3) 
Not in condition for legal use upon the public highways.
B. 
The fact that a motor vehicle does not display a current motor vehicle registration or license plate shall be presumptive evidence that such motor vehicle is not in condition for legal use upon the highways.
C. 
Junk motor vehicle also applies to any motor vehicle not required to be licensed or a motor vehicle not usually used on public highways (such as ATV, farm and construction heavy equipment, timber harvesting, golfcarts, etc.); the fact that such motor vehicle is not in condition to be removed under its own power shall be presumptive evidence that such motor vehicle is a junk motor vehicle unless refuted by verifiable and credible proof.
JUNK STORAGE AREA
The areas of any real property used or intended to be used for the placement, storage or deposit of one or more of the following: junk appliances, junk furniture, junk mobile homes and junk motor vehicles.
JUNKYARD
The outdoor storage or deposit of any of the following:
A. 
Two or more junk vehicles;
B. 
One or more abandoned mobile homes or recreational camping vehicles;
C. 
Two or more abandoned all-terrain vehicles or snowmobiles (as defined in the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law);
D. 
Two or more inoperable appliances including but not limited to, lawn and garden machines, washers, dryers, dishwashers, stoves, refrigerators, freezers and televisions; (see above)
E. 
Two or more inoperable pieces of equipment;
F. 
Any combination of the above, or parts of the above, that total two or more items.
OUTDOOR STORAGE
Storage other than in a completely enclosed structure, such as a garage or barn.
OWNER OF MOTOR VEHICLE
A person, other than a lien holder, having possession or title to a motor vehicle. The term includes a person entitled to the use and possession of a motor vehicle subject to a security interest in another person and also includes any lessee or bailee of a motor vehicle having the exclusive use thereof, under a lease or otherwise, for a period of greater than 30 days.
PERSON
An individual, partnership, association, corporation, or entity of any other kind.
The following conditions are declared to be and deemed to be unlawful nuisances and the maintenance of such nuisances is hereby prohibited in the Town of Martinsburg. It shall be unlawful for any owner of real property within the Town, whether individual, firm or corporation lawfully occupying any real property within the Town, to permit:
A. 
Junk furniture to accumulate thereon, as defined in § 185-9 above.
B. 
Junk appliances to accumulate thereon, as defined in § 185-9 above.
C. 
Junk mobile homes, junk motor vehicles or junk farm machinery and implements to accumulate thereon, as described § 185-9 above.
A. 
The deposit, accumulation or storage of clutter, litter, debris, junk appliances, junk furniture, junk mobile homes, junk vehicles, junk furniture or junk farm machinery and implements, regardless of quantity (except as permitted by demolition), is hereby prohibited within sight of persons traveling the public highways or within sight of neighboring property. The provisions of this article shall also be applicable to conditions existing at the time of enactment.
B. 
It shall be unlawful for any person to use a bus, uninhabited mobile home, truck, truck trailer, horse trailer, semitrailer, tank truck or similar vehicles or units for the storage of junk on any premises. Exceptions shall be made for the temporary use of such vehicles or units for construction purposes for periods of less than 90 days, or when actively used in connection with active farming or agricultural operations.
C. 
Deposit of snow.
(1) 
It shall be unlawful for any persons to deposit, pile or place or cause to be deposited, piled or placed on any corner, lot, plowed or shoveled snow piles such that the piles interfere with the visibility of vehicular traffic at such corners.
(2) 
It shall be unlawful for any person to deposit, pile or place, or cause to be deposited, piled or placed, plowed or shoveled snow, or to blow snow as to cover or obstruct the accessibility of fire hydrants.
(3) 
In the event of an emergency, the Town Board, upon determining that an emergency exists, may take immediate corrective action without further notice to the owners or occupants.
A. 
Section 185-11 shall not apply to the storage or placement on the premises of the following material:
(1) 
Wood intended for consumption in a wood-burning stove, furnace or fireplace located in a building on the premises.
(2) 
Lawn or yard or garden ornaments and implements.
(3) 
Lawn and patio furniture.
(4) 
Operable farm, garden and yard machinery and apparatus used on the premises.
(5) 
Standing fences.
(6) 
Hoses and sprinklers used for watering lawns or gardens.
(7) 
Storage or placement and accumulation of materials in connection with a commercial operation duly conducted on the premises where such storage, placement and accumulation are expressly permitted by the laws of the municipality.
(8) 
Construction materials and equipment used for the construction or renovation of a building on the premises for which a building permit has been issued.
B. 
The following conditions are hereby excluded:
(1) 
Up to two unlicensed vehicles in operating condition stored by or for the owner while the owner is:
(a) 
A full-time student of the immediate family attending a school, college or university; or
(b) 
A member of the United States Armed Forces.
(2) 
Seasonal vehicles including but not limited to snowplows and race cars or machinery during their off season if kept in a location not visible from any road, street or highway, when practicable.
(3) 
An antique or classic motor vehicle or farm implement which is in the process of being restored may be kept so long as inside a building, covered, or stored outside of public view.
(a) 
Antique or classic motor vehicle or farm implement. A motor vehicle or farm implement but not a reproduction thereof, manufactured more than 25 years' prior to the current year, which has been maintained in or restored to, or will be maintained in or restored to, a condition which is substantially in conformance with the manufacturer's specification. [Store same as Subsection B(3).]
(b) 
Classic motor vehicle or farm implement. A motor vehicle or farm implement, but not a reproduction thereof, manufactured more than 10 years' prior to the current year or which because of discontinued production and limited availability, is considered to be a model or make of significant value to collectors or exhibitors, stored same as Subsection B(3).
(4) 
Farm machinery where such machinery is actively used, including tractors and unlicensed vehicles which are not driven on public roads. In the off season, farm machinery shall be stored in a reasonable compact area away from any road, street or highway and concealed, when practicable.
Owners of any lot or building shall be responsible for any violation which occurs on that lot, whether or not that owner actually occupies the lot or building. In addition to the responsibilities of owners, any occupant of a lot or building may also be responsible for the condition of that lot and subject to the penalties of this article.
A. 
The enforcement officer is hereby empowered to enforce this article. He or she shall be responsible for the initial determination whether a condition is hazardous or unsafe.
B. 
Notice of violation.
(1) 
The enforcement officer shall (by state law provides no more than 30 days to remedy) give notice to any owner or occupant of a lot or building of any violation of this article. Such notice shall specify the nature of the violation and the action needed to correct the violation and shall state a reasonable period of time in which to do so. The notice shall further state that in the event that the owner does not correct the condition within the specified time, other enforcement action will be taken in accordance with this article.
(2) 
In the event that the owner or occupant of the lot does not comply with the violation notice within the time set by the enforcement officer, the enforcement officer shall report the same to the Town Board. The Town Board shall, except in the event of an emergency, thereupon direct notice the enforcement office to serve upon the occupant stating that if the condition is not remedied within an additional 30 days as established by the Town Board, that the Town Board shall seek further enforcement under this article, which enforcement may include one or more of the following. To select this option, the Town Board must first give the appropriate individual either personally or by certified mail to that person's last known address at least 10 days before the hearing and posting of the notice on that premises. Such notice shall advise the date, time, and place of the hearing, the right to present evidence and witnesses in their defense and their right to be represented by an attorney.
(a) 
The Town may seek the imposition of a monetary penalty in a court of competent jurisdiction as set forth in § 185-15.
(b) 
The Town may seek injunctive relief in a New York Supreme Court.
(c) 
In the event of any emergency, the Town Board, upon determining that such emergency exists, may take immediate corrective action without further notice.
A. 
Any person, firm or corporation which shall be found to be in violation of the provisions of this article, shall be guilty of an offense which shall be punishable by a fine of $250 for a first offense, $500 for a second offense and $1,500 for a third offense or by imprisonment for a period of not more than 15 days, or both such fine and imprisonment. Each week of continued violation shall be considered a separate offense.
B. 
If found to be in violation, a property owner can apply for a Lewis County Junkyard permit and will be required to comply with all regulations required by such law.