[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the
Town of Union 9-21-1966 by L.L. No. 6-1966. Amendments noted where
applicable.]
There is hereby designated in the Town of Union
a public official to be known as the "Building Official" who shall
be appointed by the Town Board at a compensation to be fixed by it.
In the absence of the Building Official, or
in the case of his inability to act for any reason, the Supervisor
shall have the power, with the consent of the Town Board, to designate
a person to act in behalf of the Building Official and to exercise
all the powers conferred upon him by this chapter.
The Town Board may appoint one Building Inspector
or more, as the need may appear, to act under the supervision of the
Building Official and to exercise any portion of his powers and duties.
The compensation of such Building Inspectors shall be fixed by the
Town Board.
No officer or employee of the Building Department
shall engage in any activity inconsistent with his duties or with
the interests of the Building Department, nor shall he, during the
term of his employment, be engaged directly or indirectly in any building
business, in the furnishing of labor, materials or appliances for
the construction, alteration or maintenance of a building or in the
preparation of plans or specifications thereof within the Town of
Union, excepting that this provision shall not prohibit any employee
from such activities in connection with the construction of a building
or structure owned by him and not constructed for sale.
A.
Except as otherwise specifically provided by law,
ordinance or regulation, or except as herein otherwise provided, the
Building Official shall administer and enforce all of the provisions
of laws, ordinances and regulations applicable to the construction,
alteration, repair, removal and demolition of buildings and structures,
and the installation and use of materials and equipment therein, and
the location, use, occupancy and maintenance thereof.
B.
He shall have the power to adopt rules with the consent
of the Town Board to secure the intent and purposes of this chapter
and a proper enforcement of the laws, ordinances and regulations governing
building construction, and such rules when duly adopted shall have
full force and effect as law.
C.
He shall receive applications and issue permits for
the erection, alteration, removal and demolition of buildings or structures
or parts thereof and shall examine the premises for which such applications
have been received or such permits have been issued for the purpose
of insuring compliance with laws, ordinances and regulations governing
building construction.
D.
He shall issue all appropriate notices or orders to
remove illegal or unsafe conditions, to require the necessary safeguards
during construction and to insure compliance during the entire course
of construction with the requirements of such laws, ordinances and
regulations. He shall make all inspections which are necessary or
proper for the carrying out of his duties, except that he may accept
written reports of inspection from Building Inspectors or other employees
of the Building Department or from generally recognized and authoritative
service and inspection bureaus, provided the same are certified by
a responsible official thereof. The Building Official and/or the Commissioner
of Public Works shall review all current municipal codes and ordinances
applicable to housing accommodations located within the Town of Union,
adopt guidelines for determining whether violations of these codes
and ordinances are or would be dangerous, hazardous or detrimental
to life or health, undertake a process to periodically review the
applicable codes and ordinances and to revise, as necessary, the guidelines
for determining whether said code and ordinance violations are dangerous,
hazardous or detrimental to life or health, to establish and maintain
a dependable method of reporting any and all such code and ordinance
violations that are dangerous, hazardous or detrimental to life or
health to the Broome County Department of Social Services, and to
report and certify any such code or ordinance violations that are
dangerous, hazardous or detrimental to life or health to the Broome
County Department of Social Services.
[Amended 7-21-2010 by L.L. No. 8-2010]
E.
Whenever the same may be necessary or appropriate
to assure compliance with the provisions of applicable laws, ordinances
and regulations covering building construction, he may require the
performance of tests in the field by experienced, professional persons
or by accredited and authoritative testing laboratories or service
bureaus or agencies.
A.
The Building Official shall keep permanent official
records of all transactions and activities conducted by him, including
all applications received, permits and certificates issued, fees charged
and collected, inspection reports, and notices and orders issued.
All such records shall be public records open to public inspection
during business hours.
B.
The Building Official shall, monthly, submit to the
Town Board a written report and summary of all business conducted
by the Building Department, including permits and certificates issued,
fees collected, orders and notices promulgated, inspections and tests
made and appeals or litigation pending.
The Building Official may request and shall
receive, so far as may be necessary in the discharge of his duties,
the assistance and cooperation of the Police, Fire and Health Departments
and of all municipal officials exercising any jurisdiction over the
construction, use or occupancy of buildings or the installation of
equipment therein.
