From the effective date of this chapter, no
premises or portion of premises in a commercial or industrial property,
whether in a commercial or industrial zone or in a different zone
by reason of being a nonconforming use, shall be relet, rerented or
sold and thereafter occupied by a new tenant or owner without the
appropriate application for and issuance of a certificate of continued
occupancy.
The landlord or tenant of the premises about
to be newly occupied, or their respective agents, shall apply to the
Construction Official for a certificate of continued occupancy and
shall supply as necessary information on said application all facts
relating to the nature of the business, occupation or industry, the
manufacturing or other processes involved and the nature of all materials
stored on the premises as part of or pertinent to said business, use
or occupation. Upon receipt of said application, the Construction
Official or his agent shall review same and inspect the premises within
10 days to determine whether such premises complies with all municipal
ordinances and rules and regulations affecting the use and occupancy
of such premises. No certificate of continued occupancy shall be issued
unless there is full and complete compliance with all of the foregoing,
unless otherwise specified in writing by the Construction Official
or his agent.
The owner or owners of all commercial and industrial
premises shall be responsible, in addition to the prospective tenant,
for notification to the Construction Official of the pendency of any
new tenancy or ownership.
All hotels, motels and rooming houses shall
be exempt from the rental portions of this chapter only, provided
that they keep an accurate register giving true names and addresses
of all persons occupying any rooms for any period of time.
Any person or persons or partnership, firm or
corporation violating any provision of this chapter shall, upon conviction
thereof, be punished by a fine not exceeding $500 or by imprisonment
in the county jail for a period not exceeding 90 days or both for
each offense. Each violation of any of the provisions of this chapter
and each day the same is violated shall be deemed and taken to be
a separate and distinct offense.