[Adopted 9-13-2004 by Ord. No. 108]
This article shall be known and may be cited as the "Motor Vehicle Size, Weight and Load Limitations Ordinance of the Township of Hamilton, Adams County, Pennsylvania."
This article is enacted pursuant to the authority conferred by the Vehicle Code, Act of 1976, June 17, P.L. 162, No. 81, Section 1, effective July 1, 1977 (75 Pa.C.S.A. § 101 et seq.), as amended.
The following words when used in this article shall have the meaning ascribed to them in this section, except in those instances where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:
EMERGENCY VEHICLE
A fire department vehicle, police vehicle, ambulance, blood delivery vehicle, armed forces emergency vehicle, one private vehicle of a fire or police chief or assistant chief or ambulance corps commander or assistant commander or of a river rescue commander used for answering emergency calls or other vehicle designated by the State Police under Section 6106 of the Vehicle Code[1] (relating to designation of emergency vehicles by Pennsylvania State Police).
MOTOR VEHICLE
Any vehicle or combination which is defined and/or governed by the Vehicle Code, 75 Pa.C.S.A. § 101 et seq., as amended.
SCHOOL BUS
A motor vehicle designed for carrying more than 10 passengers, exclusive of the driver, and used for the transportation of school children.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 75 Pa.C.S.A. § 6106.
The Board of Supervisors has determined and hereby determine that the following roads or bridges under the jurisdiction of the Township may be damaged or destroyed unless the permissible weight of motor vehicles or combinations is reduced to the weight limits listed. Accordingly, on the following bridges and streets or parts of streets, by authority granted by Section 4902(a) of the Vehicle Code,[1] it shall be unlawful for any person or persons to drive any vehicle or combination having a gross weight in excess of the maximum prescribed below for that bridge or street or part of street, as the case may be:
Street or Bridge
Between
Maximum Gross Weight
(tons)
700 Road
Entire length
10
Bridge No. HAT-1
T-554 (St. Mary's Road) over Beaver Creek
10
Bridge No. HAT-2
T-551 (Protectory Road) over Beaver Creek:
Single vehicle
10
Combination
20
[1]
Editor's Note: See 75 Pa.C.S.A. § 4902(a).
A. 
Pursuant to the findings under § 135-12, no motor vehicle or combination shall, when operated on any of the roads or bridges listed in § 135-12, have a gross weight exceeding the weight limit listed for said road or bridge in § 135-12.
B. 
The following motor vehicles may be exempted from the restrictions imposed under Subsection A above:
(1) 
School buses.
(2) 
Emergency vehicles.
(3) 
Vehicles making local deliveries or pickups to residences.
A. 
The Board of Supervisors of Hamilton Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania, may in its sole discretion issue permits for the movement of vehicles of a weight in excess of the restrictions set forth above, conditioned upon the execution of a surety bond by the user, in favor of Hamilton Township, to cover the costs of repairs necessitated by the movement. The amount of said bond shall be set and the permit issued in the sole discretion of the Hamilton Township Board of Supervisors.
B. 
All actions taken under the authority of this section shall be taken in accordance with the rules and regulations adopted from time to time by the Board of Supervisors and in the absence thereof in accordance with the rules and regulations adopted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Transportation as found in Title 67 of the Pennsylvania Code.
The Township shall erect or cause to be erected and maintained restriction signs designating the restrictions at each end of a bridge or portion of road restricted as provided in this article and as approved by the Secretary of Transportation of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In the case of a restriction on a bridge or on a road which does not begin or end at an intersection with an unrestricted road, the Township shall also place an advance informational sign at the intersection nearest each end of the restricted bridge or portion of road which would allow drivers to avoid the restricted bridge or portion of road. No person shall be convicted of violating any section of this article unless the restriction sign designating the restricted bridge or portion of road to traffic moving in the direction the person was driving was posted as required in this section. However, failure to post the restriction sign designating the restricted bridge or portion of road to traffic moving in the opposite direction or failure to post any advance informational sign shall not constitute a defense to a violation of this section.
Any person operating a motor vehicle or combination in violation of the prohibition imposed under this article shall, upon conviction, be subject to the appropriate penalties set forth in the Pennsylvania Vehicle Code.