[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Meeting of the Town of Chatham as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted May 1997 ATM by Art. 11 as Ch. 1 of the 1997 Bylaws]
These bylaws shall be known and may be cited as the "General Bylaws, Town of Chatham."
A. 
Except as otherwise provided, the General Bylaws may be amended, repealed or revised from time to time, by a majority vote of the Town Meeting, unless a different majority is required by Massachusetts General Laws.
B. 
All proposed bylaw amendments shall be submitted to the Town Clerk prior to Town Meeting action to ensure proper formatting and numbering.
A. 
The provisions of Section 8-4 (Rules of Interpretation) and Section 8-5 (Definitions) of the Charter are hereby incorporated into these bylaws.
B. 
In addition the following words, for the purposes of these bylaws, shall, unless another meaning is clearly apparent for the way in which the word is used, have the following meanings:
BYLAWS
Means the General Bylaws, Town of Chatham, as the same may be amended from time to time.
MGL
Means Massachusetts General Laws.
PUBLIC LANDS OR PLACES
Means any public parking area, beach, square, park, common, playing field, golf course, conservation area, Town landing, open areas surrounding municipal buildings, and tennis courts, owned, controlled and/or maintained by the Town.
STREET
Means any public way, highway, street, avenue, boulevard, alley and court located within the Town, but shall not include private ways.
TOWN BULLETIN BOARD
Means the bulletin board on which official Town notices are posted, located in the main Town office building, and maintained by the Town Clerk.
TOWN OFFICE
Means a position in the Town held by Town officers as defined.
TOWN OFFICER
Means an elected or appointed official of the Town.
A. 
The Town shall have a Seal which shall be in the following style:
B. 
The Town Clerk shall be the keeper of the Seal. Papers or documents issued from any Town agency may be attested by use of the Town Seal.
A. 
Unless otherwise specified, the provisions of these General Bylaws shall be enforced by the Town Manager or his designee, police officers, and other officers or individuals employed by the Town and designated to prosecute violations of these bylaws, hereinafter referred to as the "enforcing person."
B. 
The Town Manager shall be empowered to direct the Town Counsel to initiate civil proceedings, including injunctive relief, to secure compliance with the provisions of these General Bylaws.
A. 
Whoever violates any provision of these bylaws may be penalized on complaint brought in the District Court.
B. 
Except as otherwise provided by law and as the District Court may see fit to impose, the maximum penalty for each violation, or offense, brought in this manner, shall be $300.
C. 
Each day or portion thereof during which a violation continues shall constitute a separate offense, and each provision of these bylaws, regulations, or permit violated shall constitute a separate offense.
D. 
All prosecutions of any such violations shall be begun within six months from the date of the offense or the discovery of the offense, whichever occurs later.
[Amended May 2000 ATM by Art. 23; 5-12-2003 ATM by Art. 12]
A. 
Whoever violates any provision of these bylaws, the violation of which is subject to a specific penalty, may be penalized by a noncriminal disposition as provided in MGL c. 40, § 21D.
B. 
For the purposes of this section, each day on which a violation exists shall be deemed to be a separate offense.
C. 
The noncriminal method of disposition may also be used for violations of any rule or regulation of any municipal officer, board, or department which is subject to a specific penalty.
D. 
Without intending to limit the generality of the foregoing, it is the intention of this provision that the following chapters and sections of chapters are to be included within the scope of this section, that the specific penalties as listed here shall apply in such cases and that in addition to police officers, who shall in all cases be considered enforcing persons for the purposes of this provision, the municipal personnel listed for each section, if any, shall also be enforcing persons for such chapters or sections.
[Amended 6-12-2021 ATM by Art. 55; 5-13-2024 ATM by Art. 41; 5-13-2024 ATM by Art. 43]
Chapter 107, Alarms (Police Chief, Fire Chief)
§ 107-13A More than 3 false alarms per year
$50
§ 107-13B Intentional false alarm
$100
Chapter 115, Animal Control (Animal Control Officer)
§ 115-8 Kennel operation
$50
Remainder of chapter up to
$300
Chapters 124, Buildings, Moving of
$200
Chapters 136, Earth Removal
$200
Chapter 145, Art. II, Fire Hydrants
First Offense
$50
Maximum
$200
Chapter 158, Historic Preservation (Historic Commission)
$300
Chapters 170, Junk Dealers
$200
Chapters 180, Licenses and Permits, Art. I
$200
Chapter 200, Art. I, Handicapped Parking
§ 200-1 Failure to designate (Building Commissioner)
$200
§ 200-2 Unauthorized vehicles in designated spaces (police)
$50
Chapter 208, Peace and Good Order
First offense
$50
Maximum
$200
Chapter 225, Signs (Building Commissioner/Sign Agent)
$100.00
Chapter 240, Streets and Sidewalks
§ 240-4, House numbers
$50
Chapter 254, Tree Protection
$300
Chapter 261, Water Supply Emergencies (Select Board)
First offense
Warning
Second offense
$100
Each subsequent offense
$200
Chapter 265, Waterways (Harbormaster/harbor patrol)
$300
Chapter 272, Wetlands Protection (Conservation Commission)
Up to $300
In the event that any provisions, sections or clauses of the General Bylaws are hereafter judicially found to be invalid, such decision, invalidity, or voidance shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of the General Bylaws.
[At the Annual Town Meeting held on May 8, 2006, under Article 15, it was voted to accept the codification of the General Bylaws of the Town of Chatham as set forth in Division 2 of this Code. Article 8 was approved by the Attorney General on August 28, 2006.]