[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Geneva 7-3-1968
as Ch. 65, Art. VII, of the 1968 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Building construction — See Ch. 105.
Zoning — See Ch. 350.
Whenever used in this chapter, the following words and terms shall have
the following meaning:
Only a multiple dwelling which is either rented, leased, let out
or hired out, to be occupied, or is occupied as the temporary or permanent
residence or home of three or more families living independently of each other,
including but not limited to the following: a tenement, flat house, maisonette
apartment, apartment, house, apartment hotel, tourist house, bachelor apartment,
studio apartment, duplex apartment, kitchenette apartment, hotel, lodging
house, rooming house, boardinghouse, boarding and nursery school, furnished
room house, club, sorority house, fraternity house, college and school dormitory,
convalescent, old age or nursing homes or residences. It shall also include
a dwelling, two or more stories in height, and with five or more boarders,
roomers or lodgers residing with any one family.
A combination of outside balconies, stairs and/or ladders of incombustible
materials providing a means of egress from a building.
[Amended by Ord. No. 74-20, eff. 7-3-1974]
No person shall erect or suspend or maintain or suffer to be erected,
suspend or maintained any fire escape, sign or other structure over a public
street within the city which shall project more than two feet from any building
adjoining a public street, or which shall be more than two feet in height,
without the written permission of the Director of Public Works.
[Amended by Ord. No. 74-20, eff. 7-3-1974]
Any person desiring to procure such permit shall file with the City
Clerk a written application therefor, showing the dimensions of the proposed
sign or fire escape accompanied by a bond in the penalty of $5,000 for a sign
and in the penalty of $10,000 for a fire escape or in such larger amount as
may be fixed by the Director of Public Works, with sureties to be approved
by the Director of Public Works, as to form and manner of execution by the
City Attorney, to be given by applicant indemnifying the city against all
loss, cost, damage or expenses incurred or sustained by or recovered against
the city by reason of the construction or maintenance of such sign or fire
escape. In the case of a fire escape the application shall also be approved
by the Enforcement Officer before being filed with the City Clerk.
[Amended by Ord. No. 74-20, eff. 7-13-1974]
No permit shall be given for the erection of any sign or fire escape
less than 10 feet above the sidewalk.
[Amended by Ord. No. 74-20, eff. 7-3-1974]
All such permits shall be given subject to the right of the Director
of Public Works to revoke the same in case, in his judgment, such sign or
fire escape shall be or become unsafe or insecure or unsightly or interfere
with the public use of the street and shall not be made safe, secure, sightly
and unobjectionable within five days after written notice of its unsafe, insecure,
unsightly or objectionable condition shall be given to the person maintaining
such sign or fire escape. A fire escape that is not painted and maintained
the same color as the building to which it is affixed shall be deemed to be
unsightly and objectionable.
Any fire escape located on any building in the city, which fire escape
faces any public street or public alley in the city, shall be painted so as
to correspond to the color of the walls of the building to which it is attached.
The owner of a building in the city shall not permit a fire escape attached
to his building to be encumbered or blocked by any person or object, nor shall
he permit it to be used for any purpose whatsoever which might in any way
encumber, block or render it temporarily or permanently unsuitable as a means
of egress from the building to which it is attached; but a tenant shall be
liable if a violation is caused by his own act, assistance or negligence or
that of any member of his family, or household or guests.
This chapter shall apply to signs, fire escapes and other structures
already existing and to those hereafter to be erected.
[Amended by Ord. No. 81-27, eff. 9-2-1981]
A violation of any of the provisions of this chapter shall be punishable
by a fine not exceeding $250 or by imprisonment not exceeding 15 days, or
by both said fine and imprisonment. Each day any such violation shall continue
shall constitute a separate violation.
