[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:
BUILDING
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.
FIRE ESCAPE
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.
[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.