City of Middletown, NY Chapter 143 Air Conditioners

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Common Council of the City of Middletown 4-9-1956 (Ch. 7 of the 1971 Code). Amendments noted where applicable.]

§ 143-1 Permit required.

A. No person, firm, association or corporation shall install or use for air conditioning within the City any equipment which uses water supplied by the City, without having procured a permit therefor from the Plumbing Inspector.

B. An air-conditioning system, for the purposes of this chapter, is hereby defined as any system using refrigeration to maintain air temperature of 60° F. or over, in an air-conditioned space.

§ 143-2 Application for permits.

A. Application for permits for air-conditioning units heretofore or hereafter installed shall be made to the Plumbing Inspector, and shall contain the name and address of the applicant, the location of the premises where the unit is or is to be installed, the name of the manufacturer of the unit, the manufacturer's maximum rating as to capacity of the unit of refrigeration and the refrigeration temperatures involved in these ratings, and the horsepower required under maximum anticipated summer operating conditions. The manufacturer's identifying classification and data on the refrigeration unit shall also be included in the application.

B. In case water-conservation devices are required to comply with § 143-6A, the name of the manufacturer and the guaranty on the water-conservation device are to be given for maximum anticipated summer operating conditions, together with the manufacturer's identifying data on the equipment. In case the application is for the installation of a unit, approval must be obtained before installation of the equipment is started.

§ 143-3 Fees for permits.

Fees shall be paid at the time the application is filed and shall be $10.

§ 143-4 Issuance of permits.

A. Upon receipt of the application for a permit, the Plumbing Inspector shall cause an inspection to be made and if the installation complies with the requirements contained in § 143-6A, the Plumbing Inspector shall issue a final permit for the installation and/or use of said air-conditioning system.

B. If any existing installation does not comply with the requirements contained in § 143-6A, but does comply with the provisions of § 143-6B, the Plumbing Inspector may issue temporary permit for the use of said installation, which said temporary permit shall be valid only until June 1, 1957, and shall be issued upon condition that the applicant take immediate steps to comply with the requirements of § 143-6A.

§ 143-5 Revocation of permits.

Any permit issued hereunder may be revoked summarily upon conviction for violation of this chapter or upon failure of the holder of said permit to discontinue using water for air conditioning immediately upon order of the Plumbing Inspector to do so.

§ 143-6 Requirements.

A. No final permit shall be issued for the installation and/or use of any air-conditioning units unless:

(1) Any installation consisting of one unit or a group of units, with a total capacity exceeding five tons or 60,000 BTU per hour or requiring more than five horsepower to drive the compressor, shall be equipped with a condensing water-conservation device. These water-conservation devices shall be such that under maximum summer temperatures they can operate at not over 7.5 gallons of City water per hour per ton of refrigeration. Units of five-ton capacity and under, which do not have water-conservation devices, shall be provided with an automatic water-regulation device so as to limit the use of water under maximum summer conditions to not more than two gallons per minute per ton.

(2) Makeup-water connection to water-conservation device is so arranged that the supply has a physical break between the City water main and said device so it will be impossible for water to siphon back in case of low pressure in the City water main.

(3) In cases where the waste water is discharged into the City sewerage system, the discharge is in strict accordance with rules and regulations of the Board of Health in the City of Middletown and any other bureau having jurisdiction.

(4) The Plumbing Inspector is satisfied the system can be operated without adversely affecting the flow to other users of water in the area or detriment to public safety.

(5) The system complies with any restrictions imposed by laws of the State of New York or the New York State Department of Health.

B. No temporary permit shall be issued for the use of any existing air-conditioning unit unless:

(1) The installation complies with the provisions of §§ 143-3 through 143-5, hereinbefore set forth, for a final permit.

§ 143-7 Conformance with laws and ordinances required; discontinuance.

A. All air-conditioning installations shall be operated in accordance with the laws of the State of New York and ordinances of the City of Middletown.

B. No installation for which a temporary permit has been issued shall be operated at any time when the Plumbing Inspector shall have ordered the discontinuance of such operation.

§ 143-8 Penalties for offenses.

[Amended 3-8-1999]

Any person violating any provisions of this chapter shall be guilty of an offense within the meaning of the Penal Law of the State of New York and shall be subject to a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $500 and/or up to 15 days in jail, and each day on which such violation occurs or continues shall constitute a separate offense.