[Adopted 4-11-1990 by Ord. No. 1990-1 (Ch.
5, Part 3, of the 1990 Code)]
There is hereby adopted by the Board of Commissioners
of the Township of Swatara that certain Electrical Code known as the
"National Electrical Code, 1987 Edition (NFPA 70-1987)" as published
by the National Fire Protection Association, as the Electrical Code
of Swatara Township and each and all of the regulating provisions,
conditions, and terms of the National Electrical Code, 1987 Edition,
are hereby referred to, adopted, and made part thereof, as if fully
set out in this article, with additions, insertions, deletions, and
changes, if any, hereinafter set forth, copies of which have been
and are now filed in the office of the Secretary of the Township of
Swatara, Township Municipal Building, 599 Eisenhower Boulevard, Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania, and the same are hereby adopted and incorporated as
fully as if set forth at length herein and the provisions thereof
shall apply within the corporate limits of the Township of Swatara
from the date of which this article shall take effect.
Nothing in this article or in the National Electrical
Code hereby adopted shall be construed to affect any suit or proceeding
now pending in any court, or any rights acquired, or liability incurred,
nor any cause or caused of action accrued or existing, under any act
or ordinance repealed hereby. Nor shall any right or remedy of any
character be lost, impaired or affected by this article.
The invalidity of any section or provision of
this article or of the National Electrical Code hereby adopted shall
not invalidate other sections or provisions thereof.
In interpreting and applying the provisions
of this code, they shall be held to be the minimum requirements for
the promotion of the health, safety and general welfare.
A.Â
Office of Code Enforcement. The administration and enforcement of this article and of the National Electrical Code herein adopted shall be carried out by the Office of Code Enforcement of the Township in accordance with the procedures established in the Code of the Township of Swatara, Chapter 128, Code Enforcement, Article I, Administration, and by the National Electrical Code adopted herein. Said Chapter 128, Article I, of the Code of the Township of Swatara provides for certain powers and duties of a Code Enforcement Officer, for the creation of a Code Hearing Board and for procedures relative to applications, fees, permits, inspections, appeals, penalties and other matters.
B.Â
Designation of inspection agencies.
(1)Â
Any accredited electrical inspection agency operating
under the terms and provisions of the "Standard of the National Board
of Fire Underwriters for Electrical Wiring and Apparatus" as recommended
by the National Fire Protection Association, may be designated as
an inspection agency upon the approval of the Building Official and
shall continue to function as an inspection agency until approval
is withdrawn for cause.
(2)Â
Electrical inspection agencies designated as approved
agencies for the Township of Swatara shall comply with all terms and
provisions of the Standards for Approved Electrical Inspection Agencies
as established by the Office of Code Enforcement of the Township of
Swatara. These standards may be amended from time to time as warranted.
(3)Â
A list of approved inspection agencies is on file
at the Swatara Township Building, 599 Eisenhower Boulevard, Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania.
(4)Â
The Code Enforcement Officer upon approving an inspection
agency shall notify the office of the local electrical utility of
such approval.
C.Â
Inspections. In addition to the general provisions for inspections set forth in the Code of the Township of Swatara, Chapter 128, Code Enforcement, Article I, Administration, the following additional requirements shall govern the inspection of new or altered electrical systems:
(1)Â
The person or persons installing or altering electrical
wiring systems shall file an application for inspection with an approved
inspection agency. A service, rough wire and final electrical inspection
are required where applicable by an approved electrical inspection
agency with a copy of the approval submitted to the Code Enforcement
Office not later than 15 days after completion of the installation
of the electrical work. The payment of all electrical inspection fees
and charges by an approved electrical inspection agency shall be borne
by the applicant.
(2)Â
Work in connection with an electrical wiring system
shall not be covered or concealed until it has been inspected, approved
and permission to do so has been granted by the electrical inspection
agency or the Code Enforcement Officer. When such work has been covered
or concealed before inspection and approval, it shall be exposed for
inspection.
(3)Â
Whenever the inspection by an approved electrical inspection agency shows that the provisions of the Township Electrical Code have not been complied with, said agency shall send a notice of noncompliance to the installer and to the Office of Code Enforcement, and shall be handled in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 128, Article I, hereof.
(4)Â
Upon completion of the corrections, the installer
shall arrange for reinspection by the inspection agency originally
issuing the notice of noncompliance.
(5)Â
It should be understood that all construction permits
involving changes in the electrical system must be accompanied by
an approval certificate from the responsible inspection agency prior
to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy or the closeout of the
construction permit.
(6)Â
In order to provide safety against existing hazards
or defective electrical wiring and apparatus the Code Enforcement
Official(s) and/or his authorized representative, including an approved
electrical inspection agency, shall, when requested by proper authority
or when public interest so requires, cause inspections to be made
of any structure in the Township to insure that the existing electrical
wiring and apparatus is not defective or unsafe. The Code Enforcement
Officer shall notify the owner of the structure of any unsafe or defective
conditions that are found and shall require owner to abate/ correct
the unsafe or defective condition in accordance with the Township's
Electrical Code within a reasonable length of time.
Any person, firm or corporation who shall violate
any provisions of this article and/or the Township's Electrical Code
shall, upon conviction in a summary proceeding before any Magisterial
District Judge, be sentenced for each such violation to pay a fine
of not more than $1,000 plus costs and, in default thereof, to undergo
imprisonment for a period not to exceed 30 days. Whenever any such
person shall have been notified by the Code Enforcement Officer of
such violation, by prosecution or in any other manner, each day hereafter
that such violation shall continue shall constitute a separate violation
hereof and may be punishable as such hereunder.