[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the Township of
Worcester 6-16-2004 by Ord. No. 199.[1] Amendments noted where applicable.]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also repealed former Ch. 52, Building
Construction, adopted 11-10-1986 by Ord. No. 96, as amended.
Worcester Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions
of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act, Act 45 of 1999, 35 P.S. §§ 7210.101-7210.1103,
as amended from time to time, and its regulations.
The Uniform Construction Code, contained in 34 Pa. Code, Chapters 401-405,
as amended from time to time, is hereby adopted and incorporated herein by
reference as the building code of Worcester Township.
Administration and enforcement of the UCC within Worcester Township
shall be undertaken in any of the following ways as determined by the Board
of Supervisors of Worcester Township from time to time by resolution:
A.
By the designation of an employee of the Township to
serve as the Township code official to act on behalf of the Township;
B.
By the retention of one or more construction code officials
or third-party agencies to act on behalf of the Township;
C.
By agreement with one or more other municipalities for
the joint administration and enforcement of this Act through an intermunicipal
agreement;
D.
By entering into a contract with another municipality
for the administration and enforcement of this Act on behalf of the Township;
E.
By entering into an agreement with the Pennsylvania Department
of Labor and Industry for plan review, inspections and enforcement of structures
other than one-family or two-family dwelling units and utility and miscellaneous
use structures.
A Board of Appeals shall be established by resolution of the Board of
Supervisors of Worcester Township in conformity with the requirements of the
relevant provisions of the UCC, as amended from time to time, and for the
purposes set forth therein, if at any time enforcement and administration
is undertaken jointly with one or more other municipalities, said Board of
Appeals shall be established by joint action of the participating municipalities.
A.
All building code ordinances or portions of ordinances
which were adopted by Worcester Township on or before July 1, 1999, and which
equal or exceed the requirements of the UCC shall continue in full force and
effect until such time as such provisions fail to equal or exceed the minimum
requirements of the UCC, as amended from time to time.
B.
All building code ordinances or portions of ordinances
which are in effect as of the effective date of this chapter and whose requirements
are less than the minimum requirements of the UCC are hereby amended to conform
with the comparable provisions of the UCC.
C.
All relevant ordinances, regulations and policies of
Worcester Township not governed by the UCC shall remain in full force and
effect.
A.
The following provisions were duly adopted by Worcester
Township on or before July 1, 1999, and are specifically identified as equaling
or exceeding the requirements of the UCC and shall continue in full force
and effect until such time as the provisions fail to equal or exceed the minimum
requirements of the UCC, as amended from time to time. The following provisions
are not intended as an exhaustive list of provisions adopted by the Township
before July 1, 1999, which equal or exceed the requirements of the UCC and
the Township reserves the right to enforce, without limitation, all other
building code provisions not specifically listed below which were adopted
on or before July 1, 1999, which equal or exceed the requirements of the UCC,
as amended from time to time.
B.
The 2003 Edition of the International Building Code (IBC),
which has been adopted by reference by the UCC, is hereby revised as follows:
(1)
Section 101.1 of the IBC is hereby revised to provide
as follows:
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101.1 Title. These regulations shall be known as the "Building
Ordinance of Worcester Township," hereinafter referred to as "this code."
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(2)
Section 101.2 of the IBC is hereby revised and supplemented
to provide as follows:
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101.2 Scope. These regulations shall control all matters concerning the construction, alteration, addition, repair, removal, demolition, use, location, occupancy and maintenance of all buildings and structures and shall apply to existing or proposed buildings and structures; and, further, these regulations shall include and require compliance with the provisions of Chapter 150, Zoning, regulating the use of land and structures within the boundaries of designated floodplain districts which are part of the Official Zoning Map of Worcester Township.
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(3)
Section 3303.7 of the IBC is hereby revised to add the
following:
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Prior to the issuance of a demolition permit the applicant shall furnish
to the Township a certificate from a reputable rodent exterminator which states
that the building or structure to be demolished has been inspected and found
to be free of rodents or that the building or structure to be demolished has
been properly treated for the eradication of all rodents in and about the
premises.
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(4)
Section 108 of the IBC is hereby revised to provide as
follows:
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108 Fee schedule. Applicants for permits under this code
shall pay at the time of application to the Township the fees set forth on
the then current fee schedule which shall have been adopted by resolution
by the Board of Supervisors.[1] When a permit fee is based on cost of construction, the valuation
of the subject work shall be the fair market value of all of the construction
work. The Building Official shall be satisfied as to the accuracy of the estimate
both initially and at final completion should changes occur as the work progresses.
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[1]
Editor's Note: The Fee Schedule is on file in the Township offices.
(5)
Section 108.7 of the IBC is hereby revised to provide
as follows:
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108.7 Accounting. All fees collected shall be received
and accounted for by the Township Secretary, and such fees shall be deposited
in the jurisdiction treasury or otherwise handled as required by law.
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(6)
Sections 113.1 through 113.4 of the IBC are hereby replaced
with the following:
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113.1 Violation penalties. Any person who shall violate a provision of this code or shall fail to comply with the requirements thereof or who shall erect, construct, alter or repair a building or structure in violation of an approved plan or directive of the Building Official or of a permit or certificate issued under the provisions of this code, or shall continue any work in or about a building after having been served with a stop order, upon conviction thereof by summary proceedings brought in the name of Worcester Township before a District Justice having jurisdiction, shall be sentenced as provided in Chapter 1, Article II, General Penalty. Each day that a violation continues shall be deemed a separate offense.
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(7)
Section 114.3 of the IBC is hereby deleted in its entirety.
(8)
[2]Section 903.2 of the IBC is hereby revised to provide as follows:
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903.2 Where required. Fire suppression systems shall be
installed and maintained in full operating condition, as specified in this
code, in the locations indicated in Sections 903.2.1 through 903.2.13; all
buildings with a gross floor area of more than 2,000 square feet, other than
single-family detached residences, shall be provided with a fully automatic
fire suppression system.
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[2]
Editor's Note: Former Subsection B(8), which required multifamily
dwellings to have an eight-inch-thick masonry wall extending from the foundation
to at least 16 inches above the highest adjacent roof deck, was repealed 7-2-2007
by Ord. No. 218. This ordinance also provided for the redesignation of former
Subsection B(9) through (11) as Subsection B(8) through (10), respectively.
(9)
Sections 903.2.1 through 903.2.13 are hereby revised
by deleting therefrom all references that are inconsistent with the requirements
of Section 903.2 as hereby revised.
(10)
Section 3307.1 is hereby supplemented by adding the words
"three feet."
Fees assessable by Worcester Township for the administration and enforcement
undertaken pursuant to this chapter and the UCC shall be established by the
Board of Supervisors by resolution from time to time.
Any individual, firm or corporation that violates any provision of the
UCC commits a summary offense and shall, upon conviction, be sentenced to
pay a fine of not more than $1,000 and costs. Each day that a violation of
the UCC continues shall be considered a separate violation.
