[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Council of the Town of Portsmouth as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 1-26-1976 by Ord. No. 112 as Ch. 1 of the 1976 Code]
A. 
Definitions. As used in this Code, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
COUNCIL, TOWN COUNCIL
The Town Council of the Town of Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
COUNTY
Newport County, Rhode Island.
MONTH
A calendar month.
OWNER
Applied to any property, includes any part owner, joint owner, tenant in common, tenant in partnership, joint tenant or tenant by the entirety, of the whole or of a part of such property.
PERSON
Includes a corporation, firm, partnership, association, organization or any other group acting as a unit, as well as a natural person.
PERSONAL PROPERTY
Includes every species of property except real property, as herein defined.
PRECEDING, FOLLOWING
Next before and next after, respectively.
PROPERTY
Includes real, personal and mixed estates and interests.
REAL PROPERTY
Includes lands, tenements and hereditaments.
SIDEWALK
That part of the street exclusively reserved for pedestrians and constructed for such purpose.
SIGNATURE or SUBSCRIPTION
Includes a mark when the person cannot write.
STREET
Includes any public way, road, highway, street, avenue, boulevard, parkway, alley, lane, viaduct, bridge and the approaches thereto within the Town and shall mean and include the entire width thereof between the abutting property lines.
TENANT or OCCUPANT
Applied to a building or land, includes any person holding a written or oral lease of or who occupies the whole or a part of such building or land, either alone or with others.
YEAR
A calendar year.
B. 
In the construction of this Code and of all other ordinances of the Town, the following rules shall be observed, unless such construction would be inconsistent with the manifest intent of the Town Council:
(1) 
Computation of time. The time in which an act is to be done shall be computed by excluding the first and including the last day, and if the last day is Sunday or a legal holiday, that shall be excluded.
(2) 
Gender. Words used in the masculine gender shall include the feminine and neuter.
(3) 
Joint authority. All words giving a joint authority to three or more persons or officers shall be construed as giving such authority to a majority of such persons or officers.
(4) 
May. The word "may" is permissive.
(5) 
Number. Words used in the singular include the plural, and the plural includes the singular.
(6) 
Oath. When an oath is required or authorized by law, an affirmation in lieu thereof may be taken by a person having conscientious scruples against taking an oath. An affirmation has the same effect as an oath.
(7) 
Shall. The word "shall" is mandatory.
(8) 
State. The words "the state" or "this state" shall be construed to mean the State of Rhode Island.
(9) 
State law references. Whenever reference is made to the "General Laws" or "Gen. Laws," this shall mean the General Laws of Rhode Island, 1956, as amended. Whenever reference is made to "Public Laws" or "P.L.," this shall mean the Public Laws of Rhode Island.
(10) 
Tense. Words used in the present tense include the future as well as the past and present.
(11) 
Town. The words "the Town" or "this Town" shall be construed as if the words "of Portsmouth, Rhode Island," followed them.
(12) 
Written; in writing. The words "written" or "in writing" shall be construed to include any representation of words, letters or figures, whether by printing or otherwise.
[1]
Editor's Note: Original § 1-1, How code designated and cited, of the 1976 Code, which immediately preceded this section, was repealed 3-11-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-03-11.
The catchlines of the several sections of this Code, underlined above each section, are intended as mere catchwords to indicate the contents of the section and shall not be deemed or taken to be titles of such sections, nor as any part of the section, nor, unless expressly so provided, shall they be so deemed when any of such sections, including the catchlines, are amended or reenacted.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Original §§ 1-4, Provisions deemed continuation of prior ordinances, and 1-5, Severability of parts of Code, of the 1976 Code, which immediately followed this section, were repealed 3-11-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-03-11.
[Amended 3-11-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-03-11]
A. 
Except as otherwise expressly provided by this Code, other ordinances of the Town or state law, whenever in this Code, or in any other ordinance or resolution of the Town Council, or in any rule, regulation, notice or order promulgated by any officer or agency of the Town under authority duly vested in him or her, any act is prohibited or is made or declared to be unlawful or an offense or a misdemeanor, or the doing of any act is required or the failure to do any act is declared to be unlawful or an offense or a misdemeanor, where no specific penalty is provided therefor, the violation of any such provision of this Code or any other ordinance or resolution of the Town Council or such rule, regulation, notice or order shall be punished by a fine not exceeding an amount of $500 or imprisonment not exceeding 30 days in some jail or house of correction and/or shall require restitution in cases involving property damage or personal injury in an amount up to $2,500 and/or shall require voluntary community restitution for a Town agency for not more than 10 days for any one offense, unless other penalties therefor, or penalties within other limits, are specifically prescribed by statute, to be prosecuted by some officer appointed for that purpose and to be recovered to the use of the Town, or of the person or persons, and in the proportions that the Council in its ordinances and regulations designates.
B. 
Except where otherwise provided, every day any violation of this Code or any other ordinance or resolution of the Town Council or such rule, regulation, notice or order shall continue shall constitute a separate offense.
[Adopted 3-11-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-03-11]
There is hereby adopted by the Town Council that certain Code entitled the "Code of the Town of Portsmouth, Rhode Island," containing certain ordinances of a general and permanent nature as compiled, consolidated, codified and indexed in Chapters 1 to 405, together with an Appendix, of which Code not less than one copy has been and is now filed in the office of the Town Clerk.
The provisions of such Code shall be in force on and after March 11, 2013, and all ordinances of a general and permanent nature adopted on or before June 25, 2012, and not contained in such Code are hereby repealed from and after March 11, 2013, except as hereinafter provided.
The repeal provided for in § 1-5 of this ordinance shall not affect any offense or act committed or done or any penalty or forfeiture incurred or any contract or right established or accruing before March 11, 2013; nor shall it affect any prosecution, suit or proceeding pending or any judgment rendered prior to March 11, 2013; nor shall such repeal affect any ordinance or resolution promising or guaranteeing the payment of money for the Town or authorizing the issue of any bonds of the Town or any evidence of the Town's indebtedness or any contract or obligation assumed by the Town; nor shall it affect the annual tax levy; nor shall it affect any right or franchise conferred by ordinance or resolution of the Town Council on any person or corporation; nor shall it affect any ordinance adopted for purposes which have been consummated; nor shall it affect any ordinance which is temporary, although general in effect, or special, although permanent in effect; nor shall it affect any ordinance relating to the compensation of the Town's officers or employees or serve to reduce the compensation of any present Town officer or employee; nor shall it serve to deprive any person of any lawful retirement, disability, death or other benefit accrued or accruing; nor shall it affect any ordinance naming, renaming, opening, accepting or vacating streets, alleys or rights-of-way in the Town; nor shall it affect any ordinance adopted after June 25, 2012; nor shall it affect any of the following ordinances or amendments thereto:
A. 
Any ordinance establishing a speed limit or prima facie safe speed for vehicles; designating a one-way street, a through street, a stop or yield intersection, a street or part of street or other area or locality where the parking of a vehicle is prohibited at any time or is restricted in any manner; designating a crosswalk, safety zone, school zone, zone of quiet, play street, loading zone, taxicab stand, bus stop or reserved vehicular parking space; designating any street intersection or other place where the turning movement of any vehicle is prohibited or regulated; providing for the erection, installation, replacement or removal of any traffic control sign, signal, marking or device; designating a truck route through the Town or prohibiting or limiting any street or part of any street to any class of vehicles; imposing any lawful fine or other penalty for the violation of any provision of state law or ordinance of the Town relating to the regulation of traffic.
B. 
The Land Development and Subdivision Regulations of the Town of Portsmouth, and any amendments thereto.
C. 
The Zoning Ordinance of the Town of Portsmouth, and any amendments thereto.
D. 
Ordinance No. 2000-7-10, pertaining to the Police Department Rules and Regulations, and any amendments thereto.
E. 
Ordinance No. 87-12-28, pertaining to the Personnel Rules and Regulations, and any amendments thereto.
A. 
Whenever in the Code adopted by this ordinance, or in any other ordinance or resolution of the Town Council, or in any rule, regulation, notice or order promulgated by any officer or agency of the Town under authority vested in him or her, any act is prohibited or is made or declared to be unlawful or an offense or a misdemeanor, or the doing of any act is required or the failure to do any act is declared to be unlawful or an offense or a misdemeanor, where no specific penalty is provided therefor, the violation of any such provision of such Code or any other ordinance or resolution of the Town Council or such rule, regulation, notice or order shall be punished by a fine not exceeding an amount of $500 or imprisonment not exceeding 30 days in some jail or house of correction and/or shall require restitution in cases involving property damage or personal injury in an amount up to $2,500 and/or shall require voluntary community restitution for a Town agency for not more than 10 days for any one offense, unless other penalties therefor, or penalties within other limits, are specifically prescribed by statute, to be prosecuted by some officer appointed for that purpose and to be recovered to the use of the Town, or of the person or persons, and in the proportions that the Council in its ordinances and regulations designates.
B. 
Except where otherwise provided, every day any violation of such Code or any other ordinance or resolution of the Town Council or such rule, regulation, notice or order shall continue shall constitute a separate offense.
It is hereby declared to be the intention of the Town Council that the sections, paragraphs, sentences, clauses and phrases of this ordinance and the Code hereby adopted are severable, and if any phrase, clause, sentence, paragraph or section of this ordinance or the Code hereby adopted shall be declared unconstitutional or otherwise invalid by the valid judgment or decree of a court of competent jurisdiction, such unconstitutionality or invalidity shall not affect any of the remaining phrases, clauses, sentences, paragraphs and sections of this ordinance or the Code hereby adopted.
A. 
In compiling and preparing the ordinances for adoption and revision as part of the Code, certain grammatical changes and other minor changes were made in one or more of said ordinances. It is the intention of the Town Council that all such changes be adopted as part of the Code as if the ordinances so changed had been previously formally amended to read as such.
B. 
In addition, the changes, amendments or revisions as set forth in Schedule A attached hereto and made a part hereof are made herewith, to become effective upon the effective date of this ordinance. (Chapter and section number references are to the ordinances as they have been renumbered and appear in the Code.)[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: In accordance with § 1-9B, the chapters, parts and sections that were added, amended, adopted or deleted by this ordinance are indicated throughout the Code by a footnote referring to Chapter 1, General Provisions, Article II. During routine supplementation, footnotes indicating amendments, additions or deletions will be replaced with the following history: [Amended (added, deleted) 3-11-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-03-11]. Schedule A, which contains a complete description of all changes, is on file in the Town offices.
C. 
Nomenclature. Throughout Chapter 288, references to the "health officer" and the "director of public health" are changed to "Building Official."