[Adopted 1-10-1975 as §§ 1 through 14 and 16 of the 1975 Bylaws of the Town of Franklin; amended in its entirety 8-6-2008 by Bylaw Amendment 08-626]
No person or persons shall intentionally or deliberately stand, either individually or as a group, on any sidewalk or in any public place so as to block or obstruct the free passage of pedestrians.
No person shall play ball, or throw a snowball, rock or other object on or across any public street or sidewalk.
A. 
No person shall skateboard in or upon any public street or sidewalk or any public property adjacent thereto within the Central Business District which, for purposes of this bylaw, is defined as:
East Central Street, from Ruggles Street to Main Street
Main Street to School Street
Emmons Street, from Main Street to West Central Street
West Central Street, from Union Street to East Central Street
B. 
Any person who violates the provisions of this section shall be subject to a fine as follows: $25 for the first offense, $50 for the second offense, $100 for the third offense and $100 for each subsequent offense.
No person shall allow any commercial vehicle or trailer to remain or stand in any one position in the streets of the Town for more than 20 minutes unless the operator is actively engaged in loading or unloading or is actually performing work on abutting property. No person shall park any vehicle upon a sidewalk or any portion thereof. No person shall place any object in or upon any public street or sidewalk so as to obstruct travel thereon or to create a risk to public health or safety.
No person shall use any motorized vehicle upon any public sidewalk; this prohibition shall not apply to a person who, as a result of a handicap or disability, requires the use of a motorized wheelchair or similar equipment.
The Administrator or officer having the powers of Road Commissioner may at any time close any street or way within said Town if, in the opinion of said Administrator or officer, public necessity, convenience or safety so requires.
No person shall hold or participate in a parade, performance, or assembly in or upon any public street, sidewalk, building or place unless a permit therefor has first been obtained from the Town Administrator; the Town Administrator shall promulgate a written policy and procedure for the permitting of public parades, performances and assemblies.
A. 
The following commercial uses and activities are determined to generate or involve excessive and/or unreasonable noise and are prohibited:
(1) 
Operation of earthmoving or other heavy vehicles or equipment between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
(2) 
Start up or idling of any diesel-engine-equipped vehicle having a gross vehicle weight in excess of 15,000 pounds, or equipment between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
(3) 
Construction, demolition or alteration of any building or structure, including excavation and other site work, between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
(4) 
Operation of any wood/brush chipper, pneumatic-powered equipment or tool, hammer, chainsaw, commercial power mower, trimmer, blower or other construction, forestry or landscape equipment between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
B. 
The Police Department, the Building Commissioner or designee shall each have authority to enforce the provisions of this section.
C. 
Anyone who violates the provisions of this section shall be subject to a fine of $25 for the first offense, $50 for the second offense, $100 for the third offense and $100 for each subsequent offense.
D. 
The Building Commissioner or his designee may grant a waiver from the foregoing prohibitions upon prior application, if he determines that good construction practice requires that the proposed work be performed during the prohibited time period.
E. 
Exceptions. This bylaw shall not apply to individual property owners personally performing regular maintenance on their residential property.
A. 
No person shall throw or deposit waste paper, garbage, rubbish, filth or other litter or refuse onto any public street or sidewalk or abutting private property or in any public building or place except in a designated waste receptacle.
B. 
No person shall drive or move any truck or other vehicle within the Town unless such vehicle is so constructed or loaded as to prevent any load, contents or litter from being blown or deposited upon any street, alley or other public or private place, and all such vehicles, when so required, shall be duly licensed according to the provisions of the general laws of the Commonwealth and the rules, regulations, and bylaws of the Town.
C. 
No person shall throw or deposit litter in any park, playground, athletic field, beach or other recreational facility within the Town except in public receptacles and in such a manner that the litter will be prevented from being carried or deposited by the elements upon any part of the facility or upon any street or other public place. Where public receptacles are not provided, all such litter shall be carried away from the facility by the person responsible for its presence and properly disposed of elsewhere.
D. 
The prohibitions contained in this section shall apply to all forms of advertising and informational literature, provided that it shall not be unlawful for any person to hand out or distribute such material directly to any person willing to accept it, and provided further that no person shall place such material in or upon any vehicle except by handing or distributing it to any occupant willing to accept it.
E. 
The Police Department, the Building Commissioner or designee, the Department of Public Works Director or designee, the Highway Superintendent or designee, the Facilities Director or designee, and the Recreation Director or designee shall each have authority to enforce the provisions of this section.
F. 
Anyone who violates the provisions of this section shall be subject to a fine of $50 for each offense.
No person shall allow any domestic animals or fowl to run at large within the streets, sidewalks or public ways of the Town.
No person shall own or keep in the Town any dog, cat or other household pet which by biting, barking, howling, scratching, crying, or any other manner, disturbs the peace and quiet of any neighborhood or other person, destroys property of another person, or by biting, clawing or scratching endangers the safety of any person.
No person, except a police officer or a Town Inspector in the performance of his duties, shall surreptitiously look into any window of another person's residence or enter upon another person's residential property with the intention of doing so.
No person shall intentionally or willfully expose his naked person to the view of any other person in a public way, building or place or so as to be seen therefrom; no person shall defecate, urinate, spit, or otherwise intentionally expel bodily waste or fluid in or upon any public street, sidewalk, building or place.
A. 
Definitions. For the purpose of this § 125-14, the following words and phrases shall have the following meanings:
ALARM SYSTEM
Any assembly of equipment and/or devices that is designed to be activated either manually or automatically for the purpose of drawing attention to the presence of a hazard or situation, criminal or otherwise, to which the police are expected to respond.
ALARM USER
Any person or business on whose premises an alarm system is installed and maintained within the Town of Franklin, except for alarm systems that are installed in or on motor vehicles.
FALSE ALARM
The activation of an alarm system through mechanical failure, malfunction, improper installation or negligence of the user of the alarm system or his/her employees or agents; and any signal or communication transmitted to the Police Department requesting, requiring or resulting in a response from the Police Department when, in fact, there has been no unauthorized entry or intrusion into the premises and there has been no attempted robbery or burglary at the premises. Excluded from this definition shall be the activation of an alarm system by power outages, utility companies or other outside sources, hurricanes, severe storms and similar conditions.
B. 
False alarms.
(1) 
After the Police Department or Fire Department has recorded three separate false alarms within the calendar year, the alarm user shall be assessed the following fees:
(a) 
Twenty-five dollars for the fourth false alarm.
(b) 
Fifty dollars for the fifth and subsequent false alarms.
(2) 
Failure to pay the fee within the prescribed time period will result in court action for violation of a Town bylaw or a municipal charges lien being placed on the real property pursuant to MGL c. 40, § 58, in the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds until the fee is paid.
C. 
Audible alarm. All alarm systems that emit an audible signal shall be equipped with a device for limiting the length of the audible signal to 10 minutes. Any user of an alarm system that either does not have such a device or has a malfunction that allows the audible signal to continue for more than 10 minutes shall be assessed a fee of $50. Failure to pay such fee within the prescribed time will result in either court action for violation of a Town bylaw or the placement of a municipal charges lien on the real property pursuant to MGL c. 40, § 58, in the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds until the fee is paid.
D. 
Exemptions.
(1) 
All federal, state and municipal buildings and property shall be exempt from the provisions of this § 125-14.
(2) 
No provision of this § 125-14 shall be construed to place an obligation on the Police Department to respond to an alarm.
The Town Administrator or his designee and the Franklin Police Department shall each have authority to enforce the provisions of the preceding sections, in addition to any public official(s) designated in a specific section. Anyone who violates the provisions of any section for which a fine is not specifically provided shall be subject to a fine as follows: first offense, $50; second offense, $100; third and subsequent offenses, $300.