[HISTORY: Adopted by the Borough Council of the Borough of Prospect Park 10-13-1981 as Ord. No. 1006, approved 10-13-1981. Amendments noted where applicable.]
No person, firm or corporation shall install or operate a heating unit for fixed primary or supplemental heating using any form of combustible material, including but not limited to coal, wood, wood or coal by-products, gas or oil heaters in the Borough of Prospect Park without complying with the terms of this chapter. This chapter applies to units installed after the date of passage.
No person shall install a fixed supplemental or fixed primary heating unit without first obtaining a permit from the Building Inspector for such installation. The Building Inspector shall help the applicant by providing advice on how to comply with the terms of this chapter. The heating unit shall not be operated until it is inspected and approved, upon completion, by the Building Inspector and/or the Fire Marshal. No separate permit shall be required for any installation in new construction which is covered by a permit issued under the various building codes of the Borough of Prospect Park. In such case, no separate permit shall be required under this chapter; however, all other provisions of this chapter shall be complied with and applicable to said installation.
[Amended 12-14-1993 by Ord. No. 1147, approved 12-14-1993[1]]
There shall be a permit fee as fixed and amended from time to time by resolution of the Borough Council,[2] which shall include the cost of inspections.
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also provided that the original fees remain in full force and effect until the Borough Council enacts changes by resolution.
[2]
Editor's Note: The fees resolution is on file in the Borough Secretary's office.
Before a permit is issued, the following information is required to be submitted by the applicant:
A. 
Manufacturer's data and specifications relating to the heating unit. If the manufacturer's data is not available, a written opinion by a person with not less than two years' full-time experience in the heating business may be submitted.
B. 
Proposed material to be used under the heating unit, description of flues and the description of all materials, including walls and ceilings, within four feet of the location of the unit.
C. 
All clearances from the unit and flues to any part of the structure within four feet of the location.
D. 
A statement, signed by the owner, saying that the owner understands that the flues must be inspected regularly and cleaned not less often than once each year.
Clearances from combustible materials shall be maintained of not less than the following:
A. 
From front of stove: 36 inches (0.914 meters).
B. 
From the top, rear and sides of the stove: 36 inches (0.914 meters).
C. 
From the top of a vent pipe to the ceiling: 18 inches (0.457 meters).
A. 
Factory-built fireplaces shall have hearth extensions where the floor is of other than noncombustible material.
B. 
Hearth extensions shall be of a noncombustible material, such as brick, concrete, metal, stone or tile, of a height or design such that floor covering, such as carpet, will not be placed on or even with the hearth extension, but in no case shall the thickness be less than 3/8 of an inch.
C. 
Hearth extensions shall extend not less than 16 inches in front of and not less than eight inches beyond each side of the fireplace opening.
D. 
Where a factory-built fireplace is elevated or overhangs a floor of combustible or limited combustible materials, the floor shall be covered with material conforming to the provisions of Subsections B and C.
The flue pipe shall be of suitable size and of a minimum double-wall construction and comply with all applicable laws and ordinances. No other equipment shall be connected to such chimney. The chimney shall be constructed as to prevent the leakage of smoke or flue gases. The chimney pipe shall be straight and short as possible with no more than two ninety-degree bends. Three sheet-metal screws shall be installed at each connection, and overlapping joints shall be made with the male end toward the stove.
Flues shall be designed to prevent the escape of smoke or products of combustion and to withstand corrosion. When a stove connects to a masonry chimney, the flue and chimney shall be of the double-walled type, designed to prevent overheating of adjacent wall areas.
In determining whether a proposed installation meets the requirements of this chapter, the Building Inspector may consider Federal Housing Administration specifications, including FHA minimum property standards FHA Number 30, Chapter 813, and including reports of testing laboratories.
No coal shall be burned in a stove designed or rated for burning wood only. All wood to be burned shall be dry. Pine or other wood with a high concentration of pitch shall not be burned, except as a part of a fire using hardwoods for at least 4/5 of the fuel.
The owner or some person acting on his behalf shall examine each chimney and flue at least once each six weeks during the heating season and once before the start of each heating season. Flues and chimneys shall be cleaned at least once each year.
Any person, firm or corporation violating any provision of this chapter shall be fined in the discretion of the District Justice up to a maximum of $300 for each offense, and a separate offense shall be deemed committed on each day during on or which a violation occurs or continues.
Nothing contained in this chapter shall lessen any standards set forth and previously adopted by reference thereto by the Borough when it adopted the National Fire Standards Code and the Building Codes and Building Maintenance Codes.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 60, Building Construction; Ch. 80, Fire Prevention; and Ch. 96, Housing and Property Maintenance.
References to standards or distances in this chapter are to the National Building Code, 1976 Edition, and UL 127, Factory Built Fireplaces, 1971 Edition.