[Adopted 5-11-1998 by Ord. No. 1998-5]
A. 
Enforcement of codes. The Codes Enforcement Officer or his authorized representative shall enforce and administer all of the provisions of this article, any building and housing code adopted by the Borough, and other applicable codes and ordinances which establish the Codes Enforcement Officer or the office of Code Enforcement, or its equivalent, as the official administration and enforcement authority.
B. 
Duties. The duties of the Codes Enforcement Officer shall include the receipt of applications and issuance of permits for the erection, addition to, alteration, repair, removal, demolition, installation of service equipment (plumbing, electrical, mechanical), and structures; the issuance of all necessary notices and orders to abate illegal or unsafe conditions to insure compliance with this article, and those other applicable codes and/or ordinances for the safety, health and general welfare of the public; the making of inspections to determine compliance with the applicable codes and ordinances; the undertaking of investigations, and other activities as may be required.
C. 
Right of entry. Except in case of an emergency or mutually convenient time agreed to by the Codes Enforcement Officer or his authorized representative in discharging his duties to safeguard the safety, health and welfare of the public and upon showing proper identification where requested, the Codes Enforcement Officer is hereby authorized to enter and inspect between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. any structure or premises in the Borough to enforce the provisions of this article and of those other applicable codes and ordinances. Every occupant, owner or operator of a structure or premises or their agent or employee shall give access to any part of such structure or its premises at reasonable times for the purpose of making such inspection, maintenance, repairs, or alterations as are necessary to comply with the provisions of this code. Failure to provide access at such reasonable time shall be considered a violation of this article.
D. 
Required inspections. After issuing a permit, the Codes Enforcement Officer or designated inspection agency shall conduct such required inspections from time to time and upon completion of the work for which a permit has been issued. The Codes Enforcement Officer shall provide the applicant with a list of all the inspections that must be made before any final inspection. A record of all such examinations and inspections and of all violations of this code shall be maintained by the Codes Enforcement Officer. Upon completion of the building or structure, and before the issuance of the certificate of use and occupancy, a final inspection shall be made and all violations of the approved plans and permits shall be abated. No new building or portion of an existing building which is enlarged or altered shall be used or occupied in whole or in part, until such certificate of use and occupancy shall have been issued by the Codes Enforcement Officer.
E. 
Accounting. The Codes Enforcement Officer shall keep an accurate account of all fees collected; and such collected fees shall be deposited with the Borough or otherwise disposed of as required by law.
A. 
No structure shall be erected, constructed, reconstructed, extended, moved or razed until a building permit has been secured from the Codes Enforcement Officer. Permits shall be required in all cases except:
(1) 
For completely detached accessory buildings of 100 square feet or less in ground floor area;
(2) 
Alterations when there is no increase in ground floor exterior dimension and no change in use, including new facing, replacement siding, chimneys, etc.;
(3) 
General maintenance work and landscaping;
(4) 
Painting;
(5) 
Clearing woodlands or building ponds;
(6) 
Crop farming.
B. 
Where work, for which a permit is required by the code, is started or proceeded with prior to obtaining said permit, the fee shall be doubled, but payment of such double fee shall not relieve any person from fully complying with the requirements of the code in the execution of the work nor from any penalties prescribed by the code.
C. 
Forms of application. The application for a permit shall be submitted in such form as the Codes Enforcement Officer may prescribe and shall be accompanied by the required fee pursuant to the fee schedule.
D. 
By whom application is made. The responsibility for applying for and obtaining a required permit rests jointly with the owner or occupant and the person or persons doing the work. The full name and address or the owner, lessee, applicant and/or the responsible officers, if the owner or lessee is a corporate body, shall be stated in the application.
E. 
Description of work. The application shall contain a general description of the proposed work, its location, the use and occupancy of all parts of the building or structure and of all portions of the site or lot not covered by the building or structure, number, location and design of parking and loading spaces and such additional information as may be required by the Codes Enforcement Officer.
F. 
Plans and specifications. The application for the permit shall be accompanied by two copies of specifications and of plans, drawn to scale, with sufficient clarity and detailed dimension to show the nature and character of the work performed. When quality of materials is essential for conformity to the codes, specific information shall be given to establish such quality; and the code shall not be cited, or the term "legal" or its equivalent be used as a substitute for specific information. The Codes Enforcement Officer may waive the requirement for filing plans when the work involved is a minor nature. If in the course of work it is found necessary to make any changes from the approved plans and specifications on which a permit has been issued, amended plans and specifications shall be submitted and, if approved, a supplementary permit shall be issued to cover the change after the same conditions required to secure the original permit have been satisfied.
G. 
Site plan. There shall also be a site plan showing, to scale, the size and location of all the new construction and all existing structures and the site distances from lot lines, the established street grades and the proposed finished grades; and it shall be drawn in accordance with an accurate boundary line survey. In case of demolition, the plot plan shall show all construction to be demolished and the locations and size of all existing structures and the plan shall show the location of water service and sewer connections with respect to any building in which a plumbing system is to be installed. Vent stack terminations shall be shown with respect to building ventilation openings which could allow introduction of sewer gases into the building or any adjacent building.
H. 
Engineering details. The Codes Enforcement Officer may require adequate details of structural, mechanical, plumbing and electrical work to be filed, including computations, stress diagrams and other essential technical data. All engineering plans and computations shall bear the signature of the engineer or architect responsible for the design. Plans for building more than two stories of height shall indicate where penetrations will be made for electrical, mechanical, plumbing and communications conduits, pipes and systems and the materials and methods for maintaining the required structural integrity, fire resistance rating and fire-stopping.
I. 
Other permits required. At the time of filing an application for a permit, the applicant shall present to the Codes Enforcement Officer evidence that he has obtained all necessary permits, licenses, approvals and/or variances as may be required by the laws of the Borough and the Commonwealth. Individuals, agencies, boards and commissions issuing aforesaid permits, licenses, approvals and/or variances shall include, but not be limited to, the Zoning Officer or Zoning Hearing Board, Director of Public Works, County Planning Commission, Sewage Enforcement Officer, Fire Chief, State Police Fire Marshal, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.
J. 
Action on applications. The Codes Enforcement Officer shall examine said application to determine compliance with those other applicable codes and ordinances of the Borough and shall, within 30 days after filing, either approve or reject said application. If said application is rejected, the Codes Enforcement Officer shall inform the applicant, in writing, stating the reasons for such rejection. If the Codes Enforcement Officer is satisfied that the proposed work conforms to the requirements of the applicable codes, the Codes Enforcement Officer shall issue a permit therefor as soon as possible.
K. 
Permits for uses requiring approval as a subdivision or land development under the New Freedom Borough Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance shall be rejected by the Codes Enforcement Officer until approval of such subdivision or land development has been received.
A. 
Compliance with codes. The permit shall be a license to proceed with the work and shall not be construed as authority to violate, cancel or set aside the application. All work shall conform to the approved application and plans for which the permit has been issued and any approved amendments thereto.
B. 
Signature on permit. The Codes Enforcement Officer's signature shall be attached to every permit; or the Codes Enforcement Officer may authorize a subordinate to affix such signature thereto.
C. 
Payment of fees. A permit to begin work shall not be issued until the fee prescribed by resolution adopted by the New Freedom Borough Council has been paid as well as any other fee or charge that is due and owing to the Borough by the owner. Nor shall an amendment to a permit necessitating an additional fee because of additional work involved be issued until the additional fee shall have been paid.
D. 
Permit expiration dates. Any construction requiring a building permit shall be commenced within six months and completed within one year from date of issuance of a permit. However, the right to proceed with construction may be extended annually for an aggregate period of three years, provided payment of any additional required fees are paid and provided the construction or change pursuant to said permit has commenced within the initial six-month period. If construction has not commenced within the six-month period, the applicant must reapply for a building permit, paying a new application fee and meeting any additional requirements of Borough ordinances passed in the intervening period. Any extensions of the life of the permit beyond the three-year period may be done only by special exception of the Zoning Hearing Board.
E. 
Revocations of permits. The Codes Enforcement Officer may revoke a permit or approval issued under the provisions of the codes in case of any false statement or misrepresentation of fact in the application or on the plans on which the permit or approval was based.
F. 
Posting of permit. A true copy of the building permit and placard shall be kept on the site of operations open to public inspection during the entire time of prosecution of the work and until the completion of the same.
G. 
Notice of inspection. At least 24 hours' notice in advance for required inspections indicated on the permit shall be given to the Codes Enforcement Officer or certified inspection agency.
H. 
Limitation on permits.
(1) 
No permit shall be issued for the construction or alteration of any building or structure within the right-of-way limits of any street or highway, with the exception of drainage structures, curbing, or pavement that are called for as part of any approved subdivision or land development plan, or otherwise approved by Borough Council.
(2) 
No permit shall be issued for the construction or alteration of any building or structure unless such construction or alteration conforms to required building setback lines.
(3) 
If required upon an applicable and approved subdivision or land development plan, no permit shall be issued for the building or alteration of any building or structure unless surface drainage of the land, as required, is provided for.
(4) 
No permit shall be issued for the building or alteration of any building or structure upon land in a subdivision unless and until a final plan of such subdivision shall have been approved and properly recorded.
(5) 
No permit shall be issued unless or until any required water, sewer, driveway or similar permits have been issued.