[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Horseheads 9-24-2009 by L.L. No. 1-2009. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Dumpsters — See Ch. 126.
Property maintenance — See Ch. 179.
Zoning — See Ch. 245.
It is the intention of the Village Board of the Village of Horseheads to maintain a clean, wholesome and attractive community and to guard against the creation of nuisances and conditions which may endanger the health, safety and welfare of Village residents, spread disease, create fire hazards, reduce the value of property, interfere with the use and enjoyment of adjoining properties, and interfere with the comfort and well-being of the public.
Unless defined below, words and phrases used in this chapter shall be interpreted so as to give them the meaning they have in common usage and to give this chapter its most reasonable application. As used herein, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
PROPERTY
Any parcel, lot or tract of land in the Village of Horseheads.
TEMPORARY STORAGE CONTAINER (CONTAINER)
Any portable weather-resistant container, receptacle, or device of a type commonly used for the temporary storage of personal property, household goods, wares or other materials, designed to be used without a permanent foundation and located outside of an enclosed building which complies with all building codes and land use regulations. The term shall include, but not be limited to, trailers, shipping containers, portable on-demand storage units (PODS), and store-and-move units (SAMs). Such containers shall not be considered accessory structures. Such containers shall not be designed for occupancy. The term "container" shall not be construed to include roll-off containers, dumpsters, and travel trailers or campers, or containers having a capacity of less than 150 cubic feet.
A. 
No container shall be kept or maintained in any residential zone or on residentially utilized property without a current written permit from the Village Code Enforcement Officer.
B. 
Only one container may be placed on a property at any one time.
C. 
Containers may only be placed in a driveway or parking area with an impervious surface, and it will be placed at the furthest accessible point from the street or, if access exists at the side or rear of the property, in the side or rear yard.
D. 
No container shall have a capacity of greater than 1,088 cubic feet, nor dimensions greater than 16 feet in length, eight feet in width, and 8 1/2 feet in height.
E. 
One sign, no larger than six square feet, may be displayed on a container.
F. 
No container shall be located closer than five feet to any side or rear lot line. Containers shall be placed to comply with the front yard setback for that zoning district.
A. 
Every person, firm, corporation or legal entity who wishes to place a container in any residential zone or on residentially utilized property is required to obtain a permit therefor from the Code Enforcement Officer. Obtaining said permit shall be the responsibility of the person, firm, corporation or legal entity that owns or occupies the property on which the container is to be placed. The application for such permit shall be made on forms provided by the Code Enforcement Officer. Each application shall state:
(1) 
The name, address and phone number of the applicant, and of the owner of the property on which the container will be placed, if not the applicant;
(2) 
If the applicant is an agent, the name, address and phone number of the person, firm, corporation or legal entity that applicant represents;
(3) 
The property within the Village where the applicant wishes to place a container;
(4) 
A detailed description of each container applied for, including each container's height, width, cubic footage and length;
(5) 
The location of each container, including a drawing or map of the property showing the location of nearby buildings, driveways, sidewalks, streets, alleys and other public ways;
(6) 
The period of time each container shall remain in place;
(7) 
Any other information as may be required by the Code Enforcement Officer or Village Manager to properly and adequately review the application.
B. 
Each application shall be accompanied by the required permit fee.
C. 
The Code Enforcement Officer shall have the authority to reject any application that presents, in his/her judgment, a dangerous or hazardous condition or situation to any person or persons or to the public or if a permit for which no fee was required was issued for the parcel within the last 60 days. In rejecting any such application, the Code Enforcement Officer shall state the reasons for the rejection.
D. 
No permit shall be approved if two permits have been granted for the same property within the last 365 days.
The following fees shall be required for permits issued under this chapter:
Containers Placed
(number of days)
Fee
1 to 15 days
$0
16 to 30 days
$ 50
31 to 90 days
$150
Surcharge for any temporary storage container placed on public property
$75
A. 
Upon a finding that all requirements under this chapter have been met, the Code Enforcement Officer may issue a permit to the applicant. The Code Enforcement Officer shall have the authority to impose reasonable conditions upon the placement, duration of placement, and/or use of any container.
B. 
Each permit shall contain a statement that the applicant/owner authorizes Village employees/agents to enter upon the property where the container is or is to be placed to inspect the same and to remove the container without notice to the applicant/owner in an event of public emergency.
The prohibitions contained herein shall not apply when:
A. 
The container is placed by an agency of federal, state or local government;
B. 
The container is placed on private property during the specific period of time that a valid building or demolition permit remains in force for construction or demolition, and the container is used solely for the containment and disposal of materials resulting from such construction or demolition.
A. 
No container shall be placed in any public street, sidewalk, highway, public place, or public way, or on property owned by the Village of Horseheads without the written approval of the Village Manager. The Village Manager shall have authority to impose such restrictions and conditions on such placement as will, in the Manager's judgment, reasonably protect the public street, highway, sidewalk, public place, public way, or property and will not be unduly disruptive of the use of the public property for its ordinary and customary usage.
B. 
Any container placed, located or maintained on any public street, sidewalk, highway, public place, or public way, or on property of the Village without the written approval of the Village Manager or outside of a period of time approved for such placement shall be deemed abandoned and a hazard to the general public. The Village Manager is authorized to cause impoundment of such container without notice to the applicant/owner or occupier of the property and/or the owner of the container. Such applicants/owners and/or occupiers shall be jointly and severally liable to the Village for the sum of $250 for each unit impounded and a storage fee of $45 per unit for each day or part thereof the unit(s) is stored by the Village, together with any and all costs of disposal of the container and/or the contents thereof. The Village Manager shall have the authority to discard, destroy or sell the container and/or contents at public auction.
A. 
It shall be the obligation of the applicant/owner of the property and of the container to secure it in a manner that does not endanger the safety of the persons or property within the vicinity. In the event that the container and/or its contents may become a danger to persons or property, the Code Enforcement Officer may require its immediate removal.
B. 
Any container which is not removed at the end of the time for which it may lawfully remain in place, or immediately upon the direction of the Code Enforcement Officer for removal of a container for safety reasons, may be removed by the Village immediately, without notice, and the cost of such removal, together with the cost of administration of its removal, may be assessed against the property on which the container was located and may be filed as a lien against such property.
C. 
All containers shall be maintained in good condition, free from evidence of deterioration, weathering, discoloration, graffiti, rust, ripping, tearing, or other holes or breaks, at all times. In the event that the container fails to comply with this requirement, the Code Enforcement Officer may require its immediate removal.
D. 
No container shall be used to store biodegradable waste, food and kitchen waste, household hazardous waste, solid waste, garbage or illegal, toxic, or hazardous materials as defined by federal, state or local rules, laws or regulations. Toxic or hazardous materials shall include petroleum products, including fuels and waste oil, organic solvents, and heavy metal sludges.
E. 
All containers shall be subject to inspection by the Code Enforcement Officer on an intermittent basis to insure compliance.
F. 
The Board of Trustees may revise the fees and charges set herein from time to time by resolution.
G. 
The Board of Trustees reserves the right to waive the permit fee for not-for-profit and charitable organizations.
H. 
If site conditions prevent locating a container in conformity with this chapter, application can be made to the Village Manager for a variance. Any variance granted shall be the minimum variance necessary to allow the placement of a container and at the same time achieve maximum compliance with the intent of this chapter.
Violation of this chapter shall be punishable by fine or imprisonment or both as prescribed by Chapter 1, Article II, General Penalty of the Village Code. Each separate day of violation shall constitute a separate additional offense.