[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Council of the Town of Newton 6-8-1970 as Sec. 6-13 of the Revised General Ordinances. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Uniform construction codes — See Ch. 85.
Fees and costs — See Ch. 100.
Sewer and water — See Ch. 228.
Zoning — See Ch. 320.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
ALTER
Includes major changes, replacements, or repairs to a trailer court, layout and service facilities.
APPROVING AUTHORITY
The Planning Board of the Town.
AUTHORIZED AGENT
The Sanitary Inspector of the Board of Health, the Construction Official, or any other properly qualified person who is delegated to function as the agent of the Town of Newton.
CONSTRUCT
Includes building, constructing, or installing a new trailer court or enlarging an existing trailer court or its facilities.
OCCUPANT
Any person who occupies any trailer in a trailer court, including an owner or operator.
OPERATOR
Any person who is in charge of or who manages a trailer camp or court, whether or not such person is an owner.
OWNER
Any person who, alone or jointly with others, shall have legal or equitable title to any land on which a trailer camp or trailer court is located.
TRAILER
A vehicle which is used for living or sleeping purposes and is so designed that it is or may be mounted on wheels and used as a conveyance, whether through its own or other motive power.
TRAILER CAMP OR COURT
The land and premises on which two or more trailers, occupied for dwelling, sleeping or business purposes, are located.
TRAILER COACH SPACE
A plot of ground within a trailer court designed for the accommodation of one trailer.
A. 
Referral agency. The Planning Board is designated as the referral agency to the Council in administering the provisions of this chapter.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
B. 
Tentative approval.
(1) 
Preliminary approval to construct or alter. Trailer courts shall not be constructed or altered by any persons until the approving authority has given tentative approval thereof, and the recommendation of the approving authority has been confirmed by a majority vote of the Council. When such approval is granted, a permit shall be issued by the Clerk and shall confer upon the applicant the right to construct the trailer court or any portion thereof in accordance with the approved plans and specifications for a period of five years from the date of approval, and with the provision that the standards and specifications so approved preliminarily shall not be changed during such period so as to apply to the court so approved. A license to alter a trailer court shall be valid only for three months after issuance, and all construction shall be completed within such period.
(2) 
Whenever an applicant desires to construct a portion of the trailer court for which tentative approval has been obtained, the access roads within the trailer court shall be constructed so as to provide continuous access to and from the entrance to the trailer court without the necessity of turning vehicles around, or, as an alternative, an adequate turnaround shall be provided at the terminus of the streets which will accommodate fire-fighting equipment of the Town.
(3) 
If any portion of a trailer court is completed in accordance with the plans and specifications tentatively approved, an additional certificate shall be issued by the Clerk, after inspection by the Town Engineer, the Construction Official, and the Health Officer, indicating that such construction has been completed in accordance with the terms of this chapter and the tentative approval, and that the trailer court owner has the right to operate a trailer court within the area so approved.
(4) 
Where certain facilities are required for the common use of occupants of a trailer court, such as an office, community laundry or similar types of facilities, the owner may obtain final approval on a section of the development and a permit to operate the same without constructing such common facilities, provided that a bond guaranteeing the construction of such facilities in an amount approved by the Town Engineer is filed at the time final approval is granted, and an agreement is made to construct same within one year.
C. 
Procedure for obtaining tentative approval to construct. A license to construct a trailer court shall not be recommended by the approving authority to the Council until the approving authority has inspected and approved the proposed trailer court site and has determined the proposed trailer court is to be constructed in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 320, Zoning, all other applicable ordinances, and the following requirements:
(1) 
Final plans, specifications and reports, prepared by a licensed professional engineer or registered architect, fully describing and setting forth all data as hereinafter required, or as may otherwise be required by the approving authority, shall be submitted to the approving authority with the application for license.
(2) 
The owner shall also submit for approval final plans, specifications and reports prepared by a licensed professional engineer or registered architect which shall include the following data:
(a) 
Plot plan showing area and dimensions of tract, streams, watercourses, and any proposed diversions, contours of original grades and proposed grade changes, service buildings or other proposed structures, roads, walkways, water and sewer lines, fire hydrants and drinking fountains, size and arrangement of trailer coach spaces, playground areas, and refuse storage stations.
(b) 
Detailed plans and specifications of service buildings, roads, walks and other proposed construction.
(c) 
Detailed plans and specifications for water supply, sewage and electrical facilities.
(d) 
A statement from the municipal officer responsible for administration of the building, plumbing, electrical, and fire protection ordinances that construction as proposed is not in violation of such ordinances.
(3) 
The trailer court owner shall be responsible for the maintenance of the water and sewer mains within the trailer court, which shall be private mains. Water mains so constructed may be unlined cast-iron pipe instead of cement-lined cast-iron pipe as required by other ordinances of the Town of Newton and shall be installed and maintained in conformance with all of the provisions of Chapter 228, Sewer and Water, of the Code of the Town of Newton pertaining to the maintenance, distribution and use of water.
D. 
Procedure for obtaining a license or permit to alter a trailer court. A license to alter an existing trailer court shall not be issued by the Clerk until the approving authority has received from the owner or operator a letter of application, together with such plans, specifications or reports as may be requested by the approving authority. If such plans, specifications or reports comply in all respects with other provisions of this chapter or other applicable ordinances of the Town, the approving authority shall make its recommendation to the Council. Upon approval by the Council, the Clerk may issue the license upon payment of the required license fees.
E. 
License fees. No license to construct or alter a trailer court shall be issued by the Clerk until the applicant has paid the applicable license fee as set forth in § 100-7A.
A. 
No trailer camp shall provide less than 25 trailer coach spaces, and every trailer camp shall have a minimum land area of three acres.
B. 
Each trailer coach space shall have a minimum area of 3,200 square feet and a minimum width of 40 feet, except where, on corner lots or by reason of the topography or park plan, the minimum width of the lot shall require some modifications, provided that, in the event of such modification, the minimum area of all lots shall be 3,200 square feet and that not more than 10% of the spaces shall be so modified.
C. 
Only one trailer shall be placed upon any trailer coach space.
D. 
Each trailer coach space shall be located adjacent to an access road or driveway which is a private road or driveway running through the trailer court, so as to give access to each trailer coach space.
E. 
There shall be provided a concrete patio measuring at least 10 feet by 20 feet constructed on each trailer coach space.
F. 
In addition to the patio and the area for a trailer, there shall be a parking space for one automobile on each trailer coach space measuring at least 10 feet by 20 feet, with a concrete or asphalt surface, or, as an alternative, the owner shall pave the access roads within the trailer court with a thirty-foot width of pavement, and, in this event, parking may be permitted on one side only of such roads.
G. 
No trailer shall be located less than 15 feet from any other trailer or any building or structure.
H. 
No trailer shall be located closer than 10 feet to any outside line of the trailer camp property.
I. 
No trailer shall be placed closer than 35 feet to any public street or highway, except where the topography or the park plan requires some modification of this provision, and, in such event, modification shall be limited to no more than 10% of the trailer coach spaces within the trailer court.
J. 
Trailer courts abutting public streets shall provide a marginal service road or reverse frontage with a buffer strip for planting or some other means of separation of through and local traffic, as the approving authority may determine appropriate.
K. 
Each trailer coach space shall be permanently numbered, and the numbers assigned to such spaces shall be furnished to the Clerk on a copy of the overall plan.
L. 
At all points along the outside perimeter of every trailer court which adjoins property occupied as residences, there shall be provided a screen planting which shall not be less than four feet in height, or a wooden woven lattice louver or split cedar fence not less than four feet nor more than six feet in height. Spacing between the paling shall not exceed 3/4 inch in such a fence. When seeking preliminary approval, the trailer court owner shall submit as a part of the plans and specifications for such construction the proposed plan of screen planting or fencing, and such plan shall be approved as a part of the preliminary approval.
A. 
Permit required. No person shall operate or maintain a trailer court without first obtaining a permit from the Clerk and paying the required deposit fee, which permit shall be valid for one year from the date of issuance.
B. 
Deposit fee. Each person applying for a permit shall pay to the Clerk a deposit fee as set forth in § 100-7B for every trailer then registered in the trailer camp or, if no trailers are then registered, a minimum deposit fee as set forth in the above subsection. The deposit fee shall be held by the Clerk to ensure compliance with the terms of this chapter, which deposit fee shall be returned to the licensee upon expiration of the license, less such sums as may be found to be due under the terms of Subsection C of this section, which follows. When any owner or operator has paid the minimum deposit fee and, thereafter, more than five trailers are registered in the trailer court, such owner or operator shall deposit an additional fee as set forth in § 100-7B for each additional trailer registered in the trailer court. In lieu of a cash deposit, the person applying for the permit to operate the trailer court may deposit a bond with sufficient surety in a face amount equal to the cash deposit otherwise required.
C. 
Per trailer monthly charge; monthly report. Each person obtaining a permit shall pay a fee as set forth in § 100-7B per calendar week or any portion thereof for each trailer registered in the trailer camp or trailer court at any time during the week. A "calendar week" is defined as a week commencing at 12:01 a.m. on Sunday and ending at 11:59 p.m. on the following Saturday. The fee shall be paid monthly on or before the tenth day of the next succeeding month, and, if not paid at the end of the tenth day, the payment then due shall become delinquent and be subject to a penalty equal to 10% of the amount of the delinquent payment. Such payment shall be made to the Clerk and be accompanied by a monthly report form signed and sworn to by the licensee or his duly authorized agent. Copies of the monthly report shall be made available by the Clerk and shall contain the following information:
(1) 
Name and address of the licensee and address of the trailer court.
(2) 
Month for which the report is made.
(3) 
The names of the owners of each trailer, arranged numerically according to the trailer space occupied by such owner.
(4) 
The report form shall indicate whether any such owners have arrived or departed from the trailer court during the month for which the report is made, and the dates of such arrivals and departures.
A. 
It shall be the responsibility of the occupant or occupants of every trailer parked on a trailer coach space in a licensed trailer court to comply with the following provisions:
(1) 
The occupant shall keep the trailer coach space and the trailer over which he has control in a clean and sanitary condition.
(2) 
The occupant shall dispose of ashes, garbage, combustible rubbish and noncombustible rubbish in suitable receptacles, cans or barrels to be provided by the owner or operator and, after using such receptacles, shall place a cover thereon and shall be responsible for preventing the accumulation of any waste material on any portion of any premises over which he has control.
(3) 
Every occupant of a trailer shall be responsible for the extermination of rodents, vermin or any other pests therein or existing upon the trailer coach space.
(4) 
The occupant shall maintain all plumbing fixtures used by him in a clean and sanitary condition.
(5) 
Every occupant shall keep in good repair and operating condition all heating equipment supplied by him and under his control. Use of portable space heaters is prohibited.
B. 
The Sanitary Inspector may summarily compel any occupant of any trailer to comply with the provisions of Subsection A of this section by serving a notice upon said occupant, which notice shall contain a statement of the violations existing in the trailer or on the trailer coach space and the correction thereof sought by the Inspector and requiring that such violations be corrected within a reasonable time, not to exceed five days. If such violations are not eliminated within the time specified, the Sanitary Inspector may require the occupant either to vacate the trailer or move it from the Town. It shall be the duty of the owner or operator of the trailer court to assist the Sanitary Inspector in procuring the vacating or removal of any such trailer from the trailer court.