[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Edgewater 5-19-1997 by Ord. No. 1092-97 (Ch. 214 of the 1975 Code); amended in its entirety at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I). Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Streets and sidewalks — See Ch. 380.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
CART
A hand-drawn or -propelled vehicle or wheeled container made of metal, wood or other material such as is generally provided by merchants for carting or carrying merchandise or foodstuffs to automobiles or other places.
CORRAL
A physical barrier, consisting of metal poles embedded in the ground, or a masonry or other wall or structure, capable of preventing shopping carts from being removed from the premises.
PERSON
A person of either sex, corporation, partnership, association, joint-stock company, societies and other entities capable of being sued.
STREET
Includes street, avenue, road, alley, lane, highway, boulevard, concourse, driveway, culvert, crosswalk, sidewalk, parks, parking lots, parking areas and places used by the general public.
A. 
No person shall make any shopping cart or carts available for use by customers for handling or carrying food, goods or other merchandise in or about any store or other business establishment unless the premises on which such store or other business establishment is located contains a corral, certified by the Borough Code Official to be sufficient to prevent the removal of any such shopping cart from such premises.
B. 
In the event of a violation of this section, the Borough Code Official shall issue a notice of violation, which shall require compliance within 10 days. Thereafter, the Borough Code Official shall issue summonses for violations of this chapter. In the event of conviction, the Municipal Court shall fine the offender $100 for the first offense; $250 for the second offense; and $500 for the third and all following offenses.
A. 
It shall be unlawful for any person to remove a cart, as defined herein, from the property of any store or other business establishment. Further, it shall be unlawful for any store or other business establishment to permit or allow any person to remove a cart, as defined herein, from the property of the store or other business establishment.
B. 
In the event of a conviction of this section, the Municipal Court shall impose a fine of $25 for the first violation; $50 for the second violation; and $100 for the third and subsequent violations.
A. 
It shall be unlawful for any person, or such person's agent or employee, to leave or suffer or permit to be left any cart, either owned by such person or in such person's possession, custody or control, upon any sidewalk or street.
B. 
In the event of a conviction of this section, the Municipal Court shall impose a fine of $25 for the first violation; $50 for the second violation; and $100 for the third and subsequent violations.
A. 
The Borough shall impound or cause to be impounded a cart found upon any sidewalk or street, that has no sign or notice identifying the owner, where it shall be held until redeemed, sold or otherwise disposed of as hereinafter provided.
B. 
The Borough shall impound or cause to be impounded, when the following conditions are met, a cart that has a sign or notice identifying the owner of the cart, or the retailer who has written consent from the owner to use the cart, and listing a valid telephone number or address through which the owner or retailer can be contacted:
(1) 
The cart is located outside the premises or parking area of a retail mercantile establishment.
(2) 
The Borough notifies the owner or retailer of the location of the cart and allows three business days from the date of such notification for the owner, retailer, or an authorized agent to retrieve the cart, unless the immediate removal is necessary to prevent a danger to public safety.
(3) 
The Borough has notified the owner or retailer upon impoundment of a cart and includes information as to how the cart may be retrieved.
(4) 
The location that an impounded cart is held is reasonably convenient to the owner, retailer, or authorized agent and is open for business at least six hours of each business day.
(5) 
Any fine imposed upon the owner or retailer for an impounded cart does not exceed $50 for each occurrence for failure to retrieve carts. An occurrence includes all carts impounded in accordance with this section during a twenty-four-hour period.
(6) 
The Borough allows the owner or retailer a minimum of five business days following receipt of notice that a cart has been impounded to retrieve the cart before it may sell or otherwise dispose of the cart.
Whenever the Borough impounds or causes to be impounded a cart that has a sign or notice identifying the owner of the cart, or the retailer who has written consent from the owner to use the cart, and lists a valid telephone number or address through which the owner or retailer can be contacted, without meeting the conditions required in § 353-5 hereof, the Borough shall:
A. 
Notify the owner or retailer within 24 hours of impounding the cart and include information on how the cart may be retrieved;
B. 
Release the cart to the owner, retailer or authorized agent without any charge or fine whatsoever if the owner, retailer, or authorized agent attempts to retrieve the cart within five business days of notice.
After the expiration of five business days as provided in § 353-6 hereof, a cart may be redeemed by the owner thereof at any time prior to the sale, dismantling, destruction or disposal thereof, and the owner shall be entitled to receive such cart upon payment of the sum of $25. No cart shall be delivered to a person seeking to redeem unless proof is submitted establishing to the satisfaction of the Borough such person's ownership or right to possession. Any delivery to a person deemed entitled thereto by the Borough from the proof submitted shall be an absolute defense of the Borough against any other person claiming to be entitled thereto.
When any cart remains in the custody of the Borough for a period of 15 days after the removal and with respect to which no person has presented to the Borough proof establishing to its satisfaction such person's ownership or right to possession, the Borough shall give public notice in its official newspaper that, at a specified place and time, not less than five days after such notice is published, such cart will be sold at public auction for not less than $25, plus the costs of advertising the sale. If, after such notice of sale is given, any person desires to redeem any cart prior to sale, such person shall pay to the Borough for redemption the sum of $25, plus the cost of advertising the sale. A general description of the cart shall be sufficient. The sale shall be conducted by the Borough Administrator or by such person as the governing body shall designate.
This chapter shall not apply to any cart or personal property which may come into the possession or custody of any department of the Borough pursuant to any other ordinance, law or regulation.