[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the Township
of Germany 8-1-1975 by Ord. No. 10. Amendments noted where applicable.]
A.
It shall be unlawful for any person, partnership, business or corporation
to undertake, or cause to be undertaken, the construction, reconstruction,
enlargement, alteration, or relocation of any building or structure
unless an approved building permit has been obtained from the Municipal
Building Permit Officer.
B.
A building permit shall not be required for repairs to existing buildings
or structures, provided that no structural changes or modifications
are involved.
For the purposes of this chapter, the following definitions
shall apply:
A combination of materials to form a permanent structure
having walls and a roof. Included shall be all mobile homes and trailers
to be used for human habitation.
Any person, persons, partnership, business or corporation.
A combination of materials to form anything constructed or
erected on the ground or attached to the ground, including, but not
limited to, buildings, factories, sheds, cabins, mobile homes, carports,
porches, driveways, swimming pools and other similar items.
Application for such a building permit shall be made, in writing,
to the Building Permit Officer on forms supplied by the municipality.
Such application shall contain at least the following:
A.
Name and address of applicant.
B.
Name and address of owner of land on which proposed construction
is to occur.
C.
Name and address of contractor.
D.
Site location.
E.
Brief description of proposed work and estimated cost.
F.
A plan of the site showing the exact size and location of the proposed
construction as well as any existing buildings or structures.
The Building Permit Officer shall issue a building permit only
after it has been determined that the proposed construction will be
in conformance with all applicable requirements and regulations.
After the issuance of a building permit by the Building Permit
Officer, no changes of any kind shall be made to the application,
permit, or any of the plans, specifications or other documents submitted
with the application without the written consent or approval of the
Building Permit Officer.
[Added 12-13-2010 by Ord. No. 44]
A.
STORAGE BUILDING
UTILITY AND MISCELLANEOUS USE STRUCTURES
Within Germany
Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania, a building permit in compliance
with the Uniform Construction Code shall be required for all storage,
utility and miscellaneous use structures with a building area in excess
of 250 square feet, which are defined respectively as follows:
A structure not intended for residential occupancy which
is necessary to the principal use of the property as a place to store
personal property.
Buildings or structures of an accessory character and miscellaneous
structures not classified by the Building Officials' and Code Administrators'
International, Inc., in any specific use group. This term includes
carports, detached private garages, greenhouses and sheds having a
building area in excess of 250 square feet.
B.
The provisions
of this chapter are severable and if any provisions, sentence, clause,
section or part thereof is held illegal, invalid, unconstitutional
or inapplicable to any person or entity, such illegality, invalidity,
unconstitutionality or inapplicability shall not affect or impair
any of the remaining provisions, sentences, clauses, sections or part
of this chapter.
C.
All other
provisions of Ordinance 2004-1 which adopted the Uniform Construction
Code in Germany Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania, shall remain
unchanged and in full force and effect.
D.
This chapter
shall be effective as soon as legally possible.
In addition to the building permit, the Building Permit Officer
shall issue a placard which shall be displayed on the premises during
the time construction is in progress. This placard shall show the
number of the building permit, the date of its issuance and be signed
by the Building Permit Officer.
Work on the proposed construction shall begin within six months
after the date of issuance of the building permit or the permit shall
expire unless a time extension is granted, in writing, by the Building
Permit Officer. Construction shall be considered to have started with
the first placement of permanent construction of the site, such as
the pouring of slabs or footings or any work beyond the stage of excavation.
For a structure without a basement or poured footings, the start of
construction includes the first permanent framing or assembly of the
structure or any part thereof on its pilings or foundation, or the
affixing of any prefabricated structure or mobile home to its permanent
site. Permanent construction does not include land preparation, land
clearing, grading, filling; excavation for basement, footings, piers,
or foundations; erection of temporary forms; the installation of piling
under proposed subsurface footings; or the installation of sewer,
gas, and water pipes, or electric or other service lines from the
street.
During the construction period, the Building Permit Officer
or other authorized official may inspect the premises to determine
that the work is progressing in compliance with the information provided
on the permit application and with all applicable municipal laws and
ordinances. In the event the Building Permit Officer discovers that
the work does not comply with the permit application or any applicable
laws and ordinances, or that there has been a false statement or misrepresentation
by any applicant, the Building Permit Officer shall revoke the building
permit and report such fact to the Board of Supervisors for whatever
action it considers necessary.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
Fees assessable by Germany Township for the administration and
enforcement undertaken pursuant to this chapter and the Code shall
be established by the Board of Supervisors by resolution from time
to time.
Any person aggrieved by the Building Permit Officer's estimate
of the cost of the proposed construction may appeal to the Board of
Supervisors. Such appeal must be filed, in writing, within 30 days
after the determination by the Building Permit Officer. Upon receipt
of such appeal, the Supervisors shall set a time and place not less
than 10 nor more than 30 days for the purpose of hearing the appeal.
Notice of the time and place of the hearing of the appeal shall be
given to all parties at which time they may appear and be heard. The
determination of the estimated cost by the Supervisors shall be final
in all cases.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
Any person who fails to comply with any or all of the requirements
or provisions of this chapter or who fails or refuses to comply with
any notice, order or direction of the Building Permit Officer or any
other authorized employee of the municipality shall, upon conviction
in a summary proceeding brought before a Magisterial District Judge
under the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure, be guilty of a
summary offense and shall be punishable by a fine of not more than
$1,000, plus costs of prosecution. In default of payment thereof,
the Board of Supervisors shall prescribe imprisonment to the extent
allowed by law for the punishment of summary offenses. Each day or
portion thereof that such violation continues or is permitted to continue
shall constitute a separate offense, and each section of this chapter
that is violated shall also constitute a separate offense. In addition
to the above penalties, all other actions are hereby reserved, including
an action in equity for the proper enforcement of this chapter. The
imposition of a fine or penalty for any violation of, or noncompliance
with, this chapter shall not excuse the violation or noncompliance
or permit it to continue; and all such persons shall be required to
correct or remedy such violations and noncompliances within a reasonable
time. Any structure or building constructed, reconstructed, enlarged,
altered, or relocated in noncompliance with this chapter may be declared
by the Board of Supervisors to be a public nuisance and abatable as
such.
