In the construction of the revised ordinances, and of all other
ordinances of the City, the following rules shall be observed, unless
such construction would be inconsistent with the manifest intent of
the Council:
A. "City" shall be construed as if the words "of Springfield" followed.
B. Computation of time. Whenever a notice is required to be given or
an act to be done a certain length of time before any proceeding shall
be had, the day on which such notice is given, or such act is done,
shall be counted in computing the time, but the day on which such
proceeding is to be had shall not be counted.
C. "Council" means the City Council.
D. "County" means the County of Hampden, Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
E. Gender. A word importing the masculine gender only shall extend and
be applied to females and to firms, partnerships and corporations
as well as to males.
F. "Law" denotes applicable federal law, the Constitution, statutes
and regulations of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the ordinances
of the City of Springfield and, when appropriate, any and all rules
and regulations which may be promulgated thereunder.
H. "Month" means a calendar month.
I. "Must" and "shall" are each mandatory.
J. Number. A word importing the singular number only may extend and
be applied to several persons and things as well as to one person
and thing.
K. "Oath" includes an affirmation in all cases in which, by law, an
affirmation may be substituted for an oath, and in such case the words
"swear" and "sworn" shall be equivalent to the words "affirm" and
"affirmed."
L. "Or" may be read "and," and "and" may be read "or," if the sense
requires it.
M. "Owner," as applied to a building or land, includes any part owner,
joint owner, tenant in common, joint tenant or tenant by the entirety
of the whole or of a part of such building or land.
N. "Person" extends and is applied to associations, firms, partnerships
and bodies politic and corporate as well as to individuals.
O. "Personal property" includes money, goods, chattels, things in action
and evidences of debt.
P. "Preceding" and "following" mean next before and the next after,
respectively.
Q. "Property" includes real and personal property.
R. "Real property" includes lands, tenements and hereditaments.
S. "Sidewalk" means that portion of a street between the curbline and
the adjacent property line improved for the use of pedestrians.
T. "Street" is construed to embrace streets, avenues, boulevards, roads,
alleys, lanes, viaducts and all other public highways in the City.
U. "Tenant" or "occupant," applied to a building or land, includes any
person holding a written or oral lease or who occupies the whole or
part of such building or land, either alone or with others.
V. Time. Words used in the past or present tense include the future
as well as the past and present.
W. "Written" or "in writing" includes any representation of words, letters
or figures, whether by printing or otherwise.
The catchlines of the several sections of the revised ordinances
printed in boldface type are intended as mere catchwords to indicate
the contents of the section and shall not be deemed or taken to be
titles of such sections, nor as any part of the section nor, unless
expressly so provided, shall they be so deemed when any of such sections,
including the catchlines, are amended or reenacted.