[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Council of the Borough of Ambridge as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Code enforcement — See Ch. 110.
Uniform construction codes — See Ch. 115.
Nuisance and disruptive properties — See Ch. 180.
Solid waste — See Ch. 252.
[Adopted 5-8-1972 by Ord. No. 908]
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
BUSINESS BUILDINGS
Any structure, whether public or private, that is adapted for occupancy, for transaction of business, for rendering of professional service, for amusement, for the display, sale or storage of goods, wares or merchandise, or for the performance of work or labor, including hotels, apartment buildings, tenement houses, rooming houses, office buildings, public buildings, stores, theaters, markets, restaurants, grain elevators, abattoirs, warehouses, workshops, factories and all outhouses, sheds, barns and other structures on premises used for business purposes.
HEALTH OFFICER
The inspecting department coordinator, Health Officer, Street Commissioner, and code enforcement officers.[1]
OCCUPANT
The individual, partnership or corporation that uses or occupies any business building or part or fraction thereof, whether the actual owner, agent or custodian shall have the responsibility as occupant.
OWNER
Actual owner, agent or custodian of the business building, whether individual, partnership or corporation. The lessee shall be construed as the "owner" for the purpose of this article when business building agreements hold the lessee responsible for maintenance and repairs.
RAT ERADICATION
The elimination or extermination of rats within buildings by any or all of the accepted measures, such as poisoning, fumigations, trapping and clubbing.
RAT HARBORAGE
Any condition which provides shelter or protection for rats, thus favoring their multiplication and continued existence in, under or outside of any structure.
RATPROOFING
Form of construction to prevent the ingress of rats into business buildings from the exterior or from one business building or establishment to another. It consists essentially of treatment with material impervious to rat gnawing of all actual or potential openings in exterior walls, ground or first floors, basements, roofs and foundations that may be reached by climbing or by burrowing.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
It is hereby ordained and required that all business buildings in the Borough shall be ratproofed, freed of rats and maintained in a ratproof and rat-free condition to the satisfaction of the Health Officer.
Upon receipt of written notice and/or order from the Health Officer, the owner of any business building specified therein shall take immediate measures for ratproofing the building, and unless said work and improvements have been completed by the owner in the time specified in a written notice, in no event to be less than 15 days, or within the time to which a written extension may have been granted by the Health Officer, then the owner shall be deemed guilty of an offense under the provisions of this article.
Whenever the Health Officer notifies the occupant or occupants of a business building in writing that there is evidence of rat infestation of the building, said occupant or occupants shall immediately institute rat eradication measures and shall continuously maintain such measures in a satisfactory manner until the premises are declared by the Health Officer to be free of rat infestation. Unless said measures are undertaken within five days after receipt of notice, it shall be construed as a violation of the provisions of this article, and the occupant shall be held responsible therefor.
The owners of all ratproofed business buildings are required to maintain the premises in a ratproof condition and to repair all breaks or leaks that may occur in the ratproofing without a specific order of the Health Officer.
From and after passage of this article, the Health Officer is empowered to make unannounced inspections of the interior and exterior of business buildings to determine full compliance with this article, and the Health Officer shall make periodic inspections at intervals of not more than 45 days of all ratproofed buildings to determine evidence of rat infestation and the existence of new breaks or leaks in their ratproofing and, when any evidence is found indicating the presence of rats or openings through which rats may again enter business buildings, the Health Officer shall serve the owners or occupants with notice and/or orders to abate the conditions found.
Whenever conditions inside or under occupied business buildings provide extensive harborage for rats (in the opinion of the Health Officer), said Health Officer is empowered, after due notification in accordance with § 202-3, to close such business buildings until such time as the conditions are abated by ratproofing and harborage removal, including, if necessary, the installation of suitable concrete floors in basements or replacement of wooden first or ground floors with concrete or other major repairs necessary to facilitate rat eradication.
Whenever conditions inside or under occupied business buildings provide extensive harborage for rats (in the opinion of the Health Officer), said Health Officer is empowered to require compliance with the provisions of § 202-3 above, and in the event that said conditions are not corrected in a period of 60 days, or within the time to which a written extension may have been granted by the Health Officer, the Health Officer is empowered to institute condemnation and destruction proceedings.
It shall be unlawful under the provisions of this article for the occupant, owner, contractor, public utility company, plumber or any other person to remove and fail to restore in like condition the ratproofing from any business building for any purpose. Further, it shall be unlawful for any person or agent to make any new openings that are not closed or sealed against the entrance of rats.
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation hereafter to construct, repair or remodel any building, dwelling, stable or market, or other structure whatsoever, unless such construction, repair, remodeling or installation shall render the building or other structure ratproofed in accordance with the regulations prescribed herein and hereunder. The provisions of this section apply only to such construction, repairs, remodeling or installation as to affect the ratproof condition of any building or other structure.
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation hereafter to occupy any new or existing business buildings wherein foodstuffs are to be stored, kept, handled, sold, held or offered for sale without complying with § 202-10; and unless the provisions of this section are complied with, no Borough license or permit to conduct or carry on such business as defined above will be issued.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
All that food and feed within the Borough for feeding chickens, cows, pigs, horses and other animals shall be stored in rat-free and ratproof containers, compartments or rooms unless stored in a ratproof building.
Within the corporate limits of the Borough, all garbage or refuse consisting of waste animal or vegetable matter upon which rats may feed and all small dead animals shall be placed and stored until collected in covered metal containers of a type prescribed by the Health Officer. It is further declared unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to dump or place on any premises, land or waterway, any dead animals or any waste vegetable or animal matter of any kind.
It shall be unlawful for any person to permit to accumulate on any premises, improved or vacant, or on any open lot or alley in the Borough any lumber, boxes, barrels, bottles, cans, containers or similar materials that may be permitted to remain thereon unless same shall be placed on open racks that are elevated not less than 18 inches above the ground and evenly piled or stacked.
[Amended 1-17-1983 by Ord. No. 1009[1]]
Any person, firm or corporation who shall violate any provision of this article shall be, upon conviction thereof, sentenced to a fine of not more than $1,000 plus costs and, in default of payment of said fine and costs, to a term of imprisonment not to exceed 30 days. Each day that a violation of this article continues or each section of this article which shall be found to have been violated shall constitute a separate offense.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
[Adopted 9-22-1980 by Ord. No. 987]
No person, firm or corporation owning or occupying any property within the Borough shall permit any grass or weeds or any vegetation whatsoever, not edible or planted for some useful or ornamental purpose, to grow or remain upon such premises so as to exceed a height of six inches or to throw off any unpleasant or noxious odor or to conceal any filthy deposit or to create or produce pollen. Any grass, weeds or other vegetation growing upon any premises in the Borough in violation of any of the provisions of this section is hereby declared to be a nuisance and detrimental to the health, safety, cleanliness and comfort of the inhabitants of the Borough.
The owner of any premises, as to vacant premises or premises occupied by the owner, and the occupant thereof, in case of premises occupied by other than the owner thereof, shall remove, trim or cut all grass, weeds or other vegetation growing or remaining upon such premises in violation of § 202-17.
[Amended 8-5-1993 by Ord. No. 1101]
The Borough Council or any officer or employee of the Borough designated thereby for the purpose is hereby authorized to give notice, by personal service or by United States mail certified, return receipt requested, registered mail or first class mail with a certificate of mailing, to the owner or occupant, as the case may be, of any premises or by posting the premises whereon grass, weeds or other vegetation is growing or remaining in violation of § 202-17 of this article, directing and requiring such occupant to remove, trim or cut such grass, weeds or vegetation, so as to conform to the requirements of this article within 48 hours after service of such notice. In the case of service of notice by United States mail, first class mail with certificate of mailing, service shall be deemed complete 24 hours after depositing such notice in the mail, unless such notice is returned within three business days of deposit. In case any person, firm or corporation shall neglect, fail or refuse to comply with such notice within the period of time stated therein, the Borough authorities may remove, trim or cut such grass, weeds or other vegetation, and all such costs thereof, together with any additional penalty authorized by law, may be collected by the Borough from such person, firm or corporation in the manner provided by law.
[Amended 1-17-1983 by Ord. No. 1009[1]]
Any person, firm or corporation who or which shall violate or fail, neglect or refuse to comply with any of the provisions of this article shall, upon conviction thereof, be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than $1,000 plus costs and, in default of payment of said fine and costs, to a term of imprisonment not to exceed 30 days. Each day that a violation continues shall constitute a separate offense, and additional notice to the offender shall not be necessary in order to constitute such offense.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).