City of Norwalk, CT Chapter 71 Nuisances [1]

[HISTORY: Adopted City of Norwalk Common Council 5-15-1957; effective 5-25-1957. Amendments noted where applicable.]

[1] Editor's Note: See Charter and Related Laws, § 1-189, for authorization of Council as to the prevention and abatement of nuisances. See also Ch. 15, Animals and Fowl.

Article I General

§ 71-1 Definition.

For the purpose of the ordinance, the terms used herein are defined as follows:

NUISANCE

Whatever is dangerous to human life or health, and whatever renders the ground, air, food or water unwholesome and an injury to human health.

§ 71-2 Unlawful rendering and bone boiling.

No person shall engage in the disposal of dead animals, bone boiling, bone cooking, glue making or rendering impure and offensive animal matter without a permit from the Board of Health.[1]

[1] Editor's Note: As to the Board of Health, in general, see Charter and Related Laws, Art. VII. As to Health and Sanitation see Ch. 57.

§ 71-3 Unlawful bringing in of rags, bones, scraps, etc.; permit.

No rags, bones, scraps or refuse matter shall be brought into or be stored or kept within the limits of the city except on written permit issued by the Board of Health, and such Board shall reserve the right to revoke such permit at any time.

§ 71-4 Unlawful use of buildings.

No dwelling or any part thereof, within the city shall be used in the business of selling, storing, sorting or handling of rags, without a written permit from the Board of Health, which permit may be revoked by such Board at any time.

§ 71-5 Carrying on business in obnoxious way; odors and noises.

No person shall carry on any trade or business within the city in such a manner as to be obnoxious and offensive to the inhabitants of the city or any part thereof,[1] or which may be attended by noisome or unhealthful odors, or which may be attended by such noise or noises as may be detrimental to life or health.

[1] Editor's Note: See also, Ch. 77, Peddlers and Solicitors, § 77-9.

§ 71-6 Unclean buildings, overcrowding, declared nuisances.

The keeping of any house or building or part thereof in such a state of uncleanliness, or the crowding of persons in any house or building in such a manner as to endanger the health of the persons dwelling therein, hereby declared to be a nuisance and is prohibited.[1]

[1] Editor's Note: See Ch. 59, Housing Code.

§ 71-7 Lighting, ventilation, cleanliness; water closets in buildings; egress or ingress.

No owner, agent or lessee of any building or any part thereof shall occupy or let, lease or hire out the same, or any portion thereof, to be occupied either for domestic or business purposes by any person, or allow the same to be occupied as a place for anyone to dwell or ledge or conduct business, where such building, or any part thereof, is not provided with adequate means of ingress and egress, or is not sufficiently supported lighted, ventilated, drained, cleansed or provided with proper water closets.

§ 71-8 Odors from traps, sinks, water closets or drains declared to be nuisances.

Any imperfect trap, sink or water closet within any house, or any other drainage appliance or fixture within any house, from which there shall arise any foul or noxious gas or odor detrimental to human health, is hereby declared to be a nuisance.[1]

[1] Editor's Note: See also Ch. 81, Plumbing.

§ 71-9 Water supply for domestic purposes.

No building or premises shall be rented, let, leased or occupied, either for domestic or business purposes, which shall not have a plentiful supply of pure water suitable for domestic purposes furnished in such building.

§ 71-10 Buildings dangerous to health.

Whenever it shall be decided by the Board of Health that any building or part thereof is unfit for human habitation by reason of the number of occupants, want of cleanliness or being in a condition dangerous to health or life, or likely to be the cause of sickness among the occupants, and notice of such decision shall have been affixed conspicuously on the building or any part thereof and personally served upon the owner, agent or lessee, if the same can be found in the state requiring all persons therein to vacate such building, or part thereof, for the reasons stated therein, such buildings or part thereof shall within 10 days thereafter be vacated or, in case of special emergency, within such shorter time as may be specified in such notice.

§ 71-11 Unburnables.

No person shall burn within the city any matter or substance (other than coal, charcoal, wood, gas or oils) which shall discharge into the air or cast off any foul, obnoxious, annoying or repulsive gas, smoke or odors of any kind whatever.[1]

[1] Editor's Note: See also Ch. 98, Smoke Regulations.

§ 71-12 Stagnant water constitutes a nuisance.

All ponds, pools or collections of still and stagnant water shall constitute a nuisance.

§ 71-13 Abatement of nuisances.

It shall be the duty of any owner, tenant, lessee or occupant of any lot, ground, building, house or stable in the city on written notice from the Board of Health, to forthwith remove therefrom any rubbish, waste paper, garbage, offal or any offensive matter or thing; and it shall be the duty of any person, on written notice front such Board, to abate any nuisances existing on any premises of he may be the owner, tenant, or occupant.[1]

[1] Editor's Note: For sewage nuisance see Ch. 94, Sewers and Sewage Disposal, § 94-32.

Article II Miscellaneous Offenses [1]

[1] Editor's Note: For firearms and fireworks see Ch. 38. See also Ch. 86, Public Lighting for the destroying of public lights, wires, etc.

§ 71-14 Abandoned iceboxes and refrigerators.

It shall be unlawful for any person to leave outside of any building or dwelling in a place accessible to children any abandoned, unattended or discarded icebox, refrigerator or any other container of any kind, which has an airtight door or lock which may not be released for opening from the inside of such icebox, refrigerator or container.

§ 71-15 Unlawful leaving iceboxes and refrigerators; snap looks.

It shall be unlawful for any person to leave outside of any building or dwelling in a place accessible to children any abandoned, unattended or discarded icebox, refrigerator or any other container of any kind, which has an airtight snap lock or other device thereon without first removing the snap lock or doors from such icebox, refrigerator or container.

§ 71-16 Giving information to prevent arrest or location of suspect.

It shall be unlawful for any person, with the intention to prevent the detection or arrest of any person who is guilty or suspected of any offense, to give any information regarding any complaint, or any order to any member of the police force, or any intended action of any police officer, or of the vicinity, position or approach of any police officer.

§ 71-17 Hours for barber shops.

A. No barber shop in the city shall be open for business before 8:00 a.m. or remain open after 6:00 p.m. on any weekday, except on Saturdays when the hours shall be from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

B. On day prior to holidays such shops may remain open until 7:00 p.m.

§ 71-18 Assisting in escapes. [1]

It shall be unlawful for any person in any manner to assist any person in custody of a police officer or member of the Police Department to escape or attempt to escape from such custody.

[1] Editor's Note: See also, Charter and Related Laws, § 1-306.

§ 71-19 Fires; permit. [1]

No person shall, without first obtaining a permit from the Fire Marshal of the City, make or cause to be made within the limits of the city any outdoor fire, except as provided in this section as follows:

A. Waste other than garbage may be burned in a standard waste burner with a closed top constructed of brick, plate iron, steel or wire, located not less than 15 feet from any structure and not less than three feet from any property line. If such burner is constructed of plate iron or steel, the same shall be of not less than No. 14 B.W. gauge and, if of wire, it shall not be less then No. 9 gauge, and no meshes in any burner shall be larger than one inch.

B. Garbage may be burned only in an appliance or incinerator especially designed for the disposal of garbage by heat, giving off no obnoxious odors and being approved by the National Board of Fire Underwriters or the American Gas Association.[2]

[2] Editor's Note: See also Ch. 59, Garbage and Trash, § 50-15.

C. Cooking fires may be made in an outdoor fireplace or barbecue pit of such construction as will confine the fire to such fireplace or barbecue pit and in such location as does not create a fire hazard.

[1] Editor's Note: See also, Ch. 41, Fire Department; Charter and Related Laws, Art. IX, Fire Department and Fire Fund.

§ 71-20 Factors considered in granting permit for outdoor fires.

The permit required by the preceding section may be granted by the Fire Marshal of the city for any fire not specifically authorized in such section, at his sound discretion after the following factors are considered by him:

A. Wind conditions.

B. Type and condition of material to be burned.

C. Quantity of material to be burned.

D. Proximity of proposed fire to dwellings and outbuildings.

E. Precautions available for keeping such fire under control.

§ 71-21 Application for and issuance of permit for outdoor fires.

Application for the permit required under § 71-19 of this Code may be made orally and shall be promptly granted or denied orally. If granted, however, it shall be confirmed in writing.

§ 71-22 Obstructing entrances. [1]

No person shall be or remain upon the steps or other projection from any church, hotel, hall or public building, nor in any hall, space or way leading thereto, so as to obstruct free passage into and out of the same, or upon any fence or wall surrounding or adjoining the same.

[1] Editor's Note: See also Ch. 101, Streets and Sidewalks, § 101-31.

§ 71-23 Change of use in new or existing structures; permit.

[Added 4-10-1973]

A. No person shall, without first obtaining a permit from the Fire Marshal of the city, make any change in the use or layout of any commercial or industrial structure or portion thereof, or any residential structure containing more than two dwelling units or portion thereof.

B. The permit required by the preceding subsection shall be granted by the Fire Marshal after an inspection, conducted under his authority, of structures, receptacles, vehicles, storage places and types of contents to be used, if the same constitute no unreasonable hazard of fire or explosion.

C. All applications for a permit shall be made to the Fire Marshal in such form as he shall prescribe. An application for a permit shall be accompanied by such plans as required by the Fire Marshal.

D. Permits shall at all times be kept on the premises designated therein and shall at all times be subject to inspection by any officer of the Fire or Police Department. Permits shall not be transferable.