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Township of Susquehanna, PA
Dauphin County
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
[Ord. 80-11, 4/10/1980, § 1; as amended by Ord. 89-16, 11/21/1989]
The definitions here given apply to the items defined for all purposes of this Part unless otherwise expressly provided.
BOARD
The Board of Commissioners of Susquehanna Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.
MOTOR VEHICLE
All types of automobiles, trucks, tractors and including self propelled machinery of all kinds.
PERSON
Any natural person, partnership, firm, company, corporation or other legal entity, including singular and plural, male and female.
PREMISES
Any parcel of land situated in Susquehanna Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania having a separate tax map parcel number for county assessment purposes.
SALVAGE
Any discarded or salvageable article or material, including but not limited to: scrap metal, paper, rags, glass, containers, structures, junked motor vehicles, junked trailers, machinery and equipment.
SALVAGE DEALER
Any person who buys, sells, salvages, stores or in any way deals in salvage items, or owns, leases, operates or maintains a salvage yard within the Township.
SALVAGE YARD
A lot, land, or structure, or part thereof, used primarily for the collecting, storage, and sale of waste paper, rags, scrap metal, or discarded material, or for the collecting, dismantling, storage, and salvaging of machinery or vehicles not in running condition, and for the sale of parts thereof.
TOWNSHIP
Susquehanna Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.
[Ord. 80-11, 4/10/1980, § 2]
1. 
No person may be a salvage dealer, as herein defined, within the Township without first obtaining a license to operate as herein described.
A. 
License Application — Any person desiring to be licensed as a salvage dealer in the Township shall first make written application to the Board. Such application shall be in the form established by the Board, and shall include the applicant's name, an accurate description of the premises on which the salvage yard is to be located, a statement that the applicant will comply with this Part and any regulations adopted pursuant to this Part.
B. 
License Issuance — An application for license shall be examined by the Board or duly authorized agent thereof and the license issued or refused within 30 days of submission to the Board. Examination of the application shall include current zoning requirements, suitability of the property proposed, and the character of nearby properties.
C. 
License — The annual license fee shall be as established by resolution of the Board of Commissioners. The period of any license issued shall be one year or portion thereof. All licenses shall expire on December 31 of the year in which issued.
D. 
License Renewal — Licenses issued under this Part are required to be renewed on or before January 1 of the year in which it is desired to continue operations. Application for renewal must be accompanied by license fee and be on forms as required by the Board. All license renewals shall be subject to complete reexamination for compliance with the terms of this Part.
E. 
License Limitations — No person licensed under this Part shall, by virtue of one license operate more than one business or salvage yard within the Township.
2. 
No person shall engage in business nor operate a salvage yard at any place other than that designated by this license.
3. 
No person shall operate upon the streets, roads or highways of the Township, whether from a vehicle or on foot, as a scavenger or itinerant buyer or seller of salvage.
4. 
Licenses are nontransferable, both as to salvage dealer and salvage yard premises.
5. 
The permitted size of a salvage yard shall be fixed at the time of license issuance and shall not be less than two acres excluding set back areas, as defined in the Township Zoning Ordinance [Chapter 27].
[Ord. 80-11, 4/10/1980, § 3]
1. 
License display — The license under which the salvage yard is operated shall at all times be conspicuously displayed on the licensed premises.
2. 
Hours of Operation — Salvage yards and businesses licensed under this Part 2 may not operate on Sunday, nor between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. except to remove any wrecked automobile from any public highway.
3. 
Attendant — Salvage yards shall have an adult attendant for business purposes on the premises at all times during business hours. The premises shall be locked and secured from public access at all times when closed.
4. 
Storage — All salvage shall be stored and arranged so as to permit access by firefighting equipment. Salvage, including vehicles, shall be spaced in rows with at least 15 feet between double rows. Salvage shall be arranged so as to prevent the accumulation of stagnant water, and shall be stacked to a height of not more than that of the enclosing fence. No salvage material, including vehicles shall be stored or worked on outside the yard enclosure.
A. 
All gasoline and oil shall be drained from salvage vehicles within 12 hours of arrival on premises.
B. 
Such gas and oil shall be stored at only one location on the premises in a manner approved by the Township Fire Marshall.
5. 
Burning — No open burning of any kind is permitted within the confines of the Township.
6. 
Prohibited Materials — Garbage, organic wastes, any form of refuse, or hazardous wastes shall not be stored in any salvage yard. Such materials may be received, mixed, with salvage and shall be separated and promptly disposed of. Hazardous wastes including but not limited to chemicals, explosives, pathological and radioactive materials shall be disposed of with approval from and under the direct supervision of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources.
[Ord. 80-11, 4/10/1980, § 4]
1. 
Every salvage yard premises shall be completely enclosed by a fence which shall be eight feet in height and shall be of wood or other suitable fabric with maximum lineal openings of three inches.
A. 
Entrance gates shall be of similar material, well constructed, and shall be kept securely locked except during business hours.
B. 
Fencing shall be maintained in good condition throughout its length at all times.
2. 
Landscape Screen Planting — Salvage yard premises which have fence enclosures visible from abutting public thoroughfares or from abutting residential property within 500 feet of the fence shall have a landscaped screen of trees or suitable shrubs of varieties capable of reaching a height of six feet in two years. All required open areas between fence and lot lines of the premises shall be maintained continuously in good order, free of weeds and scrub growth.
3. 
Interior Maintenance — The area inside the fence shall have weeds mowed regularly, kept free of rats and other rodents or vermin, and maintained in such a manner as to cause no public nuisance.
[Ord. 80-11, 4/10/1980, § 5]
1. 
Any member of the Board or agent of the Board may at any reasonable time enter upon the premises for the purpose of inspection to determine compliance with the provisions of this Part.
2. 
The Board may from time to time adopt additional regulations to carry out the provisions of this Part. Current licensees will be duly notified of any such regulations.
[Ord. 80-11, 4/10/1980, § 6; as amended by Ord. 89-16, 11/21/1989]
Any person, firm or corporation who shall violate any provision of this Part shall, upon conviction thereof, be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than $600 and costs, or in default of payment thereof, shall be subject to imprisonment for a term not to exceed 30 days. Every day that a violation of this Part continues shall constitute a separate offense. Furthermore, each and every violation of this Part shall constitute a separate offense.
[Ord. 80-11, 4/10/1980, § 7]
The remedies provided herein for the enforcement of this Part, or of any remedy provided by law, shall not be deemed mutually exclusive, rather they may be employed simultaneously or consecutively, at the option of the Township of Susquehanna.
[Ord. 80-11, 4/10/1980, § 8]
Salvage yards and salvage dealers operating and existing in the Township on the effective date of this Part [April 10, 1980], shall be required to comply with all provisions of this Part within one year of the effective date, with the exception of that portion of § 13-202, Subsection 5, relating to lot size and setback, and § 13-204, Subsection 2, Landscape Screen Planting.