[Adopted 8-22-1994 by Ord. No. 501; amended in its entirety 6-28-2004 by Ord. No.
643 (Ch. 5, Part 2, of the 1981 Code of Ordinances)]
A. Peters Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions
of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act, Act 45 of 1999, 35 P.S.
§§ 7210.101 to 7210.1103, as amended from time to time,
and its regulations.
B. The Uniform Construction Code, contained in 34 Pa. Code, Chapters
401 to 405, as amended from time to time, is hereby adopted and incorporated
herein by reference as the municipal residential code for one- and
two-family dwellings of Peters Township.
[Amended 9-27-2004 by Ord. No. 646; 11-22-2004 by Ord. No. 647]
A. Peters Township Ordinance No. 501, August 22, 1994, amended by Ordinance
No. 559, June 8, 1998, is replaced, with the exception that any existing
provisions exceeding the "Code" are maintained.
B. Fees assessable by the Township for the administration and enforcement
undertaken pursuant to this article and the Code shall be established
by the governing body by resolution from time to time.
C. Penalties. Any person who violates or permits a violation of this
article 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 defendant may be sentenced to imprisonment
for a term not exceeding 90 days. Each day or portion thereof that
such violation continues or is permitted to continue shall constitute
a separate offense, and each section of this article that is violated
shall also constitute a separate offense.
D. The following provisions of Ordinance No. 501 which were adopted
by the Township on or before July 1, 1999, and which equal or exceed
the requirements of the Code shall continue in full force and effect
until such time as such provisions fail to equal or exceed the minimum
requirements of the Code as amended from time to time.
(1) Section R-106 Plans. Add the following: Plot plans shall be prepared
by a registered professional surveyor."
(2) Section R-201 Definitions. Add the following: The definitions contained
herein are applicable only as to the building code and are not intended
as definitions of zoning terms as defined in the definitions of the
Zoning Ordinance of Peters Township, Ordinance No. 491, as amended.
(3) Section R-403 footings. Delete entire section and substitute the
following:
All exterior walls shall be supported on continuous concrete
footings. The footings for a dwelling erected under this code shall
be no less than 10 inches in depth and 22 inches in width for ten-inch
block and 24 inches for twelve-inch block. All vertical sections of
stepped footings shall be continuous with the horizontal sections
and shall be at least the same depth and thickness as the horizontal
sections. There shall be included in the concrete footing two reinforcing
steel bars of at least 1/2 inch in diameter and running continuous
throughout the footer. Reinforcing shall be located on the lower third
of the footing and tied to vertical steel rods and secured with wire.
Footing shall extend through garage door openings with footing
being a minimum of three feet zero inches below grade. Walls abutting
footing may be concrete or masonry units.
(4) Add the following section:
R-106.1.1. Professional architectural and/or engineering services. Construction documents for new construction, additions or structural
modification for buildings or structures shall be prepared by a registered
architect or engineer consistent with the professional registration
laws of the state of Pennsylvania. The construction documents shall
include the name and address of the architect or engineer and shall
be signed, sealed and dated by the registered design professional
in accordance with applicable professional registration laws and the
exceptions in the Pennsylvania Architects Licensure Law, 63 Pa.C.S.A. § 34.3.
Documents may be reviewed and sealed by someone other than the preparer.
Said certification is not required if the owner executes official
acceptance of liability relative to the design of the structure. However,
the Code Official has authority to require professional certification
of the structural integrity if the Code Official believes it is deficient.
The authority having jurisdiction (Code Official) is permitted
to waive the requirements for construction being prepared by a registered
design professional or engineer when the scope of the work is of a
minor nature.
(5) Section R-201, Definitions, be amended by adding the following:
PATIO HOME
A detached single-family dwelling constructed with a clear
separation between any adjacent units built of not less than six feet
and not 15 feet or more. Patio homes shall install fire-suppression
systems in accordance with NFPA 13D or 13R standards. Along exterior
walls where the distance between buildings, including eaves, is less
than 15 feet, glass block windows bearing ASTM 163 labels of a fixed
design shall be used. Any exterior walls that are closer than 15 feet
to each other shall have a one-hour fire separation.
[Amended 7-24-2017 by Ord. No. 818]
E. All building code ordinances or portions of ordinances which are
in effect as of the effective date of this article and whose requirements
are less than the minimum requirements of the Code are hereby amended
to conform to the comparable provisions of the Code.
F. All relevant ordinances, regulations and policies of this Township
not governed by the Code shall remain in full force and effect.
G. Appendix F-Radon Control Methods, International Residential Code
for One- and Two-Family Dwellings 2003, is hereby adopted by Peters
Township.
H. Fees assessable by the Township for the administration and enforcement
undertaken pursuant to this article and the Code shall be established
by the governing body by resolution from time to time.
I. Penalties. Any person who shall violate a provision of this code
or shall fail to comply with any of the requirements thereof or who
shall erect, construct, alter or repair a building or structure in
violation of an approved plan or directive of the Code Official, or
of a permit or certificate issued under the provisions of this code,
shall be guilty of a summary offense punishable by a fine of not more
than $500, or by imprisonment not exceeding 10 days, or both such
fine and imprisonment. Each day that a violation continues shall be
deemed a separate offense.
J. Section 105. Amendments to 2003 ICC International Residential Code.
(1) Section P2604 Trenching and backfilling. Add new paragraph:
P2604.5 Underground installation of thermoplastic
pipe for building sewers installation of all thermoplastic sewer pipe
for building sewers shall be in strict conformance with ASTM D 2321,
Standard Practice for Underground Installation of Thermoplastic Pipe
for Sewers and Other Gravity-Flow Applications. Pipe foundation and
embedment materials shall be limited to Class IA or Class 1B materials.
(2) Section P3002, materials, Paragraph P3002.2 Building sewer pipe.
Add the following paragraph at the end of the existing paragraph:
For pipe material other than thermoplastic pipe identified in
Table P3002.2, special application shall be made with the sewer connection
permit application which provides all necessary data to evaluate the
proposed pipe material for the application intended. Data required
may include pipe depth profile, backfill soil density, superimposed
loads that pipe may be exposed to, trench width, trench shoring methods,
and other data appropriate to the installation. The Code Official
is authorized to require specific pipe material and/or pipe strength
for installations where excessive burial depths may be encountered
or where superimposed loads cause a concern.
(3) Section P3002, Materials, Table P3002.2 Building Sewer Pipe.
(a) Delete: Vitrified clay pipe.
(b) Delete: 3.25 inch O.D. PVC/DWV pipe and fitting.
(c) Delete reference standard: "ASTM F 1488" from Standard column for
all pipe material.
(d) Delete "PS35" from Material column for Co-extruded composite PVC
and ABS pipe. IPS-DR, PS140, PA200, DWV.
(e) Add: "Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic pipe, Schedules 40, 80 and
120 and fittings" referencing standard "ASTM D 1785, ASTM D 2466,
ASTM D 2467."
(f) Add: "Ductile Iron Pipe and fittings" referencing standard "ANSI
A21.50 and A21.51, Class 52."
(4) Section P3005, Drainage Pipe Cleanouts, Paragraph P3005.2.2 Spacing.
Insert new sentence after first sentence: "Cleanouts shall also be
provided at the public road right-of-way where the building sewer
or its service connection extends under public road."
(5) Section P3005, Drainage Pipe Cleanouts, Paragraph P3005.2.3 Underground
drainage cleanouts Add new sentence at end of paragraph: "Where cleanouts
are installed on building sewers, the cleanout shall be protected
from damage by lawn mowers and vehicles by an approved cast iron cleanout
cover or housing set in a 12 inch x 12 inch x four-inch deep concrete
pad to secure the housing. Cover shall be flush with grade."
(6) Section P3005, Drainage System, Paragraph P3005.4 Drain Pipe Sizing.
Insert new sentence at end of numbered Bullet No. 5: "The building
sewer shall be minimum diameter four inches for residential construction,
and a minimum diameter of six inches for commercial construction."
(7) Add new section P3009 as follows:
SECTION P3009 INSPECTION PORTS
P3009.1 General. An inspection port shall be installed
on each building sewer located just prior to the connection with the
public sewer at the easement line. The inspection port shall consist
of a tee and a vertical riser pipe brought to above grade. Minimum
diameter of the riser pipe shall be four inches. The riser pipe shall
be capped with a tamperproof cap. Provide support for vertical riser
in accordance with Section 7.0 Installation, of ASTM D 2321, Standard
Practice for Underground Installation of Thermoplastic Pipe for Sewers
and Other Gravity-Flow Applications.
The Township Manager shall certify to the adoption of this article
and cause the same to be published as required by law; and this article
shall take full force and effect five days after this date of final
passage and approval.