JUNK — Shall mean any discarded material or article, and shall
include, but not be limited to, scrap metal, scrapped, abandoned or
junked motor vehicles, machinery, equipment, paper, glass containers
and structures. It shall not include, however, refuse or garbage kept
in a proper container for the purpose of prompt disposal.
JUNK DEALER — Shall mean any person, as hereinafter defined,
who shall engage in the business of selling, buying, salvaging and
dealing in junk and who maintains and operates a junkyard within the
Municipality of Bethel Park.
No person shall engage in business as a junk dealer, or maintain
a junkyard, without first having obtained a license from the municipality,
for which license a fee in accordance with the schedule hereinafter
set forth shall be paid to the municipality for the use of the municipality.
The license shall be issued for the twelve-month period beginning
January 1 and ending December 31 of the following year, and each license
must be renewed annually on or before the first day of January of
each year.
The license provided for in this ordinance shall be issued by the
Municipality Council after written application shall have been made
therefor by the person desiring to be licensed. Such license shall
state the name of the person to whom such license is issued and the
premises on which such business is to be conducted, or such junkyard
is to be maintained. Such license shall be posted conspicuously upon
the premises licensed thereunder. The written application for license
hereinabove mentioned shall be accompanied by a form, every question
of which must be answered, which form will be supplied by the municipality.
Applicant shall also submit therewith a plot of the premises used
or to be used in connection with such license.
Upon receipt of an application by the Municipality Council, the Council
shall issue a license or shall refuse to issue a license to the person
applying therefor such terms and conditions, in addition to the regulations
herein contained and adopted pursuant to this ordinance, as may be
deemed necessary to carry out the spirit and intent of this ordinance.
The license fee shall be paid immediately upon the issuance or renewal
of a license. The amount of the license fee shall be calculated in
accordance with the following schedule as determined by the actual
land to be used by the person to whom the license is issued, excluding
all setback areas:
No person licensed under this ordinance shall, by virtue of the one
license, keep more than one place of business within the municipality
or maintain more than one junkyard for the purpose of buying, selling
and dealing in junk. No person shall engage in business as a junk
dealer in any place other than the place designated upon his license,
or maintain a junkyard in any place other than the place designated
upon his license.
No license issued by the Council shall be transferable by the licenser
to any other person, unless such a transfer is authorized by the Council.
Any person desiring to transfer his license shall notify the Council
in writing, which notification shall be accompanied by an application
for a license, as described in 44.4 of this ordinance, by the transferee.
Every person, licensed under this ordinance shall provide and
shall constantly keep a book, in which shall be fairly written down
in the English language, the time of the purchase of any junk, a description
of every article or material purchased or received by him, the date
and hour of such purchase and a receipt and the person from whom such
article or material was purchased, received or handled, and such records
shall at all times be subject to the inspection of any official of
the municipality.
Every person licensed under this ordinance shall keep and retain
upon the licensed premises for a period of 48 hours after the purchase
or receipt thereof, all junk received or purchased by him, and he
shall not destroy or reduce the same or alter the original form, shape
or condition until such period of 48 hours shall have elapsed.
Every person licensed under this ordinance shall constantly
maintain the licensed premises in accordance with any special provisions
imposed by the Council and in the manner prescribed by this section
and any subsequent regulations adopted by the Council.
Such premises shall at all times be maintained so as not to
constitute a nuisance or a menace to the health of the community,
of residents nearby, or a place for the breeding rodents and vermin.
Whenever any motor vehicle shall be received in such premises
as junk, all gasoline and oil shall be drained and removed therefrom.
Gasoline in an amount not exceeding 10 gallons may be stored aboveground
in said junkyards, provided the same be placed in containers approved
by the Council. All other gasoline which is kept in the premises shall
be stored underground, which underground storage must be approved
by the Council.
The Manner of storage and arrangement of junk, and the drainage
facilities of the premises, shall be such as to prevent the accumulation
of stagnant water upon the premises, and to facilitate access for
fire-fighting purposes.
All junk kept, stored or arranged on the licensed premises shall
at all times be kept, stored and arranged within the junkyard as described
in the application for license hereunder and as limited under Paragraph
above.
No oil, grease, tires, gasoline or other similar materials that
might be dangerous or tend to produce obnoxious smoke or odors shall
be burned within a junkyard at any time.
The premises to be licensed shall be set back a minimum distance
of 25 feet from the right-of-way lines on all streets or roads and
a minimum distance of 25 feet from all other property lines. The area
between the setback line and the right-of-way line and all streets
and roads and all other property lines shall be at all times kept
clear and vacant.
When the Council shall deem it necessary and desirable, the
premises to be licensed shall at the setback lines be enclosed by
a fence of type and style to be determined by the Council or by evergreen
screen plantings, or both. The Council may set forth the fence and
planting requirements at the time of the issuance of a license or
at the time of renewal or transfer of a license.
Any person who shall violate any of the provisions of this ordinance
shall, upon conviction thereof, by a summary proceeding, be sentenced
to pay not more than $100 and the costs of prosecution, provided that
each day's violation of any of the provisions of this ordinance
shall constitute a separate offense.
In addition to the remedies provided in 44.13 above, any continued
violations of this ordinance which shall constitute a nuisance in
fact or which shall, in the opinion of the Council, constitute a nuisance,
may be abated by proceeding against the violator in a court of equity
for relief.
Nothing contained in this ordinance shall in any way repeal,
alter or amend the specific terms of Ordinance No. 70-11-51, the official
Municipality Zoning Ordinance,*03 or any amendments thereto affecting
zoning.