A. 
Enforcement notice.
(1) 
If it appears to the municipality that a violation of any zoning ordinance enacted under the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code[1] or prior enabling laws has occurred, the municipality shall initiate enforcement proceedings by sending an enforcement notice as provided in this section.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 53 P.S. § 10101 et seq.
(2) 
The enforcement notice shall be sent to the owner of record of the parcel on which the violation has occurred, to any person who has filed a written request to receive enforcement notices regarding that parcel, and to any other person requested in writing by the owner of record.
(3) 
An enforcement notice shall state at least the following:
(a) 
The name of the owner of record and any other person against whom the municipality intends to take action.
(b) 
The location of the property in violation.
(c) 
The specific violation with a description of the requirements which have not been met, citing in each instance the applicable provisions of the ordinance.
(d) 
The date before which the steps for compliance must be commenced and the date before which the steps must be completed.
(e) 
That the recipient of the notice has the right to appeal to the zoning hearing board within a prescribed period of time in accordance with procedures set forth in the ordinance.
(f) 
That failure to comply with the notice within the time specified, unless extended by appeal to the zoning hearing board, constitutes a violation, with possible sanctions clearly described.
(4) 
In any appeal of an enforcement notice to the Zoning Hearing Board, the municipality shall have the responsibility of presenting its evidence first.
(5) 
Any filing fees paid by a party to appeal an enforcement notice to the Zoning Hearing Board shall be returned to the appealing party by the municipality if the Zoning Hearing Board, or any court in a subsequent appeal, rules in the appealing party's favor.
B. 
Causes of action. In case any building, structure, landscaping or land is, or is proposed to be, erected, constructed, reconstructed, altered, converted, maintained or used in violation of any ordinance enacted under the Municipalities Planning Code[2] or prior enabling laws, the governing body or, with the approval of the governing body, an officer of the municipality, or any aggrieved owner or tenant of real property who shows that his property or person will be substantially affected by the alleged violation, in addition to other remedies, may institute any appropriate action or proceeding to prevent, restrain, correct or abate such building, structure, landscaping or land, or to prevent, in or about such premises, any act, conduct, business or use constituting a violation. When any such action is instituted by a landowner or tenant, notice of that action shall be served upon the municipality at least 30 days prior to the time the action is begun by serving a copy of the complaint on the governing body of the municipality. No such action may be maintained until such notice has been given.
[2]
Editor's Note: See 53 P.S. § 10101 et seq.
A. 
District Justices shall have initial jurisdiction over proceedings brought under this section. Any person, partnership or corporation who or which has violated or permitted the violation of the provisions of this chapter, upon being found liable therefor in a civil enforcement proceeding commenced by a municipality, shall pay a judgment of not less than $200 and not more than $500 plus all court costs, including reasonable attorney fees incurred by a municipality as a result thereof. No judgment shall commence or be imposed, levied or payable until the date of the determination of a violation by the District Justice. If the defendant neither pays nor timely appeals the judgment, the municipality may enforce the judgment pursuant to the applicable rules of civil procedure. Each day that a violation continues shall constitute a separate violation, unless the District Justice determining that there has been a violation further determines that there was a good faith basis for the person, partnership or corporation violating this chapter to have believed that there was no such violation, in which event there shall be deemed to have been only one such violation until the fifth day following the date of the determination of a violation by the District Justice, and thereafter each day that a violation continues shall constitute a separate violation. All judgments, costs and reasonable attorney fees collected for the violation of zoning ordinances shall be paid over to the Township.
B. 
The Court of Common Pleas, upon petition, may grant an order of stay, upon cause shown, tolling the per diem fine pending a final adjudication of the violation and judgment.
C. 
Nothing contained in this section shall be construed or interpreted to grant to any person or entity other than the municipality the right to commence any action for enforcement pursuant to this section.
If any section, paragraph, subsection, clause of provision of this chapter shall be declared by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such decision shall not affect the validity of this chapter as a whole or any other part thereof.
The preexisting Forks Township Zoning Ordinance and all supplements and amendments thereto are repealed when this chapter becomes effective.
The provisions of this chapter, so far as they are the same as those of ordinances in force immediately prior to the enactment of this chapter, are intended as a continuation of such ordinances. The provisions of this chapter shall not affect any act done or liability incurred nor shall they affect any suit or prosecution pending or to be instituted to enforce any right or penalty or to punish any offense under the authority of any ordinance repealed by this chapter.