[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the Township of West Vincent as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 6-28-2004 by Ord. No. 125]
This article shall be known and may be cited as the "West Vincent Township Uniform Construction Code" and/or the Pennsylvania "Uniform Construction Code." In accordance with the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act, Act 45 of 1999, Chapter 5, Section 501(a)(1), the Township of West Vincent, situate in Chester County, Pennsylvania, hereby elects to administer and enforce the Uniform Construction Code as its municipal building code and the International Fuel Gas Code for purposes described in Section 302(a) of said Act 45.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See 35 P.S. §§ 7210.101 to 7210.1103.
This adoption shall include all relative codes specifically provided for under said Act 45, to include but not limited to the International Building Code, the International Residential Code, the International Fire Code and all other referenced codes provided for under Act 45 Section 304, all subsequent editions or successor codes, are hereby adopted. In addition, the following appendixes to the International Residential Code A, B, C, F, G and H and the International Building Code Appendix F.
Administration and enforcement of the code within the Township shall be undertaken in any of the following ways, as determined by the governing body of the Township from time to time by resolution:
A. 
By the designation of an employee of the Township to serve as the municipal code official to act on behalf of the Township.
B. 
By the retention of one or more construction code officials or third-party agencies to act on behalf of the Township.
C. 
By agreement with one or more other municipalities for the joint administration and enforcement of this Act through an intermunicipal agreement.
D. 
By entering into a contract with another municipality for the administration and enforcement of this Act on behalf of the Township.
E. 
By entering into an agreement with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry for plan review, inspections and enforcement of structures other than one-family or two-family dwelling units and utility and miscellaneous-use structures.
[Amended 3-7-2016 by Ord. No. 169]
Administrative; Modification of the Administrative Regulation, Chapter 403
1.
Section 401.2a(a). Add: Fees for building permits shall be in accordance with a schedule adopted by resolution of the Board of Supervisors.
2a.
All building code ordinances or portions of ordinances 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.
2b.
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.
2c.
All relevant ordinances, regulations and policies of the Township not governed by the code shall remain in full force and effect.
3.
(Reserved)[1]
4.
(Reserved)[2]
5.
Section 401.1, Definitions, is amended to add the following definitions:
APCO — Association of Public Safety Communications Officials International
CCDES — Chester County Department of Emergency Services
FCC — Federal Communications Commission
NPSPAC — National Public Safety Planning Advisory Committee
6.
Chapter 403 is amended to add a section entitled "Communication Amplification Systems" that includes the following provisions:
(a)
General provisions. Except as otherwise provided, no person shall erect, construct, alter, refit, change the use of, or provide an addition of more than 20% of the existing floor area to any building or structure or any part thereof, or cause the same to be done, which fails to support adequate radio coverage for CCDES, the West Vincent Township Fire Departments, and the West Vincent Township Police Department. For the purposes of this section, adequate radio coverage shall include all of the following:
(1)
A minimum signal strength of -95dBm available in 95% of the area of each floor of the building;
(2)
A minimum signal strength of -95dBm received at the closest CCDES radio communications site when transmitted from 95% of the area of each floor of the building;
(3)
The frequency range which must be supported shall be between 763 MHz and 861 MHz;
(4)
A 90% reliability factor;
(5)
Signal strength measurements, for the purpose of measuring the performance of a bidirectional amplifier, shall be based on one input signal adequate to obtain a maximum continuous operating output level.
The provisions of this section shall become applicable upon notification to the property owner that unacceptable performance levels exist. The property owner shall have 90 days from date of notification to enhance radio coverage and bring it within the acceptable limits of these provisions.
(b)
Amplification systems allowed. Buildings and structures which cannot support the required level of radio coverage shall be equipped with either a radiating cable system or an internal multiple antenna system with or without FCC type accepted bidirectional 700/800 MHz amplifiers, as needed. If any part of the installed system or systems contains an electrically powered component, the system shall be capable of operating on an independent battery and/or generator system for a period of at least 12 hours without external power input. The battery system shall charge in the presence of an external power input.
(c)
Testing procedures.
(1)
Acceptance test procedure. When an in-building radio system is required, and upon completion of installation, it will be the building owner's responsibility to have the radio system tested to ensure that two-way coverage on each floor of the building is a minimum of 95%. Each floor of the building shall be divided into a grid of approximately 20 equal areas. A maximum of two nonadjacent areas will be allowed to fail the test. In the event that three of the areas fail the test, in order to be more statistically accurate, the floor may be divided in 40 equal areas. In such event, a maximum of four nonadjacent areas will be allowed to fail the test. After the 40-area test, if the system continues to fail, the building owner shall have the system altered to meet the 95% coverage requirement.
The test shall be conducted using the most current portable radio or its equivalent available to the West Vincent Township Police and/or Fire Department, talking through the CCDES as specified by the authority having jurisdiction. A spot located approximately in the center of a grid area will be selected for the test, then the radio will be keyed to verify two-way communications to and from the outside of the building through the CCDES. Once the spot has been selected, prospecting for a better spot within the grid area will not be permitted.
The gain values of all amplifiers shall be measured and the test measurement results shall be kept on file with the building owner so that the measurements can be verified each year during the annual tests. In the event that the measurement results become lost, the building owner will be required to rerun the acceptance test to reestablish the gain values.
(2)
Annual tests. When an in-building radio system is required, the building owner shall test all active components of the system, including but not limited to amplifiers, power supplies and backup batteries, a minimum of once every 12 months. Amplifiers shall be tested to ensure that the gain is the same as it was upon initial installation and acceptance. Backup batteries and power supplies shall be tested under load for a period of one hour to verify that they will properly operate during an actual power outage. If within the one-hour test period, in the opinion of the testing technician, the battery exhibits symptoms of failure, the test shall be extended for additional one-hour periods until the testing technician confirms the integrity of the battery. All other active components shall be checked to determine that they are operating within the manufacturer's specifications for the intended period.
(3)
Five-year tests. In addition to the annual test, the building owner shall perform a radio coverage test a minimum of once every five years to ensure that the radio system continues to meet the requirements of the original acceptance test. The procedure set forth above shall apply to such tests. A copy of the accepted tests shall be provided to the Chester County Department of Emergency Services.
(4)
Qualifications of testing personnel. All tests shall be conducted, documented and signed by a person in possession of a current FCC technician license, or a current technician certification issued by APCO, NABER or PCIA. All test records shall be retained on the inspected premises by the building owner and a copy submitted to officials of the West Vincent Police Department and the appropriate Fire Department.
(d)
Field testing. Police and fire personnel, after providing reasonable notice to the owner or his representative, shall have the right to enter onto the property to conduct field testing to be certain that the required level of radio coverage is present.
Technical Modifications of the International Residential Code
1.
The Design Data Table R301.2(1) shall read as follows: Snow load, 30 pounds per square foot; Wind speed, 90 miles per hour; Seismic design, Category C; Weathering, severe; Frost depth, 36 inches; Termite probability, moderate to severe; Decay, slight to moderate; Winter design temp, 10° F.; Ice shield, no; Air freezing index, 1500; Mean annual temp, 52° F.
3410.2
Applicability: Insert the date "January 9, 1967."
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Subsection 3, regarding § 403-62(c), as amended, was repealed 1-18-2022 by Ord. No. 196.
[2]
Editor's Note: Former Subsection 4, regarding § 403-42(c), as amended, was repealed 1-18-2022 by Ord. No. 196.
A board of appeals shall be established by resolution of the governing body of this municipality in conformity with the requirements of the relevant provisions of the code, as amended from time to time, and for the purposes set forth therein. If at any time enforcement and administration is undertaken jointly with one or more other municipalities, the board of appeals shall be established by joint action of the participating municipalities.
The governing body shall establish fees assessable by the municipality for the administration and enforcement undertaken pursuant to this article and the code by resolution from time to time.
[Added 1-18-2022 by Ord. No. 196]
The requirement for building permits (and exceptions from such a requirement) shall be governed by the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code.