As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
NUISANCE — Shall be deemed whatever annoys,
injures, or endangers the safety, health, comfort, repose or tranquility
of the public; offends public decency; interferes with or obstructs
and renders dangerous any street, highway, lake, river or stream;
or in any way renders the public insecure in life and property. All
such conditions are hereby declared to be public nuisances.
OWNER
The landlord of the premises, including his/her agent.
PREMISES
A building or structure, or any part thereof.
TENANT
In addition to its ordinary meaning, shall include an occupant
of one or more rooms in a rooming house or a resident, not including
a transient occupant, of one or more rooms in a hotel who has been
in possession for 30 consecutive days or longer.
It shall be unlawful for any owner, land contract vendee, vendor
or lessee, or occupant of any premises to maintain a public nuisance
on either public or private property anywhere in the City.
A special proceeding to evict a tenant from leased premises
may be maintained upon the ground that the premises, or any part thereof,
have been used or occupied for the purposes of a nuisance party.
The procedures applicable to summary proceedings to recover
possession of real property under state law shall be applicable to
any proceeding brought under this chapter.
A court granting a petition pursuant to this section may, in
addition to any other order provided by law, make an order imposing
and requiring the payment by the respondent of a civil penalty not
exceeding $5,000 to the City of Lackawanna, in which subject premises
is located, and the payment of reasonable attorneys' fees and
the cost of the proceeding to the petitioner. In any such case, multiple
respondents shall be jointly and severally liable for any payment
so ordered, and the amounts of such payments constitute a lien upon
the subject real property.