[Adopted as Ch. I, Art. 2, Title 1, of the 1990 Code of Ordinances]
In the construction of this Code, the following rules shall
be observed unless such construction would be inconsistent with the
manifest intent of this Code:
A.
All
words and phrases shall be construed and understood according to the
common and approved usage of the language; but technical words and
phrases and such others as may have acquired a peculiar and appropriate
meaning in the law shall be construed and understood according to
such peculiar and appropriate meaning.
B.
The
singular always includes the plural, and vice versa, except where
such construction would be unreasonable.
C.
Unless
otherwise provided in a particular section, all words in this Code
importing one gender include and apply to the other gender as well.
D.
"May" means
permissive. "Shall" means mandatory.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
The Charter of the Town of North Brentwood.
The Code of the Town of North Brentwood.
Includes those motor vehicles designed to transport 12 or
more persons and trailers or semi-trailers designed or used to carry
freight or merchandise, except those lightweight pickup and panel
trucks, commercially described as 1/2 or 3/4 ton capacity.
The Town Council of the Town of North Brentwood.
Prince George's County, Maryland.
Includes all words giving a joint authority to three or more
persons or officers, and shall be construed as giving such authority
to a majority of such persons or officers.
The Mayor of the Town of North Brentwood.
A calendar month.
Shall be construed to include an affirmation or declaration
in all cases in which, by law, an affirmation may be substituted for
an oath, and in such cases, the words "swear" and "sworn" shall be
equivalent to the words "affirm" and "affirmed."
Applied to a building or land shall be construed to include
any part owner, joint owner, tenant-in-common, joint tenant or tenant
by the entirety, of the whole or a part of such building or land.
Includes a corporation, company, partnership, association
or society as well as a natural person.
Includes money, goods, chattels, choses in action and evidences
of debt.
Includes real and personal property.
Includes lands, tenements and hereditaments.
That portion of a street between the curbline and the adjacent
property intended for the use of pedestrians.
Shall be construed to include a mark when the person cannot
write, his name being written near it and witnessed by a person who
writes his own name as witness.
The State of Maryland.
Includes any public ways, roads, highways, avenues, alleys
and lanes within the Town.
As applied to a building or land, shall include any person
who legally occupies the whole or a part of such building or land,
whether alone or with others.
The Town of North Brentwood, Maryland.
Includes printing.
Refers to the Town fiscal year.
Whenever a provision of this Code refers to any portion of a
state or county law, the reference includes any subsequent amendment
to that law, unless the referring provision expressly provides otherwise.
In computing any period of time prescribed or allowed by any
applicable provision of this Code, the day of the act, event, or default,
after which the designated period of time begins to run, is not to
be included. The last day of the period so computed is to be included
unless it is a Saturday, Sunday or a legal holiday. When the period
of time allowed includes intermediate Saturdays, Sundays and legal
holidays, such days shall be counted in computing the period of time.
The repeal of an ordinance or code section shall not revive
any ordinance or code section in force before or at the time such
repeal took effect, nor shall such repeal affect any suit, prosecution
or proceeding pending at the time thereof.
Those provisions appearing in this Code, so far as they may
be the same in substance as ordinances which existed at the effective
date of said Code, shall be considered as continuations thereof and
not as new enactments.
It is hereby declared to be the intention of the Mayor and Council
that the sections, paragraphs, sentences, clauses, and words of this
Code are severable and if any word, clause, sentence, paragraph or
section of said Code shall be declared unconstitutional or otherwise
invalid by judgement or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction,
such unconstitutionality or invalidity shall not affect any of the
remaining words, clauses, sentences, paragraphs, and sections of this
Code, since the same would have been enacted by the Mayor and Council
without the incorporation into this Code of any such unconstitutional
or invalid word, clause, sentence, paragraph or section.
