[Ord. No. 2003-06-09-03 § 1, 6-9-2003]
The title of this Chapter shall be known as the "Uniform Vector
Control Ordinance".
[Ord. No. 2003-06-09-03 § 1, 6-9-2003]
The purpose of this Chapter is to protect the public health,
safety and general welfare by:
A. Preventing or controlling the spread of vector-borne disease.
B. Averting the blighting affects that the presence of vector infestation
places on an affected neighborhood, including undermining the desirability
of housing, causing decline in property value and contributing to
the image of an environmentally unfit area.
C. Facilitating the services of the Public Works Department staff by
making more uniform municipal regulations concerning vector control.
[Ord. No. 2003-06-09-03 § 1, 6-9-2003]
As used in this Chapter, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
EXTERMINATION
The control and elimination of vectors by eliminating harborage
areas, by removing food sources or making them inaccessible, by poisoning,
spraying, fumigating, trapping or any other legal vector elimination
method which is not injurious to human health or the safety of domestic
animals.
GARBAGE
The animal and/or vegetable waste resulting from the handling,
preparation, cooking, serving or non-consumption of food.
INFESTATION
The presence of vectors within or contiguous to a structure
or premises.
INSPECTION OFFICER
A staff member of the Public Works Department and/or any
other persons authorized, in writing, by the Board of Aldermen to
conduct inspection and administrative procedures to enforce the provisions
of this Chapter.
JUNK
All large items of rubbish including, but not limited to:
1.
Non-operable automobiles or associated parts or equipment.
2.
Non-operable appliances, such as refrigerators or stoves.
OCCUPANT
Any person living, sleeping, cooking or eating in or actually
having possession of a dwelling unit or a rooming unit, except that
in dwelling units a temporary guest will not be considered an occupant.
OWNER
Any person who, alone or joint-severally with others:
1.
Shall have legal title to any premises, dwelling or dwelling
unit, with or without accompanying actual possession thereof; or
2.
Shall have charge, care or control of any premises, dwelling
or dwelling unit as owner or agent of the owner or an executor, administrator,
trustee, assignee of rents or guardian of the estate of the owner.
Any such person thus representing the actual owner shall be bound
to comply with the provisions of this Chapter to the same extent as
if he were the owner.
PERSON
Any individual, business, firm, corporation, association
or partnership.
PREMISES
All areas of a property, including all interior, exterior,
grounds and yard spaces.
RUBBISH
Solid wastes, other than garbage, consisting of either:
1.
Combustible wastes, such as paper, cardboard, plastic, yard
clippings and wood; or
2.
Non-combustible wastes, such as metal, glass and crockery.
STRUCTURE
Any manmade construction or building that is located on any
part of the premises.
URBANIZED AREA
Any area that is located within one thousand (1,000) feet
of either:
1.
Any structure which is designed for human occupancy for any
purpose, be it residential, business or leisure time, at any time
of the day or night; or
2.
A public or privately owned outdoor recreation site.
VECTOR
An organism which, either directly or indirectly, via microorganisms
which it carries, can transmit disease to man. For the purposes of
this Chapter, the term "vector" shall ordinarily, but not exclusively,
refer to rodent, insect or vermin species.
VECTOR-PROOF
Describing a form of construction that prevents the ingress
or egress of vectors to and from a given space or structure or which
prevents vectors from gaining access to food, water or harborage.
[Ord. No. 2003-06-09-03 § 1, 6-9-2003]
A. Inspection procedures shall be conducted by the Inspection Officer.
B. The Inspection Officer shall be empowered to inspect any structure
or premises in the City at any reasonable time. The Inspection Officer
is authorized to conduct the inspection on any part of the premises,
including any interior spaces.
C. In the event that the owner or occupant refuses to permit the Inspection
Officer to inspect the premises, the Inspection Officer shall obtain
an administrative search warrant from the competent jurisdiction authorizing
entry to the premises in question.
D. The Inspection Officer shall continue to inspect the premises periodically,
as he or she deems necessary, until he or she has certified that the
violation has been corrected.
E. The Inspection Officer shall reinspect any premises that have been
previously cited for violating the terms of this Chapter within one
hundred eighty (180) days of the date on which the violation has been
certified as having been corrected.
F. Inspection of specific types of land uses which are prone to vector
harborage shall occur regularly, as indicated below:
1.
Commercial, industrial or institutional establishments in which
foodstuffs are sold, handled, processed or stored: semiannual inspection.
2.
Commercial, industrial or institutional establishments in which
large quantities of materials must be regularly located in outside
storage areas: semiannual inspection.
G. Any owner or occupant within the City may issue a complaint requesting
action by the Inspection Officer. The complaint must be signed and
in writing. The identity of the complainant shall be kept confidential
unless otherwise requested by the complainant or a court of competent
jurisdiction. Within fifteen (15) days of the receipt of the complaint,
the Inspection Officer shall indicate, in writing, the action taken
on the complaint.
[Ord. No. 2003-06-09-03 § 1, 6-9-2003]
A. When the Inspection Officer has deemed any premises in violation
of this Chapter, he or she shall issue a written notice of violation
to the owner and/or occupant, depending on the nature of the violation,
and shall require the owner and/or occupant to correct the cited violation.
B. The written notice of violation shall contain, at a minimum, the
following information:
1.
Indicate the address and/or the location of the premises.
2.
Describe all violations, including the date(s) on which they
were observed, and indicating where on the premises the violations
exist or were practiced.
3.
At the discretion of the Inspection Officer, indicate alternative
techniques or practices that are satisfactory to correct the cited
violation.
4.
Issue an order to correct and indicate the penalties for non-compliance.
5.
Specify a period of time by which the violation must be corrected.
6.
Carry the signature or a facsimile of the signature of the Inspection
Officer.
7.
Indicate the name, office mailing address and office telephone
number of the Inspection Officer.
C. The notice of violation shall be served upon the owner of record
or the occupant of the structure by any one (1) of the following methods:
1.
Delivering the notice directly to the hands of the owner or
occupant or responsible person in his or her household who will sign
for him or her; or
2.
Mailing the notice, or a copy thereof, by return-receipt mail
to the last known address of the owner or occupant; or
3.
If the letter is returned showing that it cannot be delivered,
posting a copy of the notice in a conspicuous place in or about the
cited premises.
D. The Inspection Officer shall certify to the correction of the violation
cited in the notice. Such certification, at a minimum, shall consist
of the Inspection Officer's signature and the date on which the certification
is made.
[Ord. No. 2003-06-09-03 § 1, 6-9-2003]
A. Each day that a violation remains uncorrected after the period stated
for correction in the notice of violation shall constitute a separate
offense.
B. This Chapter shall be enforced by action brought before a judge in
the same manner provided for the enforcement of summary offenses under
the Missouri Statutes. Any person who violates or permits the violation
of this Chapter shall, upon conviction in a summary proceeding, be
punishable by a fine of not less than five hundred dollars ($500.00)
nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) or by imprisonment
for a term not exceeding ninety (90) days. Each day or portion thereof
that such violation continues, or is permitted to continue, shall
constitute a separate offense. Each Section of this Chapter that is
violated shall also constitute a separate offense.
C. In cases of extended non-compliance or in cases of a clear and present
danger to the health, safety or general welfare of the citizenry,
the Governing Body of the City of Greenwood shall be empowered to
exercise any of the following actions, subject to adequate notice
to the owner of the property:
1.
Order the Inspection Officer to cause the immediate vacancy
of the cited premises by any and all individuals. The Inspection Officer
shall post in plain view a notice stating "unfit for human occupancy"
and requiring the vacancy of said premises until the violation is
corrected.
2.
Order the correction of the violation by municipal staff.
3.
Engage a qualified contractor to correct the violation.
4.
Authorize the condemnation and demolition of the cited premises.
D. Reimbursement for municipal costs incurred in the correction of violations
or in demolition shall be recouped from the owner and/or occupant
in any of the following ways:
1.
Attaching a municipal lien on the cited property;
2.
Civil action against the owner and/or occupant; or
3.
Sale of personalty found on the premises.
[Ord. No. 2003-06-09-03 § 1, 6-9-2003]
A. General Requirements For All Property Owners.
1.
The interior and exterior of all premises shall be maintained
in a clean and sanitary condition that shall prevent vector harborage.
2.
During construction activities, preventive measures shall be
taken which shall preclude vector harborage.
3.
If vector-proofing materials are removed from a structure during
structural renovations, these materials shall be comparably replaced.
4.
Upon receipt of a notice of violation, proper techniques of
vector-proofing and/or extermination must be taken by the owner to
correct the identified violation. If continued reapplication is necessary
to correct the problem, the owner shall continue the extermination
techniques as determined by the Inspection Officer.
B. General Requirements Of Occupants And Lessees.
1.
Every occupant of a dwelling unit or a rooming unit and every
lessee of space of a commercial, office or industrial premises shall
be responsible to maintain said unit or space in a clean and sanitary
condition which shall prevent vector harborage.
2.
Every occupant and lessee shall dispose of all garbage and rubbish
in a safe, clean and sanitary manner. Garbage must be temporarily
stored prior to its collection for ultimate disposal in a tightly
sealed, metal or heavy plastic container designed specifically for
this purpose. Garbage may not be stored in plastic garbage bags unless
they are placed in an acceptable container as described above. Rubbish
must be temporarily stored in a closed container.
3.
An occupant or lessee shall be held responsible for the extermination
of vectors rather than the property owner when the unit or space occupied
by the occupant or lessee is the only one (1) in which infestation
is detected on multiple-occupancy premises. However, where infestation
is found to be a direct result of owner neglect, the owner shall be
held responsible for extermination.
4.
Upon receipt of a notice of violation, proper steps must be
taken by the occupant or lessee to correct the identified violation.
If continued reapplication is necessary to correct the problem, the
occupant or lessee shall continue the extermination techniques as
determined by the Inspection Officer.
C. Building Requirements.
1.
All openings, including any openings for utility lines, must
be protected by vector-proof material, such as screening.
2.
The walls, flooring, porches and basements of any structure
must be vector-proofed.
3.
Every plumbing and waste pipe shall be properly maintained in
good sanitary condition in order to prevent a point of vector harborage
on the premises.
D. Yard And Grounds Requirements.
1.
The exterior spaces of all premises shall be kept free of all
accumulated garbage, rubbish and junk.
2.
Firewood stacks shall be raised at least twelve (12) inches
above ground level.
3.
Any exterior spaces located in an urbanized area shall be kept
free of high grass or weed growth that may serve as a vector harborage.
4.
Any exterior space located in an urbanized area shall be kept
free of standing pools of stagnated water that may serve as a vector
harborage. This includes, but is not limited to, tires, playground
equipment, swimming pools, buckets, barrels or other areas where water
can accumulate and stagnate.
5.
No material, including firewood or building lumber, which may
serve as a vector harborage shall be stored or stacked directly against
the exterior wall of any structure.
E. Requirements For Animal Shelters. An animal shelter for more than
two (2) animals must be properly and regularly sanitized and fumigated
as necessary in order to prevent vector harborage Feed materials must
be stored within vector-proofed, sealed containers or structures in
accessible to vectors.
F. Extermination.
1.
At the time infestation is identified, acceptable techniques
of extermination shall be initiated by the person cited in the notice
of violation to remove the infestation.
2.
After the extermination is complete, proper precautions shall
be taken to prevent reinfestation.