A. 
No land or building shall be used or changed in use, except in conformance with this chapter.
B. 
No building or structure shall be erected or moved, nor shall any driveway be located with access to a Town road, nor shall any existing building or land be changed in use until a building permit therefor has been issued by the Building Inspector.
C. 
All applications for building permits shall be accompanied by two copies of a plot plan, drawn to scale and accurately dimensioned, showing the location of all existing and proposed buildings and structures on the lot and such other information as may be required by the Building Inspector to determine compliance with this chapter. One copy of such plans, when approved by the Building Inspector, shall be returned to the applicant.
D. 
Building permit applications, plans and specifications, fee schedule, inspection schedule, certificate of occupancy, etc., shall be as specified in Chapter 129, Fire Prevention and Building Construction.
A. 
This chapter shall be enforced by a Zoning Enforcement Officer appointed by the Copake Town Board. The foregoing shall not be construed to limit in any way the lawful enforcement or other powers of the Town Building Inspector or Code Enforcement Officer as may be conferred by law or regulation, or by the Code of the Town of Copake. In the case of absence or vacancy in the office of Zoning Enforcement Officer, all powers conferred upon the Zoning Enforcement Officer shall be granted to and exercised by the Code Enforcement Officer.
B. 
Any person may file a complaint with the Zoning Enforcement Officer regarding a violation of this chapter. A complaint filed with or addressed to the Town Building Inspector of Code Enforcement Officer, which alleges a violation of this chapter, shall be deemed filed with the Zoning Enforcement Officer and shall be forwarded by the receiving officer to the Zoning Enforcement Officer.
(1) 
All such complaints shall be in writing and shall be signed by the complainant.
(2) 
All such filed complaints shall be investigated by the Zoning Enforcement Officer and a report prepared thereon within 30 days and forwarded to the Town Attorney in the event a violation is determined to exist.
C. 
Where a violation of this chapter is determined to exist, the Zoning Enforcement Officer shall serve a notice of violation by certified mail, return receipt requested, upon the owner, agent or contractor of the building, structure or lot where such violation has been committed or shall exist, and on the lessee or tenant of the part thereof or of the entire building, structure or lot where such violation has been committed and shall exist, and on the agent, architect, contractor or any other such person who takes part in or assists in such violation or who maintains any building, structure or lot on which any such violation shall exist. Such notice of violation shall direct the correction or removal of the violation within 30 days of the notice. A copy of such notice shall be provided to the Building Inspector. The Building Inspector shall not issue any further building permits in relation to the parcel or lot on which the violation exists until such violation is removed or corrected.
D. 
In cases where the removal of the violation within 30 days would be manifestly impossible, the Zoning Enforcement Officer shall obtain from the Town Attorney a determination as to the reasonable period of time within such violation shall be removed.
E. 
If those persons so notified shall fail to remove such violation within the allotted time period, the Zoning Enforcement Officer shall charge them with such violation of this chapter before the appropriate court of law.
F. 
If, following the issuance of a notice of violation, the violation shall be removed but shall thereafter reoccur on the premises, no further notice of violation shall be required, and the Zoning Enforcement Officer is authorized to proceed directly with further enforcement procedures authorized by this chapter.
G. 
In addition to other remedies provided by law, any appropriate action or proceeding, whether by legal process or otherwise, may be instituted or taken to prevent the unlawful erection, construction, reconstruction, alteration, repair, conversion, moving, maintenance or use, to restrain, correct or abate such violation, to prevent the occupancy of such building, structure or lot, or to prevent any illegal act, conduct, business or use in or about such premises.
H. 
Lending institutions must follow Town Zoning and Subdivision Regulations.
I. 
Professional builders who operate without a building permit will be fined according to § 232-26.
A. 
Penalties for offenses. A violation of this chapter is hereby declared to be an offense, in accordance with § 268 of the New York Town Law, punishable by a fine not exceeding $350 or imprisonment for a period not to exceed 15 days, or both, for conviction of a first offense; for conviction of a second offense, both of which were committed within a period of five years, punishable by a fine not less than $350 nor more than $700 or imprisonment for a period not to exceed 15 days, or both; and, upon conviction for a third or subsequent offense, all of which were committed within a period of five years, punishable by a fine not less than $700 nor more than $1,000 or imprisonment for a period not to exceed 15 days, or both. Except as otherwise provided by law, such offense shall not be a crime. However, for the purpose of conferring jurisdiction upon courts and judicial officers generally, violations of this article or of such local law, ordinance or regulation shall be deemed misdemeanors and for such purpose only all provisions of law relating to misdemeanors shall apply to such violations. Each week's continued violation shall constitute a separate additional violation.
B. 
Civil penalties. In addition to those penalties prescribed by state law or otherwise, any person who violates any provision of this chapter or any term or condition of any permit, approval, certificate, order, or notice issued pursuant to any provision of this chapter, shall be liable to a civil penalty of not more than $500 for each day or part thereof during which such violation continues. The civil penalties provided by this subsection shall be recoverable in an action instituted in the name of the Town.
C. 
Injunctive relief. An action or proceeding may be instituted in the name of the Town, in a court of competent jurisdiction, to prevent, restrain, enjoin, correct, or abate any violation of, or to enforce, any provision of this chapter or any term or condition of any permit, approval, certificate, order, or notice issued pursuant to any provision of this chapter. In particular, but not by way of limitation, where the construction or use of a building or structure is in violation of any provision of this chapter, an action or proceeding may be commenced in the name of the Town, in the Supreme Court or in any other court having the requisite jurisdiction, to obtain an order directing the removal of the building or structure or an abatement of the condition in violation of such provisions.
D. 
Remedies not exclusive. No remedy or penalty specified in this section shall be the exclusive remedy or penalty available to address any violation described in this section, and each remedy or penalty specified in this section shall be in addition to, and not in substitution for or limitation of, the other remedies or penalties specified in this section, in any other section of this chapter, or in any other applicable law. Any remedy or penalty specified in this section may be pursued at any time, whether prior to, simultaneously with, after, independent of, or in conjunction with, the pursuit of any other remedy or penalty specified in this section, in any other section of this chapter, or in any other applicable law.
A. 
The Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals may require assistance in their review of any matter or application in the form of professional review by an engineer, attorney, planner, or other type of consultant or expert. Each such reviewing board reserves the right to hire professional consultants, at the applicants' expense, to review any information filed by the applicant, including that filed under the SEQRA process, or as the Board otherwise finds necessary for proper and sufficient review of the matter. In such case, or if the reviewing board incurs other extraordinary expense in order to properly review or analyze documents or information, or conduct special studies in connection with the proposed application, the reasonable costs related to the review, including any studies, reports, analysis, or other information that may be required by the reviewing board, not to exceed actual costs, shall be borne by the applicant.
B. 
The provisions of Chapter 126 of the Code of the Town of Copake ("Fees") apply independently to the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals, and each such Board may independently require compliance with this section and such chapter in relation to its review of an application or matter.
In addition to the removal authority of Chapter 12 of the Code of the Town of Copake or as may otherwise be authorized by law, the Town Board may remove, upon written request by the Planning Board and after public hearing, any member or alternate member of the Planning Board, or, upon written request by the Zoning Board of Appeals and after public hearing, any member or alternate member of the Zoning Board of Appeals, for cause. Cause for removal of a member or alternate member may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following:
A. 
Any undisclosed or unlawful conflict of interest;
B. 
Failure to complete mandatory training requirements;
C. 
For a member of the Planning Board, absence at 1/3 or more of the meetings of the Planning Board during the course of one calendar year;
D. 
For a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals, absence at 1/3 or more of the meetings of the Zoning Board of Appeals during the course of one calendar year.