[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the Township of Lower Paxton 8-17-1999 by Ord. No. 99-08, as amended through Ord. No. 17-10, adopted 7-18-2017. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]
That a certain document, one copy of which is on file in the office of Lower Paxton Township, being marked as the 2009 International Property Maintenance Code, as published by the International Code Council, Inc., be and is hereby adopted as the Property Maintenance Code of Lower Paxton Township, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; for the control of buildings and structures as herein provided; and each of the regulations, provisions, penalties, conditions and terms of said Property Maintenance Code are hereby referred to, adopted and made a part hereof, as if fully set out in this chapter, with the additions, insertions, deletions and changes, if any, prescribed in § 148-2 of this chapter.
The following sections are hereby revised:
Section 101.1 Insert: "Lower Paxton Township."
Section 103.5 Insert: "The schedule of fees shall be adopted and revised from time to time by resolution of the Board of Supervisors of Lower Paxton Township."
Section 106.4 Shall read as follows: "Any person who shall violate a provision of this code, or fail to comply therewith, or with any of the requirements thereof, shall be subject to action brought before a district justice in the same manner provided for the enforcement of summary offenses under the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure. Criminal fines not to exceed $1,000 per violation and/or imprisonment to the extent allowed by law for the punishment of summary offenses may be imposed for violations under this section. Each day that a violation continues after due notice has been served shall be deemed a separate offense."
Section 112.4 Shall read as follows: "Any person who shall continue any work after having been served with a stop work order, except such work as that person is directed to perform to remove a violation or unsafe condition, shall be subject to action brought before a district justice in the same manner provided for the enforcement of summary offenses under the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure. Criminal fines not to exceed $1,000 per violation and/or imprisonment to the extent allowed by law for the punishment of summary offenses may be imposed for violations under this section. Each day that a violation continues after due notice has been served shall be deemed a separate offense.
Section 302.4 Insert: "10 inches."
Section 304.14 Insert: "May 1 to November 1."
Section 602.3 Insert: "October 1 to April 30."
Section 602.4 Insert: "October 1 to April 30."
Section 111: In accordance with Section 111 of the 2009 International Property Maintenance Code, the Zoning Hearing Board of Lower Paxton Township is authorized to hear appeals of decisions of codes officials, or to hear appeals of notices or orders issued by codes officials under the 2009 International Property Maintenance Code. The application fee for such appeals shall be the same fee charged by the Township for applications for zoning variance that are heard before the Zoning Hearing Board.
Section 302.8.1, Vehicle parking, shall read as follows: "No vehicle, regardless of condition, shall be parked or stored in the front yard of any premise in an area zoned R-1, R-2 or RC, as defined by the Lower Paxton Township Zoning Ordinance. Said prohibition shall not apply to parking on a driveway that exists in the front yard, which has been established in accordance with the terms of said Zoning Ordinance."
Section 302.4, Weeds, shall read as follows: "All premises and exterior property shall be maintained free from weeds or plant growth in excess of 10 inches. All noxious weeds shall be prohibited. Weeds shall be defined as all grasses, annual plants and vegetation, other than trees or shrubs provided; however, this term shall not include cultivated flowers and gardens.
"For purposes of Section 302.4, all premises and exterior property shall be limited to the minimum lot area as required by the Lower Paxton Township Zoning Ordinance and to a setback of 10 feet outside the minimum lot area. Any part of the premises and exterior property in excess of the minimum lot area and the ten-foot setback area shall be exempt from the requirements of Section 302.4.
"Upon failure of the owner or agent having charge of a property to cut and destroy weeds after service of a notice of violation, they shall be subject to prosecution in accordance with Section 106.3 and as prescribed by the authority having jurisdiction. Upon failure to comply with the notice of violation, any duly authorized employee of the jurisdiction or contractor hired by the jurisdiction shall be authorized to enter upon the property in violation and cut and destroy the weeds growing thereon, and the costs of such removal shall be paid by the owner or agent responsible for the property."
Section 302.4, paragraph 1, shall read as follows: "All premises and exterior property shall be maintained free from weeds or plant growth in excess of 10 inches. All noxious weeds shall be prohibited. Weeds shall be defined as all grasses annual plants and vegetation, other than trees or shrubs provided; however, this term shall not include cultivated flowers and gardens. Noxious weeds shall be defined as those weeds listed as noxious by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, as well as bamboo, poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac."