No person, firm, or corporation shall remove any building along the public streets, alleys, or public places within said City unless he shall have obtained a license as a housemover, under a penalty of not less than $10 nor more than $200 for each offense.
[Ord. No. 2018-89]
Any person may obtain a license as a housemover upon the payment of a license fee as set forth in the Schedule of Fees per annum and the execution to the City of a bond in the sum of $5,000 with a corporate surety to be approved by the Corporation Counsel, conditioned among other things that said party applying for such license will pay any and all damages which may happen to any tree, pavement, street or sidewalk, or to any telegraph, telephone, electric light or electric street care pole or wire within said City, whether such damage or injury shall be inflicted by said party or his agent, employees, or workmen and conditioned also that said party will save and indemnify and keep harmless the City from all liabilities, judgments, costs, and expenses which may in any wise accrue against said City in consequence of the granting of such license or any permit, and will in all things comply with the Ordinances of the City and all permits granted to him. Said license shall expire December 31st of the year in which it was issued. License fees shall not be prorated.
No person shall remove any building or structure from one place to another along the public streets of the City without having first obtained from the Building Official a permit therefor.
A. 
Before any permit for the removal of any building shall be granted, the licensed housemover who proposes to do the work shall make application in writing to the Building Official, stating the building proposed to be removed, where it is located, the place to which it is proposed to remove it, the route to be taken, and the time probably required for such removal.
B. 
The person desiring to remove said building shall bear and be liable for all expense to which the City is put on account of said removal, and before the issuance of any such permit, shall deposit with the Building Official a sum to be fixed in each case by the Building Official and the Building Official may further require a bond to cover such expense. In the event said cash deposit exceeds such expense, the surplus shall be returned to the depositor, but if such expense exceeds such deposit, the depositor shall pay the difference to the City immediately upon demand.
C. 
Upon issuing such permit, the Building Official may direct the route to be taken, the maximum time to be consumed in said removal, and any other requirements that may be deemed necessary.
D. 
The work of removal shall be done in such a manner as to meet the approval of the Building Official; and the erection, construction, alteration and repair of the building to be removed shall be subject to all the provisions of this code.
Every permit for the removal of any building shall prescribe the conditions upon which said permit is granted, the route to be taken, and the limit of time for the removal; and any person who shall fail, neglect, or refuse to comply with the conditions of such permit shall be fined not less than $5 nor more than $100 for each offense, and every day any such building shall remain on any street, alley, or public place after the expiration of the time specified in any permit for the removal of the same, shall be a separate offense under this section.
No frame building in the City of Bloomington shall be removed unless such building is worth 35% of the cost of a similar new building. The Building Official shall determine as to the value of any such building, and his decision shall be subject to the approval of the City Manager; provided that this section shall not apply to any person removing a building upon his own premises and not going upon the premises of any other person or upon any street, alley, or public place in making such removal.
No wooden building within or without the fire limits shall be moved to any lot or part of a lot within the fire limits.
No building shall be allowed to be removed along any street without at least 24 hours' notice to any company operating any bus line along said street and to the Police Department and the Fire Department; and during the time such building is being removed the person or persons engaging in removing the same shall work night and day until such building is off such street.
Every person removing any building or who makes any excavation or piles any lumber or building material upon any of the public streets of the City shall, in addition to the other requirements of the Code of said City, keep early twilight until dawn a red light or lights hung out upon and about the same sufficient to give ample warning of such building, excavation or obstruction.
It shall be unlawful for any housemover or other person to drive iron or other stakes in any asphalt pavement within said City, and into any brick pavement unless the top course of the brick be first removed, under a penalty of not exceeding $100 for each offense, and a forfeiture of any license as housemover the person convicted may hold, and such forfeiture shall be entered up as a part of the penalty upon any such conviction.
No housemover shall be permitted to cut or injure any tree standing in or along any street, alley or other public place within the City without the consent of the City Forester or the consent of the owner of the property on which said tree is located, under a penalty not exceeding $50.
Any housemover failing or neglecting to remove any building from any street, alley or public place within the time allowed and limited in the permit for the removal shall be deemed to be guilty of maintaining a nuisance. Every day such building shall remain on any street, alley or public place beyond the time as fixed and limited in the permit shall constitute a separate and distinct offense.
Whenever any license housemover engaged to move any house or building through or past wires, cables or other electrical conductors owned and operated by the City, or by any person or corporation and shall have secured a permit from the Building Official for such removal in accordance with the provisions of this article, he shall serve notice in writing upon the person or corporation owning, using or operating any such wire, cable or other electrical conductor through which he desires to pass, specifying the time the house or building he is removing will reach such wire, cable or other electrical conductor to be cut or otherwise removed or disposed of so as to allow such person or corporation not less than 24 hours before the time at which it is desired to cut such wire, cable or other electrical conductor or otherwise dispose of same and shall pay such owner of the same their reasonable expense for such work of cutting, removing and adjusting; and any person violating this provision of this section shall be fined any sum not less than $10.
Whenever any house or building is being moved upon or along any street, alley or public way in the City, and it becomes necessary in the removal of the same that such house or building shall be left standing upon any street, alley or public way during the night time, the person so moving the house or building shall notify the Chief of the Fire Department of the location of such building so left standing on the street.
No license housemover by himself or by any servant, agent or employee shall cut, remove or otherwise interfere with or disturb any wire, cable or other electrical conductor strung upon, across or along any street or public way, whether such wire, cable or other electrical conductor is used or operated by the City or by some person or corporation legally authorized to use, operate and maintain such wires, cables or other electrical conductors; nor shall any such licensed housemover while engaged in moving any house or building through, by or under any such wire, cable or other electrical conductor, unreasonably delay or prolong the passing of such house or building or unreasonably or unnecessarily impede or obstruct the use of any such wire, cable or other electrical conductor by the person or corporation owning, using or operating same.
Every person violating any of the provisions of this article, where no other penalty is provided shall be fined not less than $5 for each offense.