[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Commissioners of the Township
of Upper Providence 10-10-2019 by Ord. No. 522. Amendments noted where
applicable.]
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the
following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates that a different
meaning is intended:
A building having five or more rental rooms without cooking
facilities for transient paying guests, and not meeting the definition
of a "motel."
A building or a group of two or more detached or semidetached
buildings having five or more rental rooms without cooking facilities,
in direct or close connection with automobile parking, designed principally
for providing sleeping accommodations for automobile travelers and
suitable for occupancy all seasons of the year.
A building having two or more rental rooms without cooking
facilities for transient paying guests and not meeting the definition
of "hotel" or "motel."
No person shall operate a hotel, motel or inn within the Township
without first obtaining a license. Applications for licenses shall
be made to the Township Manager, on forms provided by Upper Providence
Township. The annual license fee shall be a base fee of $100 plus
$25 per room or unit, which fee may be amended from time to time by
Upper Providence Council by way of resolution. The Township Manager
shall furnish copies of the application to the Township Code Enforcement
Officer and Fire Marshal. The applicant shall then make arrangements
with the Township Code Enforcement Officer for the Township Code Enforcement
Officer to conduct an inspection of the hotel, motel or inn and the
interior areas of all units therein. If, upon report of the Township
Code Enforcement Officer or Fire Marshal, it appears that the applicant
hotel, motel or inn has complied upon inspection with all applicable
federal and state laws and Upper Providence Township ordinances, the
Township Manager shall issue the required license. Such license shall
expire on the one-year anniversary of the date of its issuance. The
holder of such license shall apply to the Township for a renewal license
at least 30 days prior to the expiration date of the license and arrange
for such annual inspection prior to the expiration date of the license.
Each hotel, motel or inn shall provide means of egress in compliance
with Building and Fire Code requirements as dictated by the current
edition of the International Code Council (ICC) codes made applicable
by the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code.
All premises shall be kept in a clean condition and in good
repair. All bed sheets, pillow slips, towels and washcloths shall
be replaced with clean items before any new guest occupies a room
previously occupied by another, or at least once every seven days
if any guest occupies a room for any period in excess of seven days.
Representatives of the Township Code Enforcement Department and/or
Fire Marshal may inspect any hotel, motel or inn at any time to ensure
compliance with the provisions of this chapter, provided that no inspector
may enter any room rented to a guest or guests without the express
consent or invitation of at least one of the guests occupying the
room unless such inspector is in the possession of a warrant permitting
access to such room.
(a)
Every owner, keeper or proprietor of any hotel, motel or inn shall
keep a register where all guests or lodgers shall inscribe their names
upon procuring lodging, a room or accommodations. Said owner, keeper
or proprietor shall verify the credit card signature of each guest
or lodger making payment by way of credit card with the signature
inscribed upon the hotel register. If the signature as inscribed on
the register does not appear to reasonably match the signature on
the credit card, further identification shall be requested of the
type requested of persons paying in cash. Said owner, keeper or proprietor
shall require identification of any guest or lodger paying cash, or
by debit card, at the time of registration. Identification shall be
a valid and current form showing the person's name and date of
birth, and may be, but is not limited to, a driver's license,
state-issued picture identification card or such other form as will
reasonably assure that the registrant is in fact under whose name
such lodging, room or accommodation is being procured. The owner,
keeper or proprietor shall maintain a photocopy of such identification
and transpose the identifying information from the registration ledger.
For any guest or lodger taking occupancy through prearranged reservation
in the name of a corporation, business or association or any other
entity, the owner, keeper or proprietor shall request such identification
of the specific guest or lodger at the time of the registration and
will reasonably assure such person to be the person for whom the lodging,
room or accommodation has been procured. The owner, keeper or proprietor
may shred or destroy the photocopy of the identification after the
guest's or lodger's stay has ended.
(b)
Before furnishing any lodging or accommodations to any person in
any hotel, motel or inn, the proprietor, manager or owner thereof
shall require the person to whom such lodgings are furnished or room
is rented or accommodations furnished, to inscribe his or her name
on such register, kept for that purpose, and shall set opposite said
name the time that said name was also inscribed and the room occupied
by such lodger or guest.
Every owner, keeper or proprietor of any hotel, motel or inn
shall, at all times during which the premises accommodates guests
or lodgers, maintain on duty and on the premises a responsible management
person. Such a management representative shall be an individual capable
of assisting and cooperating with the police or other law enforcement
officials in maintaining the public welfare and safety, and shall
be conversant in the English language.
All information required to be procured and kept pursuant to this chapter shall be available to the Township Code Enforcement Officer at the time of the annual inspection established in Section 1466.02 of this chapter. Additionally, information required to be procured and kept pursuant to this chapter shall be provided to any federal, state or local sworn law enforcement officer having the lawful power to arrest, upon demand of the officer and representative by said officer that exigent circumstances exist such that the information must be produced immediately to protect the public health, welfare or safety. In the absence of exigent circumstances, or any other applicable exception to warrant requirements established as a matter of law, the owner, keeper or proprietor of any hotel, motel or inn shall produce such information upon the law enforcement officer presenting a warrant directing the production of such information. Nothing in this requirement shall be construed as giving any such officer any greater right or license to enter a room or invade privacy than the officer shall otherwise possess as a matter of law, probable cause, constitutional law, statutory right or warrant.
Every owner, keeper or proprietor of any hotel, motel or inn
shall keep and maintain in each and every rental unit a telephone
equipped for outgoing calls, and which telephone will allow any person
therein to place a direct call to 911 or the Upper Providence Police
Department. The existence of a minor dialing requirement, such as
dialing 9 to obtain an outside line, shall not be deemed a violation
of this section. Under no circumstances shall prepayment, prior authorization
or any other procedure of a nature which in any way impedes effective,
immediate, and direct placement of such emergency phone call be permitted.
Kitchen facilities consisting of a refrigerator larger than
7.5 cubic feet, cooktops and/or ovens are prohibited in all rental
units.
No person shall procure or provide lodging in any hotel, motel
or inn, or any services therefrom, through misrepresentation or procedure
of false identification, or identification which misrepresents the
identity of the person procuring or sharing in such lodging or service.
No owner, keeper or proprietor of any hotel, motel or inn shall
rent or provide a room for any number of persons greater than the
sleeping accommodations provided within the particular rental unit.
No guest or lodger of the hotel, motel or inn shall allow more persons
to stay overnight within a single room or rental unit than the number
of persons for whom sleeping accommodations are provided by the hotel,
motel or inn keeper within the single room or rental unit.
No owner, keeper or proprietor or guest of a hotel, motel or
inn shall allow to congregate within any room or single rental unit
a number of persons which is greater than three times the number of
persons for whom sleeping accommodations are provided within the single
room or rental unit.
(a)
As the intent of a hotel, motel or inn is to provide temporary lodging for transient guests, under no circumstances shall lodging be provided for more than 14 consecutive days to any one party [subject to the exception set forth at Subsection (b) hereof], nor can a guest or lodger utilize the hotel, motel or inn as their primary residence.
(b)
However, any guest maintaining lodging in excess of 14 consecutive days and any hotel, motel or inn providing such lodging shall not be deemed to be in violation of the provisions of Section 1466.13(a) of this chapter if the guest furnishes proof to the hotel, motel or inn keeper that:
(1)
The guest maintains a primary residence elsewhere; and
(2)
The employer of the guest (or the guest himself or herself,
if the guest is self-employed or if the guest is an independent contractor)
states in writing a) that the guest requires a stay of extended duration
at the hotel, motel or inn for work or contracting purposes, and identifying
the nature and location of such work or contracting purpose and b)
the guest's anticipated length of stay (which shall not exceed
365 days).
(c)
The owner, keeper or proprietor shall require the guests or lodgers to complete and furnish such paperwork as may be reasonably necessary to comply with this provision, and failure of the guest to comply shall be grounds for termination of the guest's stay or lodging. Under all circumstances, the provisions contained in Subsection (b) may not be used to extend a guest's stay in a hotel, motel or inn in excess of 365 consecutive days from the date of the initial check-in.
Before any person shall occupy, inhabit or use the hotel, motel
or inn or any part thereof, such owner, keeper or proprietor of a
hotel, motel or inn shall install or cause to install therein a smoke
detector system, which shall be in compliance with the requirements
of all federal and state laws and Upper Providence Township ordinances
which provide for the installation and maintenance of smoke, fire
or other safety alarms or systems.
(a)
Any person, partnership, corporation or other legal entity violating
the provisions of this chapter shall, upon summary conviction, be
liable to pay a fine of no more than $1,000 plus the cost of prosecution
and be incarcerated for a period not to exceed 30 days for each offense.
(b)
Neither the owner, keeper or proprietor of a hotel, motel or inn
nor any guest of a hotel, motel or inn shall be deemed to be vicariously
liable for any violation of this chapter by the other. Each party
shall be subject to separate prosecution hereunder.
(c)
Each day that a violation of this chapter continues shall constitute
a separate and distinct offense.
In addition to other remedies and penalties provided by this
chapter and other ordinances, the Township Solicitor may, on behalf
of Upper Providence Township, bring suit in a court of competent jurisdiction
to seek an injunction or other appropriate relief, to halt any violation
of this chapter. Such action may include seeking a temporary restraining
order or a temporary injunction, including but not limited to relief
in the form of the suspension of the hotel, motel or inn license pursuant
to court order and such other appropriate temporary relief as necessary.
Nothing in this chapter shall be deemed to restrict a suit for damages
on behalf of the Township or on behalf of any other person or entity.
