[Adopted 8-4-1980 (Ch. 22 of the 1966 Codification)]
The provisions of this article shall be in effect in all parts of the Town of Lancaster outside incorporated villages. This article is enacted pursuant to § 130, Subdivision 6, of the Town Law of the State of New York.
For the purpose of this article, certain words and terms are defined as follows:
ENFORCEMENT OFFICER
The Building Inspector of the Town of Lancaster.
PERSON
Includes an individual, corporation or other legal entity, a partnership and any unincorporated association and includes the plural.
SANITARY LANDFILL
A type of operation in which refuse is deposited, by plan, on a specified portion of open land, is compacted by force applied by mechanical equipment and then is covered by a layer of earth, ashes or suitable covering material to a depth of at least two feet.
TOWN
That portion of the Town of Lancaster outside incorporated villages.
A. 
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, association or any combination of the same to use any land, premises or property within the Town as a sanitary landfill for the dumping or disposal of any garbage, refuse or other waste materials of any kind, without first making application for and securing a permit so to do. No permit will be issued for, nor shall it be permissible to dump or dispose of, any toxic or chemical wastes, radioactive materials or sewage treatment plant sludge or residue. The issuance of such permit shall be subject to and governed by the following provisions:
(1) 
The application for a permit to operate a private sanitary landfill shall be filed with the Town Clerk and shall contain a description and plat of the land on which the disposal of refuse is proposed and a description of the sequence and plan of operation, availability of and equipment for water supply, type and capacity of equipment to be used for operations, plans for fire, nuisance and vermin control, existing and proposed roadways and easements, existing topography and watercourses, together with a diagram and written statement explaining the proposed location and extent of earthwork and fill operations, proposed equipment and estimated daily or weekly volume of garbage and refuse, facts which show that public health and general welfare of the people of the Town and villages therein require the granting of a permit to the applicant and such other information as may be required by the Town Board. Such application shall also be accompanied by evidence acceptable to the Town Board that the applicant is the owner of the property upon which such proposed sanitary landfill is to be located or is the occupant of said property under a lease from the owner that makes said occupant responsible for the condition in which said premises are maintained.
B. 
The Building Inspector shall examine the premises to determine whether public convenience and necessity require the granting of the permit to the applicant and whether the granting of the permit to the applicant is to the best interest of the Town of Lancaster and whether the granting of the permit to the applicant should or would not violate the health regulations of Erie County or would in any way create a hazard or menace to the public health or would in any way create a nuisance to the people of the Town of Lancaster, and shall make a report giving his recommendations to the Town Board and shall submit a copy of his report to the Planning Board.
C. 
The Planning Board shall make a report to the Town Board as to whether or not the granting of the permit in the location described in the application would be a violation of the zoning regulations of the Town of Lancaster and shall submit a copy of this report to the Building Inspector. The Planning Board shall also report to the Town Board as to the effect of such proposed use upon the character of the neighborhood, the traffic conditions, public utility facilities and other matters pertaining to the general welfare and shall advise the Town Board as to whether public convenience and necessity require the granting of a permit to the applicant.
D. 
In determining whether public convenience and necessity require the issuance of a permit to the applicant, both the Building Inspector and the Planning Board shall consider such matters as:
(1) 
The number of sanitary landfills necessary for the entire Town, including the villages therein.
(2) 
The locations best suited to serve the entire Town.
(3) 
The length of time that a proposed location can be expected to be used as a sanitary landfill for the best interests of the people of the Town of Lancaster.
(4) 
The possible effect on the area in the vicinity of the proposed sanitary landfill.
E. 
All other government permits and approvals from county, state or federal government or regulatory agencies for uses set forth in § 287-3A shall be obtained prior to the issuance of a permit pursuant to this article.
A. 
The Building Inspector and Planning Board shall submit their reports and recommendations to the Town Board, stating their reasons why they recommend that the application be granted or denied. The applicant shall also submit, at the time the application is made, the approval of the Erie County Health Department with regard to the operation of a sanitary landfill. The Town Board of the Town of Lancaster shall then consider the reports and recommendations so transmitted and the approval of the Erie County Health Department and such other testimony or evidence, at a public hearing to be held by said Town Board, notice of which shall be published in the official Town newspaper not less than 10 nor more than 20 days prior to said public hearing, and notice of which shall be posted in five public places in the Town of Lancaster and upon the Town bulletin board in the Town Hall.
B. 
If the Town Board finds that public convenience and necessity, as well as the public health and general welfare of the people of the Town of Lancaster, require the issuance of such permit, the Town Board shall issue a permit to the applicant; otherwise, the application for a permit shall be denied and the applicant notified of such action. Such permit shall be issued by the Town Board for any permit or extension thereof upon the payment of an annual fee of $1,000 for the full calendar year or any part thereof, together with an additional fee of $1.50 per load of whatever size delivered to the landfill site, which additional fee shall be accounted for and paid monthly, payable to the Supervisor of the Town of Lancaster in cash or by certified check, and upon delivery to the Town of Lancaster of a cash or corporate bond, negotiable securities or such alternate security acceptable to the Town Board of no less than $25,000 and no more than $100,000, the amount of which shall be set by the Town Board of the Town of Lancaster in its discretion. Said cash, bond or security shall run to the Town of Lancaster. All permits issued hereunder shall expire December 31 of each year and shall be conditioned as follows:
[Amended 2-2-1981]
(1) 
That the permittee, his agents and servants will comply with all of the terms, conditions, provisions, requirements and specifications contained in this article.
(2) 
That the permittee, his agents and servants will faithfully operate the sanitary landfill for which the permit is issued in accordance with the provisions of this article.
(3) 
That the permittee, his agents and servants will save harmless the Town of Lancaster from any expense incurred through failure of the permittee, his agents and servants to operate and maintain the sanitary landfill as required by this article, including any expense the Town may be put to for correcting any condition or violation of this article by the Town's own labor and equipment, whenever the Building Inspector determines it is necessary for the Town to correct any unhealthful condition or conditions violation of this article, or from any damages growing out of the negligence of the permittee or his agents or servants.
(4) 
Before acceptance, all bonds shall be approved by the Town Board upon recommendation of the Town Attorney. If a corporate bond is offered, it shall be executed by a surety or guaranty company qualified to transact business in the State of New York. If a cash bond is offered, it shall be deposited with the Supervisor of the Town of Lancaster, who shall give his official receipt therefor, reciting that said cash has been deposited in compliance with and subject to the provisions of this article.
A. 
The following regulations shall be observed by any person, firm or corporation to whom a permit is issued by the Town Board of the Town of Lancaster for the operation of a sanitary landfill. These regulations shall govern the operation of all Town of Lancaster approved sanitary landfills, and any failure to observe these regulations shall be sufficient grounds for the revocation of the permit by the Town Board:
(1) 
The permit holder shall not permit the depositing of any refuse on any sanitary landfill within the Town of Lancaster which refuse shall be conveyed in a nonenclosed vehicle or conveyance.
(2) 
All garbage and other refuse accepted by the permit holder shall be thoroughly compacted by equipment of a size and weight capable of producing a downward or ground pressure of at least five pounds per square inch. Such equipment shall have sufficient weight and capacity to carry out all necessary operations to the satisfaction of the enforcement officer. Sufficient auxiliary equipment shall be maintained on the site or otherwise available to permit operation in case of a breakdown.
(3) 
Mixed refuse material shall be spread out on the working face of the landfill so that the depth does not exceed a maximum depth of two feet prior to its compaction.
(4) 
The areas shall be continually policed to prevent fire and the blowing of papers, shall be neat and sanitary at all times and shall be covered at the end of each day's operation, as well as when wind conditions warrant it through the day, with sufficient material to prevent blowing papers and unsightly condition. The size of the active face on which refuse is being currently deposited shall be kept to a minimum.
(5) 
Cover material will consist of earth, loam, clay, sand, etc., or a mixture of at least 50% earth and other inert materials, such as ashes, cinders or gravel. A minimum depth of 12 inches of compacted cover and final spread cover material shall be kept on all active faces of the landfill at all times. The active faces of the landfill should be covered at the end of each day's operation, or as otherwise directed by the Building Inspector, with at least six inches (before compaction) of cover material.
(6) 
When the fill has been brought up to two feet below the desired finished grade, it shall be covered with at least 24 inches of compacted cover material graded and seeded in such a manner as to prevent erosion.
(7) 
Where the trench system of sanitary landfill is used, successive parallel trenches must be at least two feet apart.
(8) 
The permittee or operator shall erect such temporary or permanent fences or take other measures as may be necessary to reasonably control blowing of paper and other materials from the landfill.
(9) 
Any materials salvaged from the fill must be handled and stored in such a manner as to prevent rat harborage and permit proper operation of the landfill. Such salvaged material must be removed to a location at least 200 feet from the working surface so as not to interfere with the compacting and covering. All salvaged material must be completely removed from the landfill site every 24 hours unless provision is made for temporary storage within an enclosed, roofed and ratproof structure approved by the enforcement officer.
(10) 
Burning of any materials deposited in a dump or landfill is expressly prohibited.
(11) 
Adequate fire-fighting equipment shall be available at all times on the site.
(12) 
No fill shall be placed in streambeds or other areas where streams would be obstructed or where erosion by the stream would remove cover material. There shall be no seepage or drainage of any material from the fill of such nature as would constitute an odor nuisance or health hazard or pollute any watercourse.
(13) 
The permit holder shall provide an access road, approved by the enforcement officer, that is passable in all types of weather conditions, to the dumping site.
(14) 
The license holder shall also provide an auxiliary fill site available and ready for use during periods of heavy rain or snowfall and when the area being filled and covered may not be reached because of said weather conditions. The permit holder shall also take precautions to eliminate excess dust in dry weather.
(15) 
Insects and rodents on the landfill site shall be controlled and exterminated as directed by the enforcement officer.
B. 
For good and sufficient reasons, the enforcement officer may grant exceptions to the above operating procedures and standards or may impose additional requirements subject to specific site conditions. The enforcement officer shall advise the Town Board of the exceptions or additional requirements granted at the next regular Town Board meeting after the exceptions or additional requirements are granted.
The officer responsible for the enforcement of the provisions of this article shall be the Building Inspector. He shall provide for adequate and frequent inspections of the sanitary landfill sites and to this end shall be authorized to call upon the Planning Board for assistance in making inspections. He shall notify any permit holder who is violating the provisions of the ordinance of the specific manner in which the ordinance is being violated. Unless said violation is corrected within 24 hours after notice in writing to the permit holder by the enforcement officer, the enforcement officer shall notify the Town Board of any violation of the provisions of this article, and the Town Board may, after a public hearing to which the violator shall have been invited, suspend or revoke any permit for noncompliance or violation of any of the provisions of this article or when satisfied that the landfill constitutes a real menace and nuisance to the health, safety and welfare of the immediate residents in the neighborhood in which it is located. Notice of such public hearing shall be made in the same manner as a public hearing upon the original application. In the event that the permit holder refuses to correct the violation within 24 hours after notice in writing by the enforcement officer, the enforcement officer may, if he deems it necessary m the interest of public health, enter upon the premises of the dump or landfill and, either with the equipment and Town employees, or outside operators, do such work as is necessary to correct any condition violative of this article and which in his opinion, if left uncorrected, may be hazardous to the public health. The cost to the Town of correcting such conditions in privately owned dumps or landfills shall be assessed against the permit holder, who shall be required to pay all costs and expenses of the Town in correcting said conditions.
Any permit granted hereunder may be revoked or suspended at any time for any failure to pay the permit fee or the cost of correcting hazardous conditions, as hereinbefore set forth, or whenever, in the opinion of the Building Inspector, the continuance of the landfill or other means of final disposal of refuse would endanger the health, welfare or safety of the public; provided, however, that no such permit or license shall be revoked or suspended except for failure to pay the fee or the cost of correcting hazardous conditions as here provided, except after public hearing before the Town Board of the Town of Lancaster, after notice of said hearing and the purpose thereof shall have been sent to the permit holder at least 10 days prior to the date of said hearing, at which hearing any person interested in said landfill shall have the right to be heard.
A. 
No person, firm, association or corporation shall dump, pump or deposit or permit to be dumped, pumped or deposited any garbage, rubbish, refuse, trash, decaying vegetable matter or organic waste of any kind, toxic or chemical wastes, radioactive materials or sewage treatment plant sludge or residue, building material, construction and demolition material, rubble, house parts, tree limbs, roots or stumps, sand, gravel, rock or soil of any nature or discarded motor vehicles, trailers or parts therefrom unless a permit for same has been applied for and issued by the Town Board of the Town of Lancaster, pursuant to this article, on any lot or parcel of land within the Town of Lancaster, whether said land is vacant, improved or unimproved in nature, excepting those activities as follows:
[Amended 2-2-1981]
(1) 
Septic systems for which an Erie County Health Department permit has been issued.
(2) 
Agricultural or horticultural activities, which, where properly zoned, involve the regular and customary deposition of materials on the ground.
(3) 
Quarry operations and other aggregate activities where properly zoned, which involve dumping and deposition of materials as a regular and customary activity.
(4) 
For landscaping purposes topsoil may be deposited which does not materially alter the existing grade of the property but in no event shall more than 50 yards of topsoil be deposited under this exception for landscape purposes. No material other than topsoil shall be permitted for such landscaping. In the event that landscaping requirements exceed 50 yards of topsoil or the placement of up to 50 yards will materially alter the existing grade, then an application for a dumping permit shall be required as set forth in § 287-8D.
[Amended 2-4-2008]
(5) 
Depositing of dredged and excavated materials and fill by the Town of Lancaster Highway Department where the Highway Superintendent determines that the placement of said materials will not affect any stream, creek or drainage system nor the floodway thereto.
[Added 2-2-1981]
(6) 
The Town Clerk of the Town of Lancaster shall issue the permit after same has been approved by the Town Board. Such permit shall be valid for one year from the date of issuance.
[Added 2-4-2008]
B. 
No person, firm, association or corporation shall dump or deposit any materials in Subsection A, or any material or fill of any nature, into the streambed of any drainage ditch, creek, stream, waterway or watercourse of any nature or into any area designated as a floodplain on the Housing and Urban Development Floodplain Map, nor shall materials as stated above in Subsection A, or any materials or fill of any nature, be placed along the banks of the streambeds of said drainage ditches, streams, creeks or waterways and watercourses by dumping or depositing by any means whatsoever, unless a permit for same has been applied for and issued by the Town Board of the Town of Lancaster.
C. 
No person, firm, association or corporation shall pipe any drainage ditch, stream, creek, waterway or watercourse of any nature, unless a permit for same is issued by the Town Board of the Town of Lancaster.
D. 
Permit required; permit fee; issuance.
[Amended 1-19-1987]
(1) 
Application for a permit shall be made by the property owner to the Town Clerk of the Town of Lancaster and shall contain a description of the plot of land, the name and address of the property owner, the zoning classification, the purpose of filling the property and the duration of such activity and a statement of the point of origin and the content of the material to be dumped duly acknowledged by the owner of the property from which the material originated.
[Amended 5-7-2001]
(2) 
Upon presentation to the Town Board, the Town Board shall refer such application to the Township Building Inspector and Town Engineer or Planning Board.
(3) 
The Building Inspector, Town Engineer or Planning Board may require the applicant to submit a site plan, including the topography of the property in question, drainage of the property, location of streams or drainage ditches thereon and on adjacent lots, property abutting the applicant's property, present development on the property and proposed development thereon.
(4) 
The Building Inspector and Town Engineer shall make recommendations to the Town Board within 15 days after such referral or the Planning Board shall make recommendation to the Town Board within 30 days after such referral, or the Town Board may act on the application without the Building Inspector's, Town Engineer's or Planning Board's recommendation.
(5) 
A nonrefundable application processing fee of $100, payable to the Town of Lancaster, shall accompany each permit application at the time of the filing of the application with the Town Clerk.
[Amended 6-21-1993]
(6) 
The Town Clerk of the Town of Lancaster shall issue the permit after same has been approved by the Town Board. Such permit shall be valid only for the year in which issued.
E. 
Enforcement. The Building Inspector of the Town of Lancaster is charged with enforcement of the provisions of this section.
A. 
Any permit granted hereunder may be revoked or suspended whenever, in the opinion of the Building Inspector, the continuance of the dumping will endanger the health, welfare or safety of the general public.
B. 
The permit holder, after receiving an order from the Building Inspector to discontinue dumping, shall immediately stop same. The permit holder shall thereafter have the right to have a public hearing before the Town Board of the Town of Lancaster, upon requesting such a hearing, to determine whether dumping may be recommenced under the permit, such hearing to be open to the public and at which any person interested in or affected by the dumping shall have the right to be heard.
C. 
In the event that the Town Board, after public hearing determines that the dumping permit should be revoked because the fill poses a danger to the health, welfare or safety of the general public, the Board may order the permittee to remove the fill placed at no cost to the Town or otherwise be subject to the penalties under § 287-10.
[Added 5-7-2001]
A. 
A violation of this article is hereby declared to be a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine not exceeding $1,000 and/or imprisonment for not more than six months for each separate offense. Each day a violation occurs shall be deemed a separate offense.
[Amended 5-7-2001]
B. 
The Town shall also have the right to maintain an action or proceeding in a court of competent jurisdiction to compel compliance with or to restrain by injunction any violations of the provisions of this article.
If any section, paragraph, subdivision, clause, phrase or provision of this article shall be adjudged invalid or held unconstitutional, the same shall not affect the validity of this article as a whole or any part or provision thereof other than the part so decided to be invalid or unconstitutional.
This article shall constitute part of the Code of the Town of Lancaster and shall take effect immediately upon its adoption in accordance with the provisions of law.