[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Shamokin
as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 3-25-1974 by Ord. No. 217 (Ch. 89 of the 1967 Code)]
Unless the context specifically and clearly indicates otherwise,
the meaning of terms and phrases used in this article shall be as
follows:
BUILDING SEWER
The extension from the sewage drainage system of any structure
to the lateral of a sewer.
CITY
The City of Shamokin, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania,
a third-class City of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, acting by
and through its Council, or in appropriate cases acting through and
by its authorized representatives.
IMPROVED PROPERTY
Any property located within the City upon which there is
erected a structure intended for continuous or periodic habitation,
occupancy or use by human beings or animals and from which structure
sanitary sewage and/or industrial wastes shall be or may be discharged.
INDUSTRIAL WASTES
Any solid, liquid or gaseous substance or form of energy
rejected or escaping in the course of any industrial, manufacturing,
trade or business process or in the course of the development, recovery
or processing of natural resources, as distinct from sanitary sewage.
LATERAL
That part of the sewer system extending from a sewer to the
curbline or, if there shall be no curbline, to the property line or,
if no such lateral shall be provided, then "lateral" shall mean that
portion of or place in a sewer which is provided for connection of
any building sewer.
OWNER
Any person vested with ownership, legal or equitable, sole
or partial, of any property located within this City.
PERSON
Any individual, firm, partnership, company, association,
society, trust, corporation or other group or entity.
SANITARY SEWAGE
Normal water-carried household and toilet wastes discharged
from any improved property, not including such ground-, surface or
stormwater as may be present.
[Amended 11-10-1975 by Ord. No. 232.]
SEWER
Any pipe, main or conduit hereinafter constructed for the
purpose of collecting, transporting and disposing of sanitary sewage
and industrial waste and constituting a part of the sewer system used
or usable for sewage collection purposes, together with appurtenant
facilities, additions or extensions that hereafter may be made thereto
by the City in any part or parts of the City.
SEWER SYSTEM
All facilities, as of any particular time, for collecting,
transporting, pumping and disposing of sanitary sewage and industrial
wastes, situate in or adjacent to this City and owned by the City.
STREET
Includes any street, road, lane, court, public square, alley
or highway.
The owner of any improved property benefited, improved and accommodated
by a sewer shall connect such improved property with such sewer, in
such manner as this City may require, within 45 days after notice
to such owner from this City to make such connection, for the purpose
of discharge of all sanitary sewage and industrial wastes from such
improved property, subject to such rules, regulations, limitations
and restrictions as shall be established herein or as otherwise shall
be established by this City from time to time.
All sanitary sewage and industrial wastes from any improved property, after connection of such improved property with a sewer as required under §
427-2, shall be conducted into a sewer, subject to such limitations and restrictions as shall be established herein or as otherwise shall be established by this City from time to time.
No person shall place or deposit or permit to be placed or deposited upon public or private property within this City any sanitary sewage or industrial wastes in violation of §
427-2.
[Amended 6-12-1978 by Ord. No. 256]
No person shall discharge or permit to be discharged into any natural outlet within this City any sanitary sewage or industrial wastes in violation of §
427-2 or any dirt or debris or other matter accumulated within the street or elsewhere, except where suitable treatment has been provided which is satisfactory to this City.
A. No privy vaults, cesspool, sinkhole, septic tank or similar receptacles shall be used or maintained at any time upon any improved property which has been connected to a sewer or which shall be required under §
427-2 to be connected to a sewer, and it shall be unlawful for any owner of any such improved property, after the expiration of the time specified in §
427-2, to erect, construct, use or maintain thereon or to cause to be erected, constructed, used or maintained thereon any privy vault, cesspool, sinkhole, septic tank or similar receptacle for disposition of sanitary sewage and industrial wastes or to discharge sanitary sewage and industrial wastes in any manner other than into the sewer system.
B. Every such privy vault, cesspool, sinkhole, septic tank or similar
receptacle in existence shall be abandoned and, at the discretion
of this City, shall be cleansed and filled at the expense of the owner
of such improved property and under the direction and supervision
of this City, and any such privy vault, cesspool, sinkhole, septic
tank or similar receptacle not so abandoned and, if required by this
City, cleansed and filled, shall constitute a nuisance and such nuisance
may be abated as provided by law at the expense of the owner of such
improved property.
C. No privy vault, cesspool, sinkhole, septic tank or similar receptacle
or any storm sewer or rainwater conductors shall, at any time, be
connected with the sewer. Any storm sewer or rainwater conductor connected
to a sewer shall be abandoned, and, if not so abandoned, shall constitute
a nuisance and such nuisance may be abated as provided by law at the
expense of the owner of such improved property.
The notice of this City to make a connection to a sewer, referred to in §
427-2, shall consist of a copy of this article, including any amendments and/or supplements at the time in effect, or a summary of each section thereof, and a written or printed document requiring the connection in accordance with the provisions of this article and specifying that such connection shall be made within 45 days from the date such notice is given. Such notice may be given at any time after a sewer is in place which can receive and convey sanitary sewage and industrial wastes for treatment and disposal from the particular improved property. Such notice shall be served upon the owner either by personal service or by registered mail or by such other method as at the time may be provided by law.
No person shall uncover, connect with, make any opening into
or use, alter or disturb in any manner any sewer or any part of the
sewer system without first obtaining a permit, in writing, from this
City.
Application for a permit required under §
427-8 shall be made by the owner of the improved property served or to be served.
No person shall make or cause to be made a connection of any
improved property with a sewer until such person shall have fulfilled
each of the following conditions:
A. Such person shall have notified the City Clerk of this City of the
desire and intention to connect to a sewer.
B. Such person shall have applied for and obtained a permit as required by §
427-8.
C. Such person shall have given the City Clerk of this City notice of
at least 24 hours of the time when such connection will be made so
that this City may supervise and inspect the work of connection and
necessary testing.
D. Such person shall have furnished satisfactory evidence to the City
Clerk of this City that any tapping fee charged and imposed by the
City against the owner of each improved property who connects such
improved property to a sewer has been paid.
Except as otherwise provided in this section, each improved
property shall be connected separately and independently with a sewer
through a building sewer. Grouping of more than one improved property
on one building sewer shall not be permitted except under special
circumstances and for good sanitary reasons or other good cause shown
and then only after special permission of this City, in writing, shall
have been secured and subject to such rules, regulations and conditions
as may be prescribed by this City.
All costs and expenses of construction of a building sewer and
all costs and expenses of connection of a building sewer to a sewer,
including testing, shall be borne by the owner of the improved property
to be connected, and such owner shall indemnify and save harmless
this City from all loss or damage that may be occasioned, directly
or indirectly, as a result of construction of a building sewer or
of connection of a building sewer to a sewer.
A. A building sewer shall be connected to a sewer at the place designated
by this City and where the lateral is provided. The invert of a building
sewer at the point of connection shall be at the same or a higher
elevation than the invert of the sewer. A smooth, neat joint shall
be made and the connection of a building sewer to the lateral shall
be made secure and watertight.
B. When connecting a building sewer to a sewer, at the discretion of
the City Building Inspector or the City Engineer, a U-trap may be
required to be located within two feet of the end of the lateral.
The end of the lateral first must be uncovered, inspected and checked
for the proper gradient from the improved property to the lateral
before trenching operations are commenced for the building sewer.
[Amended 11-10-1975 by Ord. No. 232]
Every building sewer shall be of cast-iron, plastic or asbestos-cement
pipe, at least four inches in diameter, and with crushing strength
not less than 1,200 pounds per lineal foot. The slope of the building
sewer shall be not less than 1/4 inch per foot of length for cast-iron
pipe and shall be not less than 1/8 inch per foot of length for plastic
or asbestos-cement pipe.
If the owner of any improved property benefited, improved and accommodated by a sewer, after 45 days' notice from this City requiring the connection of such improved property with a sewer in accordance with §
427-2, shall fail to connect such improved property as required, this City may make such connection and may collect from such owner the costs and expenses thereof by a municipal claim, after due notice, an action in assumpsit or such other legal proceeding as may be permitted by law.
Where an improved property, at the time connection to a sewer
is required, shall be served by its own sewage disposal system or
device, the existing house sewer line shall be broken on the structure
side of such sewage disposal system or device and attachment shall
be made, with proper fittings, to continue such house sewer line as
a building sewer.
No building sewer shall be covered until it has been inspected
and approved by this City. If any part of a building sewer is covered
before so being inspected and approved it shall be uncovered for inspection
at the cost and expense of the owner of the improved property to be
connected to a sewer.
Every building sewer or any improved property shall be maintained
in a sanitary and safe operating condition by the owner of such improved
property.
Every excavation for a building sewer shall be guarded adequately
with barricades and lights to protect all persons from damage and
injury. Streets, sidewalks and other public property disturbed in
the course of installation of a building sewer shall be restored,
at the cost and expense of the owner of the improved property being
connected, in a manner satisfactory to this City.
If any person shall fail to or refuse, upon receipt of a notice
in writing from this City, to remedy any unsatisfactory condition
with respect to a building sewer within 45 days of receipt of such
notice, this City may refuse to permit such person to discharge sanitary
sewage and industrial wastes into the sewer system until such unsatisfactory
conditions shall have been remedied to the satisfaction of this City.
This City reserves the right to adopt, from time to time, additional
rules and regulations as it shall deem necessary and proper relating
to connections with a sewer and the sewer system, which additional
rules and regulations, to the extent appropriate, shall be and shall
be construed as a part of this article.
[Amended 6-11-1990]
Any person, firm or corporation who shall violate or fail to
comply with any of the provisions of this article shall, upon conviction
thereof before any Magisterial District Judge, be sentenced to pay
a fine of not less than $100 and not more than $300 and costs of prosecution
and/or suffer imprisonment for up to 180 days, or both. The continuation
of such violation for each successive day shall constitute a new and
separate offense, and the person or persons allowing the continuation
of the violation may be punished as provided above for each separate
offense.
Fines and costs imposed under provisions of this article shall
be enforceable and recoverable in the manner at the time provided
by applicable law.
This article shall become effective immediately.
In the event that any provision, section, sentence, clause or
part of this article shall be held to be invalid, such invalidity
shall not affect or impair any remaining provision, section, sentence,
clause or part of this article, it being the intent of this City that
such remainder shall be and shall remain in full force and effect.
It hereby is declared that the enactment of this article is
necessary for the protection, benefit and preservation of the health,
safety and welfare of the inhabitants of this City.
All ordinances or parts of ordinances inconsistent herewith
shall be and the same hereby expressly are repealed.
[Adopted 4-9-2018 by Ord.
No. 18-02]
Before any structure in the City of Shamokin can be demolished
or removed, the entity which will be demolishing or removing said
structure shall notify all utilities having service connections within
the structure, such as water, electric, gas, sewer and other connections.
A permit to demolish or remove a structure shall not be issued until
a release is obtained from the utilities stating that their respective
service connections and pertinent equipment, such as meters and regulators,
have been removed or sealed and plugged in a safe manner.
Upon exposure of the sewer lateral and before capping and final
restoration of the property, the contractor or property owner must
contact the Shamokin/Coal Township Joint Sewer Authority for a visual
inspection of the lateral. The Authority will do the following:
A. Visually
inspect the lateral;
B. Direct
the contractor or property owner as to the proper location of capping
for the lateral. The method of capping must be completed in accordance
with the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code (UCC). Capping inspection
is still required under the UCC for which a permit is required at
the start of each demolition project along with a permit from the
City of Shamokin;
C. Marking
of the lateral location in relation to the main sewer line.
Any person violating any of the provisions of this article shall,
upon conviction thereof in a summary proceeding, be sentenced to either
pay a fine of not less than $100, nor more than $1,000, which shall
be paid to the use of the City of Shamokin, with costs of prosecution,
or imprisoned for not more than 10 days, or both.
This article shall take effect immediately upon final approval
by the City Council of the City of Shamokin.