Township of Northampton, PA Chapter 5 Code Enforcement

Part 1 UNIFORM CONSTRUCTION CODE

§ 5-101 Election to Enforce Pennsylvania Construction Act.

[Ord. 547, 3/24/2010]

1. This Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act, Act 45 of 1999, 35 P.S. §§ 7210.101 — 7210.1103, as amended from time to time, and its regulations. This Part shall include adoption of the International Fire Code of 2009 as the Fire Code of Northampton Township and include all amendments contained in the 1996 BOCA Fire Prevention Code.[1] This Part shall also include adoption of all amendments enacted under Ord. 430, Ord. 432, and Ord. 431, with the exception of § 118.3 of said Ordinance. In addition to the foregoing, Northampton Township hereby adopts the following appendices:

A. International Building Code 2009 — Appendices C and F.

B. International Residential Code 2009 — Appendices A. B. C. H. and K.

C. International Plumbing Code 2009 — Appendices A, B and D.

D. International Fuel Gas Code 2009 — Appendices B and C.

E. International Mechanical Code 2009 — Appendix A.

F. International Fire Code 2009[2] — Appendix E and Appendix A of the 1996 BOCA Fire Prevention Code as previously adopted.

[2] Editor's Note: Ordinance No. 603, adopted 1/23/2019, provided for the repeal of the reference here to the 2009 Edition of the International Fire Code. See now Part 2 of this chapter for current Fire Code provisions.

[1] Editor's Note: Ordinance No. 603, adopted 1/23/2019, provided for the repeal of the reference here to the 2009 Edition of the International Fire Code. See now Part 2 of this chapter for current Fire Code provisions.

§ 5-102 Uniform Construction Code Adopted.

[Ord. 547, 3/24/2010]

The Uniform Construction Code, contained in 34 Pa. Code Chapters 401 — 405, as amended from time to time, is hereby adopted and incorporated herein by reference as the municipal building code of this Township.

§ 5-103 Amendments.

[Ord. 547, 3/24/2010]

As permitted under the Uniform Construction Code, the following sections are hereby amended to require permits as follows:

R403.62 (c)(1)(xvii)	Decks less than 30 inches off grade
R403.62 a (b)	All residential detached accessory buildings 1,000 square feet or more, all residential single-family dwellings, additions or structures shall require signed/sealed construction documents by a design professional, except decks and minor construction as may be determined by the Plan Examiner.
R-403.64(d)	Residential inspections to include footing, foundation walls, slabs, plumbing, mechanical, electrical, fireplaces, wallboard, framing, masonry, final inspections and any other inspections as may be deemed necessary by this Department
R-403-65 (b)(1-8)	Present Occupancy Permit form as compiled by the Department shall remain in effect

§ 5-104 Administration and Enforcement.

[Ord. 547, 3/24/2010]

1. Administration and enforcement of the Code within this Township shall be undertaken in any of the following ways as determined by the governing body of this Township from time to time by resolution:

A. By the designation of an employee of the Township to serve as the municipal code official to act on behalf of the Township.

B. By the retention of one or more construction code officials or third-party agencies to act on behalf of the Township.

C. By agreement with one or more other municipalities for the joint administration and enforcement of the Act through an intermunicipal agreement.

D. By entering into a contract with another municipality for the administration and enforcement of this Act on behalf of this Township.

E. By entering into an agreement with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry for plan review, inspections and enforcement of structures other than one-family or two-family dwelling units and utility and miscellaneous use structures.

§ 5-105 Board of Appeals.

[Ord. 547, 3/24/2010]

A Board of Appeals shall be established by resolution of the Board of Supervisors of this Township in conformity with the requirements of the relevant provisions of the Code, as amended from time to time, and for the purposes set forth therein. If at any time enforcement and administration is undertaken jointly with one or more other municipalities, said Board of Appeals shall be established by joint action of the participating municipalities.

§ 5-106 Savings and Repeals.

[Ord. 547, 3/24/2010]

1. All building code ordinances or portions of ordinances which were adopted by this Township on or before July 1, 1999, and which equal or exceed the requirements of the Code shall continue in full force and effect, unless otherwise noted, until time as such provisions fail to equal or exceed the minimum requirements of the Code, as amended from time to time.

2. All building code ordinances or portions of ordinances which are in effect as of the effective date of this Part and whose requirements are less than the minimum requirements of the Code are hereby amended to conform with the comparable provisions of the Code.

3. All relevant ordinances, regulations and policies of this Township not governed by the Code shall remain in full force and effect.

§ 5-107 Fees.

[Ord. 547, 3/24/2010]

Fees assessable by the Township for the administration and enforcement undertaken pursuant to this Part and the Code shall be established by the Board of Supervisors by resolution from time to time.

Part 2 Fire Code

§ 5-201 Adoption of Code.

[Ord. No. 613, 4/27/2022[1]]

A certain document, two copies of which are on file in the office of Northampton Township being marked and designated as the "International Fire Code, 2018 edition," including Appendix Chapters A, D, E, F, G, H, and I as published by the International Code Council, be and is hereby adopted as the Fire Code of the Township of Northampton, in the State of Pennsylvania regulating and governing the safeguarding of life and property from fire and explosion hazards arising from the storage, handling and use of hazardous substances, materials and devices, and from conditions hazardous to life or property in the occupancy of buildings and premises as herein provided; providing for the issuance of permits and collection of fees therefor; and each and all of the regulations, provisions, penalties, conditions and terms of said Fire Code on file in the office of the Township of Northampton are hereby referred to, adopted, and made a part hereof, as if fully set out in this legislation, with the additions, insertions, deletions and changes, prescribed in § 5-202 of this Part.

[1] Editor's Note: This ordinance also superseded former Part 2, Fire Code, Ord. No. 603, 1/23/2019.

§ 5-202 Revisions.

The following sections are hereby revised.

1. Section 101.1. Insert: "Northampton Township."

2. Section 110.4. Insert: "Summary Offense, One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00), Thirty (30) Days."

3. Section 112.4. Insert: "Three Hundred Dollars ($300.00) or more than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00)."

4. Section 1103.5.3. Insert: "Within two (2) years of the service of notice that a sprinkler system shall be required."

5. Section 5704.2.9.6.1. Insert: "Northampton Township."

6. Section 5706.2.4.4. Insert: "Northampton Township."

7. Section 5806.2. Insert: "Northampton Township."

8. Section 6104.2. Insert: "Northampton Township."

§ 5-203 Effect on Building Code Regulations.

All preexisting building code requirements shall be maintained including Appendix A of the 1996 BOCA Fire Prevention Code.

§ 5-204 Severability.

In the event that any section, sentence, clause, phrase or word of this Part shall be declared illegal, invalid or unconstitutional by any Court of competent jurisdiction, such declaration shall not prevent or otherwise foreclose enforcement of any of the remaining portions of this Part.

§ 5-205 Repealer.

All ordinances or parts of ordinances inconsistent herewith or in conflict with any of the specific terms enacted hereby, to the extent of said inconsistencies or conflicts, are hereby specifically repealed.