These regulations shall be known as the Building Safety, Property Maintenance, and Housing Code of the Municipality of Norristown, Pennsylvania, hereinafter referred to as "this code."
The provisions of this code shall apply to all existing residential and nonresidential structures and all existing premises and constitute minimum requirements and standards for premises, structures, equipment and facilities for light, ventilation, space, heating, sanitation, protection from the elements, a reasonable level of safety from fire and other hazards, and for a reasonable level of sanitary maintenance; the responsibility of owners, an owner's authorized agent, operators and occupants; the occupancy of existing structures and premises, and for administration, enforcement and penalties.
The purpose of this code is to establish minimum requirements to provide a reasonable level of health, safety, property protection and general welfare insofar as they are affected by the continued occupancy and maintenance of structures and premises. Existing structures and premises that do not comply with these provisions shall be altered or repaired to provide a reasonable minimum level of health, safety and general welfare as required herein.
If a section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase of this code is, for any reason, held to be unconstitutional, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this code.
No person shall knowingly make any false statement or provide any false information on any form, document, or to any employee or contracted staff of the Department of Buildings & Code Compliance or any representative of the municipality or other authorized person.
Where there is a conflict between a general requirement and a specific requirement, the specific requirement shall govern. Where differences occur between provisions of this code and the referenced standards, the provisions of this code shall apply. Where, in a specific case, different sections of this code specify different requirements, the most restrictive shall govern.
Equipment, systems, devices and safeguards required by this code or a previous regulation or code under which the structure or premises was constructed, altered or repaired shall be maintained in good working order. An owner, owner's authorized agent, operator or occupant shall not cause any service, facility, equipment or utility that is required under this section to be removed from, shut off from or discontinued for any occupied dwelling, except for such temporary interruption as necessary while repairs or alterations are in progress. The requirements of this code are not intended to provide the basis for removal or abrogation of fire protection and safety systems and devices in existing structures. Except as otherwise specified herein, the owner or the owner's authorized agent shall be responsible for the maintenance of buildings, structures and premises.
Repairs, additions or alterations to a structure, or changes of occupancy, shall be done in accordance with the procedures and provisions of the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code, International Building Code, International Existing Building Code, International Energy Conservation Code, International Fire Code, International Fuel Gas Code, International Mechanical Code, International Residential Code, International Plumbing Code and NFPA 70. Nothing in this code shall be construed to cancel, modify or set aside any provision of the Municipality of Norristown Zoning Code.
The provisions in this code shall not be construed to abolish or impair existing remedies of the jurisdiction or its officers or agencies relating to the removal or demolition of any structure that is dangerous, unsafe and insanitary.
Repairs, maintenance work, alterations or installations that are caused directly or indirectly by the enforcement of this code shall be executed and installed in a workmanlike manner and installed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
Where structural analysis is used to determine if an unsafe structural condition exists, the analysis shall be permitted to use nominal strengths, nominal loads, load effects, required strengths and limit states in accordance with the requirements under which the structure was constructed or in accordance with any subsequent requirement.
The provisions of this code shall not be mandatory for existing buildings or structures designated as historic buildings where such buildings or structures are judged by the code official to be safe and in the public interest of health, safety and welfare.
The codes and standards referenced in this code shall be those that are listed in Chapter 8 and considered part of the requirements of this code to the prescribed extent of each such reference and as further regulated in Sections 102.8.1 and 102.8.2.
Exception: Where enforcement of a code provision would violate the conditions of the listing of the equipment or appliance, the conditions of the listing shall apply or where the enforcement of a code provision would violate the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code, the provisions of the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code shall apply.
102.8.1 
Conflicts. Where conflicts occur between provisions of this code and the referenced standards, the provisions of this code shall apply.
102.8.2 
Provisions in referenced codes and standards. Where the extent of the reference to a referenced code or standard includes subject matter that is within the scope of this code, the provisions of this code, as applicable, shall take precedence over the provisions in the referenced code or standard. In the case of a clear public safety hazard, the code official shall be authorized to enforce a provision of this code, or other recognized relative codes, retroactively.
Requirements necessary for the strength, stability or proper operation of an existing fixture, structure or equipment, or for the public safety, health and general welfare, not specifically covered by this code, shall be determined by the code official.
References to chapter or section numbers, or to provisions not specifically identified by number, shall be construed to refer to such chapter, section or provision of this code.
The provisions of this code shall not be deemed to nullify any provisions of local, state or federal law.