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.