This article may be cited as the "Disorderly House Ordinance."
[Adopted 6-22-2020 by Ord. No. O-8-2020]
As used in this article, unless the context clearly indicates a different meaning, the following words and phrase shall have the meanings as set forth below:
Any place within the City where persons gather or abide and where the owner, lessee, or person in charge or control permits, encourages, or tends to encourage drunkenness, illegal consumption, boisterous conduct, unseemly noise, fighting, lewd behavior, gambling or other conduct which disturbs the public peace or decorum, or promotes disorder and lessens the dignity of the community. Said definition shall apply whether the place is public or private, a building, or any lot or land in the City. All such places within the City of Farrell are hereby declared a public nuisance.
Any person, not the keeper of a disorderly house, who lives and abides in such disorderly house, or is employed at, or attends a gathering in such a house, lot or other place knowing that such house is a disorderly house as defined herein.
Any person who is the owner, lessee or person in charge or in control of any such house at the time when any of the acts defined above are permitted or encouraged.
No person shall permit, keep, maintain or be an inmate of a disorderly house within the City. Violators are subject to the penalties of this article upon conviction before a Magisterial District Judge having jurisdiction.
It shall be the duty of the police officers of the City to suppress and to close and keep closed any disorderly house and to arrest all persons found therein. If the keeper or any other person within such disorderly house refuses to permit any officer of the City to enter the same, the officer may enter the disorderly house, with a warrant or any other legal means, and to arrest, by issuance of citations or otherwise, all persons found therein.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
Any person, firm or corporation who shall violate any provision of this article shall, upon conviction thereof, be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than $1,000, plus costs, or to imprisonment for a term not to exceed 90 days, or both. Every day that a violation of this article continues shall constitute a separate offense.