The 2018 International Property Maintenance Code is hereby adopted in its entirety, as published by the International Code Council, Inc., as the Property Maintenance Code of the Borough of Langhorne for the control of buildings and structures as herein provided. Each and all of the regulations, provisions, penalties, conditions and terms of the said Property Maintenance Code are hereby referred to, adopted and made a part hereof as if fully set forth herein this chapter, with additions, assertions, deletions and changes, if any, prescribed in this chapter. At least three copies of the Code shall be at all times kept available for public inspection in the office of the Building/Zoning Department of the Borough of Langhorne in Borough Hall.
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Borough Council of the Borough of Langhorne as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 8-9-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-03]
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
The following sections of the 2018 International Property Maintenance Code are hereby revised as follows:
A.
Section 101.1 Title. This section shall be amended to read: "These regulations shall be known as the Property Maintenance Code of the Borough of Langhorne, hereinafter referred to as, 'this code.'"
B.
Section 102.3 Application of other codes. This section shall be amended so that the last sentence reads: "Nothing in this code shall be construed to cancel, modify, or set aside any provision of Chapter 450, Zoning, of the Code of the Borough of Langhorne."
C.
Section 103.1 General. This section shall be amended to read: "The Building/Zoning Department is hereby designated to enforce this code, and the executive in charge thereof shall be known as the 'Code Official.'"
D.
Section 103.5 Fees. This section shall be amended to read: "The fees for activities and services performed by the Department in carrying out its responsibilities under this code shall be as indicated in a fee resolution adopted by the Council of the Borough of Langhorne, as amended from time to time.
E.
Section 112.4 Failure to comply. This section shall be amended to read: "Any person who shall continue any work after having been served with a stop-work order issued by the Code Official, except for such work as that person is directed to perform to remove a violation or unsafe condition, shall be liable to a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $1,000."
F.
Section 302.4 Weeds. This section shall be amended to read: "Premises and exterior property shall be maintained free from weeds and or plant growth in excess of 12 inches. Noxious weeds shall be prohibited. Weeds shall be defined as all grasses, annual plants and vegetation, other than tree or shrubs provided; however, this term shall not include cultivated flowers and gardens. Upon failure of the owner or agent having charge of a property to cut and destroy weeds after service of a notice of violation, they shall be subject to prosecution in accordance with Section 106.3 and as prescribed by the authority having jurisdiction. Upon failure to comply with the notice of violation, and duly authorized employee of the jurisdiction or contractor hired by the jurisdiction shall be authorized to enter upon the property in violation and cut and destroy the weeds growing thereon, and the costs of such removal shall be paid by the owner or agent responsible for the property."
In all matters that are regulated by the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, or by regulations of departments or agency of the Commonwealth promulgated by authority of law, such laws or regulations, as the case may be, shall control where the requirements thereof are the same or in excess of the provisions of this article. Wherever the provisions or requirements of this article are in conflict with other provisions or requirements of the ordinances of the Borough of Langhorne, the most restrictive or those imposing the higher standard shall govern, except as otherwise provided herein.
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. Any other terms and provisions of the ordinances of the Borough of Langhorne that are unaffected by this article are hereby reaffirmed and ratified. Any ordinance or parts of ordinances that authorize greater remedies than this code are preserved.
The provisions of this article are severable. If any section, paragraph, sentence, clause, or phrase in this article be declared unconstitutional or invalid for any reason, the remainder of the article shall not be affected thereby and shall remain in full force and effect. It is hereby declared to be the intent of Council of the Borough of Langhorne that this article would have been adopted if such illegal, invalid, or unconstitutional section, clause, sentence, or part of a provision had not been included herein.
This article shall become effective five days after enactment by the Council of the Borough of Langhorne, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.