[Adopted 11-18-2024 by Ord. No. 26-2024]
A. 
It shall be the responsibility of any property owner, lessee, tenant, occupant or person in charge of said property, building, or structure abutting a sidewalk to maintain the area on both sides of said sidewalk, so as to prevent a hazard or nuisance to pedestrians using said sidewalk. This maintenance responsibility shall include, but not be limited to, the removal of weeds, brush, obnoxious growth, as well as routine cutting of grass up to the edge of the sidewalk pavement and to the edge of the roadway pavement.
B. 
No person shall sweep or deposit into any gutter, street, storm sewer inlet or other public place any accumulation of litter removed from any public or private sidewalk, path or driveway.
A. 
Every property owner in the Township shall be responsible for the maintenance of the area within an abutting public right-of-way between the property lines of the premises in question, extended to the edge of the adjacent street. Maintenance responsibilities, regardless of cause, shall include, but are not limited to, the following:
(1) 
All sidewalks on any and all streets, roads and public places in the township shall be repaired and kept in repair at the cost and expense of the owner or owners of the lands in front of which such sidewalks are constructed.
(2) 
Removal of any and all weeds, litter and other debris within a reasonable period of time of its occurrence.
(3) 
Maintaining all surfaces in level and safe condition to avoid tripping hazards (e.g., filling any depressions due to settling of earth, repairing uneven edges of concrete, brick or other hard surface material, etc.) as further set forth in general construction specifications referenced below.
(4) 
Repair or reconstruction shall be done in materials of like kind and quality to those existing materials being repaired or replaced. For example, brick sidewalks shall be replaced with brick. Any proposed substitution of materials shall be reviewed and approved by the Director of Public Works or the Director's designee.
B. 
Any work carried out under this article shall also be done in accord with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Responsibilities shall not include maintenance of any streetlight, traffic signal, regulatory sign, public trash receptacle, public bench, bus shelter, public bicycle rack or any equipment or improvements owned and maintained by a public utility.
C. 
If any specific repair or reconstruction is undertaken by the township for a given project, then the owner of the real estate abutting such sidewalk shall nonetheless be responsible thereafter for its maintenance, and any subsequent required repairs or reconstruction, as required in this article.
A. 
The Director of Public Works, or the Director's designee, shall determine the necessity of sidewalk repair or improvement, and shall cause a notice in writing to be served upon the abutting landowners of said lands, requiring the necessary specified work to be done by the owner within a period of not less than 90 days from the date of delivery of the notice. The Director of Public Works may, due to inclement weather or other good cause, extend the period for a longer period than 90 days, provided that the extended period shall not exceed 120 days.
B. 
Whenever any abutting lands are unoccupied and the owner cannot be found within the municipality, the notice may be, mailed, postage prepaid, to the owner's post office address as shown on the current tax duplicate.
A. 
In case the owner shall not comply with the requirements of such notice, and a public safety concern exists as attested to by the Township Manager, the Manager may cause the necessary work to be performed and paid for out of the municipal funds available for that purpose; the cost of such work shall be certified by the Township Manager.
B. 
Council review; collection. The Township Council shall examine such certification and, if found to be correct, the Township Council may adopt a resolution providing that the amount of the cost of such work shall be and become a lien upon the said abutting lands in front of which such work has been done to the same extent that assessments for local improvements are liens in the Township and shall be collected in the manner provided by law for the collection of such other assessments and shall bear interest at the same rate.
C. 
In addition, thereto, the Township may have an action to recover the said amount against the owner of said lands in any court having competent jurisdiction thereof. A certified copy of the aforesaid certificate shall in such action be prima facie evidence of the existence of the debt due from the said owner to Moorestown Township.
Absent the formal approval of the Director of Public Works, no property owner or any other person shall cause to remove any sidewalk under the jurisdiction of the Township except for the repair or replacement of existing damaged sidewalk.
Each and every person or persons violating this article, in addition to the penalties and enforcement set forth above, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding the sum of $2,000 for each and every offense, to be imposed in the discretion of the judge hearing the matter.