[Code 1969, § 1-1]
The ordinances embraced in the following chapters and sections shall constitute and be designated the "Code of Ordinances, Town of Groton, Connecticut," and may be so cited.
[Code 1969, § 1-2]
(a) 
In the interpretation of this Code, and of all ordinances, the following rules shall be observed, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
BOARD, COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT
Boards, commissions, departments are construed as if followed by the words "of the town" and shall include duly authorized representatives.
BUSINESS
The term "business" includes businesses, professions, trades and occupations, and every kind of calling.
COMPUTATION OF TIME
The time within which an act is to be done shall be computed by excluding the first and including the last day; and if the last day is Sunday or a legal holiday that day shall be excluded.
GENDER
The use of any gender shall include the other gender.
GOODS
The term "goods" includes wares or merchandise.
JOINT AUTHORITY
All words given in joint authority to three or more persons or officers shall be construed as giving such authority to a majority of such persons or officers.
MONTH
The word "month" shall mean a calendar month unless otherwise expressed.
NUMBER
The use of the singular shall include the plural and the use of the plural shall include the singular.
OATH
The term "oath" includes an affirmation.
OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES
The title of any officer or employee used in this Code shall be construed as if the words "of the town" followed it, and shall include his duly authorized representative.
OWNER
The term "owner," when applied to a building or land, includes any part owner, joint owner, or owner of a community or partnership interest, life tenant, tenant in common, or joint tenant, of the whole or a part of such building or land.
PERSON
The term "person" means natural person, joint venture, joint stock company, partnership, association, club, company, corporation, business trust, organization, or the manager, lessee, agent, servant, officer or employee of any of them, and includes all political subdivisions and governmental agencies, and every department of such political subdivisions, together with every officer and employee thereof while working in the course of his employment.
PROPERTY
The term "property" includes real and personal property.
PUBLIC PLACE
The term "public place" includes any and all streets, highways and boulevards, alleys or other publicly owned or controlled parks, squares, spaces, grounds and buildings.
REAL PROPERTY
The term "real property" includes lands, tenements and hereditaments.
SALE
The term "sale" includes any sale, exchange, barter or offer for sale.
SHALL, MAY, MUST
"Shall" and "must" are mandatory; "may" is permissive.
STATE LAW, GENERAL LAW, C.G.S. or GENERAL STATUTES
The terms "state law, general law, C.G.S. and general statutes" refer to the General Statutes of Connecticut, Revision of 1958, as amended.
STREET
The term "street" means the entire width between the boundary lines of every publicly maintained way when any part thereof is open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular or pedestrian travel, including, but not limited to, alleys, lanes, courts and sidewalks.
TENSE
Words used in the past or present tense include the future as well as the past and the present.
YEAR
The word "year" shall mean a calendar year.
(b) 
In the construction of this Code of Ordinances, except as otherwise provided in this Code of Ordinances, words and phrases shall be construed according to the general statutes; technical words and phrases, and such as have acquired a peculiar and appropriate meaning in the law, shall be construed and understood accordingly.
[Code 1969, § 1-6]
Neither the adoption of this Code nor the repeal hereby of any ordinance of this town shall in any manner affect the prosecution for violation of ordinances, which violation was committed prior to the effective date hereof, nor be construed as a waiver of any license or penalty at such effective date due and unpaid under such ordinance, nor be construed as affecting any of the provisions of such ordinance relating to the collection of any such license or penalty or the penal provisions applicable to any violation thereof, nor to affect the validity of any bond or cash deposit in lieu thereof, required to be posted, filed or deposited pursuant to any ordinance, and all rights and obligations thereof appertaining shall continue in full force and effect.
[Code 1969, § 1-4]
(a) 
The catchlines of the several sections of this Code are intended as mere catchwords to indicate the contents of the section and shall not be deemed or taken to be titles of such sections nor as any part of the section, nor, unless expressly so provided, shall they be so deemed when any of such sections, including the catchlines, are amended or reenacted.
(b) 
The history notes appearing in parentheses after each section and the references and notes scattered throughout the Code are for the benefit of the user of the Code and shall have no legal effect.
[Code 1969, § 1-5]
(a) 
The repeal of an ordinance shall not revive any ordinance in force before or at the time the ordinance repealed took effect.
(b) 
The repeal of an ordinance shall not affect any punishment or penalty incurred before the repeal took effect, nor any suit, prosecution or proceeding pending at the time of the repeal for an offense committed under the ordinance repealed.
[Code 1969, § 1-3]
If any section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase of this Code is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this Code. The town council hereby declares that it would have passed this Code, and each section, subsection, sentence, clause and phrase thereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses or phrases had been declared invalid or unconstitutional, then the remainder of this Code shall be in full force and effect.
[Code 1969, § 1-7; Ord. No. 287, 4-3-2018]
(a) 
Whenever in this Code or any other ordinance of the town, or rule or regulation promulgated by any officer thereof under authority vested in him by law or ordinance, any act is prohibited or is declared to be unlawful or an offense, or the doing of any act is required, or the failure to do any act is declared to be unlawful, where no specific penalty is provided, the violation of such ordinance, rule or regulation shall be punished by a fine not exceeding $250.00. Each day any such violation shall continue shall constitute a separate offense.
(b) 
The imposition of any punishment under this Code shall not prevent the enforced abatement of any lawful condition by the town.
(c) 
Any condition caused or permitted to exist in violation of any of the provisions of this Code, officially designated as such and each day that such condition continues shall be regarded as a new and separate offense.
All ordinances passed subsequent to this Code, which amend, repeal or in any way affect this Code, may be numbered in accordance with the numbering system of this Code and printed for inclusion herein, or in the case of repealed chapters, sections and subsections or any part thereof, by subsequent ordinances, such repealed portions may be excluded from the Code by omission thereof from reprinted pages affected thereby, and the subsequent ordinances, as numbered and printed, or omitted in the case of repeal, shall be prima facie evidence of such subsequent ordinances until such time that this Code and subsequent ordinances numbered or omitted are readopted as a new Code by the town council.
(a) 
In preparing a supplement to this Code, all portions of the Code which have been repealed shall be excluded from the Code by the omission thereof from reprinted pages.
(b) 
When preparing a supplement to this Code, the codifier (meaning the person, agency or organization authorized to prepare the supplement) may make formal, nonsubstantive changes in ordinances and parts of ordinances included in the supplement, insofar as it is necessary to do so to embody them into the unified code. For example the codifier may:
(1) 
Organize the ordinance material into appropriate subdivisions;
(2) 
Provide appropriate headings and titles for sections and other subdivisions of the Code printed in the supplement, and make changes in such headings and titles;
(3) 
Assign appropriate numbers to sections and other subdivisions to be inserted in the Code and, where necessary to accommodate new material, change existing or other subdivision numbers;
(4) 
Change the words "this ordinance" or words of the same meaning to "this chapter," "this article," "this division," etc., as the case may be, or to "sections _____ to _____" (inserting section numbers to indicate the sections of the Code which embody the substantive sections of the ordinance incorporated into the Code); and
(5) 
Make other nonsubstantive changes necessary to preserve the original meaning of ordinance sections inserted into the Code; but, in no case shall the codifier make any change in the meaning or effect of ordinance material included in the supplemental or already in the Code.
(a) 
Nothing in this Code or the ordinance adopting this Code shall be construed to repeal or otherwise affect the validity of any of the following:
(1) 
Any ordinance promising or guaranteeing the payment of money for the town, or any evidence of the town's indebtedness.
(2) 
Any appropriation ordinance providing for the levy of taxes or for any annual budget.
(3) 
Any ordinance granting any franchise, permit or other right.
(4) 
Any zoning ordinance.
(5) 
Any subdivision ordinance.
(6) 
Any ordinance creating a special services district.
(7) 
Any ordinance approving, authorizing or otherwise relating to any contract, agreement, lease, deed or other instrument.
(8) 
Any ordinance adopting a preliminary or development plan.
(9) 
Any temporary or special ordinance.
(10) 
Any ordinance establishing or promulgating inland wetlands and watercourses regulations.
(b) 
All such ordinances are hereby recognized as continuing in full force and effect to the same extent as if set out at length in this section.