A certain document, three copies of which are on file in the office of the Township Manager of East Lampeter Township, being marked and designated as the International Property Maintenance Code, 2024 edition, as published by the International Code Council, be and is hereby adopted as the Property Maintenance Code of the Township of East Lampeter, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, for regulating and governing the conditions and maintenance of certain property, buildings and structures, as hereinafter described; by providing the standards for supplied utilities and facilities and other physical things and conditions essential to ensure that structures are safe, sanitary and fit for occupation and use; and the condemnation of buildings and structures unfit for human occupancy and use, and the demolition of such existing structures as herein provided; providing for the issuance of permits and collection of fees therefor; and each and all of the regulations, provisions, penalties, conditions and terms of said Property Maintenance Code on file in the office of the Township of East Lampeter are hereby referred to, adopted, and made a part hereof, as if fully set out in this legislation, with the additions, insertions, deletions and changes, if any, prescribed in § 249-2 of this article. Upon being updated, editions subsequent to the 2024 edition of the International Property Maintenance Code shall automatically, and without further action by the Board of Supervisors, be deemed as adopted as the Property Maintenance Code of the Township of East Lampeter.
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the Township of East Lampeter as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 10-5-2015 by Ord. No. 315; amended in its entirety 12-15-2025 by Ord. No. 384]
The following sections are hereby revised:
A.
Section 101.1. Insert: Township of East Lampeter.
B.
Section 101.2. Insert: Scope. The provisions of this code shall apply to all existing commercial or business structures to which customers, patrons or employees are invited and to residential structures which are occupied by a tenant, roomer or temporary lodger who, by way of monetary or other valuable consideration, pays for the privilege of renting, rooming or lodging on the premises, including by way of illustration but not limitation, rental of a home or apartment for residential purposes, lodging and rooming and boarding houses, lodging in campgrounds, lodging in bed and breakfast, motels, hotels, or other similar facilities, whether for long term, short term or temporary purposes. This code establishes minimum requirements and standards for such premises, structures, equipment and facilities for light, ventilation, space, heating, sanitation, protection from the elements, life safety, safety from fire and other hazards and for safe and sanitary maintenance; the responsibility of owners, operators and occupants; the occupancy of existing structures and premises and for administration, enforcement and penalties. The provisions of this code shall not apply to residential structures which are solely owner occupied. The provisions of this code further do not apply to lodging which is incidental to a primary health care facility, such as a hospital, nursing home or assisted living facility provided that such a facility is otherwise licensed by an appropriate healthcare regulatory agency. The provisions of this code further do not apply to other buildings, structures and properties which are used primarily or exclusively for institutional uses. The term "institutional uses" as used in this article is limited to federal, state or local governmental buildings, hospitals and similar medical buildings which have been licensed by a federal government or state government regulatory body; public utility buildings; public, private or parochial elementary or secondary schools which have been licensed by a state government regulatory body and properties used for public worship such as churches, synagogues or mosques, provided that such public worship properties shall be exempt under this provision only if use of such properties is limited to religious worship and directly related education uses and that the buildings involved in such uses are not physically attached to another building or buildings which are not themselves exempt under this section.
D.
Section 106. All references to the Board of Appeals shall instead refer to the Board of Supervisors acting under the guidelines of the Local Agency Law. (See 2 Pa.C.S.A. § 551 et seq. relating to practice and procedure of local agencies.) Section 106.3, relating to the qualifications of the Board of Appeals, is deleted. Sections 106.1, relating to the procedure for holding hearings, shall apply, provided that references to the Board of Appeals shall instead apply to the East Lampeter Township Board of Supervisors.
E.
Section 107.4. Insert: One Thousand and 00/100 ($1,000) Dollars shall be the maximum penalty or fine for violation of a provision of the code or for failure to comply with any of the requirements of the code.
F.
Section 108.4. Insert: One Hundred and 00/100 ($100) Dollars per offense per day shall be the minimum dollar amount fine for failure to comply with a stop work order and One Thousand and 00/100 ($1,000) Dollars per offense per day shall be established as the maximum fine for failure to comply with a stop work order.
G.
Section 302.4. Insert: Six (6) inches.
H.
Section 304.14. Insert: January 1 to December 31 as the period during which insect screens shall be supplied under Section 304.14.
I.
Section 602.3. Insert: January 1 to December 31 as the time period during which a certain heat supply is to be provided under Section 602.3, dealing with various dwelling units and sleeping units.
J.
Section 602.4. Insert: January 1 to December 31 as the time period during which a certain heat supply is to be provided to occupiable work spaces under Section 602.4.
Enforcement of this article is intended to be based upon a complaint-driven system. Consequently, periodic inspections shall not be required. Inspections shall be ordered as reasonably required by the Code Official where the Code Official has received information or complaints which suggest the possibility of violations of the code.
This article is intended to be interpreted and enforced in a manner which is consistent with the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code with respect to electrical component exemptions for dwelling units occupied solely by members of recognized religious sects and such member's immediate family and for one-room schoolhouses used exclusively by members of such religious sects where such electrical components and systems conflict with such member's religious beliefs.
This article is intended to be interpreted and enforced in a manner which is consistent with other ordinances of East Lampeter Township addressing land use issues and the conduct of general nuisances. To the extent those ordinances and this article and other ordinances of the Township establish more stringent requirements, the ordinance having the more stringent requirements shall govern.
If any section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase of this article is, for any reason, held to be unconstitutional, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this article. The Township of East Lampeter hereby declares that it would have passed this article, and each section, subsection, clause or phrase thereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses and phrases be declared unconstitutional.
Nothing in this article or in the Property Maintenance Code hereby adopted shall be construed to affect any suit or proceeding impending in any court, or any rights acquired, or liability incurred, or any cause or causes of action acquired or existing, under any existing act or ordinance; nor shall any just or legal right or remedy of any character be lost, impaired or affected by this article.
The provisions of this article shall take effect and be in full force and effect five days after the enactment of this article.