[12-16-2025 by Ord. 3835]
The purpose of this article of the City of Meadville, Crawford County, Pennsylvania (hereinafter "City"), shall be to protect the health, safety, and welfare of residents of the City by establishing a Quality of Life (QOL) Ticketing Program.
[12-16-2025 by Ord. 3835]
The following words, terms, and phrases, when used in this article, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:
ABANDONED VEHICLE
Shall have the same meaning as that term is defined in the Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Code, Title 75 Pa.C.S.A.
CITY
As used herein shall mean the City of Meadville, Pennsylvania.
CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER
Shall mean the official appointed by the City Manager and such deputies as may be authorized and appointed by the City Manager to enforce the QOL Ticketing Program.
GARBAGE
Shall mean all refuse resulting from the handling, preparation or cooking of animal, grain, fruit or vegetable matter used on or intended for use as food.
JUNK
Shall mean any used and discarded or abandoned materials or articles including, but not limited to, boats, trailers, machinery, equipment, appliances, house furnishings, structures, recreational equipment, building materials and debris, vehicle parts, rimless tires, the scrap and parts thereon and any other article or material which has been discarded and is not generally useable for the purpose for which it was manufactured.
OBSTRUCTION
Shall mean any merchandise, vehicle, structure, material, condition or other thing that impedes or prevents passage or progress, or creates an obstacle or blockage, in sidewalks, roadways, and any other public right-of-way.
OCCUPANT
Shall mean any individual living or sleeping or having possession of a space within a premises, or otherwise having control of the premises.
OWNER
Shall mean any person, agent, operator, firm or corporation having a legal or equitable interest in the premises; or recorded in the official records of the state, county, or municipality as holding title to the premises; or otherwise having control of the premises, as the guardian of estate of any such person, and the executor or administrator of the estate of such person if ordered to take possession of premises by a court of competent jurisdiction; or otherwise having control of the premises.
PERSON
Means every natural person, association or corporation. Whenever used in any clause prescribing and/or imposing a penalty, the term "person," when applied to associations or corporations, includes the owners or officers thereof.
PREMISES
Shall mean any lot, plot or parcel of land, easement or public way, including any structures thereon.
RUBBISH
Shall mean combustible and noncombustible waste materials, except garbage, and includes the residue from the burning of wood, coal, coke, and other combustible material, paper, rags, cartons, boxes, wood, excelsior, rubber, leather, tree branches, yard trimmings, tin cans, metals, mineral matter, glass, crockery, and dust.
TENANT
Shall mean any person, corporation, partnership or group, whether or not the legal owner of record, occupying premises, portion thereof or otherwise having control of the premises.
VIOLATOR
Shall mean the occupant, owner and/or tenant of a premises.
[12-16-2025 by Ord. 3835]
Quality-of-life violations are as follows:
(a) 
Accumulation of junk, rubbish, and garbage. No accumulation of junk, refuse, or garbage that causes a nuisance or health and safety hazard shall be permitted in any exterior property area, as described in § 1721.32(A) of the Municipal Code of the City of Meadville (the "Municipal Code").
(b) 
Animal waste. No person shall fail to clean up any waste of any dog or cat, as described in § 721.08 of the Municipal Code.
(c) 
Failure to obtain zoning or building permit. No person shall construct, alter, or place any structure, mobile home, or driveway, use or develop land, or otherwise conduct activity requiring a zoning permit under § 1310.02 of the Municipal Code without first obtaining the permit(s) required thereunder. No person shall construct, alter, demolish, use, or occupy any structure or otherwise conduct activity requiring a building permit under § 1701.07 of the Municipal Code without first obtaining the permit(s) required thereunder.
(d) 
High weeds or grass growth. All premises and exterior property shall be maintained free from weeds or grass growth in excess of 10 inches, as described in § 1721.30(A) of the Municipal Code.
(e) 
Motor vehicles. No person shall park, store or leave any motor vehicle of any kind, as described in § 1721.20(F) of the Municipal Code.
(f) 
Outdoor placement of indoor appliances/furniture. No furniture, as described in § 1721.20(G) of the Municipal Code, or appliance designed for indoor cleaning, food storage, or food preparation, including but not limited to clothes washers and dryers, refrigerators, freezers, and cooking implements, may be stored outdoors, regardless of whether such furniture or appliance is in working order. Grills and other appliances designed for outdoor use, according to the manufacturer's instructions, or otherwise permitted under Article 1507 of the Municipal Code are not prohibited.
(g) 
Registration of residential rentals. No person shall let or rent dwelling space to a tenant, as described in § 327.05(a) of the Municipal Code, without the registration and/or licensure provided for in Article 327 of the Municipal Code.
(h) 
Snow and ice removal from sidewalks. No person shall fail to remove snow and ice from sidewalks, as described in § 1721.31(A) of the Municipal Code.
(i) 
Storage containers for refuse and recycling. No outdoor containers used for the purpose of collecting refuse and recycling until such time as it may be removed from the property and lawfully disposed may be maintained in such a manner as to be overflowing, damaged, or otherwise inadequate to contain refuse and recycling in the manner prescribed by § 931.04 of the Municipal Code.
(j) 
Storing of hazardous material. No person shall store any material on or around a structure that poses a fire hazard or a hazard to human health. This includes, but is not limited to, accumulation of combustible material; or any material (other than properly maintained landscaping) that harbors rodents, feral animals, or potentially disease-carrying insects; or accumulation of material that blocks ingress or egress of emergency personnel and equipment.
(k) 
Swimming pools. No person shall fail to secure an unsupervised swimming pool in such a way as to prevent drowning hazards. A person shall be in compliance with this article if they maintain a secured gate or cover suitable to prevent access by children and small animals.
(l) 
Yard signs/temporary signs. No signs shall be permitted within the public rights-of-way as well as on any type of pole that is located within the right-of-way, as described in § 1309.01(B)(1) of Zoning Ordinance No. 3821 of 2024.
(m) 
Failure to maintain heat and other utilities. No person shall fail to maintain heat, electricity, water, sanitary sewer, or other necessary services and facilities in an occupied dwelling. All occupied dwellings shall meet the standards described in International Property Maintenance Code Sections 102.2, 602.2, and 602.3, and all occupied dwellings shall comply with §§ 915.01, 931.02, and 1721.04 of the Municipal Code.
[12-16-2025 by Ord. 3835]
A quality of life ticket is to be utilized as a means to encourage the expedient remedy of certain violation(s) and to provide the violator with an opportunity to pay the associated ticket fine for violation in lieu of a citation being filed with the Magisterial District Judge.
[12-16-2025 by Ord. 3835]
The ticket shall consist of a standardized form which:
(a) 
States the date of the ticket; and
(b) 
Identifies the issuing Code Enforcement Officer; and
(c) 
Lists the Code Office address, phone number, and email address; and
(d) 
Identifies the address of the property on which the violation(s) exists; and
(e) 
Includes a statement of the violation(s); and
(f) 
Specifies the maximum amount of time permitted for remediation of the violation(s); and
(g) 
Specifies the amount of the fine to be paid for each violation identified on the ticket; and
(h) 
States that if the property is not brought into compliance as required, the violator may be subject to additional tickets and fines and/or charges being filed with the Magisterial District Judge.
[12-16-2025 by Ord. 3835]
Upon finding a quality-of-life violation, the Code Enforcement Officer may, after issuance of a reasonable warning, issue quality-of-life violation ticket(s) to the owner and/or occupant of the property at issue or to the individual(s) known to have violated this article.
[12-16-2025 by Ord. 3835]
(a) 
The provisions of this article shall be enforced by the Code Enforcement Officer.
(b) 
Any violation of the provisions of this article may be cause for a citation, a violation ticket, and/or a notice of violation to be issued to the violator.
(c) 
Tickets shall not be issued within 48 hours of another ticket or a citation.
(d) 
Citations shall not be issued within 48 hours of another citation or a ticket.
(e) 
Each 48-hour period after the issuance of a ticket or citation that a violation continues or is permitted to continue constitutes a separate offense for which a separate fine may be imposed.
(f) 
Violations of the same nature on the same property shall cumulate as described in § 1725.10(a) of this article.
(g) 
Additional violation(s) on the same property that are of a different nature than prior violation(s) stated on a ticket or citation shall be treated as a separate violation(s) and shall be subject to separate fines and shall be in addition to any prior fines against the property.
[12-16-2025 by Ord. 3835]
The ticket may be served by any of the following means:
(a) 
Delivery in hand to the violator.
(b) 
Delivery at the residence of the violator in hand to an adult member of the household or other person in charge of the residence.
(c) 
Leaving or affixing the ticket at the apparent main entrance to the property where the violation(s) exist.
(d) 
Delivery in hand to the violator's local responsible agent, if known.
(e) 
Delivery at the violator's office or usual place of business in hand to an agent of said office or business.
(f) 
Mailing the ticket to the violator's address of record as recorded in the Crawford County Assessment Office via first-class mail.
[12-16-2025 by Ord. 3835]
(a) 
Any person or business violating this article is hereby directed to satisfy the City of Meadville and its citizens, upon issuance of a quality-of-life ticket, by correcting the violation in question. Police officers, building code officials, code enforcement officers, authorized inspectors, and any other public official or employee designated by the City Manager is hereby authorized and empowered to cause a violation to be corrected. The cost shall be determined by the City Code Enforcement Officer in order that the City shall be compensated for both direct and indirect costs and expenses incurred.
(b) 
The City of Meadville and/or its contractor, per the direction of the City, reserves the right to abate the violation in question at the expense of the owner. If the City has effected the abatement of the violation, the total cost thereof, to include hourly wages and all items and materials used, may be charged to the owner of the property, tenant, or offending party. A bill/invoice will be generated to the violator for payment separate from the quality-of-life ticket, which will also be paid separately.
(c) 
The City reserves the right to perform any necessary work to abate any violation once 48 hours have passed since required completion date on the quality-of-life ticket. Should the violation, at the discretion of the Code Enforcement Officer, present imminent danger and/or pose a health hazard and/or risk, the City reserves the right to perform the abatement immediately. The City will perform this work at its current hourly rate (based on current rate and the current rate, per man), and forward the cost of any material necessary for the abatement. The City reserves the right to charge an additional 25% on all material purchases to cover all miscellaneous expenses, such as wear and tear on equipment.
(d) 
The City reserves the right to direct a contractor to perform the abatement of the violation in question once 48 hours have passed since required completion date listed on the quality-of-life ticket. Should the violation present imminent danger and/or pose a health hazard and/or risk, the City reserves the right to direct the contractor to perform the abatement immediately. The contractor will submit a bill for its work to the City of Meadville, and the City will forward these costs to the violator. The City reserves the right to add a 10% processing fee in addition to the cost of the contractor.
(e) 
In all instances where the City abates the violation, in addition to the fine set forth in the quality-of-life ticket, the City is authorized to recover from the offending party, the owner of the property, or tenant the abatement charges and such other charges established by the Code Enforcement Officer and the rules and regulations.
[12-16-2025 by Ord. 3835]
(a) 
The following fines shall be assessed for each individual violation identified on a ticket and are cumulative, regardless of whether the violation is abated between tickets:
(1) 
First ticket: $35.
(2) 
Second ticket within 12 months of a first ticket: $70.
(3) 
Third ticket within 12 months of a second ticket: $140.
(4) 
Fourth and subsequent ticket within 12 months of a third, fourth, or subsequent ticket: $280.
(b) 
For each person in receipt of a violation ticket who does not pay the fine or request a hearing in accordance with § 1725.11 of this article within 15 calendar days of service, the following penalties shall apply:
(1) 
First ticket: $15 penalty.
(2) 
Second ticket within 12 months of a first ticket: $30 penalty.
(3) 
Third ticket within 12 months of a second ticket: $60 penalty.
(4) 
Fourth and subsequent ticket within 12 months of a third, fourth, or subsequent ticket: $120 penalty.
(c) 
Failure to make payment or request a hearing within 30 calendar days of service of a violation ticket shall make the property on which the violation is found subject to a lien for the fine plus any and all penalties.
[12-16-2025 by Ord. 3835]
(a) 
A person in receipt of a violation ticket may appeal to the Meadville City Code Appeals Board (the "Appeals Board" or "Board") by filing an appeal request in writing, on a form provided, within 15 calendar days of the date of the violation ticket, stating the reasons for appeal, and accompanied by the appropriate fine amount in full, which will be refunded within 30 calendar days should the alleged violator win the appeal.
(b) 
If abatement or other costs were associated with the violation, these shall be posted with the appeal.
(c) 
The appeal shall be addressed by the Appeals Board at the next scheduled public meeting following the filing of the appeal. The violator may address the Board at this public meeting prior to the Board voting on the appeal. By majority vote of the Appeals Board, the appeal may be upheld, denied, or the violation ticket and/or any associated costs, fines, or penalty amounts may be modified. The Board shall issue written notice of the decision, along with any refunds applicable. Any subsequent appeal made by the alleged violator shall be to the Crawford County Court of Common Pleas.
[12-16-2025 by Ord. 3835]
Any person, firm, business or corporation who shall fail, neglect, or refuse to comply with any of the terms or provisions of this article, or of any regulation or requirement pursuant hereto and authorized hereby, shall, upon conviction before the Magisterial District Judge, be ordered to pay a fine of not less than $100 and not more than $1,000 for each offense and the costs of prosecution, including restitution of the fees of the authority enforcing this article, or imprisoned no more than 30 days, or both.
[12-16-2025 by Ord. 3835]
The Magisterial District Judge may order the violator to make restitution where appropriate, to pay the City's costs of collection/citation proceedings, and to pay the City's reasonable attorneys' fees associated with the prosecution of the same.
[12-16-2025 by Ord. 3835]
(a) 
At the discretion of the City of Meadville (the "City"), all tickets for which payment is not received within 45 calendar days of issuance of a ticket for which an appeal is not taken, and 45 calendar days from denial of appeal in any case where appeal was allowed notwithstanding § 1725.11(a) or (b) above, and monies paid by the City for abatement of a violation not paid within 45 calendar days of billing, may be turned over by the City to a collection agency for receipt.
(b) 
At the discretion of the City, liens may be placed upon a property against which tickets were issued for which payment is not received within 45 calendar days of issuance for which no appeal is taken, and 45 calendar days from denial of appeal in any case where appeal was allowed notwithstanding § 1725.11(a) or (b) above, and monies paid by the City of Meadville for abatement of a violation not paid within 45 calendar days of billing.
(c) 
If the City has corrected a violation, the cost thereof may be charged to the owner of the property through any means available to the City, including applicable interest rate for municipal liens at a rate of 10% pursuant to the Municipal Claims Act at 53 P.S. § 7103.
(d) 
The penalty lien and collection provisions of this section shall be independent, non-mutually exclusive, separate remedies, all of which shall be available to the City as may be deemed appropriate for carrying out the purposes of this article. The remedies and procedures provided in this article for a violation hereof are not intended to supplant or replace to any degree the remedies and procedures available to the City in the case of a violation of any other City of Meadville ordinance, whether or not such other ordinance is referenced in this article, and whether or not an ongoing violation of such other ordinance is cited as the underlying ground for a finding of a violation of this article.
[12-16-2025 by Ord. 3835]
(a) 
All relevant ordinances, regulations, and policies of the City of Meadville, Pennsylvania, not amended shall remain in full force and effect.
(b) 
Any ordinance or part of an ordinance conflicting with the provisions of this article shall be subordinate to this article to the extent of such conflict, and the language contained in this article shall control.
[12-16-2025 by Ord. 3835]
(a) 
If any section, clause, provision or portion of this article shall be held invalid or unconstitutional by any court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect any other section, clause, provision or portion of this article, so long as it remains legally enforceable minus the invalid portion. City Council hereby declares that it would have adopted this article and each section, subsection, paragraph, provision, regulation, limitation, restriction, sentence, clause, phrase, or word hereof irrespective of the fact that any one or more of the sections, subsections, paragraphs, provisions, regulations, limitations, restrictions, sentences, clauses, phrases or words may be declared illegal, unconstitutional or invalid.
(b) 
The City reserves the right to amend this article or any portion thereof from time to time as it shall deem advisable in the best interests of the promotion of the purposes and intent of this article and the effective administration thereof.