[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the Township of German as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 28, General Provisions, Art. I)]
Every business and residence within German Township shall be required to display a house number consistent with a numbering system designated by German Township and the Fayette County Emergency Management Officials (911 officials).
Each property owner and tenant within German Township shall permanently display the address number designated for his or her business or residence in a prominent place visible from the street not more than 50 feet from the point where the driveway or sidewalk giving access to the premises intersects with a Township or state road:
A. 
Numerals designating the address number shall be no less than three inches high and 1 1/2 inches wide.
B. 
Address numbers must be numeric (i.e., the words "fifty-eight" is not permitted to designate the address number "58").
C. 
All address numbers shall be attached to a post, mail box, tree or other appropriate structure at a point no less than three feet from ground level.
D. 
Address numbers must be visible from both directions of travel from the roadway.
All property owners and tenants shall have 30 days from the effective date of this article to display the address number for their residences and businesses as provided above.
It shall be unlawful for any property owner or tenant in German Township to fail to display the address number designated for the said premises as provided herein. Each day that an address number is not displayed as provided herein shall constitute a separate offense.
All actions for enforcement to this article shall be brought as follows:
A. 
Any person, firm or corporation who shall violate any provision of this article, upon conviction thereof in an action brought before a Magisterial District Judge in the manner provided for the enforcement of summary offenses under the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure, shall be sentenced to pay a fine of not less than $25 nor more than $1,000 plus costs and, in default of payment of said fine and costs, to a term of imprisonment not to exceed 90 days. Each day that a violation of this article continues or each section of this article which shall be found to have been violated shall constitute a separate offense.
B. 
As a civil action in law or in equity, before a Magisterial District Judge in the same manner provided for under the Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure of District Justice Rules. Any person who shall violate or fail to comply with any of the provisions of this article shall be assessed a civil penalty of not less than $25 nor more than $600, court costs, restitution and reasonable attorney fees incurred by the Township in the enforcement of proceeding, per violation. Each day that a violation continues shall constitute a separate offense.
The German Township Supervisors, German Township Code Enforcement Officer(s), other law enforcement agencies, or any other agents of the German Township Supervisors are hereby authorized to enforce this article.
[Adopted 7-9-2013 by Ord. No. 07092013[1]]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also superseded former Art. II, Dangerous Buildings, adopted 5-17-1981 by Ord. No. 107, as amended.
This article shall be known as the German Township Dangerous and Unsafe Building Ordinance.
All words used herein shall have their usual meaning in addition to the following definitions:
DANGEROUS AND UNSAFE BUILDING
Buildings or structures which have any, some or all of the following defects:
A. 
Buildings or structures whose interior walls or other vertical structural members list, lean or buckle to such an extent that a plumb line passing through the center of said wall falls outside the middle third of its base.
B. 
Buildings or structures which, exclusive of the foundation, show 30% or more of damage or deterioration of the supporting members, or 50% or more of damage or deterioration of the nonsupporting interior or exterior walls or their coverings.
C. 
Building structures which may have improperly distributed loads upon the floor or roofs, or in which resects are overloaded or which have insufficient strength to be reasonably safe for the purpose used.
D. 
Buildings or structures which have been damaged by fire, wind, or other causes so as to have become injurious to property of others or to the life, safety, morals and general health and welfare of the occupants or the residents or visitors of the Township.
E. 
Those buildings whose intended purpose is human habitation and which have become or are so dilapidated, decayed, unsafe, unsanitary or which so utterly fail to provide the amenities essential to decent living that they are unfit for human habitation or are likely to cause accident,. sickness or disease so as to be detrimental to the health, morals, safety or welfare of those living therein as well as other Township residents/visitors.
F. 
Buildings or structures, parts of which are so attached that they may fall and injure members of the public or cause damage to property.
G. 
Buildings or structures which, because of their general condition, are unsafe, unsanitary, or dangerous to the health, morals, safety, or welfare of the Township.
All dangerous and unsafe buildings or structures as defined by this article are hereby declared to be public nuisances and shall be repaired, vacated or demolished as herein provided.
A. 
Whenever it shall be reported or come, in any fashion, to the attention of any Township Official that any building or structure, completed or in the process of construction, or any portion thereof is in a dangerous condition, the Board of Supervisors shall order an investigation and examination of such structure. If such investigation or examination indicates such building or structure to be dangerous in accordance with the standards of this article, the Township Code Enforcement Officer shall give written notice by certified mail or personal service to the owner, lessee, tenant, occupant and/or agent describing the condition and ordering the abandonment thereof within the period specified in the notice. In the event that the building or structure is vacant and there whereabouts of the owner cannot, after reasonable investigation, be ascertained, the notice required herein shall be posted on the front door of the structure or in the most conspicuous location on or near the structure. The owner, lessee, tenant, occupant and/or agent shall have the right to correct or abate the condition(s) in accordance with this article or shall have the right to request a hearing before the Board of Supervisors.
B. 
Hearing.
(1) 
If the owner, lessee, occupant, tenant and/or agent desires to have a hearing on the issue, he/she must file a written request for a hearing with the Township Code Enforcement Officer within 10 days after receipt of the notice under Subsection A hereof.
(2) 
At the hearing, the owner, lessee, occupant, tenant and/or agent, or any other person having an interest in the building or structure or in its condition, shall be permitted to testify.
(3) 
Within 10 days after the hearing, the Board shall issue written findings of fact and if determined that the building is dangerous and unsafe, shall issue an order demanding the owner, lessee, tenant, occupant and/or agent to repair, vacate or demolish any building to be found to be a dangerous and unsafe building under this article.
(4) 
Notice: In addition to the notice required by Subsection A, the Code Enforcement Officer shall place on all buildings and structures found to be dangerous and unsafe a notice in a form substantially similar to the following:
NOTICE
This building has been found to be dangerous and unsafe by the Board of Supervisors of German Township. This Notice is to remain on this building/structure until it is repaired, vacated or demolished in accordance with the Notice given to the owner, occupant, lessee, mortgager or agent of this building. It is unlawful to remove this Notice until compliance is made under the terms of this Notice and notice of compliance is given to the Township.
A. 
Repair. If the dangerous and unsafe building/structure can be reasonably repaired within 30 days so that it will no longer exist in violation of this article, it shall be ordered to be repaired within that time.
B. 
Vacation. If the dangerous and unsafe building is in such condition as to make it dangerous to the health, safety, morals or general welfare of the occupants of the building or structure, it shall be ordered vacated without regard to whether it is to be repaired or demolished.
C. 
Demolition. If the dangerous and unsafe building is 50% or more damaged, decayed or deteriorated from its original value or if it cannot be repaired so that it will no longer exist in violation of this article, or if it is so dilapidated or in such state of disrepair that it constitutes a danger to the safety of the public or the general welfare of the neighborhood, it shall be ordered to be demolished.
D. 
Failure to repair. If the dangerous and unsafe building has not been repaired in accordance with the time for repair as stated in Subsection A and is in such condition as to make it dangerous to the health, safety, morals or general welfare of the public, and the owner has not appealed the determination of the Board of Supervisors as hereinbefore mentioned to the Court of Common Pleas as provided for by law, the Board of Supervisors shall have the authority to abate the condition in their discretion by repairing, removing or demolishing said building/structure, or part thereof, or appurtenance thereto, the cost of which shall be taxable to the owner thereof as hereinafter stated.
A. 
The owner, occupant, mortgagee, lessee or any other person who shall fail to comply with any notice or order to repair, vacate or demolish any such dangerous and unsafe building given under this article shall be subject to the applicable penalties provided for under Ord. No. 060804-3.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance was superseded 2-12-2008 by Ord. No. 021208.
B. 
Any person removing the notice provided for in § 4-10B(4) shall be subject to the applicable penalties provided under Ord. No. 060804-3.[2]
[2]
Editor's Note: This ordinance was superseded 2-12-2008 by Ord. No. 021208.
C. 
If the owner, etc., fails to comply with any notice under this article to repair, vacate or demolish any dangerous and unsafe building within 30 days of receipt of such notice and the Township takes required action, the owner or other interested party shall be obligated to the Township for the cost of said action, together with a penalty of 10% to be charged against the land on which the building existed and shall be entered as a municipal lien. This clause shall not preclude the Township from recovering such costs, penalty and interest in an action at law against the owner and shall not preclude the imposition of penalties as hereinbefore stated.
D. 
The penalties set forth herein are not exclusive and the only remedies available to the Township for violations of this article. The Township reserves the right to undertake any action provided by law or in equity against any and all persons and/or entities which violate any provision of this article in addition to those penalties referenced and provided herein.
E. 
Each day's continuance of a violation after notice shall constitute a separate offense under this article.
In cases wherein it reasonably appears that there exists an imminent danger of injury to the life or safety of any person caused or created by a dangerous and unsafe building, as herein defined, the Board of Supervisors shall cause the immediate repair, vacation or demolition of such condition. The cost of such emergency repair or demolition shall be collected as provided for in § 4-12C with or without advance notice to the owner, mortgagee, lessee, or other person who has an interest in the subject property.
If any sentence, clause, section, or part of this article is for any reason found to be unconstitutional, illegal or invalid, such finding shall not affect or impair any of the remaining provisions, sentences, clauses, sections, or parts of this article.
All ordinances or parts of ordinances which are inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed.