[Adopted 12-4-1968 by Ord. No. 270, approved 12-4-1968]
These regulations shall be known and cited as the "Building Code of the Borough of West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania," and shall be construed to secure their expressed intent and ensure public safety, health and welfare insofar as they are dependent upon building construction.
[1]
Editor's Note: See now Ch. 42, Construction Codes, Uniform, which provides for the adoption of uniform construction codes per the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act and supersedes some provisions of this chapter.
[Revised 7-8-1975 by Ord. No. 305]
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to construct, renovate, rebuild or enlarge or materially change any building or other structure within the limits of the Borough except in accordance with this article. All other ordinances and parts of ordinances inconsistent or conflicting with the provisions of this article, insofar as they affect this article, are hereby repealed.
[Revised 7-8-1975 by Ord. No. 305]
The President of Borough Council shall appoint a Building Committee, consisting of three members of Council. The said Building Committee shall have charge of the inspection of plans and specifications for all buildings, additions or alterations submitted in connection with all requests for permits to erect or alter buildings or other structures in the said Borough, shall act in the approval or disapproval of the said plans and specifications and shall have charge of all other duties connected with the regulation and inspection of buildings or other structures in the Borough of West Conshohocken in accordance with the ordinances governing the same. In the event that Borough Council hereafter employs and appoints a Building Inspector, then and in that event all of the powers and duties presently delegated to the Building Committee shall vest in said Building Inspector.
[Added 2-12-1974 by Ord. No. 298, approved 2-12-1974; amended 12-17-1996 by Ord. No. 96-015, approved 12-17-1996]
No building or structure shall hereafter be constructed, enlarged, rebuilt or materially changed in the flood hazard area as designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the Flood Insurance Study and on the accompanying maps dated December 19, 1996, or the most recent revision thereof, unless said structure or building complies with the following regulations:
A. 
No structure or building or any portion thereof shall be erected unless the finished surface of the ground is higher than or is raised by filling to an elevation of at least one foot above the elevation of the one-hundred-year flood.
B. 
No first floor or opening below the first floor of any building shall be constructed at an elevation of less than one foot above the elevation of the one-hundred-year flood.
C. 
Any structure permitted shall be firmly anchored to prevent the structure from floating away and thus threaten life or property downstream or to further restrict bridge openings and other restricted sections of the creek.
D. 
Any structures permitted shall be constructed and placed on the lot so as to offer the minimum obstruction to the flow of water and shall be designed to have a minimum effect upon the flow and height of floodwater.
E. 
The following shall not be placed or caused to be placed in the flood hazard area: fences, except two-wire fences, other structures or other matter which may impede, retard or change the direction of the flow of water, or that will catch or collect debris carried by such water, or that is placed where the natural flow of the stream or floodwaters would carry the same downstream to the damage or detriment of either public or private property adjacent to the floodplain.
F. 
No part of any on-site sewage disposal system shall be constructed within this area.
G. 
No materials that are buoyant, flammable, explosive or, in times of flooding, could be injurious to human, animal or plant life, shall be stored below an elevation one foot above the elevation of the one-hundred-year flood.
H. 
Fill shall consist of soil or rock materials only. Sanitary landfills shall not be permitted.
I. 
Water supply systems and sanitary sewerage systems designed to preclude infiltration of floodwaters into the systems and discharges from the systems into floodwaters shall be utilized.
J. 
Adhesives shall have a bonding strength that is unaffected by inundation.
K. 
Doors and all wood trim shall be sealed with a waterproof paint or similar product.
L. 
No basement shall be permitted in any residential structure.
M. 
Basements shall be permitted in nonresidential structures only if they are designed to preclude inundation by the one-hundred-year flood.
N. 
Water heaters, furnaces, electrical distribution panels and other critical mechanical or electrical installations shall be prohibited in basements.
O. 
Separate electrical circuits shall serve lower levels and shall be dropped from above.
P. 
Thermal insulation used below the first floor level shall be of a type that does not absorb water.
Q. 
Plywood used at or below the first floor level shall be of an "exterior" or "marine" grade and of a water-resistant or waterproof variety.
R. 
Wood flooring used at or below the first floor level shall be installed to accommodate a lateral expansion of the flooring, perpendicular to the flooring grain, without incurring structural damage to the building.
S. 
Basement ceilings shall have sufficient wet strength and be so installed as to survive inundation.
T. 
Paints or other finishes used at or below the first floor level shall be capable of surviving inundation.
U. 
All air ducts, large pipes and storage tanks located at or below the first floor level shall be firmly anchored to prevent flotation.
[Amended 7-8-1975 by Ord. No. 305]
A. 
No building or other structure shall hereafter be constructed, enlarged, rebuilt or materially changed at a cost of more than $50 until after a permit is issued by the Secretary upon the filing of an application, which shall contain the following information in writing:
(1) 
The location, by street number, and if no street number is given, the streets and distances from the nearest street intersections.
(2) 
A notation of sizes and elevations, building lines and highway lines, with complete description of any projections into and under the highway.
(3) 
The materials to be used.
(4) 
The intended use of the structure.
(5) 
The estimated cost of the building.
B. 
The said application shall contain plans, drawings and specifications of the structure, indicating the size of the lot upon which the building or other structure is located and the percentage of the lot area occupied by the building and such other information as may be required by Council. The plans and specifications thus submitted shall remain the property of the Borough, shall be kept on file by the Borough Secretary and shall not be removed from the file or be referred to except by the proper officer or officers appointed by Council.
C. 
Any person, partnership, firm or corporation which, without prior written approval from a member of the Building Committee, during construction or thereafter, deviates from or changes the plans, drawings and specifications submitted for any building or structure shall be in violation of this section and shall be liable for the penalties imposed in § 37-24.
[Added 12-28-1978 by Ord. No. 334]
[Revised 7-8-1975 by Ord. No. 305]
All buildings within the said Borough that shall be torn down or destroyed to the extent of 3/4 thereof shall not be repaired or reconstructed except in accordance with the provisions of this article for new buildings or structures. Whenever any building or other structure erected under the provisions of this article is used or proposed to be used for any other purpose than that for which a permit was granted, a permit shall be applied for in the same manner as though a new building or other structure were about to be erected, and a permit shall be granted if and when said use of said building or structure shall be in compliance with the provisions of this article as amended.
A. 
The filing fee for an application for issuance of a building permit for new building construction or for the repair, alteration, demolition or structural shoring of any structure shall be listed in the Borough's adopted fee schedule which may be amended from time to time by resolution.[1]
[Amended 9-14-1976 by Ord. No. 316; 12-28-1978 by Ord. No. 334; 12-14-1982 by Ord. No. 352, approved 12-15-1982; 2-14-1989 by Ord. No. 395, approved 2-14-1989; 4-9-1996 by Ord. No. 96-004, approved 4-9-1996; 3-10-2009 by Ord. No. 2009-01, approved 3-10-2009]
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. A114, Fees.
B. 
An applicant for a building permit must deposit 25% of the total building permit fee with the Borough Secretary when filing the building permit application. If the building permit is granted, said permit must be paid for in full and obtained within six months of the date said permit was granted. If this is not done, the deposit is forfeited and the granting of the permit expires.
C. 
Construction must commence within six months of the date that the building permit is issued and must be completed within one year from the date that the building permit is issued unless written approval for an extension of time in which to complete construction is obtained from the Building Inspector. The Building Inspector shall not issue such extension of time except for good cause shown and, if such extension is not granted by the Building Inspector, the permit shall become null and void.
[Amended 4-12-1977 by Ord. No. 319, approved 4-12-1977]
The Building Committee may, when it shall deem the same necessary, engage the services of one or more qualified persons, as consultants, to examine applications, drafts and/or plans and specifications submitted as required by this article, in order to determine and to advise the Building Committee whether all applicable laws and regulations of the commonwealth and all applicable ordinances of this Borough shall have been complied with in the proposed work to which such permit shall apply.
[Revised 7-8-1975 by Ord. No. 305]
A. 
The Borough Secretary shall issue permits for the construction, erection, placing or alteration of any building or buildings or other structures only when he shall have received an approval from the Building Committee or, in cases of appeal from Council, said approval not to be given until the plans and specifications have been carefully examined and it shall have been determined that said plans and specifications are in full conformance with the provisions of this article and all other ordinances relative to buildings and the Acts of Assembly and regulations of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania relating thereto. No building or other structure shall hereafter be constructed, erected, placed or altered within the limits of the said Borough nor construction work commenced on the same until a permit has been issued as aforesaid, and such permit shall be granted or refused within 20 days after the application for the same.
B. 
Any applicant whose application has been refused or any person who has been ordered to incur any expense about any building or to stop operations or work on account of nonconformity with this article may appeal from such decision by giving notice in writing to the Borough Secretary of such appeal to Council, provided that no appeal shall be allowed unless taken within 10 days from the date of the said refusal or orders. In such appeals the Council shall sit as a Board of Appeal and shall direct the Secretary to issue his permit under such conditions as it may require or to withhold the same or to make such other and further order in the premises as Council may deem proper.
C. 
The Council, in passing upon the application for a permit for such a building shall consider the effect of the purpose of the application upon the health, safety and welfare of the Borough of West Conshohocken, the owners of the particular property and the citizens residing within the territory contiguous to the proposed building, and if, in the opinion of Council, such building or construction if erected would interfere with the health, safety and welfare of the Borough, the owners of the particular property or the citizens residing within the territory contiguous to the proposed building or other structure, then the application for the building permit shall be refused.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 37-10, Building height limits, added 5-19-1969 by Ord. No. 272, approved 5-19-1969, as revised 7-8-1975 by Ord. No. 305, was repealed 9-10-2002 by Ord. No. 02-07, approved 9-10-2002.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 37-11, Encroachments beyond building line, as revised 7-8-1975 by Ord. No. 305, was repealed 9-10-2002 by Ord. No. 02-07, approved 9-10-2002.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 37-12, Building setback lines, was repealed 9-10-2002 by Ord. No. 02-07, approved 9-10-2002.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 31-13, Visual obstruction at intersections, was repealed 9-10-2002 by Ord. No. 02-07, approved 9-10-2002.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 37-14, Building lines on corner lots, was repealed 9-10-2002 by Ord. No. 02-07, approved 9-10-2002.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 37-15, Exceptions to setback requirements, as revised 7-8-1975 by Ord. No. 305, was repealed 9-10-2002 by Ord. No. 02-07, approved 9-10-2002.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 37-16, Building materials on streets and sidewalk; permit fees, was repealed 9-10-2002 by Ord. No. 02-07, approved 9-10-2002.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 37-17, Application for line or grade, as revised 7-8-1975 by Ord. No. 305, was repealed 9-10-2002 by Ord. No. 02-07, approved 9-10-2002.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 37-18, Fee for obtaining line or grade, was repealed 9-10-2002 by Ord. No. 02-07, approved 9-10-2002.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 37-19, Commencement of work before obtaining permit, as revised 7-8-1975 by Ord. No. 305, was repealed 9-10-2002 by Ord. No. 02-07, approved 9-10-2002.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 37-20, Enforcement, was repealed 9-10-2002 by Ord. No. 02-07, approved 9-10-2002.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 37-21, Remedies, was repealed 9-10-2002 by Ord. No. 02-07, approved 9-10-2002.
[Amended 1-7-1980 by Ord. No. 340; 12-14-1982 by Ord. No. 352, approved 12-15-1982; 4-11-1989 by Ord. No. 397, approved 4-11-1989; 10-12-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-14, approved 10-12-2010]
There is hereby adopted by the Borough Council of West Conshohocken for the purpose of establishing rules and regulations for the construction, alteration, removal, demolition, equipment, use and occupancy, location and maintenance of buildings and structures, that building code known as the "International Building Code (IBC)," 2009 Edition, and as amended, save and except such portions as are inconsistent with any of the expressed provisions of this article; and the same is hereby adopted and incorporated as fully as if set forth at length herein; and, from the date on which this amendment shall take effect, the provisions thereof shall be controlling and shall automatically be revised with each revision of the International Building Code in the construction and location of all buildings and other structures within the corporate limits of the Borough of West Conshohocken.
[1]
Editor's Note: See now Ch. 42, Construction Codes, Uniform, which provides for the adoption of international uniform construction codes per the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act and supersedes some provisions of this chapter.
A. 
Whenever the word "municipality" is used in the building code, it shall be held to mean the Borough of West Conshohocken.
B. 
Whenever the term "Corporation Counsel" is used in the building code, it shall be held to mean the Solicitor for the Borough.
[Revised 7-8-1975 by Ord. No. 305; amended 10-12-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-14, approved 10-12-2010]
Any person violating the provisions of this chapter shall be subject to the provisions detailed in Chapter 53A of the Code of the Borough of West Conshohocken.