[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors
of the Township of Exeter 3-22-2004 by Ord. No. 567. Amendments noted where
applicable.]
As used in this chapter, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
Any condition which provides the necessary environment for
the birth or hatching of vectors.
Water contained in ditches, pools, ponds, streams, excavations,
holes, depressions, open cesspools, fountains, cisterns, tanks, shallow
wells, barrels, troughs, urns, cans, boxes, bottles, tubs, buckets,
roof gutters, reservoirs, vessels, receptacles of any kind or other
containers or devices which may hold water.
The control and elimination of vectors by eliminating their
harborage places; by removing or making inaccessible material that
may serve as their food; by poisoning, spraying, fumigating, fogging
or larviciding or trapping; or by any other recognized and legal vector
elimination method which is not injurious to human health or the safety
of domestic animals.
All waste, animal or vegetable, such as, but not limited
to, waste material and refuse from kitchens, residences, grocery stores,
butcher shops, restaurants, cafes, hotels resulting from the handling,
preparation, cooking, serving or nonconsumption of food and all other
deleterious substances.
Any place where vectors can live, nest or seek shelter.
The presence of vectors within or contiguous to a structure
or premises.
Any condition or use of premises or of building exteriors
which is detrimental to the property of others or which causes or
tends to cause substantial diminution in the value of other property
in the neighborhood in which such premises are located, or shall cause
or result in annoyance or disturbance to persons beyond the boundaries
of such property; interference to the health and/or safety of the
person beyond the boundaries of such property and/or disturbance to
or interference with the peaceful use of the property of others in
the Township, in any case taking into consideration the location of
the use or conditions and the nature and condition of the surrounding
neighborhood. This includes, but is not limited to, the retention
on any premises of any of the following:
Any person who, alone or jointly/severally with others:
Shall have legal title to any premises, dwelling
or dwelling unit, with or without accompanying actual possession thereof.
Shall have charge, care or control of any premises,
dwelling or dwelling unit, as owner, lessee or agent of the owner,
or an executor, administrator, trustee, assignee of rents or guardian
of the estate of the owner. Any such person thus representing the
actual owner shall be bound to comply with the provisions of this
chapter to the same extent as if he were the owner.
The actual owner, agent or custodian of the property, whether
an individual, partnership, association or corporation.
Any natural person, firm, partnership, association, corporation,
company or organization of any kind.
All areas of a property, including all interior, exterior,
grounds and yard spaces.
Waste, rubbish, garbage, trash or any material of any kind
that has been discarded, rejected, cast aside or thrown away as worthless,
except body wastes.
Any man-made construction or building which is located on
any part of the premises.
The Board of Supervisors of the Township of Exeter, Berks
County, Pennsylvania.
A rodent, insect or vermin species capable of transmitting
a disease or infection. Vectors shall include, but not be limited
to, rats, mosquitoes, cockroaches, flies, ticks, etc.
Any area, interior or exterior, where vectors can live, nest,
breed or seek any form of shelter.
A form of construction to prevent the ingress or egress of
vectors to or from a given space or building or from gaining access
to food, water or harborage. This term shall include, but not be limited
to, ratproofing, flyproofing, mosquitoproofing, etc.
The provisions and prohibitions hereinafter
contained and enacted are in pursuit and for the purpose of:
A.
No person shall deposit any refuse, dead animals,
decaying matter or organic substance of any kind in or upon any private
lot, street, avenue, alley, ravine, ditch or gutter or into any of
the runs, creeks or bodies of water within or bounding the Township
of Exeter so that the same shall or may afford food, harborage or
breeding areas for rats, mosquitoes or other vectors.
B.
No person shall deposit or permit to accumulate in
or upon any premises, improved or vacant, or on any open lot or public
area any lumber, boxes, barrels, bottles, cans, glass, containers,
scrap iron, wire, metal articles, pipe, broken stone or cement, broken
crockery, broken plaster or rubbish of any kind, unless the same is
kept in approved covered receptacles or placed on open racks that
are elevated not less than 18 inches above the ground and evenly piled
or stacked or disposed of as may be approved by the Township.
C.
No person shall have, keep, maintain, cause or permit
any collection of standing or flowing water in which mosquitoes breed
or are likely to breed, unless such collection of water is treated
or maintained effectually so as to prevent such breeding.
Pools located within Exeter Township shall be
properly maintained to prevent the existence or presence of any water
in which mosquito larvae may mature and grow or exist.
Any pool cover must be maintained in a way so
as to prevent the collection of stagnant rainwater.
Tires shall be stored in a totally enclosed
structure or must be covered to prevent the existence or presence
of any water in which mosquito larvae may mature and grow to exist.
If stored outside, tires must be stored off the ground and covered
in a manner to prevent standing water.
Any tires that cannot be used shall be considered
waste material and must be disposed of in a proper and lawful manner
to prevent the collection of stagnant rainwater in said tires.
[Amended 8-13-2007 by Ord. No. 640]
A.
Any person, firm or corporation who shall violate
any provision of this chapter, 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 $500 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.
B.
In cases of extended noncompliance or in cases of
a clear and present danger to the health, safety or general welfare
of the citizenry, the Board of Supervisors of Exeter Township shall
be empowered to exercise any of the following actions, subject to
adequate notice to the owner of the property:
[Added 11-13-2017 by Ord.
No. 786]
The Board of Supervisors of the Township, or any officer or
employee of the Township designated thereby for the purpose, is hereby
authorized to give notice of a violation of the provisions of this
chapter in any one of the following ways:
A.
By personal delivery of the notice to the owner, tenant, or lessee
of the premises;
B.
By leaving the notice with an adult upon the premises;
C.
By attaching a copy of the notice to the door at the entrance of
the premises in violation; or
D.
By mailing, by certified mail, the notice to the last known address
of the owner of the premises.
