[Adopted as § 15-1 (Ord. No. 3, 4) of the 1970 Revised General Ordinances]
[Amended 3-27-2019 by Ord. No. 783]
APPROPRIATE BOROUGH OFFICIAL
A. 
Minor street opening: the Superintendent of the Department of Public Works.
B. 
Major street opening: the Borough Engineer.
MAJOR STREET OPENING
Any excavation or tunnel which is not a minor street opening.
MINOR STREET OPENING
Any excavation or tunnel which extends less than 30 linear feet and is less than six feet in depth.
STREET
Any street, road, highway, public way, public alley, easement or other right-of-way accepted or maintained by the Borough as a public thoroughfare as well as any state or county road or highway over which the Borough has acquired jurisdiction by agreement.
TUNNEL
Any subsurface excavation performed by augering, directional drilling, pipe-jacking or any similar trenchless construction procedure.
[Amended 3-27-2019 by Ord. No. 783]
A. 
No person shall make an excavation in or tunnel under any street without first obtaining a permit issued by the Superintendent of Public Works following review of the proposed street opening (major or minor) by the appropriate public official.
B. 
Emergency opening. An opening may be commenced without a permit when an emergency has arisen which makes it necessary to commence work immediately; provided, however, that prior to work commencing, the application for a permit shall be filed with the Borough Clerk, or in the case of an emergency during nonbusiness hours, the next business day, along with the requisite fees and guarantees as required. In all cases where emergency work is to be performed, immediate notice must be made to the Alpine Police Department and the Superintendent of the Department of Public Works prior to work commencing. Issuance of an emergency permit shall be retroactive to the date on which the work was begun.
C. 
A road opening permit issued under this section shall be valid for a period of 45 days which may be extended upon written request to the Superintendent of the Department of Public Works for an additional 45 days.
D. 
The Superintendent of the Department of Public Works may issue permits to other public bodies without a fee.
[Amended 3-27-2019 by Ord. No. 783]
The Superintendent of Public Works is authorized to refuse the issuance of any permit if such refusal is in the interest of public safety, convenience or health. In the event that a permit shall be refused by the Superintendent, an appeal may be taken to the Borough Council. The Council, after hearing the applicant and the Superintendent and other evidence as may be produced, may either direct the issuance of the permit or sustain the refusal of the Superintendent.
[Amended 3-27-2019 by Ord. No. 783]
A. 
Application for a permit shall be made to the Department of Public Works and shall contain the following information:
(1) 
Name, address, telephone number and email of the applicant.
(2) 
Property owner's name, address, telephone number and Borough tax map block and lot number of the property for the benefit of which the opening is to be made.
(3) 
Street in which the opening is to be made and street number, if any, of the abutting property.
(4) 
Nature of the surface in which the opening is to be made.
(5) 
Character and purpose of the work proposed.
(6) 
Dimensions of the opening to be made: depth, length, and width.
(7) 
Time when the work is to commenced and completed.
(8) 
Each application must include a drawing or set of plans, in duplicate, showing the exact location and dimensions of all openings.
(9) 
Names of the architect and engineer.
(10) 
Name and address of the contractor performing the work.
(11) 
Name, address, and 24/7 telephone number of the party to be reached in the event of an emergency.
(12) 
Name of the street where the opening is to be made and the street number, if any, of the abutting property.
(13) 
The Borough tax map block and the lot number of the property for the benefit of which the opening is to be made.
(14) 
Signed acknowledgement that the applicant agrees to replace, at his own cost and expense, the street, curb, gutter, bike path, sidewalk, catch basins, manholes and all other disturbed areas, so as to restore said area to such state and condition as complies with Borough standards, within 90 days of the street opening; provided, however, that within 24 hours of such opening, the area shall be temporarily restored by the placement of a stabilized base course, maintained as determined in the reasonable judgment of the appropriate Borough official, until the final surface has been laid. The final surface shall not be installed between November 15 and April 15 unless otherwise permitted by a written authorization of the Superintendent of Public Works or the Borough Engineer.
(15) 
In the case of a proposed road opening that 1) would require sheeting or shoring; 2) could impact the structural stability of the thoroughfare in which the excavation or tunnel is proposed, or any private property or structure(s) adjacent thereto; or 3) could create a situation that may impact the health and safety of the general public and the workers involved in the project served by the road opening; the Borough Engineer can require fully engineered plans, supporting design calculations, geotechnical investigations and permits from any other governmental agencies having jurisdiction.
B. 
Application hereunder shall be filed not less than five business days in advance of any excavation, except in case of an emergency opening where the provisions of § 192-5B apply.
[Amended 3-27-2019 by Ord. No. 783]
A. 
Minor road opening permit. Openings up to 30 feet in length: $250.
B. 
Major road opening permit. Openings in excess of 30 feet in length: $300, plus $0.50 per linear foot in excess of 30 feet.
C. 
Exception: In the event that a public utility shall be exempted by statute from payment of fees as required by the preceding subsection, the utility company shall nevertheless file with the Borough Clerk annually a surety bond, approved as to form by the Borough Attorney, in the penal sum of not less than $25,000, conditioned upon the complete restoration of the disturbed surface to such condition as complies with Borough standards.
[Amended 3-27-2019 by Ord. No. 783]
Each applicant for a major road opening permit must deposit in trust with the Borough Clerk an amount as determined by the appropriate Borough official which is an estimate of all anticipated inspection and engineering costs and fees. In the event that such actual costs and fees are less than the amount deposited in trust, then the Borough shall refund the difference between the amount deposited in trust and the actual costs and fees charged to the applicant. In the event that such actual costs and fees exceed the amount deposited in trust, then the difference between the actual costs and fees and the amount deposited in trust may be payable from the cash bond required by the terms of § 192-8C or by replenishment of the trust account by the applicant.
[Amended 2-25-1998 by Ord. No. 539; 7-28-1999 by Ord. No. 560]
No permit shall be issued until the applicant has filed a bond in an amount determined to be sufficient by the Borough Engineer. The bond shall be for a period of two years or until the Borough Engineer has determined that the work has been completed in accordance with the provisions of this article and that any excavation has not settled or caved in, whichever is the first to occur. The bond shall be in cash or acceptable equivalent approved by the Borough Attorney if the amount determined for the required work is less than $1,000. Any amount in excess of $1,000 may be covered by a surety bond in a form approved by the Borough Attorney. If the total amount determined by the Borough Engineer exceeds $4,000 then an additional 25% of such amount must be in cash or acceptable equivalent (i.e., on a $6,000 estimate, requirements would be a $6,000 surety bond and in addition $1,500 in cash or equivalent). A bond in the minimum amount of $500 shall be required for each application for a curb permit.
[1]
Editor’s Note: Former § 192-10, Fees, as amended, was repealed 3-27-2019 by Ord. No. 783. This ordinance also provided for the renumbering of §§ 192-11 through 192-27 as §§ 192-10 through 192-26, respectively.
No permit shall be issued until the applicant has furnished the Superintendent of Public Works with satisfactory proof that he is insured against injury to persons and damage to property caused by any act or omission of the applicant, his agents, employees or subcontractors done in the course of the work to be performed under the permit. The insurance shall cover all hazards likely to arise in connection with the work, including but not limited to collapse and explosion, and shall also insure against liability arising from completed operations. The limits of the policy of insurance shall be $100,000 for injury to any one person, $300,000 for injuries to more than one person in the same accident, and an aggregate of $100,000 for property damage for a single incident. The Superintendent may waive the requirements of this section in the case of public utilities upon the presentation of satisfactory proof that it is capable of meeting claims against it up to the amount of the limits of the insurance policy which would otherwise be required.
All permits issued under this article shall be subject to the following rules and regulations:
A. 
All excavations shall be kept properly barricaded at all times and during the hours of darkness shall be provided with proper warning lights. This regulation shall not excuse the permittee from taking any other precautions reasonably necessary for the protection of persons or property.
B. 
All work shall be done in such a manner as to cause a minimum of interference with travel on the street affected. No street shall be closed to traffic unless the closing is approved by the Chief of Police. The Police Department shall be informed of all street closings at least 24 hours in advance, except where the work is of an emergency nature when notice shall be given to the Police Department when work commences.
C. 
The Superintendent of Public Works may, upon application by the permittee, extend the time limit during which the permit shall be valid.
D. 
All refuse and material must be removed within 48 hours.
E. 
All excavations shall be completely backfilled by the permittee, and shall be compacted by tamping or other suitable means in a manner prescribed by the Superintendent of Public Works. Where the Superintendent determines that the excavated material is unsuitable for backfill, the permittee shall backfill the excavation with sand, soft coal, cinders or other suitable material which shall be placed in layers not exceeding six inches in depth and thoroughly compacted in the manner prescribed by the Superintendent. Upon completion of the work, the permittee shall remove any excess material and leave the premises in a clean condition. If the Superintendent determines that any backfilled excavation has settled or caved in, he shall so notify the permittee, who shall promptly continue backfilling until the Superintendent determines that settlement is complete.
F. 
If tunneling operations are required, the tunnel shall be backfilled with rammed concrete composed of one part cement to 10 parts sand.
G. 
If blasting is required to be done in the course of any excavation, it shall be done in strict compliance with all applicable state laws and regulations.
H. 
If the work is not completed within the time specified in the permit or any extension granted by the Superintendent of Public Works, or is not performed in accordance with the regulations set forth in this section and any other regulations that may be established by the Superintendent of Public Works, then the Superintendent may complete the work itself and restore the surface of the street. The cost of completing the work and restoring the street shall be charged to the permittee and may be deducted from his deposit or recovered by an action in any court of competent jurisdiction.
In all cases the permittee shall restore the surface of the street in accordance with the following rules, regulations and requirements:
A. 
No permittee shall commence the restoration of any street foundation or surface until the Superintendent of Public Works and the Borough Engineer have determined that settlement of the subsurface is complete and the area properly prepared for restoration.
B. 
The street surface shall be restored so as to extend 36 inches beyond the excavation on all sides. The restoration shall be performed so as to have the repaved area appear reasonably similar to the existing pavement. Infrared, or equal type of technology, may be required to be used for the restoration process.
[Amended 6-22-2005 by Ord. No. 654]
C. 
The street surface shall be restored to the satisfaction of the Borough Engineer.
A. 
Transferability. A permit shall apply only to the person to whom it is issued and shall not be transferable.
B. 
Commencement of work. Work under a permit shall commence within 45 days from the date of issuance of the permit. If work is not commenced within that time, the permit shall automatically terminate unless extended in writing by the Superintendent of Public Works.
C. 
Possession of permit. A copy of the permit together with a copy of the plan endorsed with the approval of the Superintendent must be kept in possession of the person actually performing the work and shall be exhibited on demand to any duly authorized employee of the Department of Public Works or to any police officer of the Borough.
D. 
Revocation of permit. The Superintendent of Public Works may revoke a permit for any of the following reasons:
(1) 
Violation of any provision of this article or any other applicable rules, regulations, law or ordinance.
(2) 
Violation of any condition of the permit issued.
(3) 
Carrying on work under the permit in a manner which endangers life or property, or which creates any condition which is unhealthy, unsanitary or declared by any provision of this Code to constitute a nuisance.
(4) 
The procedure for revoking a permit shall be the same as that set forth for the revocation of licenses, except that the initial hearing shall be before the Superintendent with a right of appeal to the Borough Council; and the Superintendent may provide in his decision that the revocation shall not become effective if the permittee corrects the violation within a specified period of time.
E. 
Modification of permit conditions. In a special case the Borough Council may by resolution impose special conditions to which the issuance of the permit may be subject, or may decide that any provision of this article shall not apply or shall be altered.