[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Auburn 3-28-1991
by L.L. No. 2-1991 as Ch. 28 of the 1991 Code. Amendments
noted where applicable.]
This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Property Maintenance
Ordinance of the City of Auburn, New York."
A.
In order to prevent blight and the spread thereof, it
is hereby declared that all property in the City, improved or unimproved,
including but not limited to residences, office buildings, shopping centers,
supermarkets, retail stores, discount houses, warehouses, manufacturing or
fabrication plants, factories, gasoline service stations, public garages,
motor vehicle repair shops or other business uses, whether occupied or vacant,
and accessory structures located in the City of Auburn shall be maintained
in conformity with the standards set out in this chapter so as to assure that
these structures and properties will not adversely affect the neighborhood
and the community at large.
B.
It is found and declared that by reason of lack of maintenance
and progressive deterioration, certain structures and properties have the
further effect of creating blighting conditions and initiating slums, and
that, if the same are not curtailed and removed, the aforesaid conditions
will grow and spread and will necessitate in time the expenditure of large
amounts of public funds to correct and eliminate the same. By reason of timely
regulations and restrictions as herein contained, the growth of slums and
blight may be prevented and the neighborhood and property values thereby maintained,
the desirability and amenities of residential and nonresidential uses and
neighborhoods enhanced and the public health, safety and welfare protected
and fostered.
Chapter 182, Housing Standards, of this Municipal Code shall supersede any provisions of this chapter which are in conflict therewith. All other provisions of this chapter shall be applicable to residential premises.
A.
Open areas.
(1)
Surface and subsurface water shall be appropriately drained
to protect buildings and structures and to prevent the development of stagnant
ponds.
(2)
No shopping baskets, carts or wagons shall be left unattended
or standing, and such baskets, carts or wagons shall be regularly collected
and removed to the interior of the building or buildings from which they were
taken by the person responsible for such building or buildings.
(3)
All fences shall be maintained by the person responsible
for the property. Such maintenance shall include but not be limited to the
replacement and/or repair of fences which may become in disrepair.
(4)
All landscaping shall be well maintained so that lawns, hedges, bushes and trees shall be kept trimmed and free from becoming overgrown and unsightly where exposed to public view and where the same may constitute a blighting factor thereby depreciating adjoining property. Compliance with Article VI of Chapter 259 of this Municipal Code shall constitute the minimum standards that must be met for grass and weeds.
(5)
Steps, walks, driveways, parking spaces and similarly
paved areas shall be maintained so as to afford safe passage under normal
use and weather conditions. Any holes or other hazards that may exist shall
be filled or necessary repairs or replacement carried out. All off-street
parking facilities shall be swept at least monthly.
(6)
Yards, court and vacant lots shall be kept clean and
free of physical hazards, rodent harborage and infestation. They shall be
maintained in a manner that will prevent rubbish from being blown about the
neighborhood. Open wells, cesspools or cisterns shall be securely closed or
barricaded from access to the public.
(7)
No person shall deposit, throw or scatter or suffer,
permit or allow the accumulation of any filth, dirt, ashes, junk, garbage,
wastepaper, dust, rubbish, sticks, stones, grass, wood, leaves, paper or paper
boxes, iron, tin, nails, bottles or glass or any other kind of rubbish or
waste material, appliances, furniture, tires, machinery and other bulk refuse
upon any sidewalk, highway or public place, or upon any vacant or improved
lot, piece or parcel of ground abutting upon any sidewalk, highway or public
place, or upon any private property within the City except as permitted by
City regulations for trash and garbage removal.
(8)
No yard, lot, or part thereof shall be used for the storage
or keeping of construction equipment, machinery, vehicles or parts thereof,
building materials and/or supplies, except as hereinafter provided. Such area,
or space, shall be deemed to be a contractor's yard. This subsection
shall not apply to areas zoned industrial nor to businesses with preexisting
nonconforming uses in the keeping of such items and/or equipment.
B.
Buildings and structures.
(1)
All exterior exposed surfaces not inherently resistant
to deterioration shall be repaired, coated, treated or sealed to protect them
from deterioration or weathering.
(2)
Floors, walls, ceilings, stairs, furnishing and fixtures
of buildings shall be maintained in a clean, safe and sanitary condition.
Every floor, exterior wall, roof and porch, or appurtenance thereto, shall
be maintained in a manner so as to prevent collapse of the same or injury
to the occupants of the building or to the public.
(3)
The foundation walls of every building shall be maintained
in good repair and be structurally sound.
(4)
Exterior walls (including doors and windows), roofs and
the areas around doors, windows, chimneys and other parts of a building shall
be so maintained as to keep water from entering the buildings. Materials which
have been damaged or show evidences of dry rot or other deterioration shall
be repaired or replaced and refinished in a workmanlike manner within a reasonable
amount of time. Exterior walls, roofs and other parts of the building shall
be free from loose and unsecured objects and material. Such objects or materials
shall be removed, repaired or replaced.
(5)
The owner of a vacated building shall take such steps
and perform such acts as may be required of him or her from time to time to
ensure that the building and its adjoining yards remain safe and secure and
do not present a hazard to adjoining property or the public.
(6)
Buildings and structures shall be maintained free of
insect, vermin and rodent harborage and infestation. Methods used for exterminating
insects, vermin and rodents shall conform to generally accepted practices.
(7)
The owner and/or tenant of a residential premises will
not cause or allow the external placement of any upholstered furniture, including
mattresses, not designed or manufactured for said exterior use. "Exterior
use" shall include but not be limited to unenclosed porches and/or decks.
[Added 5-9-2002 by Ord. No. 2-2002]
