[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Council of
the Town of Stratford as indicated in article histories. Amendments
noted where applicable.]
[Adopted as Ch. 1 of the 1963 Code]
The ordinances embraced in this volume shall
constitute and be designated as the "Code of the Town of Stratford,
Connecticut" and may be so cited.
In the construction of this Code and of all
ordinances of the Town, the following definitions and rules of construction
shall be observed, unless they are inconsistent with the manifest
intent of the Town Council or the context clearly requires otherwise.
A. Definitions. As used in this Code, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
COUNTY
The County of Fairfield in the State of Connecticut.
GENERAL STATUTES
The revision of 1958 of the General Statutes of the State
of Connecticut and all amendments thereto.
OATH
Includes an affirmation in all cases in which, by law, an
affirmation may be substituted for an oath, and, in such cases, the
words "swear," and "sworn" shall be equivalent to the words "affirm"
and "affirmed."
OWNER
Applied to a building or land, includes any part owner, tenant
in common, tenant in partnership or joint tenant, with or without
right of survivorship of the whole or of a part of such building or
land.
PERSON
Extends and is applied to associations, firms, partnerships
and bodies politic and corporate, as well as to individuals.
SIDEWALK
Any portion of the street, usually lying on either side thereof,
between the curb and the adjacent property line, intended for the
use of pedestrians.
STATE
The State of Connecticut.
STREET
Includes avenues, boulevards, highways, roads, alleys, lanes,
viaducts, bridges and the approaches thereto and all other public
thoroughfares in the Town and all that part thereof between the property
lines of the premises abutting thereon.
TENANT and OCCUPANT
Applied to a building or land, any person who occupies the
whole or a part of such building or land, whether alone or with others.
TOWN
The Town of Stratford in the State of Connecticut.
WRITTEN or IN WRITING
Includes any representation of words, letters or figures,
whether by printing or otherwise.
B. Rules of construction.
[Amended 3-12-2007 by Ord. No. 07-03]
(1) Computation of time. The time within which an act
is to be done shall be computed by excluding the first and including
the last day, and, if the last day is Sunday or a legal holiday, that
day shall be excluded.
(2) Gender. Words importing the masculine gender include
the feminine and neuter.
(3) Joint authority. All words giving a joint authority
to three or more persons or officers shall be construed as giving
such authority to a majority of such persons or officers unless otherwise
specifically provided.
(4) Number. A word importing the singular number only
may extend and be applied to several persons or things, and a word
importing the plural number may apply to one person or thing.
(5) Town Manager. In §§
5-5,
5-6,
5-11,
5-14,
5-15,
5-80,
5-81,
6-2,
6-3, 7-4,
8-3,
8-6,
14-2,
14-4,
14-7,
22-8,
22-9,
25-36,
25-45,
25-46, 35-3,
42-13,
44-3,
44-18,
58-1,
83-10,
83-13,
83-21,
88-2,
88-4,
88-5,
116-23,
133-14,
133-15,
140-6,
143-2,
144-1,
144-2,
144-3,
153-2,
161-2,
182-13,
186-12,
186-14,
186-45,
186-52,
191-10,
191-13,
196-1,
203-7,
214-3,
214-4,
214-5,
214-7, and
214-8 of this Code, unless otherwise provided by the Charter of the Town of Stratford, or any other applicable law, and until such section has been amended by ordinance of the Stratford Town Council:
(a) Any power, right or authority formerly conferred by
this Code upon the Town Manager shall be deemed and construed to be
conferred upon the Mayor;
(b) Any duty, obligation or responsibility formerly imposed
by this Code upon the Town Manager shall be deemed and construed to
be imposed upon the Mayor;
(c) Any correspondence or notification of any kind formerly
required by this Code to be served upon, delivered to, or provided
by the Town Manager shall be deemed and construed to be correspondence
or notification required to be served upon, delivered to, or provided
by the Mayor.
The provisions appearing in this Code, insofar
as they are in substance the same as those of the ordinances existing
at the time of the adoption of this Code, shall be considered as continuations
thereof and not as new enactments.
If any part, section, subsection, sentence,
clause or phrase of this Code is for any reason declared to be unconstitutional
or invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall
not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this Code.
The catch lines of the various sections of this
Code, printed in boldface type, are intended as mere catchwords to
indicate the contents of the sections and shall not be deemed or taken
to be titles of such sections, nor as any part of any section, nor,
unless expressly so provided, shall they be so deemed when any section,
including its catch line, is amended or reenacted.
When an ordinance which has repealed another
shall itself be repealed, the previous ordinance shall not be revived
without express words to that effect.
The repeal of an ordinance shall not affect
any punishment, penalty or forfeiture incurred before the repeal takes
effect, or any suit, prosecution or proceeding pending at the time
of the repeal, for any offense committed or for the recovery of a
penalty or forfeiture incurred under the ordinance repealed.
A. Except as otherwise provided in this Code, whenever
in this Code, or in any other ordinance of the Town or in any rule,
regulation or order promulgated pursuant to such Code or other ordinance
of the Town, any act is prohibited or is made or declared to be unlawful
or an offense or a misdemeanor or whenever in such Code, or in such
other Town ordinance, rule, regulation or order, the doing of any
act is required or the failure to do any act is declared to be unlawful,
where no specific penalty is provided therefor, the violation of any
such provision of this Code or of any other ordinance of the Town
or of any rule, regulation or order promulgated pursuant to such Code
or other Town ordinance shall be punished by a fine not exceeding
$100.
[Amended 4-13-1987]
B. Each day any violation of this Code or any other Town
ordinance or rule, regulation or order promulgated pursuant thereto
shall continue shall constitute a separate offense, unless otherwise
provided.
The compilation of the Charter, Town ordinances
and Zoning and Land Subdivision Regulations of the Town of Stratford,
codified and consolidated into titles, chapters and sections in the
form attached hereto and made a part hereof, is hereby approved, adopted,
ordained and enacted as and to be called the "Code of the Town of
Stratford, Connecticut."
A. All ordinances of the Town of Stratford heretofore
enacted and in force and effect on the date of adoption of this ordinance
and not contained in the Code of the Town of Stratford, Connecticut,
or which have been heretofore enacted and are inconsistent with any
provisions of any ordinance contained in the Code are hereby repealed
as of the effective date of this Adopting Ordinance, except as hereinafter
provided.
B. Nothing herein shall be construed as repealing or
altering the Charter or Zoning and Land Subdivision Regulations of
the Town of Stratford.
The adoption of this Code and the repeal of ordinances provided for in §
1-10 of this ordinance shall not affect the following ordinances, regulations, rights and obligations, which are expressly saved from repeal:
A. Any ordinance or regulation adopted subsequent to
January 1, 1987.
B. Any right or liability established, accrued or incurred
under any legislative provision of the Town of Stratford prior to
the effective date of this ordinance or any action or proceeding brought
for the enforcement of such right or liability.
C. Any obligation or liability by reason of any offense
or act committed or done, before the effective date of this ordinance,
in violation of any legislative provision of the Town of Stratford
or any penalty, punishment or forfeiture which may result therefrom.
D. Any franchise, license, right, easement or privilege
heretofore granted or conferred by the Town Council.
E. Any prosecution, indictment, action, suit or other
proceeding pending or any judgment rendered prior to the effective
date of this ordinance, brought pursuant to any legislative provision
of the Town of Stratford.
F. Any ordinance of the Town of Stratford providing for
the laying out, opening, altering, widening, relocating, straightening,
establishing of grade, permitting of encroachment, changing of name,
improvement, acceptance or vacation of any right-of-way, easement,
street, road, highway, park or other public place within the Town
of Stratford or any portion thereof.
G. Any ordinance or resolution of the Town of Stratford
appropriating money or transferring funds, promising or guaranteeing
the payment of money or authorizing the issuance and delivery of any
bond of the Town of Stratford or other instruments or evidence of
the Town's indebtedness.
H. Ordinances authorizing the purchase, sale, lease or
transfer of property or any lawful contract or obligation.
I. The levy or imposition of taxes, assessments or charges.
J. The dedication of property or approval of preliminary
or final subdivision plats.
L. Any ordinance establishing or changing Town boundaries.
All provisions contained in the compilation
provided for herein and known as the "Code of the Town of Stratford,
Connecticut," shall be in full force and effect on and after the effective
date of this ordinance.
A. In compiling and preparing the ordinances of the Town
of Stratford for publication as part of the Code of the Town of Stratford,
certain grammatical changes, changes in nomenclature and/or technical
or minor changes were made in one or more of said ordinances. It is
the intention of the Town Council of the Town of Stratford that all
such changes be adopted as part of the Code of the Town of Stratford,
Connecticut, as if the ordinances so changed had been previously amended
to read as such.
B. In printing and publishing the Code of the Town of
Stratford, Connecticut, certain changes in the order of things, titling
and indexing and certain changes in the numbering of provisions are
anticipated and may be made. It is the intention of the Town Council
of the Town of Stratford that all such changes be and they hereby
are adopted as part of the Code of the Town of Stratford, Connecticut,
as if the ordinances so changed had been previously amended to read
as such.
A copy of the published Code of the Town of
Stratford, Connecticut, shall be certified to by the Town Clerk of
the Town of Stratford by impressing thereon the Seal of said Town,
and such certified copy, as from time to time amended and recertified
as hereinafter provided, shall remain on file in the office of the
Town Clerk, to be made available during business hours to persons
desiring to examine the same.
A. Charter. Any and all amendments or supplements to the Town Charter, or repeal thereof in whole or in part, adopted pursuant to applicable state law subsequent to the date in §
1-11A of this ordinance shall, upon the adoption and certification by the Town Clerk of said change, become part of the Code of the Town of Stratford, Connecticut.
B. Ordinances. Any and all additional ordinances, amendments or supplements to ordinances, or repeal of ordinances in whole or in part, properly adopted subsequent to the date in §
1-11A of this ordinance shall, upon said adoption and certification by the Town Clerk, become part of the Code of the Town of Stratford, Connecticut.
C. Regulations. Any and all additional zoning or land subdivision regulations, amendments or supplements to said regulations or specifications, or repeal in whole or part thereof, subsequent to the date in §
1-11A of this ordinance shall, upon proper adoption and certification by the Town Clerk, become part of the Code of the Town of Stratford, Connecticut.
D. All changes in the Charter, ordinances, specifications
and regulations as aforesaid shall be deemed to be incorporated into
such Code so that reference to the Code of the Town of Stratford,
Connecticut, shall be understood and intended to include such additions
and amendments. Any such additions, amendments, supplements or repeals
as adopted shall thereafter be printed and, as provided hereunder,
inserted in the loose-leaf book containing said Code as amendments
and supplements thereto.
It shall be the duty of the Town Clerk or such
other person authorized and directed by the Town Clerk to keep up-to-date,
in looseleaf form, a copy of the book containing the Code of the Town
of Stratford, Connecticut. Said up-to-date copy of the Code shall
be filed in the office of the Town Clerk of the Town of Stratford
and shall remain there for use and examination by the public and shall
be made available to persons desiring to examine the same during business
hours. All changes in said Code shall be included in the Code by reference
until such changes or new ordinances are printed as supplements to
said Code, at which time such supplements shall, upon certification
by the Town Clerk, be inserted therein.
It shall be the duty of the Town Council to
have printed and distributed copies of the Code of the Town of Stratford,
Connecticut, together with amendments and supplements thereto, from
time to time. Said Town Council shall provide the Town Clerk with
sufficient copies of the Code and supplements and amendments thereto
so as to enable the Town Clerk to comply with Connecticut General
Statutes, Section 7-148a, as amended.
Nothing contained herein shall abridge the legal
authority of any board, commission or agency of the Town of Stratford
to make, publish, adopt, repeal, change or amend its rules, regulations
or bylaws in accordance with law.
Each section of the Code and every part of each
section is an independent section or part of a section, and the holding
of any section or a part thereof to be unconstitutional, void or ineffective
for any cause shall not be deemed to affect the validity or constitutionality
of any other section or part thereof.
Each section of this ordinance is an independent
section, and the holding of any section or part thereof to be unconstitutional,
void or ineffective for any cause shall not be deemed to affect the
validity or constitutionality of any other sections or parts thereof.
It shall be unlawful for anyone to improperly
change or amend, by additions or deletions, any part or portion of
the Code of the Town of Stratford or to alter or tamper with such
Code in any manner whatsoever which will cause the law of the Town
of Stratford to be misrepresented thereby. A violation of this section
shall be punishable, upon conviction, by a fine not to exceed $100.