No person shall dig, excavate or in any manner
make an opening or remove soil or pavement from any of the public
streets, sidewalks or alleys of the City for any purpose without first
securing a permit therefor from the Chief Engineer.
Any person seeking a permit to open a street,
sidewalk or alley is required to pay a fee in accordance with a schedule
established by the Council.
All applications for a permit required by this
article shall be made in writing to the Chief Engineer. Every application
shall specify the exact location of, and the necessity for, the work
proposed to be done, together with the probable extent thereof as
nearly as it can be estimated.
Before any permit to open a street, sidewalk
or alley shall be granted by the Chief Engineer, the applicant for
such permit is required to file with the City Clerk a performance
bond in the sum of $2,000 or such other amount as may be established
by the Council to guarantee the replacement and refilling of any excavation
pursuant to specifications on file in the office of the Chief Engineer
and proof of public liability insurance in such amount and coverage
as established by the Council.
Upon approval of the application provided for in §
194-28, payment of the required permit fee and filing of the necessary bond and proof of insurance, the Chief Engineer shall issue his or her written consent for such work to be done. The consent shall thereupon be retained in the Chief Engineer's office.
Every person who shall receive a permit to open
a street, sidewalk or alley shall at all times after such opening
has begun and until the same shall be completed carefully guard the
same so that persons passing along the street or sidewalk shall not
be likely to fall into such excavation. The permittee shall, during
the hours of darkness, cause the same to be kept securely barricaded
and suitable warning lights, so secured and protected that the same
shall not be extinguished, to be placed upon such fence and around
the excavation.