(a) Permit required. No person shall proceed with the erection, alteration, repair, moving, shoring, raising or removal of any building or structure or any part thereof, and no person shall proceed with the construction of any curbing or sidewalks, the resurfacing of driveways and parking lots, the widening of driveways and the construction or erection of retaining walls, unless application for a permit has been made by the owner to the Building Inspector and a permit has been obtained from the Building Inspector pursuant to the regulations set forth in this section.
(b) Application; plans and specifications.
(1) An application for a permit shall be submitted to the Building Inspector on a form supplied by him or her and shall be accompanied by two sets of specifications and plans of a scale meeting the approval of the Building Inspector, setting forth the extent and character of the work in all its structural parts, with a plot plan of the lot, as required in subsection (f) below.
(2) Upon approval of the plans and specifications, one set of each so marked shall be returned to the applicant, shall be kept, together with the permit, at the building site, and shall be accessible at all times to the Building Inspector, to police officers and to other officers of the township. No change in the same is to be made without the approval of the Building Inspector.
(c) Contents of application. The application shall state:
(1) The size and location of the lot;
(2) The classification of the building by type of construction;
(3) The occupancy or use to which it is to be put;
(4) The fee to be paid for the permit, together with the calculations necessary to determine the same, which shall be subject to the approval of the Building Inspector;
(5) The estimated approximate cost of the improvement; and
(6) Any other pertinent information required by the Building Inspector.
(d) Statement; repairs under $100.
(1) When the estimated cost of erecting, altering or repairing any building does not exceed $500, the person applying for a permit may file with the Building Inspector, if acceptable to him or her and in lieu of the plans and specifications hereinbefore provided for, a statement in writing setting forth what repairs, alterations or improvements are contemplated and describing the general character, nature and extent of the same, together with such plans or sketches as may be required by the Building Inspector.
(2) No permit shall be required and no fee charged if the work to be done consists of minor interior and exterior repairs to any building or structure which does not involve any change in its supporting walls, members or structural parts, stairways, elevators, fire escapes or other means of communication, egress and ingress, light and ventilation or class of occupancy, or make additional openings or close existing openings in its exterior or interior walls, provided such repairs do not exceed $100 in cost.
(e) Fees.
(1) A. The applicant for a permit shall, at the time of making application, pay to the Building Inspector, or to such other person as may be designated by the Board of Township Commissioners, for the use of the township, for each and every building or addition, or the altering, repairing, moving, shoring or raising of any building or structure, the following fee, which shall be based on the contract price of any such work as determined by the applicant, subject to the approval of the Building Inspector: 1.5% of the cost of the work, with a minimum fee of an amount set forth by the Board of Commissioners in the fee resolution.
B. The fee for a permit for storage tanks or for any underground tank or structure shall be as above set forth.
(2) A. The contract price or cost of work upon which the fees are based shall not include plumbing work of any description but shall include all heating work, other than steam, vapor or hot water heating systems. A separate fee shall be paid to the Plumbing Inspector for all plumbing work. Where alterations consist only in plumbing work, a permit shall only be required from the Plumbing Inspector or the Board of Health.
B. Where a heating installation is made separately from a building or alteration job, a standard fee of an amount set forth by the Board of Commissioners in the fee resolution for each installation made shall be charged for the permit. No heating installation of any nature shall be made without a permit.
C. The installation, erection, enlargement or repairing of oil burning equipment, and the storage and use of fuel, range or other oils in connection therewith, shall be subject to the inspection and approval of the Building Inspector and shall conform to the regulations of the American Insurance Association, as recommended by the National Fire Protection Association. Copies of such regulations shall be kept on file in the office of the Building Inspector and shall be open to inspection by any person applying therefor.
D. The cost of equipment as such shall not be included in the calculations for the permit fee, but the cost of any and all structural supports in connection with the installation thereof shall be subject to inspection and shall be included in the calculations for the permit fee.
E. For a permit to erect, alter, raze, remove or tear down any building or structure, such as an engine, boiler or tank foundation, or tanks for storage of petroleum products, or for any underground tank or structure, the fee shall be as above set forth.
(3) When an application for a building permit is made by a school district, school authority, municipal authority, church or religious group, fire company, veterans’ post, civic group or other non- profit association or corporation, the application shall be referred by the Building Inspector to the Board of Township Commissioners for its review. The Board, upon review of the application and a determination of the status of the applicant as being of the kind or within the class above set forth, shall, after having reference to the schedule of fees provided in subsection (e)(1) above, the application being otherwise in accordance with existing township regulations and ordinances, direct the issuance of a permit upon the payment of a fee to be fixed by an amount set forth by the Board of Commissioners in the fee resolution.
(4) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, no fee shall be charged for any permit where the cost of the work or the contract price does not exceed an amount set forth by the Board of Commissioners in the fee resolution.
(f) Plot plan. Prior to the issuance of a permit for the erection of or making an addition to any building, the owner, builder or architect shall submit to the Building Inspector a plot plan drawn to scale prepared in a manner approved by the Building Inspector. Such plan shall show the dimensions of the lot, the location of corner stakes or monuments, the location of the building or addition proposed, and setback or restriction lines. The plan shall be signed and dated and submitted in duplicate. This plan shall also show the location of all existing buildings on abutting lands which adjoin or encroach on any of the lot lines.
(g) Issuance of permits; transfers; posting. The Building Inspector shall act upon the application for a permit within 15 days after its receipt by either approving or rejecting it or by requiring modifications of the plans and specifications. When the application has been approved, the Building Inspector shall issue the permit. Every permit shall be considered cancelled if active work is not commenced within a period of 60 days from the date of its issue, or if work on the operation ceases for a continuous period of 60 days, provided that such stoppage is not caused by circumstances beyond the builder’s control, as certified to by the Building Inspector. Where the permit covers more than one building, commencement of work on one of them shall be considered as compliance with the foregoing provision. After issuance of the permit, no transfer of the same to another party may be made, unless authorized by the Building Inspector. The permit must be posted in a conspicuous position at the operation and must so remain until the work is completed.
(h) Private garages. The Building Inspector shall not issue a permit for the erection of a private garage unless such private garage will be accessory to an existing dwelling or place of business; provided, however, that the Building Inspector may issue a permit for the erection of a private garage, with a permit for the erection of a dwelling house or place of business, which dwelling house or place of business is to be erected before, or simultaneously with, the private garage. The Building Inspector may require, as a part of the permit application, an affidavit from the owner or owners that no garage will be used as living quarters.
(I) Approval in part. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prevent the Building Inspector from approving a permit for the construction of a part of a building when plans and detailed statements have been presented for the same before the entire plans and specifications for such building have been submitted or approved.
(j) Temporary buildings. A permit may be granted for a temporary building to stand not over 60 days from the date of completion, subject to renewal at the discretion of the Building Inspector, which building may be of Type V construction, provided it is not over one story in height and is erected in such a manner and in such a position as properly to safeguard the public and all surrounding buildings, in accordance with the regulations laid down by the Building Inspector.
(k) Storage of building materials. Storage of building materials must be done within the property lines. No such storage or use shall be permitted upon adjoining lands without the consent of the owner of such lands or his or her representative. If the nature of construction is such that either of the above methods of storage is impossible, storage may be had in an adjacent street, highway, court or alley upon the issuance of a street occupancy permit by the Building Inspector, subject to regulations of the State Department of Transportation, where applicable.
(l) Street occupancy permits.
(1) Where it is not possible to confine the storage of building materials within the area of the property which is to be improved or altered, a separate application shall be made to the Building Inspector to occupy the adjacent public street or highway.
(2) Provided the application does not conflict with the other provisions of this chapter, a separate permit shall be granted for a period not exceeding three months consecutively, the fees for such permit to be as follows.
A. For the frontage of the property, a fee in an amount set forth by the Board of Commissioners in the fee resolution per month, and a further sum of an amount set forth by the Board of Commissioners in the fee resolution per month for each additional 20 feet or fraction thereof occupied in front of an adjacent property, but no street permit shall be issued for the use of a street in front of an adjacent property for a greater distance than 40 feet.
B. No such permit shall be granted by the Building Inspector for an adjacent highway which in its width is classified as an alley. The fees for this highway occupancy permit shall in full revert to the township treasury.
(3) No materials are to be piled on a street or highway to a greater distance than ten feet out from the adjacent curb line, and in no case is the entire roadway to be diminished to such an extent as to prevent the full and unobstructed passage of one-way traffic between the piles of materials and the opposite curb line. An unobstructed gutter 16 inches wide must be maintained at all times at the curb line adjacent to the property under improvement.
(4) From sunset to sunrise there shall be displayed sufficient red or amber lights and at all other times sufficient other safeguards or danger signals on all materials to warn pedestrians or vehicular traffic of the danger. Subject to other provisions of this chapter, the footway passing the property under improvement shall at all times be kept open for the unobstructed use of pedestrians. Violation of any provision of this subsection (l) shall be sufficient cause to revoke the street occupancy permit.
(m) Certificates of occupancy.
(1) Certificate required.
A. No commercial or residential unit shall be used or occupied for any purpose until after final inspection by the Building Inspector and issuance by him or her of a certificate of occupancy, which certificate shall designate the use to which the unit may be put in accordance with the permit as issued or any amendment to such permit. No person shall make any use or occupancy of the unit before the certificate is issued.
B. As used in this subsection (m),
RESIDENTIAL UNIT means and includes any building, or part of a building, which is used as a dwelling for one or more persons, and COMMERCIAL UNIT means and includes any building, or part of a building, which is used for any purpose, except as a residential unit.
(2) Inspections. Prior to issuance of any certificate of occupancy, it shall be the responsibility of the Building Inspector to inspect the building for reasonable compliance with all township ordinances related to health and safety and to inspect such building for compliance with the specific requirements set forth below. This shall include the payment of all pertinent fees.
(3) New construction; residential and commercial.
A. Before a certificate of occupancy is issued, the builder shall furnish a plot plan showing the actual placement of the building, with the dimensions of the front setback and the side and rear yard setbacks.
B. Permanent boundary markers must be placed prior to issuance of the certificate.
C. All grading, seeding, sidewalks, streets, paving lights, hydrants and the like must be installed prior to issuance of the certificate.
D. A temporary certificate may be issued, at the discretion of the Building Inspector, if the premises are deemed habitable. However, such temporary certificate may be cancelled by the Building Inspector upon reasonable extension of time to correct and supplement the necessary items set forth in subsections (m)(3)A., (a)(3)B. and (m)(3)C. above.
(4) Transfer and/or resale of all residential or commercial buildings.
A. Every agreement of sale of land with a building thereon erected shall be immediately reported to the Building Inspector by the seller and buyer. Failure to report the agreement or otherwise comply with the terms of this section will subject both parties to penalties, including fines and possible eviction proceedings.
B. Ownership of a property may be transferred upon application of the to the township for a resale certificate.
C. A resale certificate will be issued upon receipt of the applicable fee and satisfaction of the requirements of the Township Inspector that the premises is in full compliance with all requirements of the resale certificate, as provided by the Building Code Department.
D. Failure to obtain a valid resale certificate prior to use and occupancy of the premises will result in the imposition of a fine of up to $100 per day and possible eviction proceedings.
(5) Fees. All fees shall be paid at the time the application is made and shall be the responsibility of the seller, with respect to new construction, and the applicant for the certificate in all other cases. The fee shall be established by the Board of Township Commissioners from time to time by resolution.
(6) Water supply. If a commercial or residential unit is not serviced by public water, the applicant shall, before the issuance of a certificate of occupancy, provide the Building Inspector with a certificate from a certified laboratory that the water supply is potable and not detrimental to the health of any person.
(Ord. 78, passed 2-3-1947; Ord. 220, passed 8-19-1959; Ord. 281, passed 10-16-1963; Ord. 347, passed 2-17-1971; Ord. 427, passed 12-29-1976; Ord. 481, passed 12-28-1978; Ord. 510, passed 8-20-1980; Ord. 535, passed 11-18-1981; Ord. 581, passed 2-15-1984; Ord. 759, passed 3-17-1997; Ord. 838, passed 4-19-2006; Ord. 895, passed 11-16-2011; Ord. 998, passed 2-19-2020)