(A) General rule. All words and phrases shall be construed and understood according to the common and approved usage of the language; but technical words and phrases and such others as may have acquired a peculiar and appropriate meaning in the law shall be construed and understood according to the peculiar and appropriate meaning.
(B) Definitions. For the purpose of this code of ordinances, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
ACTS BY AGENTS. A requirement that an act be done which may by law also be done by an agent, include the acts performed by an authorized agent.
CITY, MUNICIPAL CORPORATION, MUNICIPALITY or TOWN. The Town of Florence, Arizona.
CITY-SCAPE and TOWN-SCAPE are synonymous.
CODE, THIS CODE or THIS CODE OF ORDINANCES. This municipal code as modified by amendment, revision and adoption of new titles, chapters or sections.
COMPUTATION OF TIME. The time in which an act is required to be done is computed by excluding the first day and including the last day, unless the last day is a holiday, and then it is also excluded. In cases in which notice of a decision by the municipality must be given to a petitioner and in which the petitioner must file a notice of appeal of the decision within a time certain of less than ten days, the time is computed starting with the day after the day during which the notice of decision is received by the petitioner by personal service or registered or certified mail.
COUNCIL. The Council of the Town of Florence, Arizona.
COUNTY. Pinal County, Arizona.
DAY. The period of time between any midnight and the midnight following.
DAYTIME The period of time between sunrise and sunset.
DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY. Any provision requiring a municipal officer or a municipal employee to do some act is to be construed to authorize the officer or employee to designate, delegate and authorize subordinates to perform the required act.
DEPARTMENT, BOARD, COMMISSION, OFFICE, OFFICER or EMPLOYEE. Whenever any department, board, commission, office, officer or employee is referred to, it shall mean a department, board, commission, office, officer or employee of the town unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
EMERGENCY VEHICLE. Vehicles of the Fire, Police and Public Service Departments and legally authorized ambulances and emergency vehicles of the State of Arizona, Pinal County, or any political subdivisions thereof, and vehicles of public service corporations.
EMERGENCY WORK. Any work performed to prevent or alleviate physical trauma or property damage threatened or caused by an emergency, which has or may result in a disruption of service, and which is necessary to protect the health, safety and welfare of persons or property.
ENGINEER. The Engineer of the municipality.
GENDER. Words of the masculine gender include the feminine.
IN THE MUNICIPALITY or WITHIN THE MUNICIPALITY includes all territory over which the municipality now has, or hereafter acquires, jurisdiction for the exercise of its police powers or other regulatory powers.
IN THE TOWN or WITHIN THE TOWN. All territory over which the town now has, or shall hereafter acquire, jurisdiction for the exercise of its police powers or other regulatory powers.
JOINT AUTHORITY. All words purporting to give a joint authority to three or more town officers or other persons shall be construed as giving the authority to a majority of the officers or other persons unless it shall be otherwise expressly declared in the law giving the authority.
MAJORITY. When used in reference to the Town Council, means 51% of those members in attendance provided that a quorum of the Council is also present.
MAY is to be construed as being permissive.
MONTH. A calendar month.
MOTOR VEHICLE. Every self-propelled device in, upon or by which any person or property is, or may be, transported upon a public highway, excepting aircraft and devices used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks.
MUNICIPALITY. The Town of Florence, Pinal County, Arizona.
MUST is to be construed as being mandatory.
NIGHTTIME. The period of time between sunset and sunrise.
NUMBER. Words used in the singular include the plural. Words in the plural include the singular.
OATH. Includes affirmation or declaration.
OCCUPANT includes tenant.
OR may be read AND and AND may be read OR.
OWNER. As applied to a building or land, includes any part owner, joint owner, tenant in common, joint tenant or tenant by the entirety of the whole or a part of the building or land.
PERSON. Shall extend and be applied to firms, corporations or voluntary associations, as well as to individuals, unless plainly inapplicable.
PERSONAL PROPERTY. Includes every species of property, except real property as defined in this section.
PRECEDING or FOLLOWING. The words PRECEDING and FOLLOWING mean next before and next after, respectively.
PROPERTY. Real and personal property.
REAL PROPERTY. Lands, tenements and hereditaments.
REASONABLE TIME. Any provision that requires any act to be done in a reasonable time, or reasonable notice to be given, refers to the time only as may be necessary for the prompt performance of the duty, or compliance with the notice.
SHALL or MAY. SHALL is mandatory and MAY is permissive.
SHALL HAVE BEEN. Includes past and future cases.
SIGNATURE or SUBSCRIPTION. Includes a mark when the signer cannot write, the signer’s or subscriber’s name being written near the mark by a witness who writes his or her own name near the signer's or subscriber's name; but a signature or subscription by mark can be acknowledged or can serve as a signature or subscription to a sworn statement only when two witnesses so sign their own names thereto.
STATE. The State of Arizona.
SUBCHAPTER. A division of a chapter, designated in this code by a heading in the chapter analysis and a capitalized heading in the body of the chapter, setting apart a group of sections related by the subject matter of the heading. Not all chapters have SUBCHAPTERS.
TENANT or OCCUPANT. When applied to a building or land, shall include any person holding a written or an oral lease or who occupies the whole or part of the building or land, either alone or with others.
TENSES. The present tense includes the past and future tenses, and the future includes the present.
TOWN ATTORNEY. The Attorney of the municipality.
TOWN CLERK. The municipal Town Clerk.
TOWN MANAGER. The Town Manager of the municipality.
WEEK consists of seven consecutive days.
WRITTEN. Any representation of words, letters or figures, whether by printing or otherwise.
YEAR. A calendar year, except where otherwise provided.
(Prior Code, Ch. 1, § 1-2)
Statutory references:
Application of municipal ordinances to municipally owned, leased and the like, property, see A.R.S. § 9-401
Definitions and construction of statutes generally, see A.R.S. §§ 1-211 through 1-215
Extraterritorial jurisdiction, see A.R.S. §§ 9-240(B)(21) and 9-402