(A) Established. There is hereby created the office of Chimney Inspector. The Mayor and City Council shall, at their first regular meeting in May of each year, or as soon thereafter as practicable, appoint a Chimney Inspector, who shall hold his or her office for one year, and until his or her successor is elected and qualified.
(B) Qualifications of Chimney Inspector. The Chimney Inspector shall be a practical builder.
(C) Taking office. The Chimney Inspector so appointed by the Mayor and City Council shall, before assuming the duties of his or her office, take and subscribe the usual oath of office, and execute a bond to be approved by the City Council, with two or more sureties in the sum of $200, for the faithful performance of him or her, as required by law.
(D) Duties of Chimney Inspector. It shall be the duty of the Chimney Inspector to inspect all chimneys in course of erection or alteration, and see that the same are constructed in accordance with the provisions of this section, and to see that proper means are employed as security against fire, and for the safety of the lives and health of the public, that suitable and proper material are used, and that the work is substantially done to answer the purpose of such chimney, as provided for in this section.
(E) Specifications of chimneys. All chimneys hereinafter built within the city shall be built of the following dimensions and material: the walls of said chimneys shall be four inches thick; be built with brick; not be less than three feet above a pitched or ridged roof; laid in good strong mortar; be plastered on the inside from the base to the tip; and also plastered on the outside from the base to the roof.
(F) Unsafe chimneys. Whenever the Chimney Inspector shall discover any chimney in any building in the city in an unsafe condition, on account of the liability of fire to originate therefrom, or be communicated therefrom to any wood work or other combustible materials, adjoining thereto, he or she shall serve a written notice upon the owner, agent, or occupant of said building, specifying therein the chimney so found in a dangerous or unsafe condition, and in said notice require said owner or occupant, forthwith, to repair said chimney, so found in said building, and to make the same to conform to the provisions of this section, and to cease at once the use of the same in connection with any stove, pipe, or other apparatus which is used and the smoke is conducted through said defective or dangerous chimney.
(G) Default, or not complying with the conditions of this section. Any person that shall willfully neglect to repair any chimney after written notice has been served upon him or her, and reasonable time has been allowed to have said chimney repaired, the Chimney Inspector may proceed to have said chimney repaired, and after repairing said chimney, to make a schedule of said costs and report the same to the City Council at its first regular meeting thereafter.
(H) Claims how collected. Any time after the Chimney Inspector has made his or her schedule of costs of repairing any chimney and the owner thereof of said building in which said defective chimney has been found shall refuse to pay said costs, the City Council may proceed in civil action against said owner, and all judgments received against any person shall be subject to the same proceeding as the general laws of the state, and enforced in the same manner.
(Ord. 35, passed 8-2-1895)