For the purpose of this code, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
CODE. The Lewisville Code, as designated in § 1-1.
COUNCIL, TOWN COUNCIL, and LEWISVILLE TOWN COUNCIL. The Town Council of Lewisville, North Carolina.
COUNTY. The words THE COUNTY or THIS COUNTY shall mean the County of Forsyth in North Carolina.
GENDER. A word importing the masculine gender only shall extend and be applied to females and to firms, partnerships, associations, and corporations, as well as to males.
G.S. The designation "G. S." appearing in the text or in the state law references shall refer to the General Statutes of North Carolina, as amended.
HIGHWAY. The word HIGHWAY shall include any street, alley, highway, avenue, or public square, bridge, viaduct, tunnel, causeway, and sidewalk lying within the highway right-of-way, dedicated or devoted to public use.
JOINT AUTHORITY. All words giving a joint authority to 3 or more persons or officers shall be construed as giving the authority to a majority of the persons or officers.
MONTH. A calendar month.
NONTECHNICAL AND TECHNICAL WORDS. Words and phrases shall be construed according to the common and approved usage of the language; but technical words and phrases and the others as may have acquired a peculiar and appropriate meaning in law shall be construed and understood according to the meaning.
NUMBER. Any word importing the singular number only may extend and be applied to several persons and things as well as to 1 person and thing.
OATH. Shall be construed to include an affirmation in all cases in which by law an affirmation may be substituted for an oath, and in like cases the words AFFIRM and AFFIRMED shall be equivalent to the words SWEAR and SWORN.
OFFICERS, DEPARTMENTS, AND THE LIKE. Where reference is made to any department, officer, or agency, it shall be construed as if followed by the words "of Lewisville, North Carolina."
OFFICIAL TIME STANDARD. Whenever certain hours are named herein, they shall mean standard time or daylight savings time as may be in current use in the town.
OR/AND. OR may be read AND, and AND may be read OR if the sense requires it.
OWNER. The word OWNER, applied to a building or land, shall include any part owner, joint owner, tenant in common, tenant in partnership, joint tenant, or tenant by the entirety, of the whole or part of the building or land.
PERSON. The word PERSON shall extend and be applied to associations, corporations, firms, partnership, political bodies, and corporate entities, as well as to individuals.
PERSONAL PROPERTY. The words PERSONAL PROPERTY include every species of property except real property herein defined.
PRECEDING/FOLLOWING. The words PRECEDING and FOLLOWING mean next before and next after respectively.
PROPERTY. Shall include real and personal property.
REAL PROPERTY. Shall include lands, tenements, and hereditaments.
SHALL. The word SHALL is mandatory.
SIGNATURE or SUBSCRIPTION. Shall include a mark properly witnessed when a person cannot write.
STATE. The words THE STATE or THIS STATE shall be construed to mean the State of North Carolina.
STREET. Shall be construed to embrace streets, avenues, boulevards, roads, alleys, lanes, squares, bridges, viaducts, tunnels, causeways, sidewalks lying within the street right-of-way, and all other public highways.
TENANT or OCCUPANT. Applied to a building or land, shall include any person who occupies the whole or part of the building or land, whether alone or with others.
TENSE. Words used in the past or present tense include the future as well as the past and present.
TOWN. The Town of Lewisville, North Carolina.
WRITTEN or IN WRITING. Shall be construed to include any representation of words, letters, or figures, whether by printing or otherwise.
YEAR. Calendar year, unless otherwise noted.
Statutory reference:
Similar rules of construction, see G.S. § 12-3