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Lorain Overview
Codified Ordinances of Lorain, OH
CODIFIED ORDINANCES OF LORAIN, OHIO
ROSTER OF OFFICIALS
ADOPTING ORDINANCE
EDITOR'S NOTE
COMPARATIVE SECTION TABLE
PART ONE - ADMINISTRATIVE CODE
PART THREE - TRAFFIC CODE
PART FIVE - GENERAL OFFENSES CODE
PART SEVEN - BUSINESS REGULATION CODE
PART NINE - STREETS, UTILITIES AND PUBLIC SERVICES CODE
PART ELEVEN - PLANNING AND ZONING CODE
PART THIRTEEN - FIRE PREVENTION CODE
PART FIFTEEN - BUILDING CODE
PART SEVENTEEN - RATE AND FEE SCHEDULE
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509.04 DISTURBING A LAWFUL MEETING.
   (a)   No person, with purpose to prevent or disrupt a lawful meeting, procession or gathering, shall do either of the following:
      (1)   Do any act which obstructs or interferes with the due conduct of such meeting, procession or gathering;
      (2)   Make any utterance, gesture or display which outrages the sensibilities of the group.
   (b)   Whoever violates this section is guilty of disturbing a lawful meeting. Except as otherwise provided in this section, disturbing a lawful meeting is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. Disturbing a lawful meeting is a misdemeanor of the first degree if either of the following applies:
      (1)   The violation is committed with the intent to disturb or disquiet any assemblage of people met for religious worship at a tax-exempt place of worship, regardless of whether the conduct is within the place at which the assemblage is held or is on the property on which that place is located and disturbs the order and solemnity of the assemblage.
      (2)   The violation is committed with the intent to prevent, disrupt, or interfere with a virtual meeting or gathering of people for religious worship, through use of a computer, computer system, telecommunications device, or other electronic device or system, or in any other manner.
   (c)   As used in this section:
      (1)   “Computer” has the same meaning as in Ohio R.C. 2913.01.
      (2)   “Computer system” has the same meaning as in Ohio R.C. 2913.01.
      (3)   “Telecommunications device” has the same meaning as in Ohio R.C. 2913.01.
      (4)   “Virtual meeting or gathering” means a meeting or gathering by interactive video conference or teleconference, or by a combination thereof.
         (ORC 2917.12)
509.05 MISCONDUCT AT AN EMERGENCY.
   (a)   No person shall knowingly do any of the following:
      (1)   Hamper the lawful operations of any law enforcement officer, firefighter, rescuer, medical person, emergency medical services person, or other authorized person, engaged in the person’s duties at the scene of a fire, accident, disaster, riot, or emergency of any kind;
      (2)   Hamper the lawful activities of any emergency facility person who is engaged in the person’s duties in an emergency facility;
      (3)   Fail to obey the lawful order of any law enforcement officer engaged in the law enforcement officer’s duties at the scene of or in connection with a fire, accident, disaster, riot, or emergency of any kind.
   (b)   Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit access or deny information to any news media representative in the lawful exercise of the news media representative’s duties.
   (c)   Whoever violates this section is guilty of misconduct at an emergency. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, misconduct at an emergency is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. If a violation of this section creates a risk of physical harm to persons or property, misconduct at an emergency is a misdemeanor of the first degree.
   (d)   As used in this section:
      (1)   “Emergency medical services person” is the singular of “emergency medical services personnel” as defined in Ohio R.C. 2133.21.
      (2)   “Emergency facility person” is the singular of “emergency facility personnel” as defined in Ohio R.C. 2909.04.
      (3)   “Emergency facility” has the same meaning as in Ohio R.C. 2909.04.
         (ORC 2917.13)
509.06 INDUCING PANIC.
   (a)    No person shall cause the evacuation of any public place, or otherwise cause serious public inconvenience or alarm, by doing any of the following:
      (1)   Initiating or circulating a report or warning of an alleged or impending fire, explosion, crime or other catastrophe, knowing that such report or warning is false;
      (2)   Threatening to commit any offense of violence;
      (3)   Committing any offense, with reckless disregard of the likelihood that its commission will cause serious public inconvenience or alarm.
   (b)    Division (a) hereof does not apply to any person conducting an authorized fire or emergency drill.
   (c)   Whoever violates this section is guilty of inducing panic, a misdemeanor of the first degree. If inducing panic results in physical harm to any person, economic harm of one thousand dollars ($1,000) or more, if the public place involved in a violation of this section is a school or an institution of higher education, or if the violation pertains to a purported, threatened or actual use of a weapon of mass destruction, inducing panic is a felony and shall be prosecuted under appropriate State law.
   (d)   Any act that is a violation of this section and any other section of the Codified Ordinances may be prosecuted under this section, the other section, or both sections.
   (e)   As used in this section:
      (1)   “Biological agent” has the same meaning as in Ohio R.C. 2917.33.
      (2)   “Economic harm” means any of the following:
         A.   All direct, incidental, and consequential pecuniary harm suffered by a victim as a result of criminal conduct. “Economic harm” as described in this division includes, but is not limited to, all of the following:
            1.   All wages, salaries, or other compensation lost as a result of the criminal conduct;
            2.   The cost of all wages, salaries, or other compensation paid to employees for time those employees are prevented from working as a result of the criminal conduct;
            3.   The overhead costs incurred for the time that a business is shut down as a result of the criminal conduct;
            4.   The loss of value to tangible or intangible property that was damaged as a result of the criminal conduct.
         B.   All costs incurred by the Municipality as a result of, or in making any response to, the criminal conduct that constituted the violation of this section or Section 509.07, including, but not limited to, all costs so incurred by any law enforcement officers, firefighters, rescue personnel, or emergency medical services personnel of the state or the political subdivision.
      (3)   “Emergency medical services personnel” has the same meaning as in Ohio R.C. 2133.21.
      (4)   “Institution of higher education” means any of the following:
         A.   A state university or college as defined in Ohio R.C. 3345.12(A)(1), community college, state community college, university branch, or technical college;
         B.   A private, nonprofit college, university or other post-secondary institution located in this State that possesses a certificate of authorization issued by the Chancellor of Higher Education pursuant to Ohio R.C. Chapter 1713.
         C.   A post-secondary institution with a certificate of registration issued by the State Board of Career Colleges and Schools under Ohio R.C. Chapter 3332. (ORC 2917.31)
      (5)   “School” means any school operated by a board of education or any school for which the Director of Education and Workforce prescribes minimum standards under Ohio R.C. 3301.07, whether or not any instruction, extracurricular activities, or training provided by the school is being conducted at the time a violation of this section is committed.
      (6)   “Weapon of mass destruction” means any of the following:
         A.   Any weapon that is designed or intended to cause death or serious physical harm through the release, dissemination, or impact of toxic or poisonous chemicals, or their precursors;
         B.   Any weapon involving a disease organism or biological agent;
         C.   Any weapon that is designed to release radiation or radioactivity at a level dangerous to human life;
         D.   Any of the following, except to the extent that the item or device in question is expressly excepted from the definition of “destructive device” pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(4) and regulations issued under that section:
            1.   Any explosive, incendiary, or poison gas bomb, grenade, rocket having a propellant charge of more than four ounces, missile having an explosive or incendiary charge of more than one-quarter ounce, mine, or similar device;
            2.   Any combination of parts either designed or intended for use in converting any item or device into any item or device described in division (e)(3)D.1. of this section and from which an item or device described in that division may be readily assembled.
509.07 MAKING FALSE ALARMS.
   (a)   No person shall do any of the following:
      (1)   Initiate or circulate a report or warning of an alleged or impending fire, explosion, crime or other catastrophe, knowing that the report or warning is false and likely to cause public inconvenience or alarm;
      (2)   Knowingly cause a false alarm of fire or other emergency to be transmitted to or within any organization, public or private, for dealing with emergencies involving a risk of physical harm to persons or property;
      (3)   Report to any law enforcement agency an alleged offense or other incident within its concern, knowing that such offense did not occur.
      (4)    Initiate or circulate a report or warning of an alleged or impending fire, explosion, crime, or other catastrophe, knowing that the report or warning is false and likely to impede the operation of a critical infrastructure facility.
   (b)   This section does not apply to any person conducting an authorized fire or emergency drill.
   (c)   Whoever violates this section is guilty of making false alarms, a misdemeanor of the first degree. If a violation of this section results in economic harm of one thousand dollars ($1,000) or more, or if a violation of this section pertains to a purported, threatened, or actual use of a weapon of mass destruction, making false alarms is a felony and shall be prosecuted under appropriate State law.
   (d)   Any act that is a violation of this section and any other section of the Codified Ordinances may be prosecuted under this section, the other section, or both sections.
   (e)    As used in this section:
      (1)   “Critical infrastructure facility” has the same meaning as in Ohio R.C. 2911.21.
      (2)   “Economic harm”and “weapon of mass destruction” have the same meaning as in Section 509.06. (ORC 2917.32)
509.08 DISORDERLY CONDUCT BY INTOXICATION.
   (a)   No person, while voluntarily intoxicated shall do either of the following:
      (1)   In a public place or in the presence of two or more persons, engage in conduct likely to be offensive or to cause inconvenience, annoyance or alarm to persons of ordinary sensibilities, which conduct the offender, if he were not intoxicated, should know is likely to have such effect on others;
      (2)   Engage in conduct or create a condition which presents a risk of physical harm to himself or another, or to the property of another.
   (b)   Violation of any statute or ordinance or which an element is operating a motor vehicle, locomotive, watercraft, aircraft or other vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or any drug of abuse, is not a violation of subsection (a) hereof.
   (c)   When to an ordinary observer a person appears to be intoxicated, it is probable cause to believe such person is voluntarily intoxicated for purposes of subsection (a) hereof.
   (d)   Whoever violates this section is guilty of disorderly conduct by intoxication, a minor misdemeanor. If the offender persists in disorderly conduct after reasonable warning or request to desist, disorderly conduct is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. (ORC 2917.11)
509.09 DISTURBING THE PEACE.
   (a)   No person shall make or cause to be made by the use of any horn, bell, radio, television, loud speaker, or by the operation of any instrument or device, any unreasonably loud, disturbing, and unnecessary noises of such a character, intensity and duration as to disturb the peace and quiet of the citizens of the City or to be detrimental to the life and health of any individual, and no person shall willfully conduct himself in a noisy, boisterous or other disorderly manner by either words or acts which disturb the good order and quiet of the City.
   (b)   No person shall disturb the good order and quiet of the Municipality by clamors or noises in the night season, by intoxication, drunkenness, fighting, quarreling, wrangling, committing assault, assault and battery, using obscene or profane language in the streets and other public places to the annoyance of the citizens, or otherwise violating the public peace by indecent and disorderly conduct, or by lewd and lascivious behavior, or by threatening or inflicting violence or abuse to the person or property of others.
   (c)   Whoever violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.
509.10 GOLF IN PARKS AND CEMETERIES PROHIBITED.
   (a)   No person shall engage or participate in the playing of golf or striking of golf balls anywhere in the vicinity or on and in the City parks, playgrounds and other public pleasure grounds under the supervision of the Board of Park Commissioners.
(Ord. 4405. Passed 5-4-36.)
   (b)   No person shall engage or participate in the playing of golf or striking of golf balls anywhere in the vicinity of or in any public cemetery under the supervision of the Director of Public Service and Safety. (Ord. 167-67. Passed 10-16-67.)
   (c)   Whoever violates this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor.
509.11 HOURS OF PUBLIC PARKS AND BEACHES.
   (a)   All public parks and public beaches in the City shall be closed to the general public between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. of the succeeding day and no person shall be in, remain upon or loiter about any public park or public beach during such hours. The Director of Public Service and Public Safety may establish, on a case by case basis, an earlier closing time of any public park if it is determined that excessive loitering or disturbing of the peace is persistent in that park.
(Ord. 154-05. Passed 9-6-03.)
   (b)   The Municipal Pier shall be closed to the general public except for licensed fisherman between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. of the succeeding day and no person other than licensed fisherman shall be on, remain upon or be about said Municipal Pier during such hours.
   (c)   Whoever violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.
(Ord. 96-83. Passed 6-6-83.)
509.12 MINOR’S CURFEW.
   (a)   No minor, seventeen years of age or under, shall be or remain upon any public street, sidewalk, alley or public grounds, or be loitering about depots, public buildings or other public places in the City between the hours of 11:00 p.m. of the evening of any week day and before the hour of 6:00 a.m. on the morning of the succeeding day, from Sunday to Thursday, inclusive, and between the hours of 12:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. on Saturday or Sunday, unless accompanied by a person of mature years, who must be the parent, guardian or person having legal custody and control of such child, or some adult person duly authorized by the parent or guardian to have control of such child.
   (b)   The parent, guardian or person having the legal custody and control of any child violating any of the provisions hereof, shall be deemed guilty of a minor misdemeanor.
(Ord. 266-74. Passed 10-21-74.)
   (c)   The parent, guardian or person having the legal custody and control of any child who shall be found in violation of this section, upon a second violation, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. (Ord. 59-95. Passed 6-5-95.)
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