(A) Permit required. No building or structure, or major portion of any building or structure, located in the city shall be razed without a permit therefore having been obtained from the Building Commissioner or his or her designee.
(B) Application for permit; fee. Application for the permit shall be made in writing to the Building Commissioner or his or her designee upon a form provided by the Building Commissioner. The applicant shall state on the application, in addition to all other information required, the portion or portions of any street, alley or other public place, if any, that will be required to be closed to public use while the razing work is being done if any closing is required. If any closing is required, no permit shall be issued without the approval of the Building Commissioner or his or her designee and notice of the proposed street closing is given to the City Administrator.
(C) Fee. The applicant shall pay a permit fee determined by the Building Commissioner or his or her designee as being sufficient to pay the costs of necessary and appropriate services provided by city departments to ensure the safe and orderly demolition of buildings, including, but not limited to, the cost of closing a portion of any public street, alley or place to traffic and the posting of a satisfactory bond for public liability and damages to city property.
(D) Requirements of applicant.
(1) Guarding site. The applicant shall take or cause to be taken all steps necessary to properly guard the work and the site of the work, to protect the public from damage of or injury to property or persons.
(2) Disconnection of utilities. The Building Commissioner or his or her designee shall require the applicant to furnish to the Building Commissioner written statements by the persons having authority to make the statements, respectively, that the electric, water, sanitary sewer and gas services to the building or structure have been properly disconnected.
(3) Insurance. The applicant shall have in force and effect insurance coverage in the amount of not less than the sum determined by the Building Commissioner or his or her designee, taking into consideration the size, location and type of construction of the building or structure to be razed; the method that will be used for the razing and moving of materials from the site, to protect the city and the public generally for payment in full for all damages sustained by the city or any person, arising out of injury to property or persons, without any deduction whatever under any provisions contained in the policy of insurance. Proof of the insurance shall be filed with the Building Commissioner or his or her designee before issuance of the permit.
(4) Notice to adjacent property owners. Except where damage to a structure results from fire or storm, upon filing an application for demolition of any principal residential structure on any lot or parcel within the city, the applicant shall notify the owners of the surrounding properties in accordance with this division (D)(4).
(a) The applicant shall give written notice to the owners of record, as determined by the records of the local real estate tax collector, for all lots lying within 250 feet of the subject property, exclusive of public rights-of-way.
1. The written notices shall be properly addressed, delivered personally or sent by first class, postage prepaid, U.S. mail.
2. All required written notices shall include the number assigned to the application; the place, the nature and the purpose of the demolition, the date and time of the scheduled demolition; the common address or location of the subject property; the name and address of the applicant and owner of the subject property; and the office address of the Building Department where full information concerning the application, including a legal description, may be obtained.
3. All required written notices shall be personally served or postmarked not more than 15 days nor less than seven days in advance of a scheduled demolition.
(b) The applicant shall file a sworn affidavit including copies of the notices with the City Clerk, showing the names and addresses of the persons to whom the written notices have been sent. The affidavit shall create a presumption that the notices were properly given.
(c) The applicant shall also request the temporary license or permission from those owners of the properties immediately adjacent to the site where the demolition will take place. The license shall grant authority to enter onto those adjacent properties or structures which may potentially be affected by the proposed demolition, both before the demolition work begins and at reasonable intervals during the work, to inspect and preserve the adjacent lots, buildings or structures from damage.
(Ord. 2008-02-0158O, passed 3-11-2008; Am. Ord. 2011-02-0329O, passed 2-22-2011)