A. No person, firm or corporation shall make or set up or cause to be made or set up or reset on Penn Street, any porch, areaway or step, which shall extend beyond the building line as fixed by the topographical survey of the City of Reading.
B. No person, firm or corporation shall make and set up or cause to be made or set up or reset areaways extending beyond the building line of Walnut Street, Washington Street, Penn Street, Franklin Street and Chestnut Street from Front Street to Eleventh Street and on Front, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh Streets from Chestnut Street to Walnut Street in the City as fixed by the topographical survey of the City of Reading.
C. It shall be unlawful to erect, reset, repair, use and maintain cellar doors extending beyond the building line of Walnut Street, Washington Street, Penn Street, Franklin Street and Chestnut Street from Front Street to Eleventh Street, and on Front, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh Streets from Chestnut Street to Walnut Street in the City of Reading, until a permit for such cellar door has first been obtained from the Department of Public Works subject to the following limitations, restrictions and conditions, which shall be prescribed by the Director of Public Works:
(1) No permit will be issued for the setting, resetting or repairing of any cellar door on the above-listed streets until there has been executed a vault or areaway agreement covering the vault or passageway under the sidewalk leading to such cellar door.
(2) No permit will be issued for the setting, resetting or repair of any cellar door on the above listed streets until the property owner files with the City Clerk a public liability bond of $10,000 to $20,000 limit, naming the City as a party assured. Such bond shall be kept in force as long as the cellar door remains in existence.
(3) Plans of proposed construction shall be submitted by the property owner, showing location and type of construction of vaults and cellar doors, which shall be approved by the Director of the Department of Public Works prior to the issuance of any permit for such work.
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(4) Not more than one cellar door for each property shall be permitted on sidewalks of the above listed streets.
(5) All cellar doors shall be of steel, no larger than four feet by five feet, flush with sidewalk grade and have no projections or depressions beyond the uniform grade of sidewalk, except those necessary to produce a nonskid surface. They shall be arranged so they can be opened and closed only from the outside or sidewalk area, and shall be provided with approved guards to protect pedestrians during the entire period the doors are not firmly closed.
(6) The nearest edge of new cellar door construction shall be at least three feet from the center line of any fire hydrant and at least three feet from the building line of any intersecting street.
(7) Cellar doors and vault covers shall be designed for a concentrated live load of 800 pounds or for a uniform distributed live load of 250 pounds per square foot over the entire area, whichever produces the greatest stress. Top slabs shall be of a minimum thickness of six inches of reinforced concrete, even though a more shallow depth will resist the design stresses.
(8) Repairs to existing cellarways or sidewalks of the above listed streets may be made by installing new steel cellar door frames and doors at present locations.
(9) The use of cellar doors at all times shall be subject to regulations by the Department of Police.
19. Editor's Note: Amended during codification (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Part 2).