Subd. 1. Scope. Unless otherwise expressly stated, the following terms shall, for the purposes of this code, have the meanings shown in this chapter.
Subd. 2. Interchangeability. Words stated in the present tense include the future; words stated in the masculine gender include the feminine and neuter; the singular number includes the plural and the plural, the singular.
Subd. 3. Terms defined in other codes. Where terms are not defined in this code and are defined in the City of Redwood Falls City Ordinance, Minnesota State Building Code, or Minnesota State Fire Code, such terms shall have the meanings ascribed to them as stated in those codes.
Subd. 4. Terms not defined. Where terms are not defined through the methods authorized by this section, such terms shall have ordinarily accepted meanings such as the context implies.
Subd. 5. Parts. Whenever the words "dwelling unit," "dwelling," "premises," "building," "rooming house," "rooming unit," or "story" are stated in this code, they shall be construed as though they were followed by the words "or any part thereof.”
Subd. 6. The term “accessory vehicle” means every device in, upon or by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn upon a highway, including, but not limited to, all-terrain vehicles, motorcycles, trailers, snowmobiles, watercraft and camper-semitrailers, as those terms are defined in M.S. § 169.011, as amended from time to time.
Subd. 7. The term “anchored” means secured in a manner that provides positive connection.
Subd. 8. The term “approved” means approved by the code officer.
Subd. 9. The term “basement” means that portion of a building, which is partly or completely below grade.
Subd. 10. The term “bathroom” means a room containing plumbing fixtures including a bathtub or shower.
Subd. 11. The term “bedroom” means any room or space used or intended to be used for sleeping purposes in either a dwelling or sleeping unit.
Subd. 12. The term “code officer” means the City of Redwood Falls code officer or officers appointed by the City Administrator; authority of the jurisdiction. Said appointee is charged with the administration and enforcement of this code, or any duly authorized representative. The code officer may be any peace officer or other designated city official.
Subd. 13. The term “commercial premises” means any premises where a commercial, industrial, or governmental enterprise of any kind is carried on where food is prepared or served from a central kitchen, including restaurants, clubs, churches, schools, and health care facilities; or any premises where a commercial, industrial, or governmental enterprise of any kind is carried on where food is not prepared or served.
Subd. 14. The term “condemn” means to adjudge unfit for occupancy.
Subd. 15. The term “detached” means when a structural element is physically disconnected from another and that connection is necessary to provide a positive connection.
Subd. 16. The term “deterioration” means to weaken, disintegrate, corrode, rust or decay and lose effectiveness.
Subd. 17. The term “dwelling unit” means a single unit providing complete, independent living facilities for one or more persons, including permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking and sanitation.
Subd. 18. The term “easement” means that portion of land or property reserved for present or future use by a person or agency other than the legal fee owner(s) of the property. The easement shall be permitted to be for use under, on, or above a said lot or lots.
Subd. 19. The term “equipment support” means those structural members or assemblies of members or manufactured elements, including braces, frames, lugs, snuggers, hangers or saddles, that transmit gravity load, lateral load and operating load between the equipment and the structure.
Subd. 20. The term “exterior property” means the open space on the premises and on adjoining property under the control of owners or operators of such premises.
Subd. 21. The term “front yard area” means all that area between the front property line and a line drawn along the front face or faces of the principal structure on the property and extended to the side property lines. The front side of the property will be determined as specified in the Unified Development Ordinance.
Subd. 22. The term “garbage” means all organic material, including animal or vegetable waste resulting from the handling, preparation, cooking and consumption of food, and spoiled, decayed, or waste food from any source.
Subd. 23. The term “guard” means a building component or a system of building components located at or near the open sides of elevated walking surfaces that minimizes the possibility of a fall from the walking surface to a lower level.
Subd. 24. The term “habitable space” means space in a structure for living, sleeping, eating or cooking. Bathrooms, toilet rooms, closets, halls, storage or utility spaces, and similar areas are not considered habitable spaces.
Subd. 25. The term “imminent danger” means a condition, which could cause serious or life-threatening injury or death at any time.
Subd. 26. The term “impervious surface” means a hard surface area which either prevents or retards the entry of water into the soil mantle as under natural conditions prior to development, and/or a hard surface area which causes water to run off the surface in greater quantities or at an increased rate of flow from the flow present under natural conditions prior to development. Surfaces consisting of patio blocks, paver bricks or Class 5 gravel material, pervious and porous concrete products, or made of packed or oiled earthen materials or other surfaces which cause a majority of surface and storm water to run-off the surface rather than being absorbed into the natural soils underneath, are considered impervious surfaces. Any flexible covering or surface, regardless of its ability to impede the natural infiltration of surface and storm water, shall not constitute an impervious surface unless the flexible covering or surface is a component of a stabilized permanent surface.
Subd. 27. The term “infestation” means the presence, within or contiguous to, a structure or premises of insects, rats, vermin or other pests.
Subd. 28. The term “junk” means all unregistered, unlicensed or inoperable (including, but not limited to, the lack of component parts) motor vehicles, motorized vehicles or equipment, bicycles, boats, outboard motors or trailers, or parts or components thereof; inoperable (including, but not limited to, the lack of component parts) agricultural implements or parts or components thereof, machines and mechanical equipment of all kinds or parts or components thereof and by-products or waste from manufacturing operations of all kinds; used lumber or waste resulting from building construction, renovation, remodeling or demolition; or felled trees and tree branches that are not immediately processed into lumber, wood for fuel, fence components or other such ultimate use.
Subd. 29. The term “junk vehicle” means a motor vehicle which cannot be driven upon public streets for at least three of the following reasons: (1) is extensively damaged, the damage including, but not limited to, any of the following; a broken window or windshield or missing wheels, tires, motor or transmission; (2) is apparently inoperable; (3) has a fair market value equal only to the value of the scrap in it; or (4) does not have current registration.
Subd. 30. The term “labeled” means equipment, materials, or products to which have been affixed a label, seal, symbol, or other identifying mark of a nationally-recognized testing laboratory, inspection agency or other organization concerned with product evaluation that maintains periodic inspection of the production of the above labeled items and whose labeling indicates either that the equipment, material or product meets identified standards or has been tested and found suitable for a specified purpose.
Subd. 31. The terms “let for occupancy” or “let” mean to permit, provide or offer possession or occupancy of a dwelling, dwelling unit, rooming unit, building, premise or structure by a person who is or is not the legal owner of record thereof, pursuant to a written or unwritten lease, agreement or license, or pursuant to a recorded or unrecorded agreement of contract for the sale of land.
Subd. 32. The term “neglect” means the lack of proper maintenance for a building or structure.
Subd. 33. The term “occupancy” means the purpose for which a building or portion thereof is utilized or occupied.
Subd. 34. The term “occupant” means any individual living or sleeping in a building, or having possession of a space within a building.
Subd. 35. The term “outside” means to be outside of an enclosed storage facility and visible from any other property.
Subd. 36. The term “owner” means any person, agent, operator, firm, or corporation having a legal or equitable interest in the property; or recorded in the official records of the state, county, or municipality as holding title to the property; or otherwise having control of the property, including the guardian of the estate of any such person, and the executor or administrator of the estate of such person if ordered to take possession of real property by a court.
Subd. 37. The term “person” means any individual or natural person, firm, co-partnership, association, corporation, or any other group acting as a unit.
Subd. 38. The term “pest elimination” means the control and elimination of insects, rodents, or other pests by eliminating their harborage places; by removing or making inaccessible materials that serves as their food or water; by other approved pest elimination methods.
Subd. 39. The term “premises” means a lot, plot or parcel of land, easement or public way, including any structures thereon.
Subd. 40. The term “public way” means any street alley or similar parcel of land essentially unobstructed from the ground to the sky, which is deeded, dedicated or otherwise permanently appropriated to the public for public use.
Subd. 41. The term “rear yard area” means all that area between the rear property line and a line drawn along the rear face or faces of the principal structure on the property and extended to the side property lines.
Subd. 42. The term “refuse” includes the definitions of rubbish and garbage.
Subd. 43. The term “repeat violator” means a person, firm, corporation, association or agent thereof who has received an abatement or correction order involving the same property within the previous 365-day period to the current violation.
Subd. 44. The term “residential premises” means any building consisting of any number of dwelling units, each with individual kitchen facilities, and, in the case of multiple dwelling units in the building, each unit shall be considered "residential premises."
Subd. 45. The term “residentially zoned lot” means a parcel of land, whether platted or not, that is zoned either R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-R, R-M, R-B or PUD under this Code as amended from time to time.
Subd. 46. The term “rooming house” means a building arranged or occupied for lodging, with or without meals, for compensation and not occupied as a one or two family dwelling.
Subd. 47. The term “rooming unit” means any room or group of rooms forming a single habitable unit occupied or intended to be occupied for sleeping or living, but not for cooking purposes.
Subd. 48. The term “rubbish” means combustible, noncombustible, and inorganic waste materials, except garbage; the term shall include the residue from the burning of wood, coal, coke and other combustible materials, paper or paper products, rags, cartons, boxes, wood, excelsior, rubber, leather, tree branches, yard trimmings and weeds, tin cans, bottles, metals, mineral matter, glass, crockery and dust and other similar materials. The term shall also include furniture, household furnishings, appliances, parts, or components thereof, and human or household waste of all kinds not included in any other portion of this definition or the definition of garbage.
Subd. 49. The term “setback lines” means those lines as defined in building codes, deed restrictions, and zoning regulations that delineate how close to the edges of the property a structure may be built.
Subd. 50. The term “sleeping unit” means a room or space in which people sleep, which can also include permanent provisions for living, eating, and either sanitation or kitchen facilities, but not both. Such rooms and spaces that are also part of a dwelling unit are not sleeping units.
Subd. 51. The term “strict liability offense” means an offense in which the prosecution in a legal proceeding is not required to prove criminal intent as a part of its case. It is enough to prove that the defendant either did an act, which was prohibited, or failed to do an act, which the defendant was legally required to do.
Subd. 52. The term “structure” means that which is built or constructed or a portion thereof.
Subd. 53. The term “tenant” means a person, corporation, partnership or group, whether or not the legal owner of record, occupying a building or portion thereof as a unit.
Subd. 54. The term “toilet room” means a room containing a water closet or urinal but not a bathtub or shower.
Subd. 55. The term “ultimate deformation” means the deformation at which failure occurs and which shall be deemed to occur if the sustainable load reduces to 80 percent or less of the maximum strength.
Subd. 56. The term “vehicle” means a motor vehicle or trailer as defined in M.S. § 169.011, as amended from time to time, including pioneer, classic collector and street rod vehicles, snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles as defined in M.S. § 84.92(8), as amended from time to time, but excluding home maintenance equipment (such as riding lawn mowers or snow blowers), electric personal assistive mobility devices or a vehicle moved solely by human power.
Subd. 57. The term “ventilation” means the natural or mechanical process of supplying conditioned or unconditioned air to, or removing such air from, any space.
Subd. 58. The term “workmanlike” means a standard by which a contractor in the industry of ordinary skill, competency, and standing in a particular trade or business would perform work.
Subd. 59. The term “yard” means an open space on the same lot with a structure.
(Ord. 69, Fourth Series, passed 4-6-2021)