A. Vacant and abandoned buildings shall be boarded pursuant to the following guidelines, which are modeled after, in part, guidelines of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development:
1. Board Requirements.
a. All first floor windows and doors and all basement windows and doors should have plywood covering the entire opening and frame.
b. The covering should be secured with carriage bolts.
c. Any health and safety hazard caused by any protruding bolts used to secure boarding must be eliminated.
d. The use of nails is prohibited.
e. There shall be no boarding above the first floor unless entry is possible without use of a ladder, and the opening is large enough for a person to easily pass through; openings above the first floor that do not meet this test should be secured but not boarded.
f. If security bars are located on windows/doors, boarding is not required.
g. Opening too small for a person to pass through, particularly pet openings in doors, should be secured but not boarded.
h. To ensure that no hazards exist, remove all broken glass from the windows and surrounding interior and exterior areas.
2. Specifications for Plywood Boarding
a. Exterior Plywood should be of un-sanded CDX grade.
b. Plywood thickness should be 1/2" for window openings, 5/8" for door openings and 3/4" for sliding door and French door openings. When extra large window openings are encountered use 5/8" or 3/4" as necessary.
c. All holes should be drilled to accommodate bolts. The holes in the top of the plywood should be 12" down from the top and 20% of the width of the plywood cover, in from the side.
d. The holes in the bottom should be 25% of the height of the plywood, up from the bottom and the same distance in from the side as the top.
e. Carriage bolts mated with nut and two three inch flat washers as shown in the side view. Washers to be of sufficient size to fully accept the square portion of bolt beneath head. Bolt and mating hardware may be galvanized or cadmium plated. 3/8" x 12" bolts should be supplied with each 2'8' door, 3'0" door, and glass sliding door cover. 3/8 x 10" bolts should be supplied with the rest.
f. 2" x 4" lumber should be graded and should be a minimum of 16" longer than the width of the plywood cover. (Note: 2x4s will be drilled with 1/2" diameter holes that line up with the holes in the plywood covers).
g. All windows and doors, except the front door, through which access to the interior of the dwelling is made, should be secured. All window boards will be cut to fit inside the concrete block or brick opening with a maximum 1/8" clearance. THE PLYWOOD COVERING SHOULD BE OF ONE CONTINUOUS PIECE WHEN POSSIBLE.
h. All fabricated parts and ancillary materials become property of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
i. All coverings are to be fabricated according to the attached drawing and specifications.
3. Boarding Windows
a. Except as noted below, all window sashes, frames, glass and hardware are to be undamaged by the boarding installation.
b. All screen inserts are to be removed, marked as to location and stored in a convenient closet or in the utility room.
c. In all cases where it is possible to adjust the position of the sashes to accommodate the specifications for boarding above, the sashes are to remain in the frame.
d. In instances wherein the sashes cannot be adjusted to accommodate the boarding specifications above, the sashes are to be removed from the frames and stored in a convenient closet or in the utility room. This includes all stationary lights secured by stops.
e. In cases wherein the sash cannot be removed and/or the frame is permanently built into the house and cannot be removed (i.e., Fenestra windows) it will be necessary to break the corner panes to accommodate the boarding and bolts. If the location of bolt holes, in the plywood, requires modification because of the muntin bar (a small bar that divides a windows glass), these locations are to be modified. In no case, in any type of window, is any sash or frame part to be damaged.
f. In all instances where items should be removed from the frame and stored, the items should be clearly marked as to the area from which it was removed.
g. All items are to be stored on edge and braced to prevent accidental tipping, sliding, etc. In no instance is any item to be stored laid flat.
h. Hinged windows are to be completely removed from the frame and stored as stated in (g) above. If possible the hinge pins are to be removed and remain with the removed item.
i. Faced nailing of panels to wood frame windows is prohibited.
(Ord. MC-1576, 5-04-22)