(a) Permit Required. An application for a permit shall be required in accordance with the provisions of the codes and ordinances which the Office of Code Enforcement has the responsibility to administer. Such application shall be submitted in such form as may be prescribed by the Code Enforcement Officer and shall be accompanied by any required fee.
(b) Action on Application. The Code Enforcement Officer shall examine the application to determine compliance with the codes and ordinances of the Municipality and shall, within seven days after filing, either approve or reject such application. If such application is rejected, the Code Enforcement Officer shall inform the applicant in writing, stating the reasons for such rejection.
(c) Permit Issuance. No person shall undertake any building, plumbing, mechanical or electrical work requiring a permit prior to the issuance of a permit therefor by the Code Enforcement Officer or his authorized representative. A permit may be issued only to bonded contractors or the owner/occupant.
(d) Work by Owner/Occupant. A permit required by any of the adopted codes may be issued to any person to do work in a single-family dwelling or two-family dwelling unit used exclusively for living purposes, including an accessory building, if such person is the bona fide owner of such dwelling and if the dwelling is occupied by or designed to be occupied by the owner, provided that such owner or a member of his immediate family personally purchases all material and performs all labor in connection therewith.
(e) Required Fees. Applications for permits required by any of the following codes and ordinances shall pay, at the time of application, to the permit issuing agent, for use by the Municipality, fees according to the following schedule and procedure. All permits granted under any of the above codes shall be good for a period fo six months, provided that extensions may be requested in writing and such extensions may be granted by the Code Enforcement Officer for good reason, except that any permit granted for demolition activities shall be valid for three months only, and if such work is not completed within that time, any bond posted by the applicant shall be forfeited:
(1) BOCA Basic Building Code. The fees required for permits under the BOCA Basic Building Code shall be as follows:
A. New construction. A fee of three dollars ($3.00) per one thousand dollars ($1,000) of total valuation, except that no fee shall be less than fifteen dollars ($15.00) nor more than two thousand dollars ($2,000);
B. Alterations. Remodeling and accessory construction, including roofing, siding, spouting and the like, three dollars ($3.00) per one thousand dollars ($1,000) of valuation with a minimum fee of ten dollars ($10.00) and a maximum fee of two thousand dollars ($2,000);
C. Moving of buildings. A fee of two dollars ($2.00) for each 100 square feet, plus the cost of new foundations and all other necessary work required to affix the structure to the site; and
D. Demolition. A fee of two dollars ($2.00) for each 100 square feet of total area of the building to be demolished, except that no fee shall be less than ten dollars ($10.00) nor more than two hundred dollars ($200.00). In addition, the applicant shall post a bond with the Code Enforcement Officer in a sum equal to not less than twice the assessed valuation of the building to be demolished, which bond shall be for the faithful performance of the demolition in accordance with the applicable codes and ordinances.
(2) National Electrical Code. A fee of two dollars ($2.00) for each one hundred dollars ($100.00) of total valuation of electrical work to be performed shall be paid, except that no fee shall be less than ten dollars ($10.00) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500.00), and payment of all inspection fees and charges, as required by the Middle Department of Fire Underwriters or Keystone Underwriters Inspection Service, shall be made by the contractors.
(3) BOCA Basic Plumbing Code. A fee of two dollars ($2.00) for each one hundred dollars ($100.00) of total valuation of plumbing work to be performed shall be paid, except that no fee shall be less than ten dollars ($10.00) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500.00).
(4) International Fire Code. A fee of five dollars ($5.00) for each permit shall be paid. Permits shall be issued for one year only.
(5) BOCA Basic Mechanical Code. See the fee schedule in Section 1444.03.
(f) Certificates. The following certificates shall be required in accordance with the provisions of the codes and ordinances which the Office of Code Enforcement has the responsibility to administer.
(1) Certificate of Use and Occupancy. In accordance with Section 120.0 of the BOCA Building Code, a Certificate of Use and Occupancy shall be required and no new building or portion of an existing building which is enlarged or altered shall be used or occupied in whole or part until such a Certificate of Use and Occupancy has been issued by the Code Enforcement Officer.
(2) Other Permits, Certificates or Licenses. Any other permit, certificate or license required by the applicable codes or ordinances shall be obtained by the applicant in accordance with the provisions of such codes or ordinances. Application for such permits, certificates or licenses shall be made to the Code Enforcement Officer.
(3) Contractor's Certificate of Bonding. Any person, firm or corporation who or which applies for a contractor's certificate shall deposit with the Code Enforcement Officer a bond with a surety satisfactory to the City and payable to the City in the sum of ten thousand dollars ($10,000). The condition of such bond shall be that all work shall be performed in accordance with the provisions of the adopted codes and that the contractor will pay all fines and penalties properly imposed upon him. Upon failure of the contractor to perform the work in accordance with the provisions of the adopted codes, and to pay such fines and penalties, the contractor and his surety shall become liable to the City in the amount of ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
The above provision for the regulation of builders shall not apply to any person who applied for a permit to do any work regulated by the BOCA Building Code in a single or two-family dwelling used exclusively for living purposes, including the usual accessory buildings and quarters in connection with such dwelling, provided that the same will be occupied by such owner and that such owner personally purchases all materials and performs or supervises all labor in connection therewith.
(Ord. 15-76. Passed 4-28-76; Ord. 24-93. Passed 1-27-94; Ord. 10-00. Passed 6-15-00.)