(A) Generally. Whenever any officer or employee of the town is authorized to enter any building or premises for the purpose of making an inspection to enforce any ordinance, he or she may enter such building or premises at all reasonable times to inspect the same; provided, that he or she shall effect entry in the manner provided in division (B) below, except in emergency situations, or when consent of the person having charge or control of such building or premises has been otherwise obtained.
(B) Procedure.
(1) If the building or premises to be inspected is occupied, the authorized officer or employee shall first present proper credentials and demand entry; and if such building or premises is unoccupied, he or she shall first make a reasonable effort to locate the owner or other person having charge or control of the building or premises and demand entry.
(2) If consent to such entry is not given, the authorized officer or employee shall have recourse to every remedy provided by law to secure entry.
(C) Refusal or failure to consent. This section shall be controlling over any other ordinance or part of an ordinance on the same subject, whether heretofore or hereafter adopted, unless such ordinance or part of an ordinance provides differently by an express reference to this section. Notwithstanding any other ordinance of the town, whether heretofore or hereafter adopted, it shall not be a violation of this section to refuse or fail to consent to an entry for inspection.
(Prior Code, § 1-4-4)