1. Any person, partnership or corporation who or which has violated or permitted the violation of the provisions of Springfield Township’s Zoning Ordinance, upon being found liable therefor in a civil enforcement proceeding commenced by the Township, pay a judgment of not more than $500 plus all court costs, including reasonable attorney fees incurred by the Township as a result thereof. No judgment shall commence or be imposed, levied or payable until the date of the determination of a violation by the magisterial district judge. If the defendant neither pays nor timely appeals the judgment, the municipality may enforce the judgment pursuant to the applicable rules of civil procedure. Each day that a violation continues shall constitute a separate violation, unless the magisterial district judge determining that there has been a violation further determines that there was a good faith basis for the person, partnership or corporation violating the ordinance to have believed that there was no such violation, in which event there shall be deemed to have been only one such violation until the fifth day following the date of the determination of a violation by the magisterial district judge and thereafter each day that a violation continues shall constitute a separate violation. All judgments, costs and reasonable attorney fees collected for the violation of zoning ordinances shall be paid over to Springfield Township.
2. Such judgment shall be entered after suit before the magisterial judge.
3. Enforcement proceedings against violations of this Ordinance shall be commenced by sending an enforcement notice as provided in this Section.
A. The enforcement notice shall be sent to the owner of record of the parcel on which the violation has occurred, to any person who has filed a written request to receive enforcement notices regarding that parcel, and to any other person requested in writing by the owner of record.
B. The enforcement notice shall state at least the following:
(1) The name of the owner of record and any other person against whom the Township intends to take action.
(2) The location of the property in violation.
(3) The specific violation with a description of the requirements which have not been met, citing in each instance the applicable provisions of the ordinance.
(4) The date before which the steps for compliance must be commenced and the date before which the steps must be completed.
(5) That the recipient of the notice has the right to appeal to the zoning hearing board within a prescribed period of time in accordance with procedures set forth in the ordinance, and possible sanctions clearly described.
(6) That failure to comply with the notice within the time specified, unless extended by appeal to the Zoning Hearing Board, constitutes a violation.
(Ord. passed 10-2-2007, § 1306)