It is hereby declared to be a public nuisance for any person within the limits of the city or within its territorial jurisdiction:
A. Vehicle Repairs: To conduct or carry on, permit, suffer, cause or allow the conduct or carrying on of vehicle repairs, testing or testing operations on any premises after ten o'clock (10:00) P.M. in residential areas so as to cause an unreasonable, offensive or alarming noise to others.
B. Cemeteries: To establish a cemetery within the corporate limits or within one (1) mile of the limits thereof, without first having obtained permission so to do by ordinance of the Council.
C. Renderies and Tanneries: To locate and carry on, without having obtained permission of the Council so to do, any packing house, renderies, tallow chandleries, glue or bone factories, soap factory or tannery.
D. Breweries and Distilleries: To locate in the city, without first having obtained permission of the Council so to do, a brewery or distillery.
E. House of Prostitution: To knowingly conduct or carry on any house of ill fame or assignation where men and women resort for the purpose of prostitution.
F. Slaughterhouses: To slaughter or kill any cattle, hogs or sheep in public view or keep, maintain or use therein any house or place in which the business of slaughtering any of said animals may be carried on in the city without a permit so to do from the Council.
G. Storage of Junk and Building Materials:
1. To deposit, store or place junk, trash, refuse or receptacles or garbage containers other than as provided by section 4-2-4
B, C and D of this Title, and where such storage is not specifically authorized under the provisions of the zoning regulations of the city. Junk, trash, refuse and garbage receptacles are defined herein to include any and all waste matter, whether reusable or not, which is offensive to the public health, safety or to the aesthetics of the neighborhood and is specifically intended to include, but not be limited to, substantial quantities of used paper, wrappings, cigarettes, cardboard, tin cans, yard clippings, wood scraps, broken glass, broken crockery and similar materials, old abandoned iceboxes, refrigerators, stoves, tractors, machinery of any kind, any parts thereof, worn out, wrecked or abandoned automobiles and an inoperative motor vehicle (see also Title 6, Chapter 7 of this Code for inoperative motor vehicles) not currently licensed by the State of Illinois or other state or country, exposed to the view of the general public and not either enclosed in a building or structure or located on the sales lot of a licensed automobile dealer.
2. To deposit or store building materials in such a manner that is offensive to the public health, safety, or aesthetics of the neighborhood.
H. Smoke: To allow or permit any unreasonably dense smoke to come or be emitted from any chimney or engine within the City.
I. Intoxicating Liquors: To sell directly or indirectly, or keep for sale, or to give away in any place in the City intoxicating malt, vinous, mixed or fermented liquors or other like drinks, in any quantity whatever unless the same shall be kept, sold or given away under a permit or license duly granted by the Council.
J. Cottonwood Trees: To plant or permit the growth of cottonwood trees or box elder trees upon any premises to the injury of others.
K. Foul Substances: To cause or suffer the carcass of any animal or any animal or vegetable matters, slop, swill, suds, garbage, filth, stable drippings or offal or noisome substances of any kind to be collected, deposited or to remain in any place in the City to the injury of others.
L. Deposit Of Offensive Matter: To throw or deposit or cause to be thrown or deposited any offal or any offensive matter or the carcass of any animal, in any watercourse, pond, spring or well or on any land.
M. Filth In Public Ways And Places: To deposit any night soil, dead animal or other filthy, offensive or noisome substance upon any lot, street, alley, highway, park or other public place.
N. Polluting Water Supply: To corrupt or render unwholesome or impure the water of any drinking hydrant, spring, stream, pond or lake, to the injury or prejudice of others.
O. Offensive Premises: To keep, or suffer to be kept, in an unclean, unwholesome, foul, offensive or nauseous condition any domestic animal enclosure or pen, cellar, drain, pool, toilet, sewer or sink, upon any premises or any railroad car, building, yard or grounds.
P. Privies: To erect or maintain any outside privy within the city.
Q. Keeping Animals, Fowl Or Domesticated Insects: Except for commonly domesticated animals, certified service animals or certified therapeutic animals, it shall be unlawful to keep or suffer any pigs or swine, sheep, goats, cattle, horses, donkeys, mules, chickens or poultry, ducks, geese, pigeons, turkeys, domesticated insects (honeybees), snakes over six feet (6') in length or other life threatening reptiles similar in nature, or any other agricultural or naturally wild animals in any stable, chicken coop, animal enclosure, pen or hive within the limits of the city, except within the R-4 rural residential district or on a temporary basis within the appropriate commercial district provided such animals are for sale.
R. Cellars, Sewers And Drains: To suffer or permit any cellar, vault, private drain, pool, sewer or sink upon any premises belonging to or occupied by him to become nauseous, foul, offensive or injurious to the public health. A failure to connect with the city sewer system shall also constitute a nuisance.
S. Weeds And Grass:
1. Definitions:
NOXIOUS WEEDS AND PLANTS: | Include, but are not limited to, jimson, burdock, ragweed, thistle, cocklebur, sweet clover or like weeds which are unsightly, annoying or are otherwise injurious to the health of the community. |
UNSIGHTLY GROWTH: | To permit noxious weeds and plants to grow upon any premises in the city. |
2. Height Of Grass, Nonnoxious Weeds And Plants: It shall be unlawful for anyone to permit any weeds, grass or plants, other than trees, bushes, flowers or other ornamental plants to grow to a height exceeding twelve inches (12") anywhere in the city, except as provided in subsections S2a through S2c of this section.
a. Occupied Lots: "Occupied lots" are defined as lots with structures that are occupied, intended to be occupied, or have been occupied, for residential, commercial, or industrial purposes. Occupied lots may have vacant buildings. It shall be unlawful for any property owner to permit weeds, grasses, or plants other than trees, bushes, vegetable gardens, flowers, or other ornamental plants to grow to a height exceeding nine inches (9"). Any such plants exceeding such height other than those permitted shall be declared a nuisance.
b. Improved Sites: "Improved sites" are defined as platted lots served by streets and electrical, water, sewer, and other utility systems, but for which a building permit has not been issued. It shall be unlawful for any property owner to permit weeds, grasses, or plants other than trees, bushes, vegetable gardens, flowers, or other ornamental plants to grow to a height exceeding twelve inches (12"). Any such plants exceeding such height other than those permitted shall be declared a nuisance.
c. Sites Under Construction: "Sites under construction" are lots on which a building permit has been issued for structures intended for residential, commercial, industrial, or other uses. From the date that a building permit is issued until occupancy, or for a consecutive period of no more than one hundred twenty (120) days from the date the building permit is issued, whichever is less, weeds, grasses, or plants may grow unabated. However, if such plants present a noxious condition or pose a threat to public safety by blocking vision at intersections or other such conditions, the city manager may order their trimming to a height of twelve inches (12") or less following a written complaint by any property owner within one hundred fifty feet (150'). Upon the passage of one hundred twenty (120) days, the property owner shall thereafter trim and maintain all weeds, grasses, or plants to a height of twelve inches (12") or less.
T. Rodents And Insects: To permit any building, structure or place to become a breeding place for flies, mosquitoes, rats, mice or other rodents or insects.
U. Barberry Bushes: It shall be a nuisance and unlawful to plant or permit the growth of the bush of the species of tall, common or European barberry, further known as Berberis vulgaris or its horticultural varieties within the city.
V. Garbage:
1. To leave garbage or debris on private property so as to endanger the public health. Notwithstanding any other penalties provided for such conduct elsewhere by ordinance or statute, the ordinance officer may, after personal service of a five (5) day notice to the occupant of said property to remove said garbage and debris, remove it as an agent of the city and the cost as set by the City of Sycamore Consolidated Fee Schedule shall be paid to the city by said owner.
2. In the event of the failure of said owner to pay said cost, a lien shall be filed for said cost, court costs and attorney fees, against the premises.
W. Statutory Nuisances: To cause or maintain any nuisance defined as such by the Illinois Compiled Statutes.
Y. Motorcycles, All-Terrain Vehicles, Motorized Equipment: To operate motorcycles, motorbikes, all-terrain vehicles, or other motorized equipment other than lawn maintenance equipment in yard areas in residential zoning districts.
Z. Trees, Shrubs, Plants, Etc.: All trees, shrubs, vines, cuttings, scions, grafts, plants and plant parts, plant products and places within this city, infested with injurious insect pests or infected with plant diseases which are liable to spread to other plants, plant products or places to the injury thereof, or to the injury of man and animals, and all species and varieties of trees, shrubs, vines and other plants not essential to the welfare of the people of the state which may serve as favorable host plants, and promote the prevalence and abundance of insect pests and plant diseases, or any stage thereof, injurious to other plants essential to the welfare of the people of this state, are hereby declared to be a nuisance. (1988 Code § 18.402; amd. Ord. 92.02, 5-4-92; 1994 Code; Ord. 99.13, 5-17-1999; Ord. 2000.76, 4-2-2001; Ord. 2006.35, 9-5-2006; Ord. 2013.15, 9-3-2013; Ord. 2013.16, 9-3-2013; Ord. 2019.22, 9-16-2019, eff. 1-1-2020; Ord. 2023.04, 5-1-2023)