(A) Compliance. No structure, land or water shall hereafter be used and no structure or part thereof shall hereafter be located, erected, moved, reconstructed, extended, enlarged, converted or structurally altered without a zoning permit and or, a certificate of occupancy and without full compliance with the provisions of this Code and all other applicable local, county and state regulations.
(B) Duty of Zoning Administrator. The Zoning Administrator shall enforce the provisions of this Code and shall have the following powers and duties in connection therewith:
(1) To issue all permits and certificates required by this Code;
(2) To cause any building, structure, land, place or premises to be inspected and examined and to order in writing the remedying of any condition found to exist therein in violation of any provision of this Code;
(3) To act as Secretary of the Board of Adjustment and to carry out and enforce any decisions or determinations of such Board; and
(4) It is the intent of this Code that all questions of interpretation and enforcement shall be first presented to the administrative official, and that such questions shall be presented to the Board of Adjustment only on appeal from the decision of the administrative official, and that recourse from the decisions of the Board of Adjustment shall be in the courts as provided by law and particularly by statute.
(C) Violations. It shall be unlawful to construct any structure or buildings or to use any structure, building, land or water in violation of any of the provisions of this Code. In case of any violation, the City Council, the Zoning Administrator, the Board of Adjustment, the City Planning and Zoning Commission or any property owner who would specifically be damaged by such violation may institute appropriate action or proceedings to enjoin a violation of this Code.
(D) Penalties. Any violation of any of the terms or conditions of this Code, or any failure to comply with any of its requirements, shall constitute a civil infraction or misdemeanor and the person responsible therefor shall be subject to fines or imprisonment in accordance with the provisions of the Code of Iowa. Each day a violation exists may be considered to be a new and separate infraction or misdemeanor.
(E) Zoning permit.
(1) No structure shall hereafter be erected, reconstructed, structurally altered, enlarged, added to or removed, nor shall an excavation for any such structure be commenced until and unless a zoning permit therefore shall have been issued by the Zoning Administrator, except that no permit is required for an accessory structure less than $100 in value provided that all other provisions of this Code are complied with.
(2) An application for a zoning permit shall be filed with the Zoning Administrator and shall be accompanied by a drawing or plat, in duplicate drawn to scale and showing: the lot and the proposed building and their dimensions; the exact location of the proposed building on the lot and the use for which such building and any existing building is designed or intended; location, dimension and present use of any existing building on the same lot; and such other information as the Zoning Administrator shall require for the proper enforcement of this Code.
(3) All zoning permits issued under this Code shall expire and be null and void 12 months after the date of issuance, unless work shall have been commenced prior to such date and to have diligently progressed towards completion.
(F) Certificate of zoning compliance.
(1) No land shall be occupied or used, and no building hereafter erected or structurally altered, shall be occupied or used in whole or in part for any purpose whatsoever, until a certificate is issued by the Zoning Administrator, stating that the building and use comply with the provisions of this Code. No change of use shall be made in any building or part thereof, now or hereafter erected or structurally altered, without a permit being issued therefore by the Zoning Administrator. No permit shall be issued to make a change unless the change is in conformity with the provisions of this Code.
(2) Certificates of occupancy and compliance shall be applied for coincidentally with the application for a zoning permit, and shall be issued within 30 days after the lawful erection or alteration of the building is completed. A record of all certificates shall be kept on file in the office of the Zoning Administrator, and copies shall be furnished on request to any person having a proprietary or tenancy interest in the building affected.
(3) No permits for excavation for, or the erection or alteration of any building shall be issued before the application has been made for certificate of zoning compliance and no building or premises shall be occupied until said certificate and permit have been approved and issued.
(G) Temporary certificate. A temporary certificate of zoning compliance may be issued by the administrative official for a period not exceeding six months during alterations or partial occupancy of a building pending its completion, provided that such temporary certificate may require such conditions and safeguards as will protect the safety of the occupants and the public.