(a) Refuse.
(1) No furniture, mattresses, household furnishings, rugs, appliances, dilapidated vehicles or vehicle parts, machinery and construction equipment or construction equipment parts shall be placed or stored in any yard area or use within the Village over a period in excess of ten (10) days. Said ten (10) day period begins on the day of written notification from the Utica Police Department or the Office of the Village Administrator and may be extended as a result of extenuating circumstances if approved by the Utica Police Department or the Office of the Village Administrator.
(2) Exterior property areas of all premises or uses shall be kept free of debris, objects, materials, rubbish, garbage, refuse, and infestations, or conditions that create a health, accident, or fire hazard, or are a public nuisance, or constitute a blighting or deteriorating influence on the neighborhood. All debris, objects, materials, or conditions shall be removed within ten (10) days. Said ten (10) day period begins on the day of written notification from the Utica Police Department or the Office of the Village Administrator and may be extended as a result of extenuating circumstances if approved by the Utica Police Department or the Office of the Village Administrator.
(3) The open storage and display of material and equipment incidental to a nonresidential use adjacent to a residential zoning district, Planned Residential District, Planned Unit District, or visible from a public right-of-way shall only be permitted provided the area used for open storage and display shall be effectively screened on adjoining sides and public right-of-ways by means of walls or fences with a one hundred percent (100%) opaqueness and is located behind the building line and not in a required yard. Walls or fences shall be a minimum of six (6) feet in height without advertising thereon and shall not include chain link fences. Walls and fences may be further screened with plantings comprised of evergreen hedges six (6) feet in height.
(b) Grass and Weed Control (Not to Include Ornamental Grass), Surface Condition.
(1) Removal of noxious and excessively high grass and weeds constituting a public nuisance.
A. It is hereby deemed that weeds or grass growing at a height of six inches or higher upon any property within the Village are a public nuisance, except that this section shall not apply to parcels of three or more acres if devoted to agricultural uses and located in a zoning district that allows such use. (Reference Former Utica Codified Ordinance 557.01) All lots shall be provided with grass or other appropriate ground cover, as approved or landscaping material so as to assure absorption of rainfall and prevent erosion and rapid runoff of surface water. The Village Administrator shall cause an annual notice to be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the Municipality notifying the residents of the requirement of this subsection. This publication shall constitute a first notice.
B. When the Utica Police Department or the Office of the Village Administrator determines that such violation of subsection (b) (1)(A) exists, there shall be served a written final notice upon the owner or occupant, or any other person, firm or corporation, having care of such lot or land, ordering the cutting and removal of such weeds and noxious grasses. Said final notice shall be served pursuant to Codified Ordinance Section 1325.16
(b).
C. Only one final notice per calendar year under subsections (b) (1)A. or B. hereof will be required for a lot or parcel. If, after a notice has been served in a period of time not more than 10 days, the Utica Police Department or the Office of the Village Administrator can have lots or parcels cut and removed at the owner's expense and the cost, together with an administrative fee of twenty percent (20%) shall be assessed against the lot or land. Such administrative fee shall not exceed two hundred dollars ($200.00).
(c) Accessory Structures.
(1) All accessory structures or uses located in the yard areas within the Village, such as sheds, barns, garages, bins, and the like, shall be maintained in good repair, structurally sound and in conformance with other provisions of this Code having regard to foundations, roofs, and exterior surfaces.
(2) Any broken, rusted, deteriorated, or decayed fence, yard enclosure, or other device or structure located in the yard area contiguous to any structure or use within the Village shall be returned to and maintained in the condition as intended. This includes but is not limited to leaning or damaged fences, fences missing slats, missing sections, broken supports or blocks or any other materials that are otherwise broken or damaged in such a way as to present a deteriorated or blighted appearance. All materials shall be uniform, compatible, and consistent with the design thereof.
(d) Ground Surface Hazards. Holes, cracks, excavations, breaks, projections, and obstructions at any place on the premises which are a hazard to persons using the premises shall not be permitted.
(e) Motor Vehicles.
(1) A nuisance is hereby declared to exist when a person, firm, or corporation keeps, stores, places, or allows to remain, unlicensed motor vehicles, motor vehicles in an inoperable condition, motor vehicles unfit for further use, junk motor vehicles, automobile or motor vehicle parts on any parcel of land, street, or alley, within the corporate limits of the Village of Utica.
(2) Per Ohio R.C. 505.173, junk motor vehicle is defined as a motor vehicle that meets all of the following criteria:
A. Three model years old, or older;
B. Apparently inoperable;
C. Extensively damaged, including, but not limited to, any of the following: missing wheels, tires, engine, or transmission.
(Ord. 16-022. Passed 8-15-16.)