The following duties and responsibilities are hereby imposed upon any owner or operator of any building covered by the provisions of this chapter.
(a) The exterior of the premises and all structures thereon shall be kept free of all nuisances and any hazards to the safety of occupants, pedestrians and persons utilizing the premises and free of unsanitary conditions and any of the foregoing shall be promptly removed and abated by the owner or operator. The items prohibited hereby shall include, but not be limited to: brush, broken glass, stump roots, obnoxious growths, filth, garbage, rubbish, trash, refuse, debris, dead and dying trees and limbs or other natural growth, loose and overhanging objects and ground surface hazards.
(b) Any structure or accessory structure whose exterior surface is bare, deteriorated, ramshackle, tumble-down, decaying, disintegrating or in poor repair or whose surface is weathered with dirt and grime or has been impaired through peeling or flaking of the paint or other protective coating, shall be repaired, repainted, resurfaced or replaced as follows: all buckled, rotted, or decayed walls, doors, windows, porches, floors, steps, railings, soffits, posts, sills, trim and their missing members shall be replaced and put in good condition; all exterior unfinished surfaces, except masonry, shall be sealed and painted and conform and match the existing paint or surface covering and original design or replacement thereof; all exterior walls and surface shall be properly protected against the weather, where such are defective or lack weather protection, including lack of paint or surface covering or have weathered due to lack of proper protective covering; all exterior surface shall be replaced or repaired in good condition preparatory to repainting or coating; all bare exterior surfaces which are flaking or crumbling shall be replaced or sealed in good and workmanlike manner; all new or repaired bare surfaces shall be painted or coated.
(c) Exterior porches, landings, balconies, stairs and fire escapes shall be provided with bannisters or railings properly designed and maintained to minimize the hazard of falling and the same shall be kept structurally sound, in good repair and free from defects.
(d) The exterior of the premises and the conditions of accessory structures shall be maintained so that the appearance of the premises and all buildings thereon shall reflect a level of maintenance in keeping with standards of the neighborhood.
(e) Premises shall be kept landscaped; lawns, hedges and bushes shall be kept trimmed.
(f) Parking lots shall be kept in a clean, sanitary condition, free from dust, scrap paper and miscellaneous debris. Such containers as are required for debris shall be installed.
(g) Asphalt or concrete parking lots shall be kept in safe condition free from chuck holes, depressions, large cracks and disintegrated or deteriorated areas. If such parking lots are found to be in need of repair, the Building Commissioner shall cause a written certified notice to be sent to the owner of such property requiring resurfacing for all or any part thereof. The notice shall set forth the amount of time for compliance and shall be determined by the Commissioner considering the extent of repair, cost of repair and prevailing weather conditions, but in no event less than thirty days nor more than ninety days.
(h) Parking lots without an asphalt or concrete hard surface shall be kept in safe condition, free from dust, chuck holes, and depressions or large cracks in the surface of the parking areas.
(i) Concrete or asphalt driveway aprons, which are in need of repair or constitute a condition dangerous to the public using the same, shall be repaired or replaced in accordance with the specifications of the Director of Public Service.
(j) All permanent signs exposed to public view permitted by reason of other ordinances or laws shall be maintained in good state of repair. Any signs which have been damaged or neglected shall be repaired with parts or damaged sign facings which identify the place of business or products or services offered on the premises restored to original condition of the entire sign structure. Any signs which have excessively weathered or faded or those upon which the paint has excessively peeled or cracked shall, with their supporting members including poles for support, be removed forthwith or put into a good state of repair by the owner of the sign. Whenever any structure or part thereof becomes vacant, all signs which are visible from the exterior and which no longer apply to a place of business or the products or services offered on the premises, shall be removed within thirty days.
(k) All display windows or store fronts constructed of plate glass shall be kept clean and free of cracks and no storage shall be permitted therein unless shielded from public view.
(l) All store fronts shall be kept in good repair painted where required and shall not constitute a safety hazard or nuisance. In the event repairs to a store front become necessary, such repairs shall be made with the same, similar or compatible materials used in the construction of the store front in such a manner as to permanently repair the damaged area or areas. Any cornice visible above a store front shall be kept painted, where required and in good repair.
(m) Any awning or marquee and its accompanying structural members which extend over any street, sidewalk or other portion of the premises shall be maintained in good repair and shall not constitute a nuisance or a safety hazard. In the event such awning or marquee is not properly maintained in accordance with the foregoing, it shall together with its supporting members, be removed forthwith. In the event such awning or marquee is made of cloth, plastic or of similar materials, such cloth or plastic, where exposed to public view, shall be maintained in good condition and shall not show evidence of excessive weathering, discoloration, ripping, tearing or other holes. Nothing herein shall be construed to authorize any encroachment on streets, sidewalks or other parts of the public domain.
(n) For purposes of preservation and appearance, the exterior of every structure or accessory structure shall be kept in good repair and be kept painted. All surfaces shall be maintained free from broken glass, loose shingles, crumbling stone or brick, excessive peeling paint or any other condition reflective of deterioration or inadequate maintenance.
(o) No owner or operator shall occupy, rent or lease or offer for rental or lease any nonresidential structure or any part thereof which does not comply with the provisions of this Commercial Building Maintenance Code.
(p) The following duties and responsibilities are hereby imposed upon every occupant of any building covered by the provisions of this chapter:
(1) All parts of the premises under the control of the occupant shall be kept in a clean and sanitary condition. There shall be no accumulation of rubbish and garbage in open areas.
(2) Every occupant shall dispose of all his rubbish in a clean and sanitary manner by placing it in approved receptacles.
(3) Every occupant shall dispose of all his garbage, which might provide food for insects and rodents, by placing it in approved nonleakable, nonabsorbent, covered, garbage storage receptacles.
(4) Every occupant shall make the necessary arrangements for the pickup and removal of rubbish and garbage so as not to overload the containers or receptacles.
(5) Every occupant shall be responsible for the elimination of infestation in and on the premises subject to his control.
(Ord. 1983-20. Passed 3-28-83.)