Pennsylvania Act 1937-87 — MUNICIPALITIES, REGULATION OF BUILDINGS

Act text

MUNICIPALITIES, REGULATION OF BUILDINGS
                  Act of Apr. 14, 1937, P.L. 313, No. 87              Cl. 53
                                  AN ACT

     To enable cities of the first, second, and second class A,
        incorporated towns, boroughs, and townships, to govern and
        regulate by ordinance the construction, alteration, repairs,
        occupation, maintenance, sanitation, lighting, ventilation,
        water supply, toilet facilities, drainage, use and inspection
        of all buildings and housing and land appurtenant thereto;
        providing for the enforcement of such ordinances; and
        repealing existing laws. (Title amended July 30, 1963,
        P.L.356, No.189)

        Section 1.  Be it enacted, &c., That, in addition to other
     remedies provided by law, and in order to promote the public
     health, safety, morals, and the general welfare, all cities of
     the first, second, and second class A, incorporated towns,
     boroughs, and townships in this Commonwealth are hereby
     authorized and empowered to enact and enforce suitable
     ordinances to govern and regulate the construction, alteration,
     repairs, occupation, maintenance, sanitation, lighting,
     ventilation, water supply, toilet facilities, drainage, use and
     inspection of all buildings and housing and to the sanitation
     and inspection of land appurtenant thereto, and the said
     ordinances may provide proper penalties not exceeding five
     hundred dollars ($500) for the violation of their provisions.
        Such ordinances may adopt any standard building code and any
     standard housing code, published and printed in book form,
     covering any or all of the above items, without incorporating
     such building code and such housing code in the ordinance; or
     any such city, borough, town or township may enact any such
     building code and such housing code as its ordinance authorized
     under the provisions of this act. In either event, such building
     code and such housing code shall not be published or advertised
     in full as required by law in the case of the adoption of
     ordinances: Provided, That a notice of the adoption of such
     standard building code and such standard housing code as the
     building ordinance and the housing ordinance of the city,
     borough, town or township, together with a brief summary thereof
     setting forth the principal provisions of said ordinance in such
     reasonable detail as will give adequate notice of its contents
     pursuant to a uniform form which shall be prepared or approved
     by the Department of Labor and Industry, and a reference to the
     place or places within the municipality or township where copies
     of the building code and the housing code adopted are deposited
     and may be examined shall be published in the manner provided by
     law for the publication of ordinances. Not less than three such
     copies shall be made available to public inspection and use,
     during business hours, for a period of not less than three
     months after the adoption of such building code and such housing
     code.
        (1 amended July 30, 1963, P.L.356, No.189)
        Section 2.  In case any building, housing or structure is
     constructed, reconstructed, altered, repaired, converted or
     maintained, or any building, housing or land is used in
     violation of any ordinance enacted under authority conferred
     hereby, the corporate authorities of any city of the first,
     second, and second class A, incorporated town, borough, or
     township, in addition to the penalties provided by ordinances
     enacted herewith, may institute appropriate actions or
     proceedings at law or in equity to prevent and restrain such
     unlawful construction, reconstruction, alteration, repairs,
     conversion, maintenance, or use and to restrain, correct, or
     abate such violation, and to prevent the occupancy of said
     building, housing or structure.
        (2 amended July 30, 1963, P.L.356, No.189)
        Section 3.  The ordinances enacted pursuant to this act shall
     not be inconsistent with the provisions of any statute governing
     the same matter, but all regulations prescribed by such
     ordinances which are additional or supplementary to the statute
     law, and not inconsistent therewith, or enacted for the purpose
     of carrying into effect the provisions of the statute law, shall
     be valid and binding.
        Section 4.  The following acts are hereby repealed:
        The act approved the eleventh day of May, one thousand nine
     hundred twenty-seven (Pamphlet Laws, nine hundred and sixty-
     four), entitled "An act to enable cities, incorporated towns,
     boroughs, and townships of the first class to govern and
     regulate by ordinance the construction, alteration, repairs,
     occupation, maintenance, sanitation, lighting, ventilation,
     water supply, toilet facilities, drainage, use and inspection of
     all buildings used for human habitation and land appurtenant
     thereto; and providing for the enforcement of such ordinances.
        The act approved the first day of May, one thousand nine
     hundred twenty-nine (Pamphlet Laws, one thousand sixty-three),
     entitled "An act creating in cities of the first class a Bureau
     of Building Inspection; regulating the erection, enlargement,
     alteration, repair, moving, removal, demolition and inspection
     of buildings and other structures, and the erection,
     encroachment, extension, repair, inspection, and use of party
     walls; defining certain words and terms used; repealing
     conflicting legislation; and providing penalties for violations
     of this act."