Source: https://ecode360.com/8130454
Timestamp: 2019-04-26 04:01:46+00:00

Document:
§ 263-2 Definitions and word usage.
§ 263-3 Litter in public places.
§ 263-4 Placement of litter in receptacles so as to prevent scattering.
§ 263-5 Sweeping litter into gutters prohibited.
§ 263-6 Merchants' duty to keep sidewalks free of litter.
§ 263-7 Litter thrown by persons in vehicles.
§ 263-8 Litter in parks.
§ 263-9 Litter in lakes and fountains.
§ 263-10 Throwing or distributing commercial or noncommercial handbills in public places.
§ 263-11 Placing commercial and noncommercial handbills on vehicles.
§ 263-12 Depositing commercial and noncommercial handbills on uninhabited or vacant premises.
§ 263-13 Prohibiting distribution of handbills where properly posted.
§ 263-14 Distributing commercial and noncommercial handbills at inhabited private premises; exemption for newspapers.
§ 263-15 Dropping litter from aircraft.
§ 263-16 Posting notices prohibited.
§ 263-17 Litter on occupied private property.
§ 263-18 Owner to maintain premises free of litter.
§ 263-19 Litter on vacant lots.
§ 263-20 Notice to remove.
§ 263-21 Failure to comply.
§ 263-22 Notice to City Clerk.
§ 263-23 Notice of completion of work.
§ 263-24 Right to appeal.
§ 263-25 Failure to remove dangerous litter; creating a nuisance.
§ 263-26 Authority to enforce.
§ 263-28 Violations and penalties.
Canine waste removal — See Ch. 116, Art. V.
Upkeep of vacant land — See Ch. 132, Art. I.
Nuisances — See Ch. 290.
Refuse collection — See Ch. 347, Art. II.
This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "City of Pawtucket Antilitter Ordinance."
When not inconsistent with the context, words used in the present tense include the future, words used in the plural number include the singular number, and words used in the singular number include the plural number. The word "shall" is always mandatory and not merely directory.
For the purposes of this chapter the following terms, phrases, words and their derivations shall have the meaning given herein.
A litter storage and collection receptacle as required and authorized in the Garbage Ordinances of the City of Pawtucket.
While containing reading matter other than advertising matter, is predominantly and essentially an advertisement, and is distributed or circulated for advertising purposes or for the private benefit and gain of any person so engaged as advertiser or distributor.
Garbage, refuse and rubbish as defined herein and all other waste material which, if thrown or deposited as herein prohibited, tends to create a danger to public health, safety and welfare.
Any newspaper of general circulation as defined by general law, any newspaper duly entered with the United States Postal Service, in accordance with federal statute or regulation, and any newspaper filed and recorded with any recording officer as provided by general law; and, in addition thereto shall mean and include any periodical or current magazine regularly published with not less than four issues per year, and sold to the public.
Any printed or written matter, any sample or device, dodger, circular, leaflet, pamphlet, newspaper, magazine paper, booklet or any other printed or otherwise reproduced original or copies of any matter of literature not included in the aforesaid definitions of a commercial handbill or newspaper.
A park, reservation, playground, beach, recreation center or any other public area in the City, owned or used by the City and devoted to active or passive recreation.
Any dwelling, house, building or other structure designated or used either wholly or in part for private residential purposes, whether inhabited or temporarily or continuously uninhabited or vacant, and shall include any yard, grounds, wall, driveway, porch, steps, vestibule or mailbox belonging or appurtenant to such dwelling, house, building or other structure.
Editor's Note: See Ch. 347, Solid Waste.
No person shall throw or deposit litter in or upon any street, sidewalk or other public place within the City except in public receptacles, in authorized private receptacles for collection or in official City dumps.
Persons placing litter in public receptacles or in authorized private receptacles shall do so in such a manner as to prevent it from being carried or deposited by the elements upon any street, sidewalk or other place or upon private property.
No person shall sweep into or deposit in any gutter, street or other public place within the City the accumulation of litter from any building or lot or from any public or private sidewalk or driveway. Persons owning or occupying property shall keep the sidewalk in front of their premises free of litter.
No person, while a driver or passenger in a vehicle, shall throw or deposit litter upon any street to other public place within the City or upon private property.
No person shall throw or deposit litter in any fountain, pond, lake, stream, bay or any other body of water in a park or elsewhere within the City.
No person shall throw or deposit any commercial or noncommercial handbill in or upon any sidewalk, street or other public place within the City. Nor shall any person hand out or distribute or sell any commercial handbill in any public place; provided, however, that it shall not be unlawful on any sidewalk, street or other public place within the City for any person to hand out or distribute, without charge to the receiver thereof, any noncommercial handbill to any person willing to accept it.
No person shall throw or deposit any commercial or noncommercial handbill in or upon any vehicle; provided, however, that it shall not be unlawful in any public place for a person to hand out or distribute without charge to the receiver thereof a noncommercial handbill to any occupant of a vehicle who is willing to accept it.
No person shall throw, deposit or distribute any commercial or noncommercial handbill upon any private premises, if requested by anyone thereon not to do so or if there is placed on said premises in a conspicuous position near the entrance thereof a sign bearing the words: "No Trespassing," "No Peddlers or Agents," "No Advertisement" or any similar notice, indicating in any matter that the occupants of said premises do not desire to be molested or have their right of privacy disturbed or to have any such handbills left upon such premises.
No person shall throw, deposit or distribute any commercial or noncommercial handbill in or upon private premises which are inhabited, except by handing or transmitting any such handbill directly to the owner, occupant or other person then present in or upon such private premises; provided, however, that in case of inhabited private premises which are not posted, as provided in this chapter, such person, unless requested by anyone upon such premises not to do so, may place or deposit any such handbill in or upon such inhabited private premises, if such handbill is so placed or deposited as to secure or prevent such handbill from being blown or drifted about such premises or sidewalks, streets or other public places, and except that mailboxes may not be so used when so prohibited by federal postal law or regulations.
The provisions of this section shall not apply to the distribution of mail by the United States, nor to newspapers (as defined herein), except that newspapers shall be placed on private property in such a manner as to prevent their being carried or deposited by the elements upon any street, sidewalk or other public place or upon private property.
No person shall throw or deposit litter on any occupied private property within the City, whether owned by such person or not, except that the owner or person in control of private property may maintain authorized private receptacles for collection in such a manner that litter will be prevented from being carried or deposited by the elements upon any street, sidewalk or other public place or upon any private property.
No person shall throw or deposit litter on any open or vacant private property within the City whether owned by such person or not.
Upon a finding by the Director of Zoning and Code Enforcement, his or her agent or designee, that the property within the City is in such condition as to be in violation of the requirements of this chapter, he or she, his or her agent or designee shall give notice thereof to the owner or owners of such property to comply with the requirements of this chapter within 24 hours after service of notice. Such notice shall contain a statement of the Director of Zoning and Code Enforcement, his or her agent or designee's findings as to violations, a description of the property and the estimated cost of clearing such property or the removal or remedying the condition thereof found to be violating this chapter. Such notice may be given personally or by certified mail, police constable or City Sergeant to the owner or owners of the property described as their names and addresses are shown upon the records of the Tax Assessor of the City, and service of such notice shall be deemed complete and sufficient when so addressed and deposited in the United States mail with postage prepaid and/or by posting a certified copy on the premises and/or by advertising in one or more newspapers.
Upon failure of the owner or owners of such premises to remedy the conditions existing in violation of the requirements hereof within seven days after service of notice to do so as provided herein, then the Director of Zoning and Code Enforcement, his or her agent or designee, shall proceed to have such conditions remedied either by the City of Pawtucket or through a private contractor so retained by said City. Said owner or owners shall then be cited to appear before the Pawtucket Municipal Police Court where, upon conviction, said owner or owners shall be fined in accordance with § 263-29 hereof. Cleanup costs incurred shall become a lien against such property to the same extent and character as the lien for real estate taxes and with the same penalty and interest and with the same rights of collection, foreclosure sale and forfeiture as obtained for tax liens, unless said costs are paid to the Pawtucket Municipal Court in accordance with § 263-29 hereof.
Upon the making of a finding of violation, the Director of Zoning and Code Enforcement, his or her agent or designee, shall deliver a certified copy thereof, and of the notice, to the City Clerk; and the City Clerk shall place the same on record as a lien against the property described therein. It shall also be the duty of the Building Inspector to file such other and further certification as to work done and amounts due or paid as the circumstances may require.
Upon completion of the required work by the City as provided in § 263-21 hereof, notice thereof and of the cost assessed therefor shall be given to the owner in the same manner as prescribed for notices of violations in § 263-20 of this chapter, and the sum assessed shall be due and payable 30 days after such completion and cost unless such assessment shall be appealed to the Board of Appeals as provided herein prior to the expiration of said thirty-day period.
Any person owning all or any interest in said property shall have the right to appeal the findings of violation within 15 days of service of the notice thereof and any such person shall have the right to appeal the assessment of cost within 30 days of service of notice thereof. Such appeals shall be taken to the Board of Appeals created by Sec. 3-100(C) of the Charter of the City of Pawtucket.
The failure, neglect or refusal of any owner or agent so notified to properly dispose of litter dangerous to the public health, safety or welfare and also which is creating a public nuisance within 24 hours after the publication of notice provided herein shall be deemed a violation.
The Director of Zoning and Code Enforcement, his or her agent or designee, shall enforce the terms and conditions of this chapter when violations occur on private property. Any police officer of the City shall enforce the terms and conditions of this chapter when a violation occurs in a public place; and in addition thereto, any member of the park police of the City is empowered to enforce the terms and conditions of this chapter when a violation occurs in any public park in the City.
The provisions of this chapter shall not repeal any ordinance or part of any ordinance of the City of Pawtucket or any other law upon the subject which the provisions of this chapter relate unless the provisions of any ordinance or part of any ordinance is expressly inconsistent and then only to the extent of such inconsistency.
Any person violating any of the provisions of this chapter shall be deemed guilty of a violation and shall be fined in an amount not exceeding $500, and in addition shall pay all costs and expenses involved in the offense. Each day such violation is committed or permitted shall constitute a separate offense and shall be punishable as such hereunder.
Habitual offender. Any person cited under the provisions of this chapter after two separate violations within a one-year period shall, upon the third violation commencing with the date of the first violation, be deemed a habitual offender, and shall be immediately cited and summoned before the Pawtucket Municipal Police Court without the necessity of notice provided in § 263-20 hereof. A violation log shall be maintained by the Director of Zoning and Code Enforcement, his or her agent or designee. Said court shall, upon conviction, impose a fine of no less than $200, and, in addition, shall assess said offender all costs and expenses involved in the violation.

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