reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 7 - Historic Zones, Buildings, and Monuments (§§ 161 — 190uu) › § 190uu - Dalia E. Nales-Fret Community Technological Center

(a) Estancias del Sol Community Technological Center, located at Casiano sector in the Municipality of Río Grande, is hereby named after Dalia E. Nales-Fret.
(b) The Public Structure and Highway Naming Commission of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall take all the necessary measures to comply with the provisions of this section, pursuant to the provisions of §§ 178 et seq. of this title.
History —Sept. 29, 2012, No. 295, §§ 1, 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 9 - Airport Zoning (§§ 191 — 205) › § 191 - Short title

This chapter shall be known as Airport Zone Act.
History —June 16, 1953, No. 92, p. 326, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 9 - Airport Zoning (§§ 191 — 205) › § 192 - Definitions

For the purposes of this chapter the following words, terms, and phrases set forth in this section shall have the meaning herein ascribed to them, unless specifically stated to mean otherwise, or unless from the context some other intent is clearly indicated, or unless the context requires otherwise:
(a) Airport zone.— Includes the space occupied by an airport as well as such lands outside its boundaries as may be necessary for proper safety. For this zone there shall be established limitations to the height of buildings, structures, or objects of natural growth, or to such uses as might in any way affect or hinder the take-off and landing operations of aircraft.
(b) Airports.— Shall mean an area of land and/or sea, or of both, designated or specified as being for the landing and taking-off of aircraft, used or to be used in the public interest for the said purposes. An airport is publicly owned if the area used for the landing or taking-off of aircraft belongs to the United States or any of the agencies or departments thereof, or to the Commonwealth or any of the municipalities, political subdivisions, or public corporations thereof, or if it is operated or controlled, or is held under lease, either as lessor or lessee, by any of the said entities.
(c) Aerial navigation hazards.— Means any object of natural growth, any structure or building, or any use of lands, which blocks the air space required for the flight of aircraft in their landing at or taking-off from an airport or which is otherwise hazardous to such landing or taking-off of aircraft.
(d) Aerial navigation hazards area.— Means any land declared as airport zone by the Board, pursuant to the provisions of this chapter.
(e) The Board.— Shall mean the Planning Board created by Act No. 213 of May 12, 1942.
(f) Person.— Means any natural or [juridical] person, or the Commonwealth or any of its offices, bureaus, departments, divisions, dependencies, instrumentalities, government corporations or authorities, and municipalities.
(g) Executive Director of the Permit Management Office.— The Executive Director of the Permit Management Office or such officials substituting for him or to whom he may delegate his powers and duties as provided by law.
(h) The Commonwealth.— Means the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
(i) Structure.— Means any object constructed or installed by the hand of man, including, without being limited to, buildings, towers, chimneys, and elevated electric power lines.
(j) Nonconformity.— The status of any building, structure, or object of natural growth not in harmony with the provisions of any adopted regulations applicable to airport zones.
(k) Lands.— Includes both land and water, the air above them, or the earth beneath them.
History —June 16, 1953, No. 92, p. 326, § 2; June 24, 1975, No. 85, p. 270, § 2, ef. July 1, 1975.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 9 - Airport Zoning (§§ 191 — 205) › § 193 - Aerial navigation hazards considered as being counter to the public interest

It is hereby established that aerial navigation hazards imperil the life and property of those who use airports and of those occupying the land in their vicinity, and that, moreover, if they are in the nature of an obstruction, they reduce the size of the area available for the landing, taking-off, and maneuvering of aircraft and thus tend to hinder, destroy, or impair the usefulness of an airport and the public funds invested in it. It is therefore hereby declared:
(a) That the creating or establishing of an aerial navigation hazard constitutes a public nuisance and is prejudicial to the community served by the airport in question;
(b) that it is therefore necessary, in the interest of the public health and safety and of the general welfare, to prevent the creating or establishing of aerial navigation hazards, and
(c) that this shall be done, insofar as may be lawfully possible, through the exercise of police power. It is hereby further established that the prevention of the creating or establishing of aerial navigation hazards, as well as the elimination, removal, alteration and abatement of, and the marking or the fixing of lights upon existing aerial navigation hazards, are public purposes for which the Commonwealth and the political subdivisions thereof can obtain and spend public funds and acquire property or interests therein.
History —June 16, 1953, No. 92, p. 326, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 9 - Airport Zoning (§§ 191 — 205) › § 194 - Preparation of airport zone plans

The Board shall draft, adopt and revise, whenever necessary, airport zone plans for each publicly owned airport in the Commonwealth, with the advice of the Department of Transportation and Public Works and the Board on Environmental Quality. Each such plan shall specify the circumstances under which any structures or trees are or would be aerial navigation hazards, the area within which measures are required for the safety of the aerial approaches to the airport, and what the limitations upon height and other objectives of such measures should be. In the adoption and revision of any such plan, the Board shall consider, among other things, the nature of the flight operations which it is expected will be conducted at the airport, the flight patterns and the regulations affecting the flight operations at the airport, the nature of the land, the noise level, the height of the existing structures and trees above the airport level, and the possibility of reducing the height of or removing the existing obstructions. The Board may obtain and take into consideration the viewpoints of the federal government agencies in charge of the development of Civil Aeronautics with regard to the aerial approaches necessary for the safety of the flight operations at the airport.
In the same manner provided in this section the Board shall set up and adopt, with respect to the said zones, such regulations as may be necessary for limiting the height of structures or objects of natural growth erected or located thereon.
History —June 16, 1953, No. 92, p. 326, § 4; June 24, 1975, No. 85, p. 270, § 3, eff. July 1, 1975.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 9 - Airport Zoning (§§ 191 — 205) › § 195 - Power to adopt airport zone regulations

The Board is hereby empowered, with the advice of the Department of Transportation and Public Works and the Board on Environmental Quality to adopt, administer and enforce regulations for the zoning of airports and the lands located outside their boundaries in urban, rural and/or farming areas, directed to prevent the creating or establishing of aerial navigation hazards in each case where an aerial navigation area exists in connection with an airport. The regulations for such aerial navigation hazard area may divide the said area into zones and, within such zones, specify the uses permitted with regard to the land there and regulate and restrict the height to which buildings or structures or objects of natural growth may rise. The regulations so adopted for an aerial navigation hazard area shall have as their purpose the enforcing of the airport zone plan adopted by the Board with the advice of the Department of Transportation and Public Works and the Board on Environmental Quality for a publicly owned airport, as amended, whenever necessary pursuant to the procedure provided in §§ 62—63j of this title.
The Board may delegate in the Permit Management Office any optional phase in the execution and administration of the regulations adopted pursuant to this chapter.
History —June 16, 1953, No. 92, p. 326, § 5; June 24, 1975, No. 85, p. 270, § 4, eff. July 1, 1975.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 9 - Airport Zoning (§§ 191 — 205) › § 196 - Airport zones to be covered by Zoning Regulations

Every airport zone declared as being such shall be covered by, and every document, plan, sketch, and regulation adopted by the Board pursuant to this chapter, shall become an integral part of Planning Regulation No. 4 (Zoning).
History —June 16, 1953, No. 92, p. 326, § 6.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 9 - Airport Zoning (§§ 191 — 205) › § 197 - Conflict with other zoning regulations

In any case of conflict between an airport zone regulation adopted pursuant to this chapter and any other regulation applicable to the same area, whether the conflict is regarding buildings, structures, or objects of natural growth, the use of land, or of any other nature, the most stringent limitation or requirement shall govern.
History —June 16, 1953, No. 92, p. 326, § 7.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 9 - Airport Zoning (§§ 191 — 205) › § 198 - Notification and public hearings for the adoption of airport zone plans and regulations

The approval of airport zone plans and regulations is hereby expressly made subject to the provisions of the Planning Act.
History —June 16, 1953, No. 92, p. 326, § 8.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 9 - Airport Zoning (§§ 191 — 205) › § 199 - Factors to be considered by the Board in the implementation of regulations for airport zones

In the implementation of such regulations as the Board may adopt for airport zones, the Board shall consider, with the advice of the Department of Transportation and Public Works and the Board on Environmental Quality among other things, the nature of the flight operations to be carried out at the airport, the nature of the land within the aerial navigation hazard area, the character of the neighborhood, and the uses to which the property to be zoned is devoted or can be adapted.
History —June 16, 1953, No. 92, p. 326, § 9; June 24, 1975, No. 85, p. 270, § 5, eff. July 1, 1975.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 9 - Airport Zoning (§§ 191 — 205) › § 200 - Nonconforming uses

On and after the effective date of such regulations as may be adopted for airport zones the Permit Management Office shall be under obligation to issue certificates for such nonconforming uses, buildings, and structures as may be lawful, whenever they are requested of him, in accordance with the bylaws established by him. There shall be clearly set forth in nonconformity certificates the nature and extent of the nonconformity and, also, all the particulars in relation with which an exiting building, structure, or appurtenance is not in conformity with the regulations adopted and promulgated.
Each party interested in the use of a building or structure which is located within the boundaries of airport zones established by the Board and which turns out to be characterized by a lawful nonconformity shall request in writing of the Permit Management Office the issuance of a nonconformity certificate within the period of one (1) year from and after the effective date of the regulations adopted for airport zones.
History —June 16, 1953, No. 92, p. 326, § 10; June 24, 1975, No. 85, p. 270, § 6, eff. July 1, 1975.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 9 - Airport Zoning (§§ 191 — 205) › § 201 - Permits

Any airport zone regulations approved pursuant to this chapter may require that a permit be obtained from the Permit Management Office before any new structure can be erected or any new use established and before any existing use can be substantially changed or any existing structure substantially repaired, reconstructed, or moved. In each case, however, all the said regulations shall provide that before any nonconforming structure or object of natural growth can be replaced, moved, allowed to grow, or replanted, a permit from the Permit Management Office shall be required. No permit whatsoever shall be granted which permits the establishing or creating of an aerial navigation hazard, or which permits a nonconforming structure or object of natural growth or allows a nonconforming use to be made or permits a nonconforming structure or object of natural growth or to be increased in height or to become more hazardous to aerial navigation than it was when the regulations applicable were approved or when the request was made. Whenever the Permit Management Office ascertains that a nonconforming use has been abandoned, or that a nonconforming structure or object of natural growth has been removed, destroyed, or impaired to the extent of more than eighty percent (80%):
(a) It shall not grant any permit which allows such structure or object of natural growth to exceed the applicable height limit or which otherwise deviates from the regulations, and
(b) regardless of whether or not a request has been made pursuant to this section, the Permit Management Office may compel the owner of the structure, building, or object of natural growth, on his own account, to reduce in height, remove, reconstruct, or equip such object to such extent as may be necessary for making it conform with the regulations. Should the owner of the building, structure, or object of natural growth refuse or fail to obey such order, the Planning Board may, and at the request of the Permit Management Office shall, institute such proceedings as may be adequate for compelling the owner of the nonconforming building, structure, or object of natural growth to make it conform with the regulations.
History —June 16, 1953, No. 92, p. 326, § 11; June 24, 1975, No. 85, p. 270, § 7, eff. July 1, 1975.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 9 - Airport Zoning (§§ 191 — 205) › § 202 - Changes

Any person desiring to erect any structure or building, or to increase the height of any structure or building, or to allow any object of natural growth to grow higher, or to use his property in any other way in a manner contrary to the provisions of this chapter and to the airport zone regulations approved under this chapter, may request of the Planning Board a change in the regulations in question. Such change shall be granted whenever an application or literal execution of the regulations proves to be a practical difficulty or unnecessarily burdensome, and the remedy sought is not counter to the public interest, but makes substantial justice, and it is in accordance with the spirit of the regulations and of this chapter; Provided, That any change may be granted subject to any reasonable condition which the Planning Board deems requisite for the effectuation of the purposes of this chapter.
History —June 16, 1953, No. 92, p. 326, § 12.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 9 - Airport Zoning (§§ 191 — 205) › § 203 - Lighting and marking of aerial navigation hazards

In the granting of any permit under this chapter, the Permit Management Office or the Planning Board, as the case may be, may, if deemed advisable for the enforcement of this chapter under reasonable circumstances, require the owner of the structure or object of natural growth in question to permit the Commonwealth or the political subdivisions thereof to install, operate, and maintain on the said structure or object of natural growth, on the account of the applicant, such markers or lights as may be necessary to indicate to aviators the presence of an obstacle to aerial navigation.
History —June 16, 1953, No. 92, p. 326, § 13; June 24, 1975, No. 85, p. 270, § 8, eff. July 1, 1975.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 9 - Airport Zoning (§§ 191 — 205) › § 204 - Appeals

Any action or decision of the Permit Management Office involving the application of this chapter or of the regulations adopted and promulgated hereunder may be appealed for review before the Court of First Instance of Puerto Rico.
History —June 16, 1953, No. 92, p. 326, § 14; June 24, 1975, No. 85, p. 270, § 9, eff. July 1, 1975.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 9 - Airport Zoning (§§ 191 — 205) › § 205 - Penalty

Every natural or juridical person violating the provisions of this chapter or of any regulation, plan, or map adopted and approved in accordance with same, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500), or by imprisonment in jail for a period of not more than six (6) months, or by both penalties, in the discretion of the court.
The Police of Puerto Rico or any official of the Permit Management Office, or of the Puerto Rico Planning Board, or of the Department of Transportation and Public Works, and of the Board on Environmental Quality may file the proper complaint and, at the request of the Permit Management Office, or at the proper request of the Planning Board shall enjoin such violation through a writ of injunction or through any other adequate writ or proceeding in any court of competent jurisdiction.
History —June 16, 1953, No. 92, p. 326, § 15; June 24, 1975, No. 85, p. 270, § 10, eff. July 1, 1975.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 10 - School Zones (§§ 206 — 206l) › § 206b - Procedure

The School Zone Regulations, as well as the regulations and resolutions adopted by the Planning Board pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, shall be established and modified following the procedure of a prior public hearing provided in § 62z of this title. The regulations and resolutions adopted pursuant to this chapter shall take effect fifteen (15) days after approval by the Governor. The School Zone Regulations shall be adopted no later than one hundred and twenty (120) days following the effective date of this act.
History —July 13, 1988, No. 84, p. 345, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 10 - School Zones (§§ 206 — 206l) › § 206c - Advisory committees

In keeping with the public policy of encouraging participation by the citizenry in the planning process, the Planning Board may create committees to advise it during the process to determine a school zone that is adopted pursuant to this chapter or regarding any problem related to school zones.
The committees may be created by initiative of the Board, by petition of the mayor of the corresponding municipality, or by initiative of the school authorities, the parent-teacher councils, the student representatives and the civic leaders of the community. The commissioners shall be appointed and will hold office pursuant to the regulations adopted by the Planning Board.
History —July 13, 1988, No. 84, p. 345, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 10 - School Zones (§§ 206 — 206l) › § 206d - Designation and demarcation; prior evaluation

Pursuant to § 206a of this title, once the Governor approves the School Zone Regulations, the Planning Board shall evaluate the situation of schools in Puerto Rico in the light of the public policy objectives of this chapter. This evaluation may be performed by initiative of the Planning Board or by a request of the Department of Education or the superintendent of schools and, in the case of private schools, the authorized representative of the institution.
By request of the school authorities or the parent-teachers’ council concerned, the Planning Board shall proceed to identify, case by case, those school areas that require priority attention in view of the risk to the students’ and teachers’ safety and the seriousness of the harmful effects to the school environment caused by the activities developed in the school surroundings. Once they are identified, the Planning Board may designate and demarcate the school zone for the particular school, through a resolution approved in accordance with the procedures established in § 206b of this title. Prior to such designation and demarcation, the Planning Board shall hold public hearings after notifying the owners or operators of businesses and residents of homes located on the possible limits of the zone.
History —July 13, 1988, No. 84, p. 345, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 10 - School Zones (§§ 206 — 206l) › § 206e - Recommendations; study

The Planning Board, in coordination with the Public Buildings Authority and the Department of Education, shall prepare a study to revise the standards of design of the school buildings in order to prevent and correct as far as possible those deficiencies that facilitate or encourage vandalism and the access of non-authorized persons and to achieve this chapter’s objectives. The study shall include recommendations regarding activities and uses that are complementary to school activity in harmony with the provisions of § 206a of this title.
History —July 13, 1988, No. 84, p. 345, § 6.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 10 - School Zones (§§ 206 — 206l) › § 206f - Powers and obligations

In order to enforce the provisions of this chapter the Planning Board and the Permit Management Office shall exercise the powers and perform the obligations imposed upon them by §§ 62 et seq. and 71 et seq. of this title that are not incompatible with this chapter’s provisions.
History —July 13, 1988, No. 84, p. 345, § 7.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 10 - School Zones (§§ 206 — 206l) › § 206g - Use or construction permit

As of the effective date of the School Zone Regulations, no building or use permit may be approved nor any action taken that modifies the use of lands, buildings, structures, properties or sites by private persons or government agencies within the school zone limits designated according to this chapter, without providing the Secretary of Education with an opportunity to issue his/her recommendation. If he/she states no objection within thirty (30) days following the date on which the recommendation was requested, it shall be understood that the Secretary of Education has no recommendations on the matter.
History —July 13, 1988, No. 84, p. 345, § 8; Dec. 1, 2009, No. 161, § 19.4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 10 - School Zones (§§ 206 — 206l) › § 206h - Review of existing regulations

As of the effective date of the School Zone Regulations, government agencies and municipalities empowered to issue licenses, authorizations, franchises, concessions, or any other similar permit related to the location, use and operation of businesses, establishments or activities in the school’s surroundings, shall have the obligation of revising the regulations and municipal ordinances in effect, pursuant to the provisions of this chapter and the regulations adopted thereunder.
History —July 13, 1988, No. 84, p. 345, § 9.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 10 - School Zones (§§ 206 — 206l) › § 206i - Certificates

As of the effective date of the resolution designating a school zone for a respective school, the Permit Management Office, when requested to do so, shall have the obligation to issue certificates for those uses, buildings and structures that were legally established and that do not conform with this chapter and the regulations adopted thereunder.
These certificates shall clearly state the nature and extent of the nonconformity as well as all those areas in regard to which an existing building, structure or property does not conform with the regulations adopted and promulgated.
Persons who obtain a certification of legal non-conforming use may request and obtain an operating permit for said use for a term of two (2) years as of the date of approval of the resolution delimiting the school zone for a respective school. Depending on the particular circumstances of the case, the Planning Board may establish a procedure to consider longer periods of time or to authorize a change or modification in the operation that will convert its use into a conforming use.
History —July 13, 1988, No. 84, p. 345, § 10.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 10 - School Zones (§§ 206 — 206l) › § 206j - Reconsideration and judicial review

Any party affected by an act, decision or resolution of the Planning Board or the Permit Management Office in the implementation of this chapter may initiate the actions provided by the respective organic acts of those agencies to request the reconsideration or the judicial review of such acts, decisions or resolutions.
History —July 13, 1988, No. 84, p. 345, § 11.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 10 - School Zones (§§ 206 — 206l) › § 206k - Penalties

Every natural or juridical person who violates the provisions of this chapter or of any regulation or resolution adopted and approved in accordance therewith or in accordance with §§ 62 et seq. and 71 et seq. of this title and the regulations adopted thereunder, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction, shall be punished with a fine that shall not exceed five hundred dollars ($500) or imprisonment for a term not greater than six (6) months, or both penalties at the court’s discretion. Each day that the violation continues to exist shall be deemed a separate violation.
In the case of an infraction of this chapter or the regulations or resolutions and approvals thereunder, the Police Corps of Puerto Rico or any official of the Permit Management Office or the Planning Board may file the corresponding charges. The Permit Management Office or the Planning Board, on their own initiative, shall prevent such violation through an injunction or through any other adequate recourse or procedure in any court of competent jurisdiction.
History —July 13, 1988, No. 84, p. 345, § 12.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 10 - School Zones (§§ 206 — 206l) › § 206l - Extracurricular activities

As of the effective date of this act, the Secretary of Education shall design and put into execution a plan for the development of extracurricular activities geared towards orienting students, parents and teachers about their legal rights and responsibilities, in order to complement their knowledge of the government programs related to the safety of the inhabitants. As part of this plan’s objectives there is the hope of integrating the community, the parents and teachers in the efforts leading to strengthening the area of public safety. The Secretary of Education may carry out said activities in coordination with the Department of Justice, the Police of Puerto Rico and any other agency or instrumentality whose functions are related to said plan and may also enter into collaboration agreements to review those functions assigned to it by law including, without it being understood as a limitation, those assigned in §§ 141—141 l of Title 18, known as the “School Security Corps Act”.
History —July 13, 1988, No. 84, p. 345, § 13.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 11 - Radio-Astronomy Facility Zoning (§§ 211 — 218-220) › § 211 - Short title

This chapter shall be known as the “Radio-Astronomy Zoning Act”.
History —June 14, 1960, No. 88, p. 180, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 11 - Radio-Astronomy Facility Zoning (§§ 211 — 218-220) › § 212 - Definitions

The following phrases or terms, as used in this chapter, shall have the meanings hereinafter set forth, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
(1) Facility.— Shall mean the radio-astronomy facility located at the site hereinbelow referred to.
(2) Site.— Shall mean the location of the radio-astronomy facility situated in the Barrio Esperanza of the Municipality of Arecibo, the center of which lies at latitude 18° 20′ 47′′ (eighteen degrees, twenty minutes and forty-seven seconds) and longitude 66° 45′ 12′′ (sixty-six degrees, forty-five minutes and twelve seconds), or approximately ten (10) miles south of the city of Arecibo and sixteen (16) miles east of San Sebastian.
(3) Official in charge.— Shall mean the official in charge of the radio-astronomy facility or his delegate under proper authority.
(4) Electrical equipment.— Shall mean any machinery, mechanism, instrument, device or any other facility capable of producing electromagnetic emissions which may damage or interfere with the operation or investigations at the Center such as, among others: (a) AM, FM, or TV transmitters or repeaters or both, (b) commercial communications transmitters, repeaters or both, (c) arc welding, (d) high voltage transmission or distribution power lines, (e) radio control devices, (f) defective household appliances, (g) diathermic machines, (h) neon signs, (i) high power arc lights; (j) electric motors and generators with brushes, (k) high power microwave industrial equipment and (l) industrial electric controls with electromagnetic wave radiation.
(5) Commonwealth.— Shall mean the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
(6) and (7) [Repealed. Act Aug. 5, 1989, No. 41, p. 130, § 1.]
History —June 14, 1960, No. 88, p. 180, § 2; Aug. 5, 1989, No. 41, p. 130.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 11 - Radio-Astronomy Facility Zoning (§§ 211 — 218-220) › § 214 - Prohibited acts

It shall be unlawful to or cause to operate any electrical equipment within a radius of four (4) miles from the location of the Center.
History —June 14, 1960, No. 88, p. 180, § 4, renumbered as § 3 and amended on Aug. 5, 1989, No. 41, p. 130, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 11 - Radio-Astronomy Facility Zoning (§§ 211 — 218-220) › § 216 - Repair of defective equipment; cost

In the event that the Director of the Center, known as Official in Charge of the Center, determines that some electrical equipment in its vicinity is causing any interference with any operation of the Center, he shall proceed to locate the operator of such equipment and advise him of such interference. In the event that the electric equipment may be modified so as to continue functioning without causing such interference, the Official in Charge of the Center shall advise the operator of the nature of such modifications and the operator shall proceed to modify the equipment as directed within thirty (30) days thereafter; Provided, however, That the electric equipment may not be operated unless and until such modifications are completed and the Center determines that the equipment so modified causes no such interference. In the event the operation of the equipment is not subject to modification, its operation must cease as soon as the Official in Charge of the Center so notifies the operator.
In case it is not possible to modify the equipment for the preceding purposes or that the equipment is not susceptible to such modification and the operator insists on continuing to operate the equipment, the Official in Charge of the Center then may initiate the corresponding legal actions.
In case the Official in Charge of the Center determines that any housing, commercial or industrial development is being attempted in its vicinity, he/she shall notify it to the Permit Management Office immediately and the aforementioned Office shall notify to the development of such activities the limitations provided by this chapter in the use and operation of electrical equipment, without prejudice to the action by the Official to notify such persons of the existence and necessity of such limitations. The Permit Management Office shall exercise all the powers and duties conferred by §§ 62 et seq. of this title, to enforce the provisions of this chapter.
History —June 14, 1960, No. 88, p. 180, § 6, renumbered as § 4 and amended on Aug. 5, 1989, No. 41, p. 130, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 11 - Radio-Astronomy Facility Zoning (§§ 211 — 218-220) › § 217 - Penalty

Any person who knowingly operates or causes to operate electrical equipment in violation of the provisions of this chapter shall be subject to a fine not in excess of five hundred dollars ($500) for each violation.
History —June 14, 1960, No. 88, p. 180, § 7, renumbered as § 5 and amended on Aug. 5, 1989, No. 41, p. 130, § 6.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 13 - Floodable Zones (§§ 225 — 225m) › § 225 - Statement of motives

It is hereby declared:
(1) That within and without the urban limits of the town and cities of Puerto Rico there are zones susceptible to flood by rainfall, swells, heavy seas, the overflowing of rivers or brooks, or other forces of nature, which affect the life and property of the present and future inhabitants of said zones, as well as the health, safety, peace, comfort, prosperity, economic stability and welfare of the community in general.
(2) That to the prejudice of public interest there are located on these zones and are continually being constructed houses and other structures whose occupants or users are exposed, through the effects of the floods, to lose their lives and holdings and to contract diseases that may develop into epidemics, all of which constitute a menace to the health, safety and welfare of the community.
(3) That the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is interested in adopting measures directed to reduce or eliminate the loss of lives and property through the effect of floods.
(4) That said measures constitute a public purpose for which public funds may and should be expended.
History —Sept. 27, 1961, No. 3, p. 387, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 13 - Floodable Zones (§§ 225 — 225m) › § 225a - Short title

This chapter shall be known as the Floodable Zone Building Control Act.
History —Sept. 27, 1961, No. 3, p. 387, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 13 - Floodable Zones (§§ 225 — 225m) › § 225b - Declaration of floodable zones

Whenever, in the judgment of the Puerto Rico Planning Board (hereinafter called the Board), created by §§ 62—63j of this title, any area or sector is dangerous, prejudicial or inimical to the safety, health and welfare of the occupants or users of the structures thereon located, or of the community in general, due to any of the conditions enumerated under subsection (1) of § 225 of this title, the Board shall, with the advice of the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, declare the area or sector where such conditions exist a “floodable zone” and shall gather therefor, among others, the data available on the maximum levels reached by the different bodies of water during floods. The Board shall establish classifications of “floodable zones” pursuant to § 225f of this title.
The Board shall notify its intent to make such declaration to the mayor and to the local and/or regional Planning Commission of the municipality within which zone intended to be declared a “floodable zone” is located. It shall also notify the general public, through a notice to be published in two (2) newspapers of general circulation in Puerto Rico, of its intent to declare certain areas as floodable zones. Said notice shall indicate the town or towns included in the zone to be declared a “floodable zone” and that a copy of the corresponding Floodable Zone Map shall be posted on the bulletin boards of the town halls of the municipalities affected by said declaration. The notice served on the mayor and on the local or regional Planning Commission shall include the corresponding map or maps of the “floodable zone”. The Board shall also avail itself of other means such as notices through loudspeakers, circulation of handbills, posting of warnings at the town hall, courts or public buildings most frequented by the people, and other similar means, to notify the owners of lands or structures located in said zone.
In the notice itself, the mayor and all other persons concerned shall be called to a public hearing to be held before an official or employee designated by the Board, at the place and on the date and time specified by it. At the said hearing, all interested persons shall have the opportunity to appear in their own right or through counsel, to present oral or documentary evidence, cross-examine witnesses and plead as may befit their right. Between the date of the notice and that of the public hearing provided above, at least twenty (20) days shall elapse.
Not later than thirty (30) days after the hearing, the Board shall decide, according to law and in the light of the evidence submitted, whether or not to declare as “floodable zone” the one suggested as such, or any part or portions or areas thereof.
History —Sept. 27, 1961, No. 3, p. 387, § 3; June 24, 1975, No. 79, p. 253, § 2; July 3, 1979, No. 80, p. 170, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 13 - Floodable Zones (§§ 225 — 225m) › § 225c - Declaration of floodable zones—Publication

The decision of the Board declaring a “floodable zone” shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation in Puerto Rico.
History —Sept. 27, 1961, No. 3, p. 387, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 13 - Floodable Zones (§§ 225 — 225m) › § 225d - Declaration of floodable zones—Procedure for review

The mayor of the municipality or any of the owners of the lands or structures located within a zone declared “floodable zone”, or any other person with a right or interest therein, may contest the decision of the Board by filing a petition for review in any Part of the Court of First Instance of Puerto Rico within fifteen (15) days from the publication provided in § 225c of this title.
The petition for review shall be filed in the office of the Clerk of the Court and shall set forth the issues of law on which the contest is grounded. After filing the petition, the petitioner shall serve notice thereof on the Board no later than two (2) working days after filing the petition for review and, in default thereof, the court shall order the petition set aside.
After the petition for review is filed, if a writ of certiorari is issued, it shall be the duty of the Board to remand to the court the original records of the case or a copy thereof certified by the Board, and a transcript of the oral evidence, within fifteen (15) days following issuance of the writ. The review before the Court of First Instance shall be restricted exclusively to issues of law.
The Court of First Instance shall render its decision on the case within a term of twenty (20) days from the date of the hearing and said decision shall be final and conclusive.
History —Sept. 27, 1961, No. 3, p. 387, § 5; June 13, 1962, No. 36, p. 90; Mar. 8, 1988, No. 11, p. 60, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 13 - Floodable Zones (§§ 225 — 225m) › § 225e - Maps

The Board shall prepare and adopt maps of zones declared “floodable zone” under § 225b of this title.
History —Sept. 27, 1961, No. 3, p. 387, § 6.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 13 - Floodable Zones (§§ 225 — 225m) › § 225f - Regulations

The Board shall, with the advice of the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, adopt regulations pursuant to the provisions of §§ 62 et seq. of this title to include all necessary measures to avert loss of life and property through the control of building in floodable zones. The Board may request technical assistance from the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources for the preparation of said regulations.
Said regulations shall classify the floodable zones according to the extent of the danger to which life and property of the families located, thereon, are exposed.
The Board may declare as provisional floodable zones those areas immediately adjacent to any body of water, whose proximity to said bodies make them areas in grave danger of flooding. To these declared provisional floodable zones, the regulations adopted shall be applicable immediately after their adoption, regardless of what is provided in this chapter for the declaration of floodable zones, for a period of one year which may be extended in justified cases for an additional period of six (6) months, within which term there shall be determined, following the procedure established above, whether said zones or any others in said area shall be declared floodable zones. It shall be the duty of the Board to notify each and every one of the mayors of the Commonwealth whose municipalities are affected by the provisional floodable zones it has established pursuant to this section. Said notice shall include a flood map establishing the limits of the zone intended to be so declared. This notice shall be made public by posting it in a conspicuous place in the town hall of the affected municipalities. The declaration of provisional floodable zones shall take effect fifteen (15) days after notice is served on the mayor or mayors in the manner provided above.
History —Sept. 27, 1961, No. 3, p. 387, § 7; May 31, 1967, No. 90, p. 304, § 1; June 24, 1971, No. 98, p. 330, § 1; June 24, 1975, No. 79, p. 253, § 3; July 3, 1979, No. 80, p. 170, § 2; Mar. 8, 1988, No. 11, p. 60, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 13 - Floodable Zones (§§ 225 — 225m) › § 225g - Unlawful acts

In “floodable zones unfit for building” it shall hereafter be unlawful:
(a) To erect any construction or structure whatsoever, deposit land-fill, carry out substantial improvements to existing constructions or structures or other developments in floodable zones that have not met the requirements and provisions of the Floodable Zones Regulations, counting from the effective date thereof.
(b) To sell, lease or otherwise convey lands in said zones without warning the potential lessee, occupant or title-holder thereof, through any lawful means, that he must meet the requirements and provisions of the Floodable Zones Regulations for any construction, use or development. Said warning shall be included on the written deed of the transaction in question.
History —Sept. 27, 1961, No. 3, p. 387, § 8; June 24, 1975, No. 79, p. 253, § 4; Mar. 8, 1988, No. 11, p. 60, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 13 - Floodable Zones (§§ 225 — 225m) › § 225h - Penalties

(a) Any person who shall willfully, unlawfully and maliciously violate the provisions of § 225g of this title shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a maximum fine of five hundred dollars ($500) or by imprisonment for a term of six (6) months, or both penalties at the discretion of the court.
(b) Whenever the violation consists in having performed any building, construction, deposited landfill, carried out substantial improvement to the existing buildings or structures or other developments located in a floodable zone, the sentence imposed, in addition to the penalty prescribed in subsection (a) of this section, shall provide that any part of the construction, enlargement or development involved that does not meet the requirements and provisions of the Floodable Zones Regulations, shall be demolished, removed or corrected within the thirty (30) days following that date on which the judgment rendered becomes final. The court order shall be served by the marshall. In those cases in which the court order affects one or more dwellings, the same shall be served by the marshall together with the personnel of the Department of Housing.
History —Sept. 27, 1961, No. 3, p. 387, § 9; June 24, 1975, No. 79, p. 253, § 5; Mar. 8, 1988, No. 11, p. 60, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-THREE - Public Planning and Development (§§ 1 — 11273) › PART I - Public Planning (§§ 1 — 229ccc) › Chapter 13 - Floodable Zones (§§ 225 — 225m) › § 225i - Surveillance

As soon as the declaration of a “floodable zone” becomes final, the Board shall notify the Department of Housing, the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and the Permit Management Office thereof. The Permit Management Office shall be responsible for the surveillance of “floodable zones” throughout Puerto Rico. The Department of Natural and Environmental Resources shall collaborate with the Permit Management Office in the surveillance of the floodable zones located in the coastal zone and the Department of Housing in the surveillance of areas outside the coastal zone. Said government agencies are hereby empowered to appoint, chargeable to its operating budget funds, the inspectors and rangers for said zones for the purpose of averting violations of the provisions of this chapter.
History —Sept. 27, 1961, No. 3, p. 387, § 10; June 24, 1975, No. 79, p. 253, § 6; July 3, 1979, No. 80, p. 170, § 3.