§ 265-1305 REMEDIES

§ 265-1305 REMEDIES

1. Enforcement Notice: If a violation of the Ordinance occurs, the Zoning Officer, on behalf of the Borough shall initiate enforcement proceedings by sending an enforcement notice as provided in this Section. The enforcement notice shall be sent to the owner of record of the parcel on which the violation has occurred, to any person who has filed a written request to receive enforcement notices regarding that parcel, and to any other person requested in writing by the owner of record.  The enforcement notice shall state at least the following:
   1. The name of the owner of record and any other person against whom the Borough intends to take action.
   2. The location of the property in violation.
   3. The specific violation with a description of requirements that have not been met, citing in each instance the applicable provisions of the Ordinance.
   4. The date before which the steps for compliance must be commenced and the date before which the steps must be completed.
   5. That the recipient of the notice has the right to appeal to the Zoning Hearing Board within a prescribed period of time in accordance with procedures set forth in this Ordinance.
   6. That failure to comply with the notice within the time specified, unless extended by appeal to the Zoning Hearing Board, constitutes a violation, with possible sanctions clearly described.
2. Causes of Action: In case any building, structure, landscaping or land is, or is proposed to be, erected, constructed, reconstructed, altered, converted, maintained or used in violation of this Ordinance, the Borough Council, or with the approval of the Council, an officer of the Borough, or an aggrieved owner or tenant of real property who shows that his property or person will be substantially affected by the alleged violation, in addition to other remedies, may institute any appropriate action or proceeding to prevent, restrain, correct or abate such building, structure, landscaping, or land or to prevent, in or about such premises, any act, conduct, business or use constituting a violation. When any such action is instituted by a landowner or tenant, notice of that action shall be served upon the Borough at least thirty (30) days prior to the time the action is begun by serving a copy of the complaint on the Borough. No such action may be maintained until such notice has been given.
3. Enforcement:
   1. Any person, partnership or corporation who or which has violated or permitted the violation of the provisions of any zoning ordinance enacted under this act or prior enabling laws shall, upon being found liable therefor in a civil enforcement proceeding commenced by Tarentum Borough, pay a judgment of not more than $500 plus all court costs, including reasonable attorney fees incurred by a municipality as a result thereof. No judgment shall commence or be imposed, levied or payable until the date of the determination of a violation by the district justice. If the defendant neither pays nor timely appeals the judgment, Tarentum Borough may enforce the judgment pursuant to the applicable rules of civil procedure. Each day that a violation continues shall constitute a separate violation, unless the district justice determining that there has been a violation further determines that there was a good faith basis for the person, partnership or corporation violating the ordinance to have believed that there was no such violation, in which event there shall be deemed to have been only one such violation until the fifth day following the date of the determination of a violation by the district justice and thereafter each day that a violation continues shall constitute a separate violation. All judgments, costs and reasonable attorney fees collected for the violation of zoning ordinances shall be paid over to the municipality whose ordinance has been violated.
   2. The court of common pleas, upon petition, may grant an order of stay, upon cause shown, tolling the per diem fine pending a final adjudication of the violation and judgment.
   3. Nothing contained in this section shall be construed or interpreted to grant to any person or entity other than Tarentum Borough the right to commence any action for enforcement pursuant to this section.