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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1981-1271 - Ordinance - 02/26/1981ORDINANCE NO. 1271 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS AMENDING CHAPTER 6, SECTION 1 OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCE, CITY OF COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS. BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLLEGE STATION: That Chapter 6, Section 1 -A and Section 1 -B of the Code of Ordinance, City of College Station, Texas is hereby amended to read as follows: A. Standard Fire Prevention Code Adopted 1. The Standard Fire Prevention Code, specifically the 1979 Edition with 1980 Revisions thereto, published by the Southern Building Code Congress, a copy of which is on file in the office of the city secretary of the City of College Station, Texas, is hereby adopted and designated as the fire prevention code of the City of College Station. Said code is adopted to the same extent as though such code were copied at length herein, subject however to the omissions, additions, supplements, and amendments contained in this section. 2. The Life Safety Code Handbook, specifically the 1978 Edition published by the National Fire Protection Association, a copy of which is on file in the office of the city secretary of the City of College Station, Texas, is hereby adopted and designated as the life safety code of the City of College Station. Said code is adopted to the same extent as though such code were copied at length herein. B. Amendments to the Fire Prevention Code The above referenced Standard Fire Prevention Code is hereby amended as follows: 1. Section 5.02 shall be amended by making the definition of assembly to read: "Assembly - means the congregation or gathering of seventy -five (75) or more persons in one room or space for such purposes of recreation, entertainment, worship, amusement, awaiting transportation, instruction, deliberation, and drinking and dining." 2. Section 15.04 (b) shall be deleted. 3. Section 15.10 (d) shall be amended to read: (d) An independent and separate source of power shall be provided for exit signs in all occupancy classifica- tions listed below, subject to the occupant content noted: Occupant Minimum Occupant Content Assembly (A) All Institutional (I) All Mercantile (M) Greater than 150 Residential (R) Greater than 100 Educational (E) Greater than 300 4. Section 15.11 (b) shall be amended to read as follows: (b) A separate or emergency source of illuminate shall be provided in the following occupancies: Assembly (A) All Institutional (I) All Mercantile (M) Over 150 capacity Residential (R) Over 100 capacity A ORDINANCE NO. 1271 Amendments to the Fire Prevention Code - Section 15.11 (b) cont'd. Educational (E) Business (B) Over 300 capacity Over 150 capacity Page 2 The duration of the emergency power source shall be not less than one and one -half (1 -1/2) hours. In 5. Section 17.06 shall be amended to read as follows: "The presence of any fireworks within the jurisdiction of the city in violation of this article is hereby declared to be a common and public nuisance. The Fire Marshal is directed and required to seize and cause to be safely destroyed any fireworks found in violation of this article and any member of the Fire Prevention Division of the Fire Department or any Police Officer of the City or any other duly constituted Peace Officer is empowered to stop the transportation of and detain any firework §.found being transported illegally or to close any building where any fireworks are found stored illegally until the Fire Marshal can be notified in order that such fireworks may be seized and destroyed in accordance with the terms of this section. Notwithstanding any penal provision of this article, the City Attorney is authorized to file suit on behalf of the City or the Fire Marshal, or both, for such injunctive relief as may be necessary to prevent unlawful storage, transportation, keeping or use of fireworks within the jurisdiction of the City and to aid the Fire Marshal in the discharge of his duties and to particularly prevent any person from interfering with the seizure and destruction of such fireworks, but it shall not be necessary to obtain any such injunctive relief as a prerequisite to such sdizure and destruction. 6. Section 20.71 (a) Shall be amended to read as follows: (a) No Class I liquid shall be dispensed within a service station building, except as provided in this Section. Class II and III liquids may be dispensed in lubrication or service rooms of a service station building provided the heating equipment complies with Section 20.707. Delivery of any flammable or combustible liquid shall be made only into metal containers equipped with a cap or other similar device sufficient to prevent the escape of vapors. The dispensing of flammable liquids into the fuel tank of a vehicle or into a container shall be under the supervision of a qualified attendant except service stations not open to the public. Such stations may be used by commercial, industrial, governmental or manufacturing establishments for fueling vehicles used in connection with their business. 7. A new Section 20.1013 shall be added to read as follows: "At no time while discharging flammable liquids shall the driver or operator be out of sight and reach of the discharge valves. If at any time while discharging, the operator must leave the truck, for any reason, he shall shut down all valves until he returns and shall be totally responsible for any and all spillage." 8. A new Chapter 42, "FIRE LANES" shall be added to read as follows: 42.101 When Required (a) No building of any type construction for occupancy shall be constructed in such a manner that any part of the structure is more than one hundred fifty feet (150') from a public street or highway; provided, however, that such structure may be erected at a greater distance if the owner designates, constructs, and maintains a fire lane or access easement having a minimum width of twenty feet (20') and a minimum height clearance of fourteen feet (14') terminating within one hundred fifty feet (150') of the furthest point of such structure; providing further, however, that no fire a e s all ORDINANCE NO. 1271 Page 3 be required for any single family or duplex dwelling. 42.101 (b) The fire marshal is hereby authorized to establish fire lanes during any fire, and to exclude all persons other than those authorized to assist in extinguishing the fire or the owners or occupants of the burning property from within such lanes. 42.102 Specifications (a) Any fire lane more than one hundred feet (100') in length shall either connect at each end to a dedicated street or be provided with a turnaround having a minimum radius of fifty feet (50') when measured from curb to curb. All fire lanes shall be maintained and kept in a state of good repair at all times by the owner, manager, or person in charge of the premises, and the City of College Station shall never be responsible for the maintenance thereof. The fire official or his authorized representative is hereby authorized to designate adequate fire lanes and /or turnarounds to any building when deemed necessary for fire department access in the event of fire in such building. 42.103 Fire Lane Signs; Tow -Away Zone Signs (a) The owner, manager, or person in charge of any building to which firelanes have been approved by the fire official or his authorized representative shall post and maintain appropriate signs in conspicuous places along such fire lanes stating "No Parking - Fire Lane." Such signs shall be twelve inches (12 ") wide and eighteen inches (18 ") high, with a companion sign twelve inches (12 ") wide and six inches (6 ") high stating "Tow -Away Zone." Any "No Parking - Fire Lane" or "Tow -Away Zone" sign shall be painted on a white background with symbols, letters and border in red. Drawing and samples of such signs may be obtained from the fire department of the City of College Station. Standards for mounting, including but not limited to, the height above the grade at which such signs are to be mounted, shall be as adopted by the fire official of College Station. (b) Where the placement of such signs is not applicable or when in the opinion of the fire chief or his representative, such signs would cause a burden on the management. Any "No Parking - Fire Lane" or "Tow -Away Zone" curb marking shall be painted on a yellow background with symbols and letters in black. Such lettering shall be a minimum of four inches (4 ") in height. Such lettering shall state "No Parking - Fire Lane - Tow -Away Zone." 42.104 Destruction of Fire Lane or Tow -Away Signs It is hereby unlawful for any person, without lawful authority to attempt or in fact alter, destroy, deface, injure, knock down, or remove any sign designated a fire lane or tow -away zone erected under the terms of this code. 42.105 Abandonment or Closing No owner, manager, or person in charge of any premises served by a required fire lane shall abandon or close such fire lane without written permission of the fire official of the City of College Station. ORDINANCE NO. 127 1 Page 4 42.106 Parking in Fire Lanes Prohibited No person shall park, place, allow, permit, or cause to be parked, placed, or remain unattended, any motor vehicle, trailer, boat, or semilar obstruction within or upon an area designated as a fire lane and marked by an appropriate sign. Any motor vehicle, trailer, boat, or similar obstruction found parked or unoccupied within an area designated as a fire lane as required by this section is hereby declared a nuisance per se and any such motor vehicle, trailer, boat, or similar obstruction parked or unoccupied in such a manner as to obstruct in whole or in part any such fire lane shall be prima facie evidence that the registered owner unlawfully parked, placed, or permitted to be parked or placed such obstruction within a fire lane. The records of the state highway department of the county highway license department showing the name of the person to whom the Texas Highway License or boat or trailer license is issued shall constitute prima facie evidence of ownership by the named person. 42.107 Modifications The fire official of the fire department shall have power to modify any of the provisions of the code hereby adopted upon application in writing by the owner or lessee, or his duly authorized agent, when there are practical difficulties in the way of carrying out the strict letter of the code; provided that the spirit of the code shall be observed, public safety secured, and substantial justice done. The particulars of such modification when granted or allowed and the decision of the fire official of the fire department thereon shall be entered upon the records of the department and a signed copy shall be furnished the applicant. 42.108 Enforcement; Issuance of Citations; Impoundment of Obstructions The fire official or any member of the fire department designated by the fire official, the chief of police, or any member of the police department designated by the chief of police are hereby authorized to issue parking = citations for any motor vehicle, trailer, boat, or similar obstruction found parked or unattended in or upon a designated fire lane and may have such obstruction removed by towing it away. Such vehicle or obstruction may be redeemed by payment of the towage and storage charges. No parking citations shall be voided nor shall the violator be relieved of any penalty assessed by a judge of the municipal court for any provision by the redemption of the obstruction from the storage facility. 42.109 Submission of Plot Plans; Duties of Contractors Prior to the issuance of a building permit, two (2) plot plans with designated fire lanes shall be submitted to the building inspection depart- s went for review by the fire official of the City of College Station. The fire official then will approve or disapprove the designated fire lanes and indicate the needed signs and pavement markings. One (1) of these plans shall be retained by the City of College Station and the other returned to �11r+ the owner for his use. 0336 ORDINANCE NO. 1271 Page 5 The contractor or person in charge of any construction site for commer- cial, industrial, mercantile, educational, institutional, assembly, hotel, motel, multi - family dwelling, or mobile home park occupancies shall provide and maintain during construction an approved all - weather fire lane, not less than twenty feet (20') in width, as shown on approved plot plans. Final paving of such fire lane shall be completed prior to issuance of any certificate of occupancy. 42.110 Penalties Any person who shall violate any of the provisions of the code hereby adopted or fail to comply herewith, or who shall violate or fail to comply with any order made thereunder, or who shall build in violation of any detailed statement of specifications or plans submitted and approved thereunder, or any certificate or permit issued thereunder, and from which no appeal has been taken, or who shall fail to comply with such an order as affirmed or modified by the City of College Station, shall severally for each and every violation and noncompliance respectively, be guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not less than five dollars ($5.00) nor more than two hundred dollars ($200.00), or by im- prisonment for not less than two (2) days, nor more than ten (10) days, or both such fine and imprisonment. The imposition of one (1) penalty for any violation shall not excuse the violation or permit it to continue; and all such persons hsall be required to correct or remedy such violations or defects within a reasonable time; and when not otherwise specified, each ten (10) days that prohibited conditions are maintained shall con- stitute a separate offense. The application of the above penalty shall not be held to prevent the enforced removal of prohibited conditions. C. Chapter 6, Section 1 -C of the Code of Ordinance of the City of College Station, Texas is hereby repealed. Passed and approved on the 26th day of February, 1981. APPRO Mayor ATTEST City Secretary