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AN ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING MINIMUM STANDARDS GOVERNING THE USE, OCCUPANCY AND MAINTENANCE OF DWELLINGS, DWELLING UNITS AND ACCESSORY STRUCTURES; ESTABLIHSING MINIMUM STANDARDS GOVERNING SUPPLIED UTILITIES AND FACILITIES, AND OTHER PHYSICAL THINGS AND CONDITIONS ESSENTIAL TO MAKE DWELLINGS SAFE, SANITARY, AND FIT FOR HUMAN HABITATION; ESTABLISHING MINIMUM STANDARDS GOVERNING THE CONDITION AND MAINTENANCE OF DWELLINGS AND ACCESSORY STRUCTURES; FIXING CERTAIN RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES OF OWNERS AND OCCUPANTS OF DWELLINGS; CREATING A BOARD OF HOUSING CODE APPEALS AND FIXING THE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES THEREOF; AUTHORIZING THE INSPECTION OF DWELLINGS AND ACCESSORY STRUCTURES AND PROVIDING FOR THE CONDEMNATION OF ALL BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES DEEMED UNFIT FOR HUMAN HABITATION AND USE; AND, FIXING PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS (NOTE: THIS ORDINANCE WAS AMENDED BY ORD-71:2483 ON OCTOBER 18, 1971; ORD-74:2400 ON FEBRUARY 18, 1974)
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WHEREAS, within the area of jurisdiction of the City of Jonesboro, Arkansas, there are or may be dwellings, dwelling units and accessory structures which are unfit for human habitation and use due to inadequate maintenance, obsolescence or abandonment; containing defects increasing the hazards of fire, accident, or other calamities, and which by reason of the lack of maintenance, inadequate ventilation, light and sanitary facilities or other conditions rendering such dwellings and accessory structures unsafe, unsanitary and dangerous or detrimental to the health, safety, morals, and general welfare of the community; and
WHEREAS, experience and accepted national housing surveys have clearly demonstrated that such conditions result in a large measure from improper maintenance, inadequate sanitary facilities, over-crowded conditions in residential occupancies, buildings and premises and from general neighborhood neglect; and,
WHEREAS, it has now become common knowledge that these conditions can be relieved, in a measure prevented and often eliminated through planned and properly enforced minimum housing standards, resulting thereby in the upgrading of living conditions and an overall enhancement of the general health, safety and welfare of all residents and property owners of the community; and,
WHEREAS, the Southern Building Code Congress, a non-profit association, has developed and made available a set of minimum housing standards which have been recognized as being acceptable as a model housing code; and,
WHEREAS, Arkansas Statutes Annotated ยง19-2421 provides that such model codes made be adopted by reference.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT ENACTED, THAT,
Section 1: The Southern Standard Housing Code, being particularly the 1965 edition thereof and the whole thereof, save and except such portions as may hereinafter be amended, of which not less than three (3) copies have been and are now filed in the Office of the Clerk of the City of Jonesboro, Arkansas, and the same are hereby adopted and incorporated as fully as if said was set forth at length herein, and from the date on which this ordinance shall take effect, the provisions therein shall be controlling in the use, maintenance and occupancy of all dwellings, dwelling units and/or structures within the area of the jurisdiction of the City of Jonesboro, Arkansas.
Section 2: Nothing in this ordinance or in the code hereby adopted shall be constructed to affect any suit or proceedings now pending in any court, or any rights acquired or liability incurred, nor any cause or causes of action accrued or existing, under any act or ordinance repealed hereby. Nor shall any right or remedy of any character be lost, impaired or affected by this ordinance.
Section 3: The invalidity of any section or provision of this ordinance or the code hereby adopted shall not invalidate other sections or provisions thereof.
Section 4: All ordinances or parts of ordinances in force at the time that this ordinance shall take effect and inconsistent with this ordinance are hereby repealed.
Section 5: A state of emergency is hereby declared to exist, therefore; this ordinance shall take effect immediately upon passage for the welfare of the City of Jonesboro, Arkansas, requiring it.
PASSED and ADOPTED this 17th day of June, 1968.