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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOrdinance 6722 ORDINANCE NO. AN ORDINANCE REQUIRING FIRE LANES BY AMENDING CHAPTER 15 OF THE FORT WORTH CITY CODE (1964) , AS AMENDED, BEING THE FIRE CODE OF THE CITY OF FORT WORTH, BY AMENDING SECTION 15-10 AND BY ADDING THERETO SECTIONS 15-425 THROUGH 15-433, INCLUSIVE; PROVIDING DEFINITIONS; PROVIDING DESIGNATED AREAS FOR FIRE LANES; REQUIRING FIRE LANES; PROVIDING SPECIFICATIONS; REQUIR- ING FIRE LANE AND TOW-AWAY ZONE SIGNS AND PRO- HIBITING THEIR DESTRUCTION; PROVIDING FOR ABAN- DONMENT OR CLOSING OF FIRE LANES; PROHIBITING PARKING IN FIRE LANES; PROVIDING ISSUANCE OF PARKING CITATIONS AND IMPOUNDMENT; REQUIRING PLOT PLANS; MAKING THIS ORDINANCE CUMULATIVE OF PRIOR ORDINANCES; REPEALING ALL ORDINANCES AND PROVISIONS OF THE FORT WORTH CITY CODE IN CONFLICT HEREWITH; PROVIDING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE; PROVIDING A PENALTY; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS: SECTION 1. That Section 15-10 of Chapter 15 of the Fort Worth City Code (1964) , as amended, be and the same is hereby further amended, and, after being so amended shall hereafter read as follows: "Sec. 15-10. Definitions. "Fire Lane. Any area appurtenant to entrances or exits of a building deemed necessary and approved by the Fire Chief of the City of Fort Worth to re- main free and clear of obstructions for ready access to such building in case of fire or other emergencies, and, which in the discretion of the Fire Chief, may include sidewalks, driveways, portions of parking lots or any other area adjacent to or near the en- trances or exits to any building." SECTION 2. That Chapter 15 of the Fort Worth City Code (1964) , as amended, be and the same is hereby amended, and, after being so amended shall hereafter read as follows : "Sec, 15-425, Approval of fire lanes; appeal procedure. "The Fire Chief of the City of Fort Worth is hereby authorized to approve or disapprove all fire lanes on property appurtenant to build- ings or the entrances or exits to buildings, where, in his opinion, such areas must be kept free of parked vehicles and other obstructions to provide ready access to such buildings in case of fire or other emergencies. "An appeal from the decision of the Fire Chief may be taken whenever any party in inter- est is aggrieved by the decision of the Fire Chief on a proposed fire lane. Following the Fire Chief's decision, the aggrieved party may file a written appeal with the Supervisor of the Ap- plication Section of the Planning Department for review by the Development Review Board and final action by the City Plan Commission to de- termine whether or not the Fire Chief's decision should be affirmed, modified or reversed, "Sec, 15-426. Fire lanes; when required, "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 from a public street or high- way; 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 and a minimum height clearance of fourteen feet terminating within one hundred fifty feet of the farthest point of such struc- ture; provided further, however, that no fire lane shall be required for: (a) Buildings of noncombustible construc- tion when equipped with an approved automatic sprinkler system or stand- pipe system. (b) Any single-family, duplex or any multi-family dwellings. (c) Any building for which a building per- mit has been issued prior to the effec- tive date of this ordinance, unless the owner of the property agrees to voluntarily comply. -2- "Sec. 15-427. Same -- Specifications. "Any fire lane more than one hundred feet in length shall either connect at each end to a dedicated street or be provided with a turn- around having a minimum radius of fifty feet 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, man- ager or person in charge of the premises, and the City of Fort Worth shall never be responsi- ble for the maintenance thereof. "The Fire Chief or his authorized repre- sentative is hereby authorized to designate adequate fire lanes and/or turn-arounds to any building when deemed necessary for Fire De- partment access in the event of fire in such building. "Sec. 15-428. Same -- Fire lane signs; tow- away zone signs. "The owner, manager or person in charge of any building to which fire lanes have been approved by the Fire Chief or his authorized representative shall post and maintain appro- priate signs in conspicuous places along such fire lanes stating: 'NO PARKING - FIRE LANE. ' Such signs shall be twelve (12) inches wide and eighteen (18) inches high, with a compan- ion sign twelve (12) inches wide and six (6) inches 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. Drawings and samples of such signs may be obtained from the Fire Prevention Bu- reau of the City of Fort Worth. Standards for mounting, including but not limited to the height above the grade at which such signs are to be mounted, shall be adopted by the Fire Chief of the City of Fort Worth. "Sec. 15-429. Same -- Destruction of fire lane or tow -away zone signs. "It is hereby declared unlawful for any person, without lawful authority, to attempt or in fact alter, destroy, deface, injure, knock down or remove any sign designating a fire lane or tow-away zone erected under the terms of this ordinance. - 3 - "Sec. 15-430. Same -- 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 Chief of the City of Fort Worth. "Sec. 15-431. Parking in fire lane prohibited. "No person shall park, place, allow, permit or cause to be parked, placed or remain unattended any motor vehicle, trailer, boat or similar ob- struction 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 Depart- ment or the County Highway License Department showing the name of the person to whom the Texas Highway License or boat or trailer li- cense is issued shall constitute prima facie evidence of ownership by the named person. "Sec. 15-432. Enforcement; issuance of citations; impoundment of obstructions. "The Fire Chief, any member of the Fire Department designated by the Fire Chief, the Chief of Police or any member of the Police Department designated by the Chief of Police are hereby authorized to cause fire lanes to be maintained free and unobstructed at all times for Fire Department uses. "The Fire Chief, any member of the Fire Department designated by the Fire Chief, the Chief of Police or any member of the Police Department designated by the Chief of Police are hereby authorized to issue parking cita- tions for any motor vehicle, trailer, boat or similar obstruction found parked or un- attended in or upon a designated fire lane - 4 - and may have such obstruction removed by towing it to the City Auto Pound. Such vehicle or ob- struction may be redeemed by payment of the tow- age and storage charges in the same manner and at the same rate as any vehicle impounded in the City Auto Pounds. "No parking citation shall be voided nor shall the violator be relieved of any penalty assessed by a Judge of the Municipal Court for a violation of any provision by the redemption of the obstruction from the City Auto Pound. "Sec. 15-433, 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 Department for review by the Fire Chief of the City of Fort Worth. The Fire Chief then will approve or disapprove the designated fire lanes and indicate the needed signs and pavement mark- ings. One of these plans shall be retained by the City and the other returned to the owner for his use. "The contractor or person in charge of any construction site for commercial, industrial, mercantile, educational, institutional, assembly, hotel, motel, or mobile home park occupancies shall provide and maintain during construction an approved all-weather fire lane, not less than twenty (20) feet 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. " SECTION 3. That this ordinance shall be cumulative of all provisions of the Code of the City of Fort Worth (1964) , as amended, with respect to establishing fire lanes in the City of Fort Worth except in those instances where the provisions of this ordi- nance are in direct conflict with the provisions of such Code, in which instances said conflicting provisions of such Code are hereby repealed. -5- SECTION 4. That if any section, part of a section or provision of any section of this ordinance shall be held to be void, in- effective or unconstitutional by a court of competent juris- diction, the holding of such section, part of a section or provision of any section to be void, ineffective or uncon- stitutional for any cause whatsoever shall in no way affect the validity of the remaining sections and provisions of this ordinance, which shall remain in full force and effect. The City Council would not have passed any sections, parts of sections or provisions of any section of this ordinance that were unconstitutional, void or ineffective if it had known that they were unconstitutional, void or ineffective at the time of adopting this ordinance. SECTION 5. That any person, firm or corporation violating any of the provisions of this ordinance shall be fined in any sum not to exceed Two Hundred Dollars ($200.00) , and each viola- tion thereof shall constitute a separate offense. APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY: 0106 rA4a0&i)00i' City Attorney Adopted by the City Council September lF, 1972 Effective September 27, 1972 ""r City of Fort Worth, Texas coast;, . G RAN A~ Mayor and Council Communication /SNF• PAIGE DATE REFERENCE SUBJECT: Adoption of Ordinance PAGE NUMBERequiring Fire Lanes 2 JomHORO 8/28/72 G-2052 1 of With the assistance of the Fire Chief, the City Attorney and City building officials, a proposed ordinance has been prepared providing for fire lanes in all new developments except for single family and duplex residences which will improve the access for fire fighting equipment in cases of emergency. The proposed ordinance defines a fire lane as any area appurtenant to entrances or exits of a building deemed necessary and designated by the Fire Chief of the City of Fort Worth to remain free and clear of obstructions for ready access to such building in case of fire or other emergencies. Such fire lanes, at the discretion of the Fire Chief, may include sidewalks, drive- ways, portions of parking lots or other areas adjacent to or near the entrances or exits of any building. The ordinance provides that the Fire Chief of the City of Fort Worth is authorized to designate fire lanes on property appurtenant to buildings or the entrances or exits of buildings, where, in his opinion, such areas must be kept free of parked vehicles and other obstructions to provide ready access to such buildings in case of fire or other emergency. The ordinance provides that fire lanes shall be required on any new construction when any part of the structure is more than one-hundred and fifty feet (150') from a public street or highway except when the building is of noncombustible con- struction and equipped with an approved automatic sprinkler system or standpipe system, or when the building is to be used_as a single family or duplex dwelling. The proposed ordinance contains a provision exempting existing buildings unless the owner thereof agrees to voluntary compliance. The ordinance further provides specifications for these fire lanes, signs designating the area as a fire lane, prohibits parking or other obstruction in the fire lanes, and provides for the issuance of parking citations and impoundment if required, of vehicles obstructing the designated fire lanes. Prior to the issuance of a building permit, the Fire Chief will designate on the. plot plan the required fire lanes and indicate the needed signs and pavement markings. The contractor or person in charge of the construction site for commercial, industrial, mercantile, educational, institutional, assembly, hotel, motel, multi-family dwelling, or mobile home park occu- pancies shall provide and maintain an approved all weather fire lane, not less than twenty feet (20') in width, as shown on the plot plan approved by the Fire Chief. Such fire lanes shall be completed at the time construc- tion has progressed to completion of the first foundation. DATE REFERENCE SUBJECT: Adoption of Ordinance PAGE NUMBER 8/28/72 G-2052 Requiring Fire Lanes 2 of 2 The ordinance provides that violation of any provision shall be subject to fine of a sum not to exceed two-hundred dollars ($200) , and each violation thereof shall constitute a separate offense. The ordinance shall become effective and be in full force and effect thirty days from or after the date of its passage and publication as required by law. Recommendation It is recommended that the City Council adopt an ordinance requiring fire lanes by amending Chapter 15 of the Fort Worth City Code (1964) as amended, being the Fire Code of the City of Fort Worth, by amending Section 15-10 and by adding thereto Sections 15-425 through 15-433 inclusive, providing for fire lanes and the enforcement of the same as outlined above. RNL:ms SUBMITTED BY: DISPOSITION B UNCIL: PROCESSED BY PROVED 0 /ER (DESCRIBE)/ j J � t LTJ��fJ'YJ 7p- IEC KTARY rv,' DATE CITY MANAGEROEM I"h Section 1. A "Fire Lane" is defined for the purpose of 'this ordinance to mean any area appurtenant to entrances or exits of a building deemed necessary by the Fire Chief to remain free and clear of parked vehicles for access to such building in case of fire or other emergency ar_d designated by him as such and may, in the discretion of the vire Chief include sidewalks, driveways, portions of parking lots, or any other area adjacent to or near the entrances or exits to any building. Section 2. The Fire Chief of the City of Fort worth is hereby authorized to designate fire lanes on property appurtenant to buildings or the entrances or exits to buildings, where, in his opinion, such areas must be kept free of parked vehicles and other obstructions to provide ready access to such buildings, in case of fire or other emergencies. Section 3. Fire Lanes; when reouired. No building of any type construction for any occupancy, except buildings of all noncombustible construction throughout w1ien equipped with an approved automatic sprinkler system or standpipe system and any single-family or duplex dwelling, together with buildings accessory thereto, shall be constructed in such a way that any part of the structure is more than 150 feet from a public street or highway; provided, that said structure may be erected at a greater distance if the owner dedicates, constructs and maintains a fire lane or access easement having a minimum width of 20 feet and a minimum height clearance of 1L feet terminating within 150 feet of the farthest point of said structure. 1 A. Any such fire lane, more than 100 feet long, shall either connect at both ends to a dedicated street or be provided with a turn-around having a minimum radius of 50 feet, curb to curb. B. 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 Fort Worth shall never be responsible for the mainten- ance thereof. C. The Fire Chief or his designated representative is hereby authorized to designate adequate fire lanes and/or turn-arounds to any building when deemed necessary for fire department access in the event of fire in such building. Section 4. The owner, manager or person in charge of any building to which fire lanes, or turn-arounds have been designated by the Fire Chief or his designated representative shall post and maintain appropriate signs in conspicuous places along such fire lanes or torr-arounds stating "FIR; LANE - NO PARKING" . The Fire Chief or his duly authorized representative or the Chief of Police or his authorized representative is hereby authorized to cause such streets, fire lanes and burr.-arounds to be maintained free and unobstructed at all times for fire department uses. "Appropriate signs", as required in this paragraph, NO PARKING - FIRS; LANE, sign shall be twelve (12) inches wide and eighteen (18) inches tall with a companion sign twelve (12) inches wide and six (6) inches tall stating tow a way zone, the lowest projection of signs to be not less than six and one half (621) feet above grade. The above signs to be painted on a white background with symbols, letters and border in red. Drawings or samples of same to be obtained from the Fire Prevention Bureau of the City of Fort Worth and such standards of mounting, including but not limited to the height above the grade at which such sign is to be mounted, to be adopted by the Fire Chief of the City of Fort Worth. 2 Section 5. Abandonment or Closure of Fire Lanes. No owner, manager or person in charge of any premises served by a required fire lane shall abandon or close any such fire lane without written permission of the Fire Chief. Section 6. Parking in Fire Lanes Prohibited. A. No person shall park or place nor allow, permit or suffer to be parked or placed or to remain unattended any motor vehicle, trailer, boat, machinery or similar obstruction within or upon an area desig- nated or dedicated as a fire lane and marked by an appropriate sign placed in a conspicuous place. B. If a motor vehicle, trailer, boat, machinery or similar obstruction is found parked or unoccupied within an area designated or dedicated as a fire lane as required by this section, the same is hereby declared a nuisance per se, and the fact that such motor vehicle, trailer, boat, machinery or similar obstruction is parked or is unattended 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. C. The records of the State Highway Department or the County Highway License Department showing the name of the person to whom the Texas Highway License or boat or trailer license was issued shall constitute prima facie evidence of ownership by the named person. 3 Section 7. Issuance of Citations and Impoundment of Obstructions. A. If any motor vehicle, trailer, boat, machinery or similar obstruction is found parked or unattended in or upon a properly marked fire lane which has either been designated or dedicated as a fire lane, the Fire Chief or any member of the Fire Department designated by the Fire Chief or the Chief of Police or his authorized representative is hereby authorized to issue a citation for such violation, and may have such obstruction removed by towing it to the City Auto round. Such vehicle or obstruction may be redeemed by payment of the to-rage and storage charges in the same manner and at the same rate as any vehicle impounded in the City Auto Pound. B. No citation as provided for in Paragraph 1 above shall be voided by the redemption of the obstruction from the Auto Pound, nor shall the violator be relieved of any penalty assessed by a Judge of the Municipal Court for a violation of any provision of this section. Section 8. A. Prior to the issuance of a building permit two (2) plot plans shall be submitted to the Building Inspection Department for review by the Fire Chief. The Fire Chief will they_ designate on each plot plan the required fire lanes and indicate the needed signs and pavement markings. One of these plans shall be retained by the City and the other returned to the owner .for his use. B. rhe contractor or person in charge of any construction site for commercial, industrial, mercantile, educational, institutional , assembly, hotel, motel, multi-family dwelling, or mobile home park occupancies shall provide and maintain an approved all-weather access fire lane, not less than 20 faat in width, as shown on approved site plans. Such access lane shall be complete at such time that construction has progressed to completion of the first foundation. Section °. It is hereby declared to be unlawful for any person, without lawful authority, to attempt to or in fact alter, deface, injure, knock down, or remove any sign desigrating a fire lane which has beer. erected under the terms of this ordinance. Section 10. Any person found guilty of a violation of this ordinance shall, upon conviction, ba subject to a fine of not Less than Five Dollars (4`5.00) and not exceeding Two Hundred Dollars (,1`200.00) . L:ach day such violation is allowed to continue shall constitute a separate offense. Section. 11. This ordinance shall become effective thirty (30) days after final passage hereof. Section 12. If any provision, section., sub-section, sentence, clause or phrase of this ordinance, or the applicatior, of same to any person or set of circumstancas is for any reason held to be unconstitutional, void or invalid, the validity of the remaining portions of this ordir:arce or their applicatior, to other persons or sits of circumstance shall not be affacted thereby, it being the intent of the City Council in adopting this ordirar.ce that no portion thereof or provision, or rePrila}ion contained herein, shall become inoperative or fail by reason of any u.rcorstitutioralit_Y of any other portion hereof ar.d all provisions of this ordinance ars, decla.re,l to be severable for that purpose. 5 12 "Holes S: t $ u �M 4 + F ` j 4 00 71 ;V R Ne t R7 - 1 12" x 18" Letters - Red ;vmbo1 - Red i�k-)rder - Red ic"'grot,nd - White Reflective or White A-104 P m 12 2—. :I- rA 8Holes IR ' W w 3�. 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