Ceres Municipal Code Ch. 01 Definitions and General Rules of Construction

For the purpose of this Code, the following words and phrases shall have the following meanings unless the context indicates or requires a different meaning.

Appeals Board means the City Council or any City committee, board, or commission empowered to interpret and enforce questions of the subject matter which is the basis of an administrative decision. The Appeals Board may be appointed by the City Council by resolution.

City or the City means the City of Ceres, California, a municipal corporation, and all of the territory within its boundaries.

Code, the Code, or this Code shall mean the Code of the City of Ceres, California, also known as the Ceres Municipal Code.

Council or City Council shall mean the City Council of the City of Ceres.

County, the County, or this County shall mean the county of Stanislaus of the State of California.

Operate or engage in includes carry on, keep, conduct, maintain, or cause to be kept or maintained.

Owner when pertaining to a building or land includes any part owner, joint owner, tenant in common, or joint tenant of the whole or part of such building or land.

Person shall mean any natural person, firm, association, joint venture, joint stock company, partnership, organization, club, company, corporation, business trust, or the manager, lessee, agent, servant, officer, or employee of any of them.

State shall mean the State of California.

Tenant or occupant when pertaining to a building or land includes any person who occupies the whole or part of such building or land, whether alone or with others.

(Ord. No. 2019-1053, § 1, 11-12-2019)

A. In the construction and interpretation of this Code, the following rules shall be observed unless the rules would be inconsistent with the manifest intent of the City Council or the context requires otherwise:

1. A citation to any federal, state, or local law, including, but not limited to, a constitutional provision, statute, charter, code, rule, or regulation, shall be construed to refer to that law as it exists at the time the citation is adopted and as it is subsequently amended or renumbered.

2. "May" is permissive and "shall" is mandatory.

3. All words in the present tense shall include the future tense.

4. All words in the singular number shall include the plural number, and all words in the plural number shall include the singular number, unless the natural construction of the wording indicates otherwise.

5. Designation of the form of any gender includes the masculine, the feminine, and the neutral genders.

6. Whenever certain hours are named in the Code, they shall mean Pacific Standard Time or Daylight Savings Time as may be in current use in the City.

B. All words and phrases shall be construed and understood according to their plain, or ordinary and usual meaning. Technical words and phrase as may have a peculiar and appropriate meaning and shall be construed and understood according to such peculiar and appropriate meaning.

C. When an act is required by an ordinance, such action shall be construed to be performed by a principal as well as any agent of the principal.

(Ord. No. 2019-1053, § 1, 11-12-2019)