South El Monte Municipal Code Ch. 9.16 Offenses Against Property

Every person who owns, or is in control and/or possession of any real property who permits to exist on any part thereof any of the following conditions is declared to be guilty of a misdemeanor:

A. Unsightly and/or unsafe property erosion or subsidence;

B. Stagnant water caused by inadequate drainage;

C. Overgrown vegetation, weeds or dead, decayed or diseased trees or other vegetation which constitute an unsightly appearance, or which are dangerous to public safety or welfare, or which are detrimental to nearby property or property values. "Weeds," as used in this chapter, includes any of the following:

1. Weeds which bear seeds of a downy or wingy nature,

2. Sagebrush, chaparral, and any other brush or weeds which attain such large growth as to become, when dry, a fire menace to adjacent improved property,

3. Weeds which are otherwise noxious or dangerous,

4. Poison oak and poison ivy when the conditions of growth are such as to constitute a menace to the public health,

5. Dry grass, stubble, brush, litter, or other flammable material which endangers the public safety by creating a fire hazard;

D. Storage or accumulation of debris, rubbish and trash visible from the public right-of-way for a period of twenty-four hours;

E. Storage or accumulation of broken, discarded or inoperable household furnishings, appliances, tools or machinery, play equipment or other similar items when visible from the public right-of-way;

F. Materials or items of any kind stored on rooftops when visible from the public right-of-way or from neighboring properties;

G. Clothes lines in front yard areas;

H. Garbage or trash cans or containers: (1) stored in front of side-yard areas which are visible from the public right-of-way, or (2) emitting offensive odors to adjacent properties;

I. Any structures or buildings or other improvements, either permanent or temporary, which:

1. Are structurally unsafe, either entirely or partially,

2. Have faulty weather protection including, but not limited to, crumbling, cracked, missing, broken or loose exterior plaster or other siding, roofs, foundations, floors, windows or doors or lack of paint or other protective finish,

3. Constitute a fire hazard,

4. Are left in a partially constructed state for a period of one week and for which a construction or building permit, if any, has expired,

5. Are unoccupied or abandoned and which have been left open and unlocked or otherwise unsecured so as to be accessible to persons and animals or unprotected from the elements,

6. Are neglected or maintained in a condition which contributes substantially to the deterioration and unsightliness of the neighborhood or of the community. This neglect includes, but is not limited to, building exteriors, walls, fences, driveways and walkways visible from the public right-of-way or other public property;

J. Fences or walls which are unsightly, unsafe, in a state of disrepair or which hinder or obstruct access to public sidewalks;

K. Attractive nuisances, including, but not limited to, unsecured and/or hazardous pools, ponds, refrigerators or excavations;

L. On-site and off-site signs which advertise uses no longer conducted, or products no longer sold;

M. Commercial signs located on any building which has been vacant for more than forty-five days, excluding signs advertising the building for sale, lease or rent;

N. Temporary signs which advertise or relate to events which have already taken place;

O. Abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative automobiles, trailers, campers, boats or similar vehicles;

P. Swimming pools maintained or operated in such a manner which allows the pool(s) to become breeding places for mosquitoes or other insects.

(Prior code §5-15-1; Ord. 997 §1, 1997)

Persons owning, operating, managing or conducting business upon such premises as defined by Section 10.28.010 of this Code shall arrange for the daily removal of all garbage, cans, bottles, papers, paper fragments, ashes, refuse, dead animal carcasses, offal, trash or rubbish of any kind by mechanical or other acceptable means from all portions of the premises.

(Ord. 941 §1, 1993)