§ 8-2083. Definitions.

Words used in the present tense include the future; the singular includes the plural and the plural includes the singular. Words and definitions are as follows:

(1)

Accessory structure —a structure, the use of which is incidental to that of the main building and which is attached thereto or located on the same premises;

(2)

Approved —permitted by the Building, Plumbing, Electrical, or Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning Codes of the City of Atlanta;

(3)

Basement —that portion of a building having less than one-half of its clear floor-to-ceiling height below the average grade of the adjoining ground;

(4)

Building or structure —that which is built or constructed, an edifice of any kind, or any piece of work artificially built or composed of parts joined together in some form. The terms "building" or "structure" shall be construed as if followed by the words "or part thereof." Garages, sheds, accessory buildings, of each and every type shall be considered buildings or structures within the meaning of this definition;

(5)

Cellar —that portion of a building having more than one-half of its clear floor-to-ceiling height below the average grade of the adjoining ground;

(6)

City —City of Atlanta, Georgia;

(7)

Court —the Municipal Court of the City of Atlanta, General Division;

(8)

Deterioration —the condition or appearance of a building or parts thereof, characterized by holes, breaks, rot, crumbling, cracking, peeling, rusting, or other evidence of physical decay or neglect, excessive use, or lack of maintenance;

(9)

Dilapidated —any building or structure which is unsafe, unsanitary or deteriorated in condition characterized by holes, breaks, rot, crumbling, cracking, peeling, rusting, or other evidence of physical decay or neglect, excessive use, or lack of maintenance;

(10)

Director, bureau of neighborhood conservation— the head of the bureau of neighborhood conservation or the authorized representative.

(11)

Enforcement officer— the director, bureau of neighborhood conservation of the city or the authorized representative.

(12)

Exposed to public view —any premises, or any part thereof, or any building, or any part thereof, which may be lawfully viewed by the public or any member thereof, from a sidewalk, street, alleyway, licensed open-air parking lot or from any adjoining or neighboring premises;

(13)

Exterior of premises —those portions of a building which are exposed to public view and the open space of any premises outside of any building erected thereon;

(14)

Extermination —the control and elimination of infestation by eliminating harboring places, removing or making inaccessible materials that may serve as food; and shall include pest control by poisoning, spraying, trapping, fumigation by the owner, occupant, a licensed fumigator, or any other recognized, legal, effective pest elimination procedure;

(15)

Fire hazard —anything or any act which increases or may cause an increase of the hazard or menace of fire to a greater degree than that customarily recognized as normal by persons in the public service of preventing, suppressing, or extinguishing fire; or which may obstruct, delay, or hinder or may become the cause of an obstruction, a delay, a hazard, or a hindrance to the prevention, suppression or extinguishment of fire;

(16)

Garbage —the animal and vegetable waste resulting from the handling, preparation, cooking, and consumption of food;

(17)

Good state of repair —a standard of maintenance that makes a building safe and habitable for its ordinary intended use, and that the materials used in any structure are sound and stable and performing the function for which intended;

(18)

Good working condition —the item is fully operable for the use for which it was intended.

(19)

Infestation —the presence, within or around a structure, of any insects, rodents, or other pests which may be harmful to the health or safety of the occupants or the soundness of the structure;

(20)

Junked vehicle —any automobile, truck, van, recreational vehicle, mobile home or trailer of any kind (or parts thereof) not within a completely enclosed structure which has been discarded, dismantled, junked, ruined, scrapped, wrecked in part or whole, abandoned, or which is inoperable or which cannot be legally operated on the public roads or which does not bear a current registration or a current license plate or a current state required inspection sticker.

(21)

Operator —any person who has charge, care or control of a building or part thereof;

(22)

Owner —any person having individual or joint or common title to property in any form defined by the laws of the State of Georgia as an estate or interest, whether legal or equitable and however acquired, in real property;

(23)

Person —an individual, a partnership, a joint venture, a corporation, an association and any other organization recognized as an entity by the laws of the State of Georgia;

(24)

Plumbing —all of the following supplied facilities and equipment: gas pipes, water pipes, garbage disposal units, waste pipes, water closets, sinks, lavatories, bathtubs, shower baths, catch basins, drains, vents, and any other similar supplied fixtures, together with all connection to water, sewer or gas lines;

(25)

Premises —buildings, dwellings, or grounds;

(26)

Property —land and whatever is erected or growing upon or affixed thereto;

(27)

Rubbish, litter or debris —combustible and noncombustible waste materials except garbage; and the term shall include but not be limited to the residue from the burning of wood, coal, coke, and other combustible material, paper, rags, cartons, boxes, wood, excelsior, rubber, leather, tree branches, yard trimmings, tin cans, metals, mineral matter, glass, crockery, and dust;

(28)

Structurally sound —free of imperfections which affect the intended use of a structure;

(29)

Supplied —furnished and installed by the owner or operator;

(30)

Unsafe building —any structure which is dilapidated or has defects creating or increasing the hazards of fire, accident, or other calamities, lack of ventilation, light, and sanitary facilities, other conditions which render the structure unsanitary, dangerous, or detrimental to health, safety, morals, or the general welfare of the inhabitants of the City of Atlanta;

(31)

Utility services —water, gas, electric and sewer services;

(32)

Weed shall mean all unrestricted vegetative growth, including Kudzu (Pueraria Montana var. lobta), Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) and nuisance plants; and

(33)

Workmanlike condition of maintenance and repair —that such maintenance and repair shall be made in a reasonably skillful manner and in accordance with the requirements of all applicable city codes.

(Code 1977, § 8-2083; Ord. No. 1998-27, §§ 1, 2, 5-12-98; Ord. No. 1999-75, § 1, 10-26-99; Ord. No. 2008-84(08-O-2059), § 14, 11-24-08; Ord. No. 2017-63(17-O-1275), § 8, 11-6-17 )