Hereafter, no land shall be used or occupied, and no building or structure shall be erected, altered, used or occupied, except in conformity with the regulations herein established for the districts in which such land, building or structure is located, as well as all other applicable statutes.

In case of mixed occupancy within the same building or on the same lot, the regulations for each use shall apply to that portion of the building or land so used.

Zoning Officer. The Supervisors shall annually appoint a Zoning Officer to serve for a term of one year or until their successor is appointed and may appoint such Deputy Zoning Officers as it determines necessary from time to time. No person so appointed shall hold any elective office in the Township, and the Zoning Officer shall be able to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Supervisors a working knowledge of municipal zoning. The Zoning Officer and their deputies shall administer this chapter in accordance with its literal terms and shall not have the power to permit any construction or any use or change of use or occupancy which does not conform to this chapter. The Zoning Officer and any such Deputy are hereby given the power and authority to enforce this chapter, to institute enforcement proceedings and to prosecute violations, including, upon approval of the Supervisors, actions in equity as a means of enforcement.

Duties. The duties of the Zoning Officer and the Deputies shall be:

Zoning permits.

Applications. Application for a zoning permit shall be made in writing to the Zoning Officer on a form furnished by the Township and shall contain all information necessary for such officer to ascertain whether the proposed use of land, buildings, or other improvements which are the subject of the application complies with the provisions of this chapter, all other applicable Township ordinances and regulations, and all statutes and regulations of other governmental authorities having jurisdiction. No application is complete, nor shall it be accepted for filing, until all required documents have been filed and all fees have been paid. Township review and action relating to a zoning permit application is separate and apart from any authorizations or approvals an applicant may separately need from a homeowner association and/or under local planned community rules, if applicable; the Township does not opine on such nonmunicipal requirements in action on a zoning permit.

Building permits. Upon the issuance of a zoning permit, the applicant may file a written application on a Township-approved form for a building permit with the Building Code Official. No building permit shall be issued until the Zoning Officer has certified the proposed use by issuance of a zoning permit. It shall be unlawful for any person to commence work on the erection, alteration, enlargement, extension, or demolition of any building until a building permit has been issued.

Application for permits under this section, along with accompanying plans and data, may be submitted by the Zoning Officer to any appropriate governmental agency, authority, or representative for review and comment relative to compliance with existing statutes, and the Zoning Officer shall consider those comments in action on the application.

Applications for zoning permits shall specifically identify by name and date of approval the subdivision or land development plan creating the lot for which the permit is sought or shall supply sufficient information to identify the lot and verify its compliance with applicable zoning regulations. Applicants are encouraged to file with the application a copy of such plan for the purpose of expediting the Zoning Officer's processing of the application. At a minimum, the application shall be accompanied by three copies of the plan(s) drawn to scale and contain the following to verify conformity with this chapter:

Applications for permits required under this chapter shall be submitted by the landowner, or a designated representative proven to have authority to act for the landowner; provided, however, that responsibility for obtaining any required permit in compliance with this chapter shall be the responsibility of the property owner in title. No zoning permit application is complete unless it is accompanied by the requisite fee. Applications found to be incomplete will not be accepted or processed.

No permit shall be issued by the Zoning Officer except in conformity with the provisions of this chapter and other applicable Township ordinances and regulations, except upon written order of the Zoning Hearing Board, or, where it has jurisdiction, the Board of Supervisors, or a court of competent jurisdiction, as applicable; provided, however, permits issued pursuant to such written orders shall be subject to any conditions and stipulations imposed by such authorities.

In all instances in which the Zoning Officer has or expresses a reasonable doubt as to the ability of the proposed use, building or land to meet all of the requirements of this chapter or any other applicable Township ordinance or regulation, or those of any state agency or other regulatory authority having jurisdiction, it shall be incumbent upon the applicant to furnish to the Zoning Officer adequate evidence of compliance or ability to comply in support of his application. If the Zoning Officer determines that such adequate evidence has not been furnished, the zoning permit shall be denied. In the case that a permit is denied, the Zoning Officer shall send written notice to the applicant citing the reasons why the permit was denied within 30 days of when the Zoning Officer made the determination.

The parcel or parcels of land, building or structure, or parts thereof, for which an application is submitted shall be in full ownership of the applicant, or proof of equitable ownership satisfactory to the Zoning Officer shall be furnished at the time the application is filed.

Permits shall be granted or refused within 30 days from the date the application is filed with the Zoning Officer and shall be valid for a period not to exceed one year from the date of issuance. If construction is commenced under any such issued permit within such period, the Zoning Officer is authorized to extend the permit for a period not to exceed one additional year from the date of expiration of the initial one-year period. The Zoning Officer is authorized to revoke any zoning permit where there has been no substantial start to construction or when a cessation of construction work of more than six months has occurred.

A temporary zoning permit may be authorized by the Zoning Officer for a nonconforming structure or use which it deems beneficial to the public health or general welfare or which it deems necessary to promote the proper development of the community, provided that such nonconforming structure or use shall be completely removed upon expiration of the permit without cost to the Township. Such a permit shall be issued for a specified period of time, not exceeding one year.

The Board of Supervisors shall establish by resolution a schedule of fees, charges, and expenses and collection procedures for zoning permits, certificates of use and occupancy, special exceptions, variances, conditional uses, appeals, and other matters pertaining to this chapter. The schedule of fees shall be available for inspection in the office of the Township Secretary during normal business hours and may be amended by the Board by resolution. Such alterations shall not be considered an amendment to this chapter and may be adopted at any public meeting of the Board of Supervisors by resolution.

Fees so established for any application or appeal, pursuant to this chapter and paid to the Zoning Officer, shall accompany the application or appeal upon submission. The Zoning Officer shall have the sole discretion to determine the total amount due for an application or appeal.

Until all application fees, charges, and expenses have been paid in full, no appeal or application shall be accepted for filing, nor shall any action be taken thereon, nor shall any permit be issued.

If, at any time, the charges then made against the applicant's deposit shall render the balance insufficient to ensure payment of all expenses that may accrue in the disposition of the ending appeal or application, the Zoning Officer shall obtain from the applicant additional deposits to assure adequate funds to pay such expenses as they may accrue. Prior to final disposition of the matter, the amount of the deposit shall not be less than 15% of the initial deposit amount. The failure of the Zoning Officer to require and obtain additional deposits from time to time shall not relieve the applicant from any liability for expenses in excess of deposits.

In the event any building, structure, landscaping, or land is or is proposed to be erected, constructed, reconstructed, altered, converted, maintained, or used in violation of this chapter, the Board of Supervisors, the Zoning Officer, or any other enforcement officer of the Township, with the Supervisors' approval, in addition to other remedies, may institute any appropriate action or proceeding to prevent, restrain, correct, or abate such a building, structure, landscaping, or land or to prevent, in or about such premises, any such action, conduct, business, or use constituting a violation of this chapter by giving written notice of such action prior to the time the action is begun in accordance with this article. Written notice shall be given to the owner of the property served by the Zoning Officer or other enforcement officer of the Township, or by certified mail, at least 30 days prior to such action being taken. No such action may be maintained until such notice is given.

Whenever a violation of this chapter occurs or is alleged to have occurred, any person may file a written complaint. Such complaint, stating fully the causes and basis thereof, shall be filed with the Zoning Officer, who shall record such complaint, investigate, take action thereon as provided by this article and report to the Supervisors regarding the complaint and the action thereon.

Failure to secure a permit prior to the construction, alteration, extension, or demolition of any building or structure; failure to secure a permit prior to a change in use or occupancy of land, buildings, or structures; failure to secure a certificate of use and occupancy permit prior to the use or occupancy of any land, building, or structure; failure to obey or comply with any order or condition of approval of any special exception, variance, conditional use, or other zoning relief ordered by the Zoning Hearing Board or the Board of Supervisors, as applicable; failure to comply with an enforcement notice duly issued by the Zoning Officer or any authorized Township enforcement officer in relation to the provisions of this chapter; failure to take any action required as a condition of any use provisions of this chapter; failure to comply with a lawful directive of the Zoning Officer or any authorized Township enforcement officer issued under the provisions of this chapter; and the undertaking of any deliberate action which is contrary to the terms of this chapter shall constitute a violation of this chapter, and the Zoning Officer shall initiate enforcement proceedings by sending notice thereof as provided in this chapter. Enforcement proceedings shall commence when it appears that a violation of any provisions of this chapter occurs. By means of the enforcement notice, the Zoning Officer may order the discontinuance of illegal use of the land or structure(s), removal of illegal structure(s) thereto, or discontinuance of any illegal work being done. Upon receipt of such notice, discontinuance of the violation shall occur immediately.

The enforcement notice shall be sent to the owner of record of the parcel on which the violation has occurred, to any person who has filed a written request to receive such a notice regarding that parcel, and to any other person requested in writing by the owner of record of the parcel.

The enforcement notice shall state at least the following:

In any appeal of an enforcement notice to the Zoning Hearing Board, the Township shall have the responsibility of presenting its evidence first.

Any filing fees paid by a party to appeal an enforcement notice to the Zoning Hearing Board shall be returned to the appealing party by the Township, if the Zoning Hearing Board, or any court in a subsequent appeal, rules in the appealing party's favor.

The Magisterial District Judge shall have initial jurisdiction for all proceedings brought under this section.

Any person, partnership, or corporation who or which has violated or permitted the violation of the provisions of this chapter shall, upon being found liable in a civil enforcement proceeding commenced hereunder, pay a judgment of $500, plus all court costs, including reasonable attorneys' fees incurred by the Township as a result thereof. No judgment shall commence or be imposed, levied, or payable until the date of the determination of a violation by the Magisterial District Judge. In the event that any such person against whom the Magisterial District Judge has rendered a judgment neither pays nor timely appeals the judgment, the Township may enforce the judgment pursuant to the applicable Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure. Each day that a violation continues shall constitute a separate violation, unless the Magisterial District Judge determining that there has been a violation further determines that there was a good faith basis for such person violating this chapter to have believed that there was no such violation. In that latter event, there shall be deemed to have been only one such violation until the fifth day following the date of the determination of a violation by the Magisterial District Judge, and thereafter, each day that a violation continues shall constitute a separate violation. All judgments, costs, and reasonable attorneys' fees collected for the violation of this chapter shall be paid over to the Township.

The Court of Common Pleas, upon petition, may grant an order of stay, upon cause shown, tolling the per diem fine pending a final adjudication of the violation and judgment.

Nothing contained in this section shall be construed or interpreted to grant any person or entity, other than the Township, the right to commence any action for enforcement pursuant to this section.