Pine Lake City Zoning Code

(a)

Generally. Pursuant to O.C.G.A. §§ 40-6-372—40-6-376, 40-6-1—40-6-395 (except for O.C.G.A. §§ 40-6-393—40-6-394) known as the "Uniform Rules of the Road," are hereby adopted as and for the traffic regulations of this city with like effect as if recited herein.

(b)

Definitions. The definitions contained in O.C.G.A. § 40-1-1 are hereby adopted as and for the traffic regulations of the city with like effect as if fully recited herein.

(c)

Penalties. Unless another penalty is expressly provided by law, every person convicted of a violation of any provision of this article shall be punished as provided in section 1-9.

(Code 1986, § 8-1-1; Ord. No. 106, 1-18-1982; Ord. No. 8-1-1a, § 1, 11-12-1990)

The provisions of O.C.G.A. §§ 33-34-1 et seq., 36-32-7, 40-2-137, 40-6-10 are hereby adopted by reference and are made a part of this Code as fully as if set out at length herein. A copy of these provisions shall be maintained on file in the office of the city clerk. Any owner or any other person who knowingly operates or knowingly authorized another to operate a motor vehicle within the city without effective insurance thereon or without an approved plan of self-insurance as required by the state Motor Vehicle Accident Reparations Act shall, upon conviction, be punished as provided for in section 1-9.

(Code 1986, § 8-1-6)

(a)

The police chief or a designee thereof, upon approval by ordinance of the city council, is authorized to designate and maintain with appropriate traffic control signs, markings and devices after engineering and traffic investigations:

(1)

Speed zones;

(2)

Truck routes and streets to be designated specifically to prohibit various classes of trucks;

(3)

One-way streets and other directional control devices;

(4)

Freight loading and regulations;

(5)

Parking and no parking zones and regulations thereof;

(6)

Stop, yield and other right-of-way signs; and

(7)

Stop signals and other traffic signals.

(b)

The police chief or a designee thereof is authorized to issue written orders designating by appropriate traffic control signs, markings and devices after engineering and traffic investigations:

(1)

Pedestrian crosswalks;

(2)

Other safety zones for pedestrians;

(3)

Traffic lanes; and

(4)

Any other device or sign, marking or zone necessary for orderly and safe conditions on the streets of the city.

(c)

The police chief shall maintain or cause to be recorded a current schedule of all traffic rules, regulations and orders under this section, which record shall be available for inspection by the public. For items listed in subsection (a) of this section, this schedule, and any amendments thereto, shall become effective only upon approval thereof by ordinance of the city council and this schedule is hereby incorporated herein and copies thereof shall be available for public inspection in the office of the city clerk.

(d)

All traffic control signs, signals, devices and markings shall conform to the uniform regulations adopted by the state transportation board. All signs and signals required hereunder for a particular purpose shall, so far as practicable, be uniform as to type and location throughout the city. All traffic control devices so erected and not inconsistent with the provisions of state law or this Code shall be official traffic control devices of the city.

(e)

Any violation of any traffic zone, marking, sign or other traffic control device established hereunder shall be a violation of this Code.

(Code 1986, § 8-1-4)

If a driver uses a mobile telephone while he or she operates a moving motor vehicle and it is proven that the mobile telephone's usage distracted the driver from safe operation of such a vehicle and was a contributing factor in any collision resulting in death, physical injury and/or property damage, then the court is authorized to impose an additional fine up to $500.00 in addition to any other penalty or punishment imposed by the court for violation of the underlying traffic offense. The total fine amount shall not exceed the maximum fine amount allowed by this Code.

(Ord. No. 12-06, 9-26-2006)

No person shall operate or load any vehicle on the public streets and roads of the city unless the vehicle is constructed, loaded and securely covered so as to prevent any of its load from dropping, escaping or shifting in such a manner as to create a safety hazard or in such a manner so as to litter the streets and roads of the city.

(Code 1986, § 8-1-3)

State Law reference— Securing load to prevent danger and litter, O.C.G.A. § 40-6-248.1; securing load to prevent hazard, O.C.G.A. § 40-6-254.

(a)

No person upon roller skates, roller blades, skateboards, nonmotorized two-wheeled scooters, or riding in or by means of coasters, toy vehicle or similar device, shall go upon any roadway except while crossing a street on a crosswalk and when so crossing the person shall be granted all the rights and shall be subject to all duties applicable to pedestrians. This section shall not apply upon any street while set aside as a play street as authorized by resolution of this city.

(b)

There shall be no such activity on the sidewalks except under such terms and conditions as are expressly allowed by resolution for a designated area.

(c)

It shall be unlawful for persons skating or riding as herein provided to gather in crowds, or to create noise or be guilty of any disorderly conduct, or to take hold of or hang on to any automobile or other vehicle, or in any way to interfere with the natural progress of automobiles or other vehicles along and in the streets of the city, or for two or more persons to join hands while skating on the sidewalk. Any person so skating or riding shall give right-of-way to, and in no way interfere, with persons walking on the sidewalks.

(d)

Any person violating any provisions of this section shall be subject to the penalties herein provided for violation of this Code; provided, however, that any offender under the age of 17 years of age shall be dealt with as provided by the state law creating juvenile courts.

(e)

The parent of any child and the guardian of the person of any ward shall not authorize or knowingly permit any child or ward to violate any of the provisions of this section.

(Code 1986, § 8-1-7; Ord. of 11-14-1988, § 8-1-7)

Any person who shall violate any provision of this article shall, upon conviction be punished as provided in section 1-9.

(Code 1986, § 8-2-5)

In cases where traffic upon the streets of the city may become congested upon occasions of parades, at theaters and other public assemblages where large numbers of vehicles are assembled, the police chief may make temporary rules directing and regulating the traffic in these congested districts, and any person, after being warned of the temporary traffic regulations, who shall violate them shall be liable therefore as for other violations of this Code.

(Code 1986, § 8-1-2)

All persons are prohibited from engaging in driving procedures which obstruct the free flow of traffic in, around, over and through the streets, alleyways and other public ways of the city. Any person is prohibited from stopping his or her vehicle (except at a stop signal or stop sign, or to honor another driver's right-of-way, or in an emergency situation) in a manner as to obstruct the free and orderly flow of traffic by the maneuver, or to engage in unduly slow driving procedures so as to obstruct the free flow of traffic or to needlessly "circle the block" or dawdle or make unnecessarily rapid accelerations and decelerations or to in any other manner constitute a traffic nuisance or hazard.

(Code 1986, § 8-2-1)

(a)

No person shall operate any motor vehicle or tractor upon any of the streets and highways of the city at a greater speed than is reasonable and proper having regard to the width, traffic and use thereof, or so as to endanger the property or life and limb of any person.

(b)

Twenty-five miles per hour shall be the maximum speed on all streets or portions of streets within the city unless otherwise indicted by officially posted signs designating the maximum vehicular speed upon those streets as approved by the city council.

(Code 1986, § 8-2-2)

All traffic shall obey and be directed by official traffic control signals, signs and markings erected at street intersections and other locations now or hereafter approved by the city council.

(Code 1986, § 8-2-3)

It is unlawful for any person to operate any tracked or other vehicle having metal tracks or wheels upon the city streets.

(Code 1986, § 8-2-4)

(a)

Off system speed zones. The following speed zones are hereby established based on an engineering and traffic investigation as prescribed by law.

(1)

Clubhouse Drive from Rockbridge Road to Lakeshore Drive, a distance of 0.30 miles to be zoned for 25 miles per hour.

(2)

Hemlock Drive from Poplar Road to Lakeshore Drive, a distance of 0.30 miles to be zoned for 25 miles per hour.

(3)

Lakeshore Drive from Park Drive to Spruce Drive, a distance of 0.35 miles to be zoned for 25 miles per hour. Except as otherwise posted.

(4)

Magnolia Drive from Poplar Road to Lakeshore Drive, a distance of 0.25 miles to be zoned for 25 miles per hour.

(5)

Pine Drive from Poplar Road to Lakeshore Drive, a distance of 0.30 miles to be zoned for 25 miles per hour.

(6)

Ridge Drive from Spruce Drive to dead end, a distance of 0.40 miles to be zoned for 25 miles per hour.

(7)

Spruce Drive from Poplar Road to Ridge Drive, a distance of 0.60 miles to be zoned for 25 miles per hour.

(b)

Violation. All persons found guilty of a violation of this section shall be punished as provided in section 1-9.

(Code 1986, § 8-2-6; Ord. No. 92-03, § 8-2-6, 10-12-1992; Ord. of 8-11-1997, § 8-2-6)

State Law reference— Local authority to alter speed zones, O.C.G.A. § 40-6-183.

(a)

Any shrubbery, trees, signs and fences within ten feet of any street corner each way from the corner and the diagonal thereof within the city limits shall be cut or trimmed to a height of not more than 30 inches from the ground by the owner or occupant of the property.

(b)

If any person does not comply within ten days of notice to clear blind corners of shrubbery, trees, etc., the city shall have the right to remove such obstacles and shall assess the property owner for the cost thereof.

(Code 1986, § 8-1-5; Ord. No. 81, 2-1-1960; Ord. of 7-6-1964)

Any person who shall violate any provision of this article shall, upon conviction, be punished as provided in section 1-9.

(Code 1986, § 8-3-6)

Whenever a space is marked off on any highway for the parking of an individual vehicle, every vehicle there parked shall be parked within the lines bounding that space.

(Code 1986, § 8-3-1)

It is unlawful for the owner or operator of any motor vehicle or other vehicle to park the vehicle in any of the places on the streets and alleys of the city specifically designated by posted signs indicating the prohibited parking.

(Code 1986, § 8-3-2)

It is unlawful for the owner or operator of any motor vehicle or other vehicle to park the vehicle in any of the places on the days and between the hours indicated and specified by posted signs indicating the prohibited parking.

(Code 1986, § 8-3-3)

It is unlawful for the owner or operator of any motor vehicle, or other vehicle to park the vehicle or allow the vehicle to remain parked in any of the places on the streets and alleys of the city, at any time on the days and between the hours indicated and specified by posted signs limiting parking time in certain locations on certain days and hours.

(Code 1986, § 8-3-4)

It is unlawful for the owner or operator of any motor vehicle, or other vehicle to park the vehicle or allow the vehicle to remain parked in any locations on the streets and alleys of the city established and designated as special purpose parking zones indicated and specified by posted signs approved by the city council.

(Code 1986, § 8-3-5)

(a)

Parking on the streets of the city shall be restricted to operable, validly registered, insured and where applicable by state law, inspected, passenger vehicles and passenger vehicle sized or smaller commercial vehicles, except for trailers of any kind.

(b)

Vehicles prohibited for parking upon the streets of the city include, but are not limited to: buses, school buses, tractors, semi-tractors, tow trucks, earth moving equipment, recreational vehicles, flat bed trucks, moving vans, step vans, dump trucks, hearses, ambulances, limousines, taxicabs or other vehicles for hire, trailers of every kind, any vehicles not validly registered, insured and where applicable by state law, inspected, and any vehicles as now or in the future defined by state law as other than passenger vehicles or passenger cars.

(c)

All vehicles may be parked on the residential, commercial, business or professional property of the owner or occupant of the property provided all of the following conditions are met:

(1)

No portion of any vehicle, as restricted herein, shall be parked within five feet of a side or rear lot line.

(2)

No portion of any vehicle, as restricted herein, shall be visible from any point within 50 feet of the property line where such vehicle is located and from a vantage point of up to six vertical feet above the ground or street.

(3)

No portion of any vehicle, shall be parked on any surface other than a prepared surface as defined herein.

(4)

No portion of any vehicle shall be parked upon a front yard.

(5)

No portion of any vehicle shall be used for the purpose of storage or living quarters.

(6)

Parking on any residential street should only occur after all available off-street parking has been filled.

(d)

Prepared surface is defined as a surface consisting of one or more of the following: concrete, asphalt, crushed stone or gravel within dimensions as defined by other city codes.

(e)

A minimum fine per day or fraction of a day that any vehicle as restricted herein is parked within the city limits, in violation of this article, shall be assessed in addition to other fines or punishment upon conviction as provided by section 1-9.

(Code 1986, § 8-3-7; Ord. of 5-13-1996, § 8-3-7; Ord. of 2-10-1997, § 8-3-7; Ord. No. O00899, § 8-3-7, 7-12-1999)