The zoning officer shall be appointed by the town council of the Town of Warren, and may serve as both the zoning officer and the building inspector for the town. The zoning officer shall have, as minimum qualifications, a demonstrated familiarity with the zoning and other development regulations of the town, and at least five (5) years experience in the building or related construction trade industry, or similar experience in planning, zoning or related fields.

It shall be the duty of the zoning officer of the Town of Warren to administer and enforce the provisions of this ordinance, including:

A.

The issuing of any required permits or certificates;

B.

Collection of required fees;

C.

Keeping of records showing the compliance of uses of land;

D.

Authorizing commencement of uses or development under the provisions of this zoning ordinance;

E.

Inspection of suspected violations;

F.

Issuance of violation notices with required correction action;

G.

Collection of fines for violations; and

H.

Performing such other duties and taking such actions as may be assigned in this ordinance.

The zoning officer shall, upon written request, issue a zoning certificate or provide information to the requesting party as to his determination within fifteen (15) days of the written request. In the event that no written response is provided within that time, the requesting party shall have the right to appeal to the zoning board of review for the determination. Any material misstatement by a requesting party shall void said certificate. The fee for a zoning certificate shall be of an amount as established in the current fee schedule adopted by the Warren Town Council.

After the effective date of this ordinance, no land shall be used and no building, structure, fence or sign shall be erected, modified, enlarged or placed into use until a building permit, or if necessary a zoning permit, has been issued by the zoning officer. This requirement shall not apply to uses lawfully existing at the time of adoption of this ordinance, but shall apply to any new use of a structure or land initiated subsequent to the effective date of this ordinance. No zoning permit may be issued by the zoning officer for any action or use not in conformity with all of the provisions of this ordinance, except where the zoning officer is notified by the zoning board of review of the granting of a special use permit or a variance.

An application for a zoning permit shall be made in duplicate on forms supplied by the zoning officer who shall require the submission of such plans, specifications or other pertinent data, in duplicate, to determine conformity with this ordinance. Upon approval of an application for a zoning permit, the zoning officer shall so endorse the application form and all accompanying submissions and return one (1) copy to the applicant. The duplicate copy of all materials shall be retained by the zoning officer as town records. If such application is disapproved, all copies shall be so endorsed and one (1) copy returned to the applicant with a description of the reasons for such disapproval. The fee for a zoning permit shall be of an amount as established in the current fee schedule adopted by the Warren Town Council.

The issuance of a zoning permit shall, in no way, relieve the applicant of the responsibility of obtaining such permits or approvals as may be required under the provisions of other codes, regulations and ordinances relating to the use, erection or alteration of a building or structure, or to the use or subdivision of land.

A zoning permit shall be valid for the duration of the use which was the subject of the original issuance and shall expire upon termination of that use.

Under the provisions of this section, any application considered by the town shall be reviewed according to the regulations applicable in the zoning ordinance in force at the time the application was deemed to be substantially complete. An application is deemed to be substantially complete with either the issuance of a zoning permit by the zoning officer or the submittal of all necessary forms, filing fees, plans and documentation required under the provisions of section 32-19 of this ordinance, and approved by the zoning officer.

Nothing in this ordinance shall prevent the completion of any construction for which a valid building permit has been heretofore issued, except that, such construction shall be initiated within six (6) months after the adoption of this ordinance and shall be completed within two (2) years after such adoption. Where such a valid building permit exists, no zoning permit shall be required.

Any person or corporation, whether as principal, agent, employee or otherwise, who violates any of the provisions of this ordinance or who violates any conditions imposed by the zoning board of review in the granting of a special use permit or variance, or who fails to obtain a zoning permit shall be fined not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500.00) for each offense, such fine to inure to the Town of Warren. Each day of the existence of any such violation shall be deemed a separate offense.

The erection, construction, enlargement, conversion, moving or maintenance of any building or structure and the use of any land or building which is continued, operated or maintained, contrary to any of the provisions of this ordinance, is hereby declared to be a violation of this ordinance and is unlawful. The zoning officer shall institute appropriate action through the town solicitor to remove such violations. The remedy provided in this paragraph shall be cumulative and not exclusive and shall be in addition to any other remedies provided by law.

The town clerk shall be the custodian of the zoning ordinance and zoning map or maps created there under, and shall make available copies of the ordinance and all amendments to town officials and to the general public, at a reasonable cost. The town clerk shall be responsible for maintaining and updating the ordinance, and shall insure that all amendments and other changes which impact the zoning ordinance and zoning map are properly recorded under the provisions of section 32-40 of this ordinance.

Upon the publication of the zoning ordinance and zoning map, and any amendments thereto, the town clerk shall send a copy to the associate director of the division of planning for the department of administration, and to the state law library.

At least every three (3) years, the zoning board of review and the Warren Planning Board shall review this ordinance and recommend to the town council any amendments deemed necessary in light of current and anticipated future trends in community requirements and development. Whenever changes are made to the comprehensive plan, the Warren Planning Board shall identify any necessary changes to the zoning ordinance to bring it into conformance with the comprehensive plan, and shall forward these changes to the town council.