Help Keep Beaver a Safe, Healthy, and Attractive Community!
Spring is a good time for performing cleaning and maintenance to prepare for the summer season. It’s also a great time for a close inspection for any problems or issues that happened over the winter. In the spring, you get the opportunity to really inspect your property to make sure that everything on the outside is working properly and to minimize damage from the effects of winter weather. Let us work together to maintain and preserve the value, beauty and safety of our community.
Fighting Blight!
What is Blight? Blight is a condition that poses a threat to the health, safety, and general welfare of a neighborhood. It can be easy to spot in things like broken doors and windows, a porch that is falling down, high weeds, and trash and litter. In some cases it may be harder to see, with a building that has interior water damage, has no utilities, or has been vandalized. Reasons for blight may vary, but one thing is certain, blight is a serious problem. Blighted properties have found a way to creep into every type of community, affluent or not.
What Can We Do?
Working together, we can make a difference. Property owners, neighbors, police officers, code enforcement officers, the fire department, EMT’s, and animal control officers can identify problems and attack blight before it spreads. Tell your friends and neighbors about the “Fight on Blight”. If you see a problem that needs attention, call or email the address of the violating property to our Code Enforcement Officers.
A Few Examples of Violations for Which a Citation May Be Issued:
Open burning violations, accumulation of trash, storing vehicles illegally, failing to clean up pet waste, failing to cut grass and weeds, broken windows, unsecured properties, etc. Visit the borough’s website for a complete listing of all property maintenance and zoning ordinances (www.beaverpa.us).
Blight is Harmful Because it Can:
Decrease property values, discourage community investment, and reduce the quality of life in our borough. Ridding a town of blight is important to everyone because if you live within 500 feet of a blighted property, your property value declines by 5 to 15 percent.
Code Enforcement officers are visiting all properties in the borough to identify code violations and working with residents to correct the violations. The Borough Code Enforcement Officers are Rick Sprecker at 724-462-4314, and George Lindemann at 724-944-3031.
Building and Zoning Permits
Most construction work within the borough requires a permit for Zoning and State Building requirements. A permit application can be picked up at the Borough office. Zoning and building permits are required for change of use or prior to construction activity such as rebuilding, moving, enlarging or physically altering a building or other structure, including but not limited to:
- Major Remodeling
- Changes to Rooflines
- Additions including Garages/Carports
- Barriers such as Fencing & Walls
- Signs
- Porches
- Decks or Patios
- Swimming Pools
- Storage Buildings
- New Electrical & Plumbing
& Mechanical Work - Demolition
Installing new or replacing sidewalks, curbs, curb cuts, driveways or parking pads requires a permit from the borough as well.
Maintenance activities, minor repairs or alterations do not require a permit if the basic structure of an existing building is not affected such as new siding, painting, replacing roof shingles, landscaping or replacement of same size doors or windows.
Keep in mind that this is a general guideline and is not a complete listing. For specific answers to questions regarding your situation contact Borough Zoning Officers Dan Martone at 412-292-6199 or Rick Sprecker at 724-462-4314
