Article 19 Streets & Sidewalks

Section 19.1: Littering Prohibited

(a) It shall be unlawful for any person or persons to throw, deposit, or allow to be deposited upon any street, gutter, walkways, Town property or play area, any leaves, grass clippings, yard waste, tree trimmings, branches, glass bottles, glass, plastic bottles, nails, wire, cans, dirt, building material, pollutants, tires, furniture, appliances, motor vehicle parts or any other type of debris.

(b) The owner or person or persons responsible for any real property shall remove and properly dispose of litter and debris. Improper disposal of litter and debris that results in litter or debris flowing or otherwise being carried into storm drainage system shall be punishable as stated herein.28

Section 19.2: Placing Unlawful Obstructions in the Public Way

It shall be unlawful for any person or persons to encumber, obstruct or in any manner interfere with the free and uninterrupted use of the public streets or alleys of the Town by leaving goods, wares, or building materials thereon.

Section 19.3: Person Obstructing a Public Way

No person or persons shall be found loitering, playing, standing, hawking, working, or in any other manner obstructing the full and free use of a public way in the Town, except as expressly authorized by the Mayor and Town Council or the Chief of Police of the Town of Forest Heights.

Section 19.4: Skateboards Banned

No person shall use or ride a skateboard on any street, road; or alley of the Town unless such use is specifically authorized by the Town either by ordinance or a permit issued by the Mayor and Town Council or the Chief of Police of the Town of Forest Heights. A skateboard is defined as a toy or recreational device conventionally consisting of two (2) or more wheels fixed to the underside of a board or similarly shaped molded slat upon which a person may balance himself or herself and ride either by pushing or coasting downhill.

Section 19.5: Permit Required

It shall be unlawful for any person, partnership, corporation or contractor to construct or modify any street, curb, gutter, sidewalk, public way, easement, or dedication under the jurisdiction of the Town without first having obtained a permit from the Town Clerk or official designated by the Town Council. Said permit shall not be issued until the fee as set by the Town Council has been duly paid to the Town.

Section 19.6: Private Maintenance

Each property owner shall be required to maintain in good repair all portions of driveways on his property and which in turn may be on a public right-of-way. If the Town Council finds that such repairs are not made, it shall notify the owner of the abutting property in writing as to the nature of the corrective action required. If, at the end of thirty (30) days, the property owners involved have not taken corrective action, the Town Council may authorize improvements with the charges therefore being added to the current tax bill.

Section 19.7: Removal of Snow from Sidewalks

It shall hereby be the duty and obligation of the owners, tenants or adult occupants of property abutting a sidewalk in a public right-of-way or within an easement held for use by the public to remove the snow from the sidewalk within forty-eight (48) hours after the snow has fallen. In the case of multiunit buildings, with more than one tenant or occupant, it shall be the duty of the lessor to remove the snow unless he has obligated a tenant who is actually occupying the property to do so. Any adult occupant abutting a sidewalk in a public right-of-way or within an easement held for use by the public, lessor of a multi-unit building or tenant obligated by the lessor who fails to remove the snow from the abutting sidewalk within forty-eight (48) hours after the snow has fallen shall be guilty of an infraction.

Section 19.8: Penalty

(a) Except as stated in subsection B, a violation of any section of this Article shall be deemed a municipal infraction and any person, upon conviction, shall be fined not more than one hundred dollars ($100) for the first offense. Repeat offenders may be assessed a fine not to exceed $200 for each repeat offense.

(b) Any person convicted of violation of Sections 19.2, 19.3, or 19.4 shall be fined $10 for each offense. A parent or guardian who knowingly permits a violation by a child or ward shall be fined $10 in addition to the amount of the violation fine.

Section 19.9: Unlawful activity on the streets of the Town.

(a) Definitions:

"Street" shall mean any road, street or thoroughfare in the Town of Forest Heights used for public vehicular traffic and pedestrian traffic in accordance with the Transportation Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland. It shall not include Private alleys or alleyways.
"Game" or "sports activity" means all games played with a ball including all versions of baseball, basketball, softball, volley ball, football, kick ball, soccer, throw and catch, the throwing of disks or "Frisbees" and all childhood games including but not limited to hopscotch, hide-and-seek and tag.
"Toy wheeled vehicles" shall mean small bicycles with wheels less than 12 inches in diameter, scooters, tricycles, or other small three-wheeled vehicles, wagons, or play vehicles of any kind (excluding wagons used in the delivery of newspapers or other business deliveries in the Town).
"Child" shall mean a person under 18 years of age.

(b) It shall be unlawful for any person to participate in any game or sports activity on any street of the town at any time.

(c) It shall be unlawful for any person to use any toy wheeled vehicles on any street except while crossing a street in accordance the provisions relating to citizens crossing streets contained in the Pedestrian's Rights and Rules in the Transportation Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland.

(d) Any parent, guardian, or other person responsible for taking care of a child who knowingly permits a child under his or her care to violate this article shall be guilty of an infraction and upon conviction shall be fined not more than One Hundred Dollars ($100) for the first such offense. Repeat offenders may be assessed a fine of not to exceed Two Hundred Dollars ($200).