Community Standards Bylaw #6-2023

Holden, Alberta · adopted 2023-09-18

This is the exact embedded text of the captured official document. Snapshot 6d25b16afb3f · verified 2026-06-08 · original document · archived snapshot · unofficial consolidation, the official version is held by the municipal clerk.

BYLAW NO. 6-2023 A BYLAW OF THE VILLAGE OF HOLDEN IN THE PROVINCE OF ALBERTA TO ESTABLISH COMMUNITY STANDARDS FOR THE VILLAGE OF HOLDEN WHEREAS under the provisions of the Municipal Government Act, RSA 2000, Chapter M-26, and amendments thereto, the Council of the Village of Holden may pass Bylaws respecting the health and safety of the community and to control dangerous and untidy properties; AND WHEREAS under the provisions of the Municipal Government Act, and amendments thereto, the Council of the Village of Holden may pass Bylaws and may make provisions that it deems necessary to carry out the purposes of the Bylaw; AND WHEREAS the Council of the Village of Holden deems it desirable and necessary to promote the maintenance of properties, within the corporate limits of the Village of Holden; NOW THEREFORE, the Council of the Village of Holden, in the Province of Alberta, duly assembled enacts as follows: 1. SHORT TITLE 1.1 This Bylaw may be cited as the "Community Standards Bylaw". 2. DEFINITIONS 2.1 "Building Material" means all construction and demolition material accumulated on a premises while storing, constructing, altering, repairing or demolishing any structure and includes, but is not limited to, earth, vegetation or rock displaced during such storing, construction, alteration or repair. 2.2 "Council" means the Municipal Council of the Village of Holden. 2.3 "Corporate Limits" shall mean all the lands within the Corporate Limits of the Village of Holden. 2.4 "Chief Administrative Officer" shall mean the Chief Administrative Officer of the Village of Holden. 2.5 "Detrimental to the Surrounding Area" means causing the decline of the market value of properties in the surrounding area. 2.6 "Dismantled Vehicle" means a motor vehicle, RV or trailer that has become dilapidated or disassembled or partially disassembled which may include but not limited to flat tires, missing tires and rims, fenders, doors, windows, hoods, trunks and boxes, etc. 2.7 "Emergency" shall mean any situation in which there is imminent danger to the general public or a potential danger to the property or surrounding properties. Village of Holden - Bylaw No. 6-2023 Page 2 of 9 2.8 "Garbage" means any rubbish, refuse, papers, packages, containers, bottles, cans, manure, animal or human excrement or sewage or the whole or a part of an animal carcass, dirt, soil, gravel, rocks, sod, petroleum products, hazardous materials, disassembled equipment or machinery, broken household furnishings or appliances, boxes, cartons, discarded fabrics, any materials composed or organic matter which is or may become decomposed, including the by-products from the preparation, consumption or storage of food. 2.9 "Inspector" means any person(s) designated by the Village of Holden Chief Administrative Officer to enter and inspect property other than a dwelling or an abode in accordance with the provisions of this Bylaw. 2.10 "Motor Vehicle" shall mean a vehicle propelled by any power other than muscular power, or a moped but does not include a bicycle, an aircraft, an implement of husbandry or a motor vehicle that runs only on rails. 2.11 "Peace Officer" means a) any member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police; b) any member of a Municipal Police Service; c) any Community Peace Officer; or d) any Bylaw Enforcement Officer. 2.12 "Property Owner" means a person or persons, a firm, company or corporation that is registered on the Tax Roll of the Village of Holden and Alberta Land Titles office. 2.13 "Property" are any lands, buildings or premises in the Village of Holden. 2.14 "Recreational Vehicle" means a vehicle or trailer that is designed, constructed and equipped, either temporarily or permanently as a temporary accommodation for travel, vacation, or recreational use, and includes duly licensed travel trailers, motorized homes, slide-in campers, chassis mounted campers, tent trailers, boats and all-terrain vehicles. 2.15 "State of Disrepair" means a) the significant deterioration of buildings, structures or improvements, or portions of buildings, structures or improvements; b) broken or missing windows, siding, shingles, shutters, eaves or other building material, or; c) significant fading, chipping or peeling of painted areas of buildings, structures or improvements on the property. 2.16 "Village" or "Village of Holden" means the Municipal Corporation of the Village of Holden. 2.17 "Unsightly Premises" shall mean any structure or property located within the Village that in the opinion of the Inspector, Peace Officer or Chief Administrative Officer, is unsightly to such an extent as to detrimentally affect the amenities, use, value or enjoyment of the surrounding lands in reasonable proximity to the unsightly premises, or is otherwise detrimental to the Village of Holden - Bylaw No. 6-2023 Page 3 of 9 surrounding area or in an unsightly condition as defined in the Municipal Government Act. 2.18 "Nuisance" shall mean any condition on or around a Property that is untidy, unsightly, offensive, dangerous to health and safety of any person, or has or may have a detrimental impact upon any person or other property in the neighborhood, or which interferes with the use and enjoyment of other adjacent property. 3. GENERAL 3.1 The property owner of any real property is ultimately responsible for all activities on the property that may constitute prohibition of this bylaw. 3.2 Nothing in this bylaw relieves a person from complying with any Federal or Provincial law or regulation, other bylaw or any requirements of any lawful permit. 3.3 Where this bylaw refers to another act, bylaw, regulation or agency, it includes reference to any act, bylaw, regular or agency that may be substituted therefore. 3.4 Every provision of this bylaw is independent of all other provisions and if any provision of this bylaw is declared invalid for any reason by a Court of competent jurisdiction, all other provisions of this bylaw shall remain valid and enforceable. 3.5 All schedules attached to this bylaw shall form part of this bylaw. 4. NUISANCE 4.1 A nuisance, for the purpose of this Bylaw, is any condition on or around a Property that is untidy, unsightly, offensive, dangerous to health and safety of any person, or has or may have a detrimental impact upon any person or other property in the neighborhood, or which interferes with the use and enjoyment of other adjacent property, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing includes the following: a) trees or shrubs that interfere with driver visibility, civic works or any public utilities; b) dense or opaque dust emitted into the atmosphere; c) compost heaps that emit foul odors or attract pests or vermin; d) the storage or accumulation of dilapidated or derelict vehicles or the storage of more than two (2) unregistered motor vehicles on any one residential property regardless of their condition or how neatly they might be stored, except for motor vehicles that are being stored in a permitted accessory building or a temporary structure with approved municipal permits; e) wrecked, inoperable or dismantled vehicles, or those that are unsightly and abandoned; f) no person shall park a vehicle or recreational vehicle on private property within one (1) metre of a sidewalk; g) no person shall park a motor vehicle or recreational vehicle in the front living space or yard of a residential property, except on an approved driveway. Failure to comply with this section shall result in the motor Village of Holden - Bylaw No. 6-2023 Page 4 of 9 vehicle or recreational vehicle being towed at the Registered Owners expense; h) any loose materials including garbage and building materials. 4.2 The following sets out the standards by which grass and weeds must be kept: a) uncut grass or weeds on any parcel of land shall be maintained at a height not to exceed 15cm (6 inches) in length; b) property owners are required to maintain the front, rear, side portions and boulevards adjacent to their Property. 4.3 No property owner shall cause or allow any building, gazebo, patio, structure, or fence to become an unsightly premise or in a condition where its appearance or condition is a safety hazard or is detrimental to the surrounding area. 4.4 No property owner shall permit the accumulation of piles of dirt, stone, garden waste, turf, trees, shrubbery, old implements, disassembled or broken vehicles, inoperable off highway vehicles, scrap iron, lumber, glass, furniture, appliances, bicycles, lawn mowers, food containers, waste paper or cardboard on his or her property. 4.5 No property owner shall dump or cause to be dumped any rubbish, garbage, waste petroleum products (either liquid or solid), or dispose of any material in an area within the Village except at locations specifically designated by the Chief Administrative Officer. 4.6 All external utilities, such as natural gas, electrical, water, or other services to the site of an abandoned building, structure, or excavation shall be shut off. All disconnected natural gas, electrical, water, or sewer lines shall be properly secured, capped, and caulked, with cleanout caps soldered into place. 4.7 Property Owners, tenants and agents must prevent the occurrence of, or immediately remedy, any Nuisance. 5. DANGEROUS BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES 5.1 The property owner(s), of properties in the Village, shall ensure that any building(s) in a state of disrepair shall be demolished and removed from the property; or 5.2 If any building(s) are in a state of disrepair they shall be restored to a useable and safe condition in accordance with the Building Standards and Codes and with the required demolition or building permits. 5.3 No property owner shall cause or allow his or her property to be a danger to public safety through the presence of excavations, structures, materials or any other hazard or condition posing a risk to public safety. 5.4 If a cleanup notice under this section of the Bylaw is not complied with within fourteen (14) days of the date of the notice, the Inspector shall have the right to direct any person to do the work required by the order. The cost of doing the work required, plus an administration fee (as per Schedule "C"), may be recovered from the property owner as debt due to the Village of Holden or such costs may be charged against the property taxes due and owing, Village of Holden - Bylaw No. 6-2023 Page 5 of 9 pursuant to the Municipal Government Act, R.S.A. 2000, M-26, and amendments thereto. 6. INSPECTION AND DIRECTION 6.1 Any Inspector may enter any public lands or private property other than a dwelling or an abode to conduct an inspection within the Village and may inspect for nuisances. 6.2 After inspection, the Inspector may issue a Notice to Maintain Property (Schedule "A") which shall specify a deadline for compliance and shall outline specific instructions to remedy the nuisance. 6.3 The Village must serve the property owner(s) with the "Notice to Maintain Property", by way of: a) delivering it in person to the owner(s); b) posting it to the door of a building or in any other conspicuous place on the property, and is effective on the day of posting; c) hand deliver; d) via email. e) regular mail. 7. PENALTIES 7.1 If the property owner has not complied with the Notice to Maintain Property by a specified deadline the Inspector, Peace Officer or Chief Administrative Officer may direct any work to be done to remedy the nuisance, including the disposition of any materials, and will charge the owner, for all the costs associated with maintaining the property. 7.2 If the owner fails to pay for the work done under section 7.1, the Village shall charge the cost against the land as taxes due and recover the cost as taxes. 7.3 The cost of the work done, as stated under section 7.1, is charged in addition to an Administration Fee, as set out in Schedule "C". 7.4 The Village, or any Inspector who inspects any property under this Bylaw, or any person who performs any work on behalf of the Village to remedy a nuisance is not liable for any damages caused by the inspection, the work, or disposition of any material in order to complete the work set out in the Notice to Maintain Property. 8. EFFECTIVE DATE 8.1 This bylaw takes effect as of the date of third and final reading and upon such final passage Bylaw No. 2-2015 shall be repealed. READ A FIRST TIME this 18th day of September, 2023 READ A SECOND TIME this 18th day of September, 2023 Village of Holden - Bylaw No. 6-2023 Page 6 of 9 READ A THIRD TIME and passed this 18th day of September, 2023 _________________________________ Mayor _________________________________ Chief Administrative Officer Village of Holden - Bylaw No. 6-2023 Page 7 of 9 "SCHEDULE A" NOTICE TO MAINTAIN PROPERTY To: ______________________________ File#: _____________________ ______________________________ Date: _______________________ ______________________________ Dear Sir/Madam: The condition of your property located at ________________________, Lot(s) ______, Block ______, Plan __________, is in question, and you are being issued a form letter regarding required maintenance. In order to keep the Village of Holden clean and attractive in accordance with the Community Standards Bylaw No. 6-2023, the Village is asking your cooperation by keeping the lot(s) clean. Cleanup may be done by methods outlined in this notice within fourteen (14) days of the mailing of this letter. The questioned area regarding your property and a suggested remedy is as follows: ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________ Please give this matter your immediate attention. If you have any questions, contact the undersigned at (780) 688-3928. If the work is not completed by ____________________, the Village of Holden will have the work done by a contractor at the owner's expense and will be billed to your property tax roll. Along with the contractor's bill, an Administrative fee of $50.00 per lot will apply as per Schedule "C". Sincerely, ______________________________ Municipal Enforcement Services 4810-50 Street Box 357 Holden, AB T0B 2C0 Ph : 780-688-.928 Fax : 780-688-2091 Email: [email protected] www.village.holden.ab.ca Village of Holden "Share the Charm of Country Village of Holden - Bylaw No. 6-2023 Page 8 of 9 "SCHEDULE B" NOTICE OF ENTRY To: ______________________________ File#:_________________________ ______________________________ Date: _________________________ ______________________________ Dear Sir/Madam: In accordance with Section 542 of the Municipal Government Act, you are hereby notified that an Inspector, Bylaw Officer or Peace Officer or other Village employee will be entering onto the property (land only) located at ____________________________________, Holden, AB Lot(s) ________, Block __________, Plan __________ on Date: ____________________ to take remedial action. In accordance with the Village of Holden's Community Standards Bylaw No. 6-2023, all costs incurred for any remedial action, including a $50.00 administration fee per lot as per Schedule "C", will be the responsibility of the property owner and will be added to the tax roll. Please give this matter your immediate attention. If you have any questions, contact the undersigned at (780) 688-3928. Sincerely, __________________________ Municipal Enforcement Services 4810-50 Street Box 357 Holden, AB T0B 2C0 Ph : 780-688-.928 Fax : 780-688-2091 Email: [email protected] www.village.holden.ab.ca Village of Holden "Share the Charm of Country Village of Holden - Bylaw No. 6-2023 Page 9 of 9 SCHEDULE "C" Fees SECTION AMOUNT EFFECTIVE DATE 5.4 and 7.1 - Charge for remedy of unsightly conditions Minimum $50.00 Date of passing of Bylaw No. 6-2023 7.3 - Administration fee for every lot requiring enforcement of Bylaw No. 6-2023 $50.00 Date of passing of Bylaw No. 6-2023