It's the law!

Fellow neighborhood advocate, Jay Bowen, brought the following City of Huntington Ordinance to my attention. We receive numerous complaints from residents who are upset about neighbors who blow grass clippings into the gutter and/or street. It is against the law:

Ordinances of the City of Huntington, WV regarding the depositing of grass clippings in gutters and/or streets.

905.13 OBSTRUCTING GUTTERS. No person shall obstruct or cause to be obstructed in any way whatever the gutters of any street or public alley so as to prevent the free passage of water along the same. (1964 Code Sec. 31-12)

905.14 OBSTRUCTING DRAINAGE DITCHES. No person shall obstruct or cause to be obstructed, in any way whatsoever, the drainage ditches of any street, avenue, road or alley or other public place so as to prevent the free passage of water along the same. When it is found that any such drainage ditch is obstructed so as to interfere with the drainage of water, then the obstruction shall be immediately removed or altered as the case may be by the person obstructing the same; and unless the same is so removed or altered as the case may require, then the City shall remove or alter the same and the cost thereof shall be charged to the owner abutting thereon. (1964 Code Sec. 31-13)

905.99 PENALTY.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: See Section 101.99 for general Codified Ordinances penalty.)

(h) "Refuse" means garbage and rubbish collectively.
(j) "Rubbish" means all normal wastes resulting from the use or occupancy of any premises such as ashes, brush, grass, leaves or other similar substances, but does not include any building material, industrial waste, containers described in the definition of garbage, waste of a dangerous or explosive nature, or human or animal excreta.

951.10 THROWING OR SCATTERING GARBAGE OR RUBBISH. No person shall throw, place or scatter any garbage, rubbish or other refuse over or upon any premises, street or alley, either public or private, or adjacent thereto, either with or without the intent to later remove such garbage, rubbish or other refuse, or to suffer or permit any premises owned, occupied or controlled by such person to become or remain offensive, littered, unsanitary, unsightly, unsafe or hazardous to public health from the accumulation of garbage or rubbish. (Ord. 7-22-85)

(b) If any person shall violate or cause to be violated any provision of Article 951 they shall be subject to a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) and/or up to thirty days in jail.
(Ord. 11-13-01)

101.99 GENERAL PENALTY.

Whenever, in the Codified Ordinances or in any ordinance of the Municipality, any act is prohibited or is made or declared to be unlawful or an offense, or whenever the doing of any act is required or the failure to do any act is declared to be unlawful, where no specific penalty is otherwise provided, whoever violates any such provision shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) or imprisoned not more than thirty days, or both. Each day any such violation continues shall constitute a separate offense.