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ORDINANCE NO. 53 .... .,. -- O~DINANCE NO. 53 BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SCHERTZ, TEXAS. 1. All wiring for electric light, heat or power hereafter installed in schools, churches, theatres, other places used for public gatherings and all buil- dings within the fire limits of the City of Schertz, Texas shall be installed in suitable approved rigid metallic conduits, and all such wires hereafter in- stalled in unfinished basements in all buildings other than dwellings. Apartment houses and residences de- signed for the occupancy of more than three families, shall be likewise placed in approved metallic conduits. 2. The Electrical Inspector of the City of Schertz, shall make a thorough inspection of all electric wires and apparatus within the City of Schertz at least once in each year and where wires or apparatus are in dan- gerous or unsafe condition, or are deemed to be an in- terference with the work of the fire department, he shall notify the person, firm or company owning, using or operating them to place them in a safe, secure and non interfering condition. Any corporation, copartner- ship, association, or individual or agent thereof fail- . ing, neglecting or refusing within a reasonable time to make the necessary repairs or changes, and have the necessary work completed within a reasonable time after the receipt of said notice, shall be deemed guilty of violation of this ordinance, and every day which shall elapse after the expiration of said reasonable time until said wires are repaired, removed or changed as required by said Electrical Inspector, shall be con- sidered a separate offense within the meaning and in- tent of this ordinance. 3. Any person, firm, ~r corporation, violating ,) '-- this Ordinance shall be guilty of a misdeameanor, and upon conviction shall be fined a sum of not more than One Hundred ($100.00) Dollars. Each aud eve~y day.or fraction of a day during ~hich this Ordinance is violated shall be considered a separate offense and punishable as such.. 4. This Ordinance is cumulative of any other Ordinance on the subject and does not repeal any present Ordinances unless this Ordinance is in direct conflict therewith, in which case this ordinance shall govern. o. This ordinance shall become effective upon passage, publication and approval ,as provided by law. PASSED AND APPROVED THIS THE I ST day of June, 19ci 1. ~(j)~ Sec'etary B~9MJw1 --2-- SPECIFICATIONS FOR ELECTRICAL WIRING ON GUADALUPE VALLEY ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE SYSTEM !u72, -, c "11 ;://' January 21, 1959 i0 \,l &. )l,' Specification Sheet No.1 Subject: Service Entrance Requirements Application: Farmsteads and Resioences - new or rewired. l. ,V\ . IV\ 2. \ ~l\ ' 3. Any home of 1,000 square feet or larger shall have at least an equivalent of a #2 TW Entrance with a 100 Amp. main and a minimum of twenty circuits available for use. Any All-Electric home having 12 KW or more total heater capacity shall have at least an equivalent of a #1/0 RH Entrance with a 150 Amp. main and a minimum of 28 circuits available for use. Special meter bases (furnished by Cooperative) must be used on Entrances above 100 Amps. All multibreaker panels shall have initially at least 4 unused circuits for future additions. Provisions for adding these circuits easily shall be made. 4. Any home of 1,500 square feet or larger shall have at least an equivalent of a #1/0 RH Entrance with a 150 An~. main ano a minimum of 28 circuits available for use. Please note that these are minimum requirements and conditions may very well require larger Entrances. Approval of wiring will be subject to these minimum requirements being met. Note: Reference above to Square Feet in a home means house proper, exclusive of garages, porches, and storage rooms. ~-- ...... ." -- l AN ORDINANCE An Ordinance to safeguard persons against injury, and property against hazards, arizing from the improper and unsafe installation of electric wiring and its associated materials, devices and equipment, used for supplying light, heat, power, and any and all other uses, etc. 1. Title a. This Ordinance shall be known as the Electrical Code of the City of Schertz, Texas (hereinafter called the City). 2. Minimum Standard for Wirinv &. All wiring covered by this Ordinance within the City shall at least meet the ainimum standards of the 1959 edition of the NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODE (here- inafter called the Code), a Standard approved by the American Standarda Association and published by the National Board of Fire Underwriters,or any subsequent revision thereof,when it shall become effective. A copy of tbe 1959 Code and subsequent revisions shall remain on file with the City Secre- tary for reference to interested parties. b. Bach new edition of the Code (or any interim Supplement thereof) shall become effective immediately upon publication, but any new provisions not part of previous editions, shall not become mandatory until six (6) months after pub- lication. c. In additio~ to the minimum standards of the Code, such additional standards as the Cuadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative, Inc., may establish for its members and consumers, are hereby~ adopted as mandatory standards within the City. They shall become effectiv~ upon copies of such standards being tiled by the Cooperative with the City Secretary. 3. Acceptable Materials a. Materials. devices, and equipment installed as part ot any wiring system installed within or on any building, structure or premises, publicly or privately owned, shall confo~ to recognized standards of quality and safety. Presence on any such materials of a label issued by the Underwriters labor- atories. Inc., of Chicago, Ill., indicating its acceptance of same, shall be considered prima fac!a evidence of the acceptability of suc~~ateriaI5, devices and equipment for use in this City. Any material not so labeled can be used only after evidence satisfactory to the City Electrical Inspector has been furniShed, which will enable him to classify it as acceptable for use in the City. J r- I 4. Licensin~ of Blectricians a. Except aa otherwise provided herein, no person, firm, or corporation shall install, repair, or remove electric wiring (as defined in Section 3a above) unless licensed by the City to perform such work. b. Written applications for licenses shall be filed with the City Secretary. The application shall sbow the n&mea of principal owner, or owners, and n~es of employtes superYising installation of wiring. Applications shall be referred by the City Secretary to the City Council at its next regular or called session. c. following are pre-requisite Qualifications before applications for License will be considered by the City Council: (1) Applicant must be of good moral character. (2) or as an employee of an experience as lUl independen~~~tractor, Applicant must have had not less than a'5--acivH-~ic~Lt'~e of or as ~""'ll1b~ the Arm.~ces. (3) In addition to the above, applicant shall, or the firm for which he is employed, have Qualified and be approved by the Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative, Inc., as an established "Willie Wiredhand" contractor in good standing. d. The City Council, upon due consideration of the qualifications of each ap. plicant, may approve or disapprove such application for license. e. Upon approval by the City Council, the City Secretary is authorized to issue f. a license only after each such approved applicant has paid the required license fee and furnished the required bond. ~II~ yJi I An initial licenae fee of shall be paid to the City Secretary. Bach year thereafter on or before the ____ day of e:1ch licen&e amount of 'It 11 shall pay to the City Secretary an annual license fee in an Failure to pay the license fee on or before due date shall aut~tically suspend the license. Payment of the annual license fee, plus a 10% penalty, shall remove such suspension. g. An applicant for a license approved by the City Council shall submit to the City Secretary a corporate surety bond, acceptable to the City Attorney, in the pdncipal amount ofilt it-} Said bond shall indemnify the City or any person, firm, or corporation, for damages caused by the licensee (his agents or employers) in connection with the exercise of privileges extended to the 1- licensee by reason of having been licensed by the City. The surety bond sball run for a terR concurrent with the annual license period, and evidence of the renewal of the bond, satisfactory to the City Attorney, shall be subqitted each year when the annual license fee is paid. h. A duly qualified and licensed electrician, his agents, or his employees, are hereinafter referred to as an "Electrician". S. Permits for Wirin~ a. Except as otherwise specifically provided in this Ordinance, it shall be un- lawful for any person to install, or cause to be installed, or to permit any person to install, any electrical wiring system (or part of such system) as defined in Section 3a above, or to make alteration, additional change, or repairs to saMe, without first having procured a permit therefor, issued by the City Secretary. b. No permit ahall be required, however, for: (1) Maintenance work;such as, replacement of lamps, sockets, fuses, drop cords, snap switches, or other similar minor repairs. (2) The connection of portable electrical equipment (including room air conditioners, ranges, etc.) to suitable existing permanently installed receptac les. (3) The replacement of a motor by another Notor of the same horsepower and rating, and installation of pressure and other similar controls, when the electrical supply for same has been properly installed by an electrician. c. It is the policy of the City to up-grade electric wiring so as to eliminate as rapidly as possible hazards which have developed in many installations in the City. due to the lack of a means of controlling electrical work, prior to incorporation of the City. Therefore it is the policy of the City that whenever an electrician shall apply for a permit to aake an addition to an existing wiring installation, he shall certify that he has exaained all of the wiring on the premises and has included as part of the job for which the pemit is requested, the elimination of all hazardous conditions in the existing wiripg. d. Except as otherwise provided in this Ordinance, no permit shall be issued tc any person, fir_, or corporation, who or which is not licensed to perform electrical work by the City. e. A person performing electrical work with his own hands in a d~elling (or on premises) owned by bim and registered on the tax rolls of the State oE Texas as his homestead, may be issued a permit to do electrical work on bis home- stead, upon pa}'ll1ent of the required inspection fee. His work shall in all respects be in accordance with the minimum standards established by this Ordinaace, and shall be subject to inspection by the authorized electrical inspector. Failure or refusal on the part of such owner to remedy the deficiencies found by such electrical inspector, within 10 days, shall con- stitute a violation of this Ordinance. 6. Insnection Procedures a. The City Council shall appoint a qualified person to serve as its electrical inspector. He ahall serve at the pleasure of the City Council and be compen- sated in such manner as it agreed upon between him and the City Council. b. It shall be the duty of the City's electrical inspector to make inspections of wiring within the City, except for those installations covered by paragraph "i" oC this section. c. UpOD completion of a wiring job, the permit holder shall request an inspectioA. d. No electrical work covered by a pe~it shall be energized without the per- aission of the electrical inspector. f4i . r, Pf4J e. If for any reaSOD the electrical inspector is unable to make the inspection within 48 hours after being requested to do so, the wiring may be energized without awaiting permission from the electrical inspector. However, the wiring shall still be subject to an inspection and correction of deficiencies as provided in this Ordinance. f. A report in writing of each insp~ction shall be made by the electrical in- spector. ODe copy shall be filed with the City Secretary, where it shall be a public record. Duplicate copies shall be supplied by the electrical inspector to the electrician and/or to the owner or person in charge of the property. The report shall indicate whether the JOb has been approved, and if not approved the deficiencies shall be itemized. g. Any deficiencies shown in an inspection report shall be corrected within 10 days, and a re-inspection shall be requested as soon as they are corrected. h. Failure of the permit holder to make the required corrections within 10 days, shall constitute a violation of this Ordinance. i. The Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative, Inc. (hereinafter called the Co- operative), is hereby authorized to continue making inspections of electric wirin, within the City, in accordance with its established policies governing 1- inspections and re-inspections, which are in effect elsewhere on its electrical system. The class of inspections hereby reS:rved to be made by the Coop<<rative shall in~lude new wiring in_ new dWCl1i~r bu~ldi~~, ~ d-'(,. t/t"-~ fif~g -f{i~t:~ "Jid.J-ffh 'tf{'--"~i"'-( ( t..JfI(L . f, . f~t':.@-- . ..on.-..A-A$f II ,on a b 10 ng s te to erly occup~ed y a dwlft1:ing .....YJ:..-.builflini..... 0E-1l lIaJor ",,,,,uudo:lling uf Lhf< sttuct\lre of ilIJ uld dlwtlll,,& or- buildlng~~ CLln$U.tutra-'re-bufn- dW~ll1ng-"Ur-btJ-ildillg-,--an<l -in-any eve.nt...w.h.e.u a lh,w mcl.c,dtri point 1.. u::quhecr. A copy of electrical wiring inspection report aade by the Cooperative's inspector shall be filed with the City Secretary and shall be public records. j. The Cooperative's inspector shall have the same powers with respect to enforcement of this Ordinance as those assigned by this Ordinance to the City's electrical inspector. k. The Cooperative is authorized to continue in the future, as it has in the past, to levy and collect inspection fees for new wiring installations, and to make such disposition of same as its policies, rules and regulations require. 1. It is the intent of this Ordinance that there shall be no duplication of inspections made under this Ordinance, and that the City's electrical inspector ahall make only those inspections not vovered by the Cooperative's inspection policies. 7. Insoection Fees a. At the time any permit is issued for a job which will be inspected by the City's electrical inspector, the City Secretary shall first be paid an inspection fee, according to the following schedule: . (1) Por changes in wiring outlet, an amount of resulting Vv in the addition of not More than one (2) 5/1 ,;~ Por changes in wiring in excess of the above item, an amount of . b. Wheh a re-inspection is requested,the City Secretary shall be paid a re-inspec- " -to tion fee in an amount of V' , and a similar fee shall be paid for each re-inspection required on the same job. 8. Penalties a. Any person, firm, or corporation, violating this Ordinance shall be guilty of A misdemeanor, and upon conviction shall be fined a sum of not more than dollars ( ). Each and every day or fraction of a day during which this Ordinance is violated sh~ll be considered a separate offense and punishable as such. c. b. If an electrician violates this Ordinance he nay be prosecuted under the above paragraph, or as an alternate to such prGCcdure, he may be requesteci in writing by the electrical inspector to appear for a hearing before the City Council on a specified date. After hearing the complaints of the electrical inspector against the electrician and answers of the accused, the City Council may after due deliberation: (1) Find the complaint to be unjustified and exhonorate the accused; or (2) Sustain the complaint, and then either cancel the license of the electrician or suspend his license for a period of not more than days; or (3) Place the electrician on probation for a period of not more than days, during which time he shall be required to correct his previous deficiencies, or forfeit his license. c. If an electrician is found guilty under Section 8a of this Ordinance, in a court of competent juriSdiction, and a final uncontested jud~~ent of loing guilty is entered against him, he shall thereby forfeit his right to the license previously issued to him, and shall surrender it to the City Secretary. Failure or refusal to do so shall constitute a new and s~~arate violation of this Ordinance. d. The City Council, may .fter due deliberation, restore the license of a convicted violator of this Ordinance. not less than days after such conviction, if, in their judgment the electrician will be willing in the future to abide by the Ordinance. 9. Each Section Separately Enacted a. Bach section and sub-section of this Ordinance has been separately considered and passed by the City Council, and if any provision, section or sub-section hereof shall be ruled or held ineffective, invalid or unconstitutional for any rcason by a court of competent Jurisdiction. it shall not impair nor affect the remaining portions hereof. 10. EMerRencv Clause a. Because this Ordinance is necessary tor the protection and preservation of the public sahty and the general welfare, the rules have been susp03llded, and this Ordinance shall become effective on the seventh (7th) day followin& its passage. 11. Reoeal of Conflicting Ordinances a. All Ordinances or parts of Ordinances in conflict herewith are hereby repealed.