Samuels v. City of Beaver Falls

5 Pa. D. & C.2d 500, 1955 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 228
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Beaver County
DecidedSeptember 15, 1955
Docketno. 2
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 5 Pa. D. & C.2d 500 (Samuels v. City of Beaver Falls) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Beaver County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Samuels v. City of Beaver Falls, 5 Pa. D. & C.2d 500, 1955 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 228 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1955).

Opinion

McCreary, P. J.,

A complaint in equity was filed by the above named plaintiffs against the City of Beaver Palls, a city of the third class in the County of Beaver, praying that the court grant equitable relief to plaintiffs by entering a decree declaring: (a) That Ordinance No. 946 of defendant [501]*501be adjudged unconstitutional, illegal and void; (b) that an injunction issue enjoining and restraining defendant, its officers, employes and agents from enforcing or attempting to enforce any of the provisions of said ordinance against plaintiffs; and (c) such other other and further relief as the court may deem just and proper. Defendant filed an answer admitting all of the averments of fact well pleaded in the complaint, and asking the court to decree that plaintiffs are not entitled to any relief because the ordinance is valid. '

Defendant then filed a praecipe setting the matter down on bill and answer, and filed a motion for judgment on the pleadings, and it is now before the court for disposition.

From the complaint, all of the averments of fact in which are to be taken as admitted, where well pleaded (Pribek et al. v. McGahan et ux., 314 Pa. 529; Siranovich et al. v. Butkovich et al., 366 Pa. 56) we make the following

Findings of Fact

1. Plaintiffs are Newton M. Samuels and Wilson J. Samuels, citizens, residents and real property owners of the City of Beaver Falls, County of Beaver, and reside at 1009 Ninth Avenue in said city.

2. Defendant is the City of Beaver Falls, a municipal corporation, designated as a city of the third class, and located in the County of Beaver.

3. Plaintiffs are the owners of certain real property situate in the seventh ward of the City of Beaver Falls, described as follows: On the east side of Fourth Avenue between 36th Street and 37th Street; on the east side of Fourth Avenue between 33rd Street and 36th Street; and on the west side of Fourth Avenue north of 47th Street.

[502]*5024. On the 4th day of October, 1948, the council of the said City of Beaver Falls enacted an Ordinance No. 946 of said city.

5. Ordinance No. 946, adopted as above noted, reads as follows:

“Be It Ordained and Enacted by the Council of the City of Beaver Falls and It Is Hereby Enacted ry the Authority of the Same as Follows:
“Section 1. That from and after the passage of this ordinance it shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation owning, occupying or having a present interest in any real estate within the limits of the City of Beaver Falls, County of Beaver and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, to permit weeds and similar vegetation not edible or planted for some useful or ornamental purpose, to grow or remain on the premises owned or occupied by them or along the streets, lanes, alleys and sidewalks abutting said premises so owned or occupied by them in said City, and all such weeds and vegetation are hereby declared to be a nuisance and detrimental to the health, safety and comfort of the inhabitants of said City.
“Section 2. All weeds or other vegetation herein-above prohibited if permitted to grow or remain, contrary to the provisions of this ordinance, may at the option of the City Council be cut and removed by or under the direction of the head of the Department of Streets and Public Improvements of said City, or any other person designated by City Council to perform said work, and the cost of the cutting and removing thereof together with a penalty of ten percent (10 %) above the cost thereof shall be collected by the filing of a lien or liens against said premises, or by action in assumpsit, or in any other manner as may be provided by law.
[503]*503“Section 3. Any person, firm or corporation violating the provisions of this ordinance shall, upon conviction thereof, before the Mayor or any Alderman of this City, be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than Twenty-five Dollars ($25.00) and not less than Five Dollars ($5.00) for each offense, in addition to the costs of prosecution, and in default of payment thereof shall undergo imprisonment in the Beaver County Jail for a period of not more than ten (10) days.
“Section 4. It is hereby declared that each refusal or neglect by any person, firm or corporation to comply with the terms and provisions of this ordinance shall be considered a separate and distinct violation thereof and notice to the offender by the City shall not be necessary in order to constitute an offense.”

6. Plaintiffs received written notice from the solicitor of said city that unless they started cutting weeds on their premises on or before October 1, 1954, in compliance with the provisions of said Ordinance No. 946, prosecution would be entered against them.

Discussion

In their complaint plaintiffs set forth the legal conclusion that Ordinance No. 946 is wholly illegal, unconstitutional and void, and that its enforcement would cause irreparable loss to their property and that it would subject them to cumulative, exorbitant and oppressive penalties pending judicial determination of the validity of the legislation, in language as follows:

“A. Section 1 of said Ordinance makes it unlawful to permit any weeds or similar vegetation to grow on the premises of any property owner without any limitation or definition as to the height or extent of said growth, thereby making every property owner of the City who has any weeds on his property, even one-fourth inch in height, liable under its provisions and [504]*504is therefore unreasonable and void for failure to define and limit what shall constitute an offense and violation of said Ordinance.
“B. Section 1 of said Ordinance is unreasonable, unconstitutional and void for the further reason that it declares ‘all such weeds and vegetation’ to be a nuisance and detrimental to the health, safety and comfort of the inhabitants of said City without defining or limiting the height or extent of the growth of said weeds or other vegetation before they become such nuisance, or providing some mode or method for such determination by Council.
“C. Section 2 of said Ordinance is unconstitutional, unreasonable and void for the reason that it provides that, without any hearing or any notice to the property owner, said weeds or other vegetation may be cut and removed under the direction of the head of the Department of Streets and Public Improvements or other person designated by City Council and the cost thereof imposed on the property owner without any limitation as to height or extent of growth or the number of times per year said cutting shall be performed by the owner or City Council, thereby making it possible for a property owner to be subject to such costs fifty or more times per year.
“D. Sections 3 and 4 of said Ordinance are unconstitutional and void for the reason that they provide that mere neglect to comply with the provisions of the Ordinance, without any notice and without any mode or method by which the duty of a property owner may be determined, shall subject the offender, upon conviction thereof, to a fine and costs for each offense.
“E.

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Bluebook (online)
5 Pa. D. & C.2d 500, 1955 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 228, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/samuels-v-city-of-beaver-falls-pactcomplbeaver-1955.