Sec. 29-291c. State Fire Prevention Code: Abatement of certain conditions, injunction, citation, penalties.
Sec. 29-291c. State Fire Prevention Code: Abatement of certain conditions,
injunction, citation, penalties. (a) When the State Fire Marshal or a local fire marshal
ascertains that there exists in any building, or upon any premises, a condition that violates
the State Fire Prevention Code, the State Fire Marshal or local fire marshal shall order
such condition remedied by the owner or occupant of such building or premises. Any
such remedy shall be in conformance with all building codes, ordinances, rules and
regulations of the municipality involved. Such owner or occupant shall be subject to
the penalties prescribed by subsection (e) of this section and, in addition, may be fined
fifty dollars a day for each day's continuance of each violation, to be recovered in a
proper action in the name of the state.
(b) Upon failure of an owner or occupant to abate or remedy a violation pursuant
to subsection (a) of this section within a reasonable period of time specified by the State
Fire Marshal or the local fire marshal, the local fire marshal shall promptly notify, in
writing, the prosecuting attorney having jurisdiction in the municipality in which such
violation or condition exists of all of the relevant facts. The local fire marshal may
request the chief executive officer, any official of the municipality authorized to institute
actions on behalf of the municipality in which the hazard exists or the State Fire Marshal,
to apply to any court of equitable jurisdiction for an injunction against such owner or
occupant for the purpose of closing or restricting from public service or use the place
or premises containing the violation or condition until the violation or condition has
been remedied, or the State Fire Marshal may apply for such an injunction without such
request.
(c) The State Fire Marshal or any local fire marshal empowered to enforce the State
Fire Prevention Code may, as an alternative to issuing an order pursuant to subsection
(a) of this section, give the owner or occupant a written citation for any violation of the
State Fire Prevention Code. No such citation may be issued if the owner or occupant
has been previously issued a citation for the same violation by the State Fire Marshal
or the local fire marshal within six months prior to the current violation. Such citation
shall contain the name and address, if known, of the owner or occupant, the specific
offense charged and the time and place of the violation. The citation shall be signed by
the State Fire Marshal or local fire marshal and shall be signed by the owner or occupant
in acknowledgement that such citation has been received. The State Fire Marshal or
local fire marshal shall, if practicable, deliver a copy of the citation to the owner or
occupant at the time and place of the violation or shall use some other reasonable means
of notification. Any person who is issued a citation for violation of any provision of the
State Fire Prevention Code in accordance with this subsection shall be fined not more
than two hundred fifty dollars.
(d) If a local fire marshal issues a citation pursuant to subsection (c) of this section,
the state shall remit to the municipalities in which the violations occurred ninety per
cent of the proceeds of the fine and shall remit to the State Treasurer the remaining ten
per cent. If the State Fire Marshal issues a citation pursuant to said subsection, the state
shall remit to the State Treasurer the entire proceeds of the fine. Each clerk of the Superior
Court or the Chief Court Administrator, on or before the thirtieth day of January, April,
July and October in each year, shall certify to the Comptroller the amount due for the
previous quarter under this subsection to each municipality served by the office of the
clerk or official.
(e) In addition to the fine prescribed in subsection (a) of this section, any person
who violates any provision of the State Fire Prevention Code shall be fined not less than
two hundred dollars or more than one thousand dollars or be imprisoned not more than
six months, or both.
(P.A. 08-65, S. 7.)