16.110 Junk Yards – Junk.

(1) Definition. As used herein, the term junk shall mean any secondhand materials or products recovered or diverted from solid waste that may be reused or converted to new materials or products, including materials or products made of wood, paper, glass, plastic, earthenware, or rubber.

(2) Compliance with Minimum Standards. Compliance with the minimum standards of land use and methods of operation shall be held necessary to promote and maintain the health, safety, general welfare, property values and the tax base of the City.

(3) Prohibited Uses of Property. It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, partnership or corporation to use property that involves the outside storage, dismantling, sorting, or bailing of junk within the City limits of Manitowoc, except as hereinafter provided.

(4) Enclosure. All property fronting on a public street to be used for a junk yard shall be enclosed with a solid wall of suitable material, six feet high, approved by the Director of Building Inspection. Such walls shall be sufficiently anchored and built so that they will withstand the load of any material placed against them by the owner.

(5) Special Enclosure. A screen fence of lighter construction or chain link type of fence supplemented by perennial vines sufficiently dense, or an approved slatted system, as to serve as an effective screen, may be erected in lieu of the above with written approval of the Director of Building Inspection.

(6) New Junk Yard Enclosure. No new junk yard shall be located within the City of Manitowoc unless the screen fence referred to above shall be located a minimum of 25 feet from the lot line fronting on any street in the City of Manitowoc.

(7) Material, How to Be Piled. Material shall be piled so as not to protrude over the fence, and so as to permit access to all parts of the yard with firefighting equipment.

(8) Loading Railroad Cars. All loading or unloading of railroad cars shall be done entirely within the property of the owner and no mechanical loading or unloading device or portion thereof shall extend outside of the premises while loading or unloading.

(9) Time Is of the Essence. All new junk yards starting in business after the adoption of this section shall comply with the requirements of this section, and any junk yards now in existence shall be required to comply with the requirements of this section with respect to the fence within 10 months after the passage and publication of the ordinance codified in this section, and within three months with respect to loading and unloading within premises.

(10) Penalty. Any person, firm, partnership or corporation violating any of the provisions hereof shall, upon conviction, be subject to penalties per MMC 16.370(2) and in default of payment of said forfeiture shall be imprisoned in the County Jail for a period not to exceed 30 days. Each day that junk, as herein defined, shall be stored contrary to the provisions hereof shall constitute a separate and distinct offense.

[Ord. 21-220 § 4, 2021. Prior code § 16.11]