Malvern Makes Changes to Property Maintenance Ordinance

The Malvern Borough Council has proposed revisions to the ordinance governing maintenance of private property, according to a notice sent by the administration office.

A public hearing is scheduled for April 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the borough hall to discuss the amended ordinance, which makes it illegal for a person to dump trash on another person’s private property.

The revised ordinance says:

It shall be unlawful for any person to dump, deposit, store, or otherwise place Rubbish or Garbage upon private property owned by another person without the permission of the property’s legal owner.

According to the proposed changes, it will also be declared an unlawful nuisance for a homeowner to allow the accumulation of garbage on their property. The current code only punishes the owner of a private property for allowing garbage to accumulate, not any third party person who may have dumped the materials.

Violations of the ordinance will result in a $1,000 fine each day after the initial notice that the violations are still active. A person found guilty of violating the ordinance will also be assessed for the court and legal fees incurred by the borough during prosecution.