It shall be the duty of the fire marshal to inspect or cause to be inspected by the fire department officers or members as often as may be necessary, all buildings, premises and public streets for the purpose of ascertaining and causing to be corrected any conditions liable to cause fire, or any violations of the provisions or intent of any ordinance of the city affecting the fire hazard. In private dwellings, such inspections shall be restricted to basements and cellars.

    Whenever any officer or member of the fire department shall find in any building or upon any premises or any other place, combustible or explosive matter or dangerous accumulation of rubbish or unnecessary accumulation of wastepaper, boxes, shavings or any other highly inflammable materials, especially liable to fire, and which is so situated as to endanger property, or shall find obstructions to or on fire escapes, stairs, passageways, doors or windows, liable to interfere with the operations of the fire department, or egress of occupants, in case of fire, he shall order the same to be removed or remedied, and such order shall forthwith be complied with by the owner or occupant of such premises or buildings, subject to appeal within twenty-four (24) hours to the mayor, who shall, within ten days, review such order and file his decision thereon, and unless the order is revoked or modified, it shall remain in full force and be obeyed by such owner or occupant.

    Any owner or occupant failing to comply with such order within ten days after such appeal shall have been determined or if no appeal is taken, then within ten days after the service of such order, shall be liable to a penalty.

    The service of any such order shall be made upon the occupant of the premises to whom it is directed by either delivering a true copy of same to such occupant personally or by delivering the same to and leaving it with any person in charge of the premises by affixing a copy thereof in a conspicuous place on the door to the entrance of such premises. Whenever it may be necessary to serve such an order upon the owner of the premises, such order may be served either by delivering to and leaving with the person a true copy of such order, or if such owner is absent from the jurisdiction of the officer making the order, by mailing such copy to the owner’ s last known post office address. (Amended during 1997 codification; prior code § 30-5-7)

2.36.070