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Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the following words and phrases used in this chapter shall have the following meanings:

(1) “Building materials” means and includes lumber, plumbing materials, wallboard, sheet metal, plaster, brick, cement, asphalt, concrete block, roofing material, cans of paint and similar materials.

(2) “Enforcement officer” means the city manager of the city of Covington or his/her designee authorized in writing to enforce this chapter.

(3) “Fire hazard” means vegetation which is dry and combustible, including but not limited to weeds, grass or clippings, dead bushes or trees or their parts, and other combustible vegetative materials, but specifically excluding small logs and kindling used for firewood, vegetative materials used as compost for fertilizer and decaying vegetation in wetlands and fish and wildlife habitat areas.

(4) “Health hazard” means any of the following:

(a) Vegetation or refuse which provides a harborage for rats or other pests;

(b) Vegetation which is poisonous, including but not limited to poison ivy, poison oak, poison hemlock, poison sumac, and nightshade;

(c) Vegetation which is noxious, including gorse, Japanese knotweed, purple loosestrife, giant hogweed, tansy ragwort, knapweed, Dalmatian toadflax, and any other plant which may be determined to be noxious, in accordance with RCW Title 17; and

(d) Vegetation, refuse or feces which create a danger of contamination or disease.

(5) “Person” means and includes individuals, firms, partnerships, corporations and all associations of natural persons, whether acting by themselves or by an agent or employee.

(6) “Owner” means and includes any agent, lessee, owner, tenant or other person occupying or having charge or control of any premises. An owner or agent is deemed to have such control if her or she has actual or constructive knowledge of the maintenance upon the premises of any nuisance as defined in this chapter.

(7) “Premises” means any building, lot, parcel, real estate or land or portion of land whether improved or unimproved, including adjacent sidewalks and parking strips and any lake, river, stream, drainage way or wetland.

(8) “Public nuisance” and “nuisance” each mean and consist of doing an unlawful act, or omitting to perform a duty, or suffering or permitting any condition or thing to be or exist, which act, omission, condition or thing either:

(a) Unreasonably injures or endangers the comfort, repose, health or safety of others;

(b) Offends public decency; or

(c) Is offensive to the sense of reasonable persons; or

(d) In any way renders other persons insecure in life or use of property.

(9) “Vegetation” means trees, shrubs, grass, weeds, bushes, vines and other plant materials, including but not limited to clippings, fallen leaves, fruit or branches. (Ord. 21-01 § 1; Ord. 28-99 § 1)