§ 1-1-3. DEFINITIONS.

All words and phrases shall be construed and understood according to the common and approved usage of the language; but technical words and phrases and such others as may have acquired a peculiar and appropriate meaning in the law shall be construed and understood according to such peculiar and appropriate meaning.

ACTS BY AGENTS. When an ordinance requires an act to be done which may by law as well be done by an agent as by the principal, those requirements shall be construed to include all such acts when done by an authorized agent.

CITY. The City of Apache Junction, Arizona.

CLERK. The City Clerk of the City of Apache Junction, Arizona.

CODE. The code of the City of Apache Junction, Arizona, unless the context indicates otherwise.

COUNCIL. The City Council of the City of Apache Junction, Arizona, including the Mayor and six Councilmembers.

DAY. The period of time between any midnight and the midnight following.

DAYTIME. The period of time between sunrise and sunset. NIGHTTIME is the period of time between sunset and sunrise.

DEPARTMENT, BOARD, COMMISSION, OFFICE, OFFICER or EMPLOYEE. Whenever any department, board, commission, office, officer or employee is referred to, it shall mean a department, board, commission, office, officer or employee of the city, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

GENDER; SINGULAR AND PLURAL. Words of the masculine gender include the feminine; words in the singular number include the plural and words in the plural number include the singular.

IN THE CITY or WITHIN THE CITY. Includes all territory over which the city now has, or shall hereafter acquire, jurisdiction for the exercise of its police powers or other regulatory powers.

MAY. Permissive.

MONTH. A calendar month.

OATH. Includes affirmation or declaration.

OR. In the alternative.

PERSON. Extends and shall be applied to firms, corporations or voluntary associations, enterprises, as well as to individuals, unless plainly inapplicable.

PERSONAL PROPERTY. Includes every species of property, except real property as defined in this article.

PRECEDING, FOLLOWING. Next before and next after, respectively.

PROPERTY. Includes real and personal property.

REAL PROPERTY. Includes lands, tenements and hereditaments.

SHALL. Mandatory.

SHALL HAVE BEEN. Include past and future cases.

SIGNATURE or SUBSCRIPTION BY MARK. Includes a mark when the signer cannot write, such signer's or subscriber's name being written near the mark by a witness who writes his or her own name near the signer's or subscriber's name; but a signature or subscription by mark can be acknowledged or can serve as a signature or subscription to a sworn statement only when 2 witnesses so sign their own names thereto.

THE STATE. The State of Arizona.

TENANT or OCCUPANT. Applied to a building or land, including any person holding a written or an oral lease or who occupies the whole or part of that building or land, either alone or with others.

TENSES. The present tense includes the past and future tenses, and the future includes the present.

TIME; COMPUTATION. The time within which an act is to be done as provided in this code or in any order issued pursuant to any ordinance, when expressed in days, shall be computed by excluding the first day and including the last, except that if the last day is a Saturday, Sunday or a legal holiday it shall be excluded; and when that time is expressed in hours, the whole of Saturday, Sunday or a legal holiday, from midnight to midnight, shall be excluded.

TIME; REASONABLE. In all cases where any section of this code shall require any act to be done in a reasonable time or reasonable notice to be given, such reasonable time or notice shall be deemed to mean such time only as may be necessary for the prompt performance of such duty, or compliance with the notice.

WEEK. Consists of 7 consecutive days.

WRITING.

(1) Includes any form of recorded message capable of comprehension by ordinary visual means.

(2) Whenever any notice, report, statement or record is required or authorized by this code, it shall be written in the English language unless it is expressly provided otherwise.

YEAR. A calendar year, except where otherwise provided.

(Prior Code, Art. 1-3)

Statutory reference:

Definitions and construction of statutes generally, see A.R.S. §§ 1-211 through 1-215