Suwanee boosts hotels/motel regs, adds loitering/prowling as offense

The Suwanee City Council recently approved an amendment to the City Code of Ordinances to provide enhanced regulations for hotels/motels. The added amendment is designed to ensure proper maintenance of hotels, motels, and extended-stay hotels and to protect the health, safety and welfare of hotel, motel, and extended-stay hotel inhabitants. Specific items address parking, room equipment, lighting, smoking, video surveillance systems, loitering and penalties for violations.

The amended code also defined and added loitering and prowling as an offense within city limits. Wording explicitly provides guidelines for police officers to allow individuals to explain their presence and conduct before an arrest can be made. Any person found guilty of violating any of the loitering and prowling provision can be fined up to $1,000 or imprisoned up to 180 days, or both.