Weirton City Council is working to clean up some of its own books with the elimination of several laws officials feel no longer serve a purpose.

Weirton Council unanimously approved the first reading on Monday of an ordinance “to eliminate or amend various antiquated city ordinances.” The ordinance was sponsored by Ward 4 Councilman Rick Stead.

“There are ordinances that have been on the books, probably, since the 1950s,” noted City Manager Mike Adams.

The ordinance presented to council Monday focused on several existing city laws regulating areas such as the licensing and proper ownership of bicycles, the prohibition of certain tasks on Sundays, swearing or the use of profanity, sweeping of sidewalks, public curfews for minors, and prohibiting some animals from walking on sidewalks.

Article 371 and its subsections are set to be eliminated from city code. The sections are focused on requirements for licensing bicycles, including the need for a license plate and inspections of the bicycles, as well as processes for transferring ownership of a bicycle.

Under existing city code, residents are not supposed to “ride or propel a bicycle on any street, sidewalk or public way,” in the city “unless such bicycle has been licensed by the city, and unless a license plate issued by the city is firmly attached,” to the bicycle.

The laws prohibiting work on Sundays has been located under Article 509, dealing with disorderly conduct and peace disturbance, and made it illegal to perform any work on Sundays with exception of work in the household or tasks deemed “of necessity or charity.”

Under Article 521, “no person who has arrived at the age of discretion” has been allowed to curse or swear, while under Article 549, residents were required to sprinkle water on any sections of their sidewalk prior to sweeping those areas in order to “prevent dust from arising.”

Also under Subsection 549.10, regulating animals on sidewalks, people could not allow horses, mules, goats, cattle, or swine to be on sidewalks in the city.

Finally, the new ordinance would adjust curfew laws for minors, changing them to between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. on Sunday through Thursday, and from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

“We’re going to do more work,” Adams said.

The ordinance must be approved through one more reading before the changes can go into effect.