Furniture on porches or overhangs is being removed from houses throughout State College Borough.

Effective Jan. 1, State College Borough Council adopted the International Fire Code, banning "overstuffed" or flammable furniture under overhangs without sprinklers, said Tim Knisely, senior fire and housing inspector for Centre Region Code Administration.

Ordinance enforcers are working to educate the public about the new law and are asking for the removal of the furniture, Knisely said.

People who do not comply with the ordinance will be fined $100, with the amount increasing for each additional citation, he said.

Residents have the option of moving the furniture inside or calling the borough for removal, Knisely added. For most people, the removal is not a problem, he said.

"In my experience, most of the furniture is junk," Knisely said. "We want to make sure it's picked up as soon as possible."

Educating residents will be the biggest part of the enforcement, and the borough is looking for the help of landlords to inform tenants, he added.

Council member Tom Daubert, who was in charge of the adoption of the ordinance, said the borough had to adhere to the law because it was part of the International Fire Code.

The code is being enforced throughout the United States and in other countries, he said.

"[The borough] doesn't have any choice in whether or not you can do it," Daubert added.

The code began because fires had been started by furniture on porches, and cigarettes igniting couches on a porch caused two deaths at an American university, Daubert said.

If people use furniture on their lawns and put it back after use, they would not be in violation of the law, he said.

There are no restrictions about non-flammable furniture, Daubert said.

"If you had a couch that was non-flammable -- which are hard to find -- you can keep it [on the porch]," he added.

Some students with furniture under overhangs don't believe that the ordinance will affect them.

Geno Nusinzon (junior-computer science) said he doesn't see how his house, which has a few couches on a balcony, will be affected.

"This house has so many problems other than couches that are fire hazards," Nusinzon said. "The couches aren't a priority."

The fines are also not a threat, due to the amount of people living in the house, he added.

"We doubt that these couches will be leaving," Nusinzon said.