Chapter 31 of the Building Code is amended to include:
(A) “As used in this section, the following definitions shall apply, unless the context indicates otherwise:
1. "Blast shelter" means and includes any structure designed to protect its occupants from a minimum peak over pressure of 35 PSI.
2. "Fall out survival shelter" means and includes any structure designed to protect its occupants from residual radiation, resulting from a nuclear detonation.
3. "Persons" includes any person, firm, partnership, association, corporation, company or organization of any kind.
4. "Storm shelter" means and includes any underground structure, above ground structure so designed to protect its occupants from the effect of wind and debris resulting from a weather-related storm of hail or tornado.
(B) No person, firm or corporation shall erect, construct and build a blast shelter, fall out survival shelter or a storm shelter within the city without first obtaining a shelter contractor's license and paying the tax thereon, as required in Chapter 109. Nothing herein contained shall prohibit a person from erecting on his or her own premises for his or her own use and benefit, a blast shelter, fall out survival shelter or storm shelter, after having obtained the necessary permit therefor.
(C) No building permit for the construction of a fall out survival or storm shelter shall be issued until plans and specifications for each type of shelter have been approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the State Office of Civil Defense, the County Office of Civil Defense, a licensed professional engineer or a licensed architect, and approved by the City Engineer as conforming to standards and specifications set forth in this section.
(D) All shelters constructed in the required front-yard setback shall be located:
1. Below established grade except for the air intake and exhaust pipes and hoods, and entrance ways. Entrance ways may not extend more than one foot above established grade; or
2. Above established grade provided the top of the shelter has a berm with fill material sloping into adjacent grade with a slope of no greater than 3 to 1. The slope of the berm shall not extend into the public right-of-way or setback line.
(E) No pre-shaped shelter shall be approved, unless the design is enough to prevent flotation when shelter is empty and flotation force is 100%. Weight of earth fill shall not be considered in reducing this flotation factor. All shelters shall be adequately sealed to prevent liquid or gas seepage into facility. In addition, the following specifications shall be met:
1. All blast shelters and fallout shelters shall contain a minimum of 75 square feet of floor area with an inside height of not less than six feet three inches. All underground fallout shelters shall be provided with a baffle wall affording at least one right angle turn into the living area and shall be equipped with a ventilation system producing not less than five cubic feet per minute, per person, of fresh air.
2. Concrete used in construction of underground fallout shelters or storm; shelters shall have a design compressive strength of not less than 3,500 pounds per square inch. All blast shelters shall be constructed in a manner to withstand a minimum peak of pressure of 35 PSI.
3. All fallout shelters shall have a protection factor in the range of 40 to 69 and shall be constructed of sufficient mass for its designated category rating.
(F) The construction of an underground shelter in conformity with this section shall be exempt from building setback line requirements; provided, however, no underground shelter constructed in the front yard shall be used for regular human occupancy. Nothing in this section shall be construed as to permit any such underground shelter to be built in right-of-way easements.”
(Prior Code, § 5-210) (Am. Ord. 1420, passed 2-26-88; Am. Ord. 1724, passed 5-18-04; Am. Ord. 1792, passed 12-18-07; Am. Ord. 1974, passed 8-6-19)