1. Minimum Standards for Basic Equipment and Facilities.
A. Every dwelling unit shall contain a kitchen sink in good working condition.
B. Every dwelling unit shall contain a room which affords privacy to a person within said room and which is equipped with a flush water closet and a lavatory basin in good working condition.
C. Every dwelling unit shall contain, within a room which affords privacy to a person within said room, a bathtub or shower in good working condition.
D. Every kitchen sink, lavatory basin and bathtub or shower required under the provisions of this Part shall be properly connected with both hot and cold water lines.
E. Every dwelling shall have supplied water-heating facilities which are properly installed according to applicable laws and regulation of the Borough and State, properly connected with the hot water lines required under the provisions of this Part, and are capable of heating water to such a temperature as to permit an adequate amount of water to be drawn at every required kitchen sink, lavatory basin, bathtub or shower at a temperature of not less than 120º F. Such supplied water-heating facilities shall be capable of meeting the requirements of this paragraph when the dwelling or dwelling unit heating facilities required under the provisions of this Part are not in operation.
F. Every dwelling, dwelling unit and rooming house shall be supplied with a potable water supply.
G. All plumbing fixtures installed within a dwelling shall be properly connected to sewer lines that discharge into a public sewerage system, or if no public system is available, into a private or jointly owned system meeting the requirements of the County and State Health Departments.
H. Every dwelling unit shall be supplied with adequate rubbish storage.
I. Every dwelling unit shall have adequate garbage disposal facilities or garbage storage containers.
J. Every dwelling unit shall have safe, unobstructed exits leading to safe and open space at ground level, as required by the laws and regulations the State and Borough.
K. Every foundation, floor, wall, ceiling, roof, window, exterior door and basement hatchway shall be reasonably weathertight, watertight, and rodent proof, shall be capable of affording privacy, and shall be kept in sound working order and good repair.
L. Every inside and outside stair and porch shall be so constructed as to be safe to use and capable of supporting the load that normal use may cause to be placed thereon, and kept in sound condition and good repair.
Every building constructed in the Borough of Blossburg after the effective date of this Part shall be governed by the following subsections .2, .3 and .4.
2. Minimum Standards for Light, Ventilation and Heating.
A. Every habitable room shall have at least one window or skylight facing directly to the outdoors. The minimum total window area, measured between stops, for every habitable room shall be 10 percent of the floor area of such room. Whenever walls or other portions of structures face a window of any such room, and such light-obstruction structures are located less than 3 feet from the window and extend to a level above that of the ceiling of the room, such a window shall not be deemed to face directly to the outdoors and shall not be included as contributing to the required minimum total window area. Whenever the only window in a room is a skylight-type window in the top of such room, the total window area of such skylight shall equal at least 15 percent of the total floor area of such room.
B. Every habitable room shall have at least one window or skylight which can easily be opened, or such other device as will adequately ventilate the room. The total of openable window area in every habitable room shall lie equal to at least 45 percent of the minimum window area size or minimum skylight-type window size, as required in this Part, except where there is supplied some other device affording adequate ventilation and approved by the Building Official.
C. Every bathroom and water closet compartment shall comply with the light and ventilation requirements for habitable rooms contained in paragraphs .A and .B, above, except that no window or skylight shall be required where the bathrooms and water closet compartments are equipped with a ventilation system which provides ventilation equivalent to that in paragraph .B, above.
D. Where there is electric service available from power lines, which are not more than 300 feet away from a dwelling, every habitable loom of such dwelling and every water closet compartment, bathroom, laundry room, furnace room, and public hall shall contain at least one separate floor or wall-type electric convenience outlet and one supplied ceiling fixture or, alternatively, it shall contain at least two separate floor or wall-type electric convenience outlets. Every such outlet and fixture shall be properly installed, shall be maintained in good and safe working condition, and shall be connected to the source of electric power in a safe manner.
E. Every public hall and stairway in every multiple dwelling containing five or more dwelling units shall be adequately lighted at all times. Every public hall and stairway in structures devoted solely to dwelling occupancy and containing not more than four dwelling units may be supplied with conveniently located light switches, controlling an adequate lighting system which may be turned on when needed, instead of full-time lighting.
F. Every dwelling shall have heating facilities which are installed and maintained in accordance with the usual standards of safety, and are capable of safely and adequately heating all habitable rooms, bathrooms, and water closet compartments in every dwelling unit located therein to a temperature of at least 70º F. , at a distance 3 feet above floor level, when the outside temperature is 0º F. Fuel-burning space heaters located in sleeping rooms, or rooms generally kept closed, shall be connected to a suitable chimney, flue or gas vent, There shall be provided an adequate air supply for combustion through one or more openings to the exterior, or by means of fixed openings to interior spaces which open to the exterior.
G. From May 15 to October 15, every door opening directly from a dwelling unit to outdoor space shall have supplied screens and a self-closing device; and every window or other device with openings to outdoor space, used or intended to be used for ventilation, shall likewise be supplied with screens; provided, that such screens shall not be required during such period in rooms deemed by the Building Official to be located high enough in the upper stories of buildings as to be free from such insects. This paragraph shall also apply to all rooms presently existing in the Borough and occupied or used regularly for human habitation.
H. Every basement or cellar window used or intended to be used for ventilation and every other opening to a basement which might provide an entry for rodents, shall be supplied with a screen or such other device as will effectively prevent their entrance.
3. Minimum Space, Use, and Location Requirements.
A. Every dwelling unit shall contain at least 150 square feet of floor space for the first occupant thereof, and at least 100 additional square feet of floor space for every additional occupant thereof, the floor space to be calculated on the basis of total habitable room area.
B. In every dwelling unit of two or more rooms, every room occupied for sleeping purposes by one occupant shall contain at least 70 square feet of floor space and every room occupied for sleeping purposes by more than one occupant shall contain at least 50 square feet of floor space for each occupant thereof, except that for children under 7 years of age, such sleeping room may contain 35 square feet of floor space per such child.
C. At least one-half of the floor area of every habitable room shall have a ceiling height of at least 7 feet; and the floor area of that part of any room where the ceiling height is less than 5 feet shall not be considered as part of the floor area in computing the total area of the room for the purpose of determining the maximum permissible occupancy thereof.
D. No basement or cellar shall be used as a habitable room or dwelling unit unless:
E. The floor and walls are impervious to leakage of underground and surface runoff water and are insulated against dampness.
F. The total of window area in each room is equal to at least the minimum window area sizes as required in subsection .2.A.
G. Such required minimum window area is located entirely above the grade of the ground adjoining such window area.
H. The total of openable window area in each room is equal to at least the minimum, as required under subsection .2.B of this Part, except where there is supplied some other, device affording adequate ventilation and approved by the Building Official.
I. There are adequate exits as required by State and Borough laws and regulations.
4. Rooming Houses. No person shall operate a rooming house, or shall occupy or let to another, for occupancy any rooming unit in any rooming house, except in compliance with the provisions of every part of this Section except the provisions of subsection .1.A through .1.D and .3.A and .3.B.
A. At least one flush water closet, lavatory basin and bathtub or shower, properly connected to a water and sewer system approved by the Building Official and in good working condition, shall be supplied for each eight persons or fraction thereof residing within a rooming house, including members of the operator's family wherever they share the use of the said facilities. Provided, that a rooming house where rooms are let only to males, flush urinals may be substituted for not more than one-half the required number of water closets, All such facilities shall be so located within the dwelling as to be reasonably accessible from a common hall or passageway to all persons sharing such facilities. Every lavatory basin and bathtub or shower shall be supplied with hot water at all times. No such required facilities shall be located so as to be more than one floor removed from any rooming unit.
B. The operator of every rooming house shall change supplied bed linen and towels therein at least once each week and prior to the letting of any room to any occupant. The operator shall be responsible for the maintenance of all supplied bedding in a clean and sanitary manner.
C. Every room occupied for sleeping purposes by one person shall contain at least 70 square feet of floor space and every room occupied for sleeping purposes by more than one person shall contain at least 50 square feet of floor space for each occupant thereof.
D. Every rooming unit shall have safe unobstructed exits leading to safe and open space at ground level, as required by the laws of this Borough and this State.
E. The operator of every rooming house shall be responsible for the sanitary maintenance of all walls, floors and ceilings, and for maintenance of a sanitary condition in every other part of the rooming house; and he shall be further responsible for the sanitary maintenance of the entire premises where the entire structure or building is leased or occupied by the operator.
(Ord 166, 11/1/1965, Part III, §303, as amended by Ord. 176, 5/2/1966, §§1, 2)