(A) Supplied facility. Every supplied facility shall be constructed and/or installed so that it will function safely.
(B) Kitchens. Every dwelling unit shall have a kitchen room or kitchenette equipped with the following:
(1) An approved kitchen sink;
(2) Space capable of properly accommodating a refrigerator and a stove or range;
(3) Proper access terminals to utilities necessary to properly operate a refrigerator and stove or range; and
(4) Adequate space for the storage and preparation of food.
(C) Water closet required. Every dwelling unit shall contain an approved water closet.
(D) Bath required. Every dwelling unit shall contain an approved bathtub or shower.
(E) Lavatory basin required. Every dwelling shall contain an approved lavatory basin within or adjacent to the room containing the toilet.
(F) Privacy in a room containing toilet and bath. Every toilet and every bath shall be contained within a room or within separate rooms which afford privacy for a person within said rooms.
(G) Water heating facilities required. Every kitchen sink, bath and lavatory basin required in accordance with the provisions of this chapter shall be properly connected with supplied water heating facilities. Every supplied water heating facility shall be properly connected and shall be capable of heating water to such a temperature as to permit an adequate amount of water to be drawn at every kitchen sink and lavatory basin required under the provisions of this chapter at a temperature of not less than 120°F (48°C). Such supplied water heating facilities shall be capable of meeting the requirements of this section when the required space heating facilities are not in operation.
(H) Connection of sanitary facilities to water and sewer systems. Every kitchen sink, toilet, lavatory basin and bath shall be properly connected to an approved water and sewer system.
(I) Exits.
(1) Every dwelling unit and every rooming unit shall have access directly to the outside or to a public corridor. All buildings or portions thereof shall be provided with exits, exitways and appurtenances as required by Chapter 3 of the International Residential Building Code.
(2) Every sleeping room below the fourth story shall have at least one operable window or exterior door approved for emergency egress or rescue. The units shall be operable from the inside to provide a full clear opening without the use of separate tools.
(3) All egress or rescue windows from sleeping rooms shall have a minimum net clear opening of five square feet at grade level and 5.7 square feet elsewhere. The minimum net clear opening height dimension shall be 24 inches. The minimum net clear opening width dimension shall be 20 inches. Where windows are provided as means of egress or rescue they shall have finished sill height not more than 44 inches above the floor. Exception: windows of lesser dimensions which were installed in conformance with a previous Building Code may be approved by the Building Official; provided, the window operates as originally intended. This exception shall expire if said property is vacant for a period of 12 months. Properties that are registered as new rental properties after 11-1-2012 shall conform to all egress requirements.
(4) New dwelling units shall have exits as required by the Building Code and Fire Code of the city.
(5) Every means of egress shall comply with the following requirements.
(a) Handrails. All stairways comprised of two or more risers shall be provided with a substantial and safe handrail.
(b) Guardrails. All unenclosed floor and roof openings, open and glazed sides of landings and ramps, balconies or porches which are more than 30 inches above grade or above the floor below, and any roof used for other than service of the building, shall be protected by a substantial and safe guardrail.
(c) Stairways. Every stairway shall have a uniform riser height and uniform tread width, which shall be adequate for safe use.
(d) Doors and windows. Doors and windows readily accessible from outside the unit shall be lockable from inside the unit.
(e) Basement unit. In basement units where one means of egress is a window, such window shall have an unobstructed opening no less in area than that required in the city’s Building Code and/or Fire Code.
(f) Fire escapes. No existing fire escape shall be deemed a sufficient means of egress unless it is in compliance with the fire codes of the state and the city.
(6) Every doorway providing ingress or egress from any dwelling unit, rooming unit or habitable room shall be at least six feet high and 24 inches wide. Exception: doors of lesser dimensions which were installed in conformance with a previous Building Code shall be approved by the Building Official; provided, the door operates as originally intended. This exception shall expire if said property is vacant for a period of 12 months. Properties that are registered as new rental properties after 11-1-2012 shall conform to all egress requirements.
(J) Natural light. Every habitable room except a kitchen shall have at least one window or skylight facing directly to the outdoors. The minimum total window or skylight area, measured between stops, for every habitable room shall be at least 8% of the floor area of such room or that amount of window and/or skylight area specified by the city’s Building Code. For the purpose of determining natural light and natural ventilation requirements, any room may be considered as a portion of an adjoining room when one-half of the area of the common wall is open and unobstructed and provides an opening of not less than one-tenth of the floor area of the interior room or 25 square feet, whichever is greater.
(K) Ventilation.
(1) Interior air quality. Every dwelling unit and rooming unit shall be free from dangerous levels of air pollution from carbon monoxide, sewer gas, fuel gas, dust and other harmful air pollutants.
(2) Natural ventilation.
(a) Every window, door or other device with openings to the outdoor space, used for ventilation, shall be supplied with screens of not less than 16 meshes per inch.
(b) The total openable window area in every habitable room shall be equal to at least 45% of the minimum window area as required above.
(c) Every cellar window, soffit or roof vent, used or intended to be used for ventilation, and every other opening to a cellar, crawl space or interior roof area, which might provide an entry for rodents or birds shall be supplied with a heavy wire screen of not larger than one-fourth inch mesh or such device as will effectively prevent their entrance.
(d) For natural ventilation, every bathroom or toilet compartment shall be provided with an opening or window with an area not less than one- twentieth of the floor area of such room with a minimum of one and one-half square feet and which shall be openable to the outside.
(3) Mechanical ventilation. In lieu of openable windows, doors or other devices for natural ventilation, adequate ventilation may be a system of mechanical ventilation which provides not less than two air changes per hour in all habitable rooms and/or bathrooms or toilet compartments. No mechanical exhaust system, exhausting vapors, gases or odors shall be discharged into an interior roof area, crawl space or cellar unless such interior roof area, crawl space or cellar is adequately vented to the outside. Any kitchen or kitchenette lacking natural ventilation shall be equipped with a system of mechanical ventilation which provides at least two air changes per hour in the room. The system shall exhaust and discharge directly to outside air.
(L) Heating. Every dwelling shall have heating facilities which are properly installed and are capable of safely and adequately heating all habitable rooms, bathrooms and toilet rooms located therein to a temperature of at least 68°F (20°C) and shall be capable of maintaining in all said locations a minimum temperature of 65°F (18°C), at a distance of three feet above the floor level at all times. Such heating facilities shall be so designed and equipped that heat, as herein specified, is available for all dwelling units and rooming units.
(M) Electrical requirements. Every habitable room shall contain at least two separate floor or wall type electrical double convenience outlets which shall be situated a distance apart equivalent to at least 25% of the perimeter of the room. Every such outlet and fixture shall be properly installed. Every habitable room, toilet room, laundry room, furnace room, basement and cellar shall contain at least one supplied ceiling or wall type electric light fixture or switched outlet. Every such outlet and fixture shall be properly installed. Temporary wiring or extension cords shall not be used as permanent wiring. Electrical systems which were installed in conformance with a previous electrical code which have not been modified and are in working order may be approved by the Building Official.
(N) Minimum space, use and location requirements.
(1) Floor area per occupant. Every dwelling 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. For the purpose of determining the maximum permissible occupancy, the floor area of that part of a room where the ceiling height is less than five feet shall not be considered when computing the total floor area of the room.
(2) Sleeping rooms. In every dwelling unit of two or more rooms and every rooming unit, 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 two occupants shall contain at least 110 square feet of floor space per sleeping room.
(3) Ceiling height. The ceiling height of every habitable room shall be at least seven feet. In any habitable room where the ceiling is a part of a sloping roof, at least one-half of the floor area shall have a ceiling height of at least seven feet. FLOOR AREA, as used in this division (N)(3), means the area of the floor where the vertical measurement from floor to ceiling is five feet or more. Obstruction of space by such items as water and gas pipes, cabinetry and the like shall be permitted when such obstructions are located within two feet of a partition or wall, do not interfere with an emergency ingress and egress, and are approved by the Building Official. Obstruction of a ceiling space shall be permitted when such obstruction is located at a height of not less than six feet, four inches from the floor and which does not occupy more than 25% of the cubic area of the space within a room which is further than six feet, four inches from the floor.
(O) Direct access. Access to each dwelling unit or rooming unit shall not require first entering any other dwelling unit or rooming unit (except that, access to rooming units may be through a living room or kitchen of a unit occupied by the owner-operator of the structure). No dwelling, dwelling unit, or rooming unit containing two or more sleeping rooms shall have such room arrangements that access to a bathroom water closet compartment intended for use by occupants of more than one sleeping room can be had only by going through another sleeping room, nor shall room arrangements be such that access to a sleeping room can be had only by going through another sleeping room. A bathroom or water closet compartment shall not be used as the only passageway to any habitable room, hallway, basement, cellar or to the exterior of the dwelling unit or rooming unit.
(P) Lighting of public halls and stairways. Public passageways and stairways in dwellings accommodating two to four dwelling units or rooming units shall be provided with convenient wall mounted light switches which activate an adequate lighting system. Public passageways and stairways in buildings accommodating more than five dwelling units or rooming units shall be lighted at all times with an adequate artificial lighting system; except that, such artificial lighting may be omitted from sunrise to sunset where an adequate natural lighting system is provided. Whenever the occupancy of a building exceeds 100 persons, the artificial lighting system as required herein shall be on an emergency circuit.
(Q) Fire extinguishers; minimum approved type. All rental dwelling units and rooming houses shall have a two and one-half pound type “ABC” fire extinguisher, or have access to a fire extinguisher within 75 feet of any unit, which is approved by the Building Official. Fire extinguishers shall be properly hung in an area of easy access. If a fire extinguisher is installed in a cabinet or closet, the access door must be appropriately labeled.
(R) Early warning fire protection. All rental dwelling units and rooming houses shall be provided with smoke detectors as approved by the Building Official. The detectors shall be mounted on the ceiling or wall at a point centrally located in the corridor or area giving access to rooms used for sleeping purposes. Smoke detectors hereafter installed in areas where sleeping rooms are on an upper level shall be placed above the stairway. Smoke detectors shall be placed in each room used for sleeping purposes. All detectors shall be located according to manufacturer’s directions. Care shall be exercised to ensure that the installation will not interfere with the operating characteristics of the detector. When actuated, the detector shall provide an alarm for the dwelling unit or rooming unit.
(S) Water closets and lavatory basins. At least one approved water closet and one approved lavatory basin shall be supplied for each eight persons or fraction thereof residing within a dwelling containing a rooming unit or units, including members of the operator’s family whenever they share the said facilities; provided that, in a rooming house where rooms are let only to males, flush urinals may be substituted for not more than one-half of the required number of water closets.
(T) Baths. At least one approved bath shall be supplied for each eight persons residing within a dwelling containing a rooming unit or units, including members of the operator’s family whenever they share the use of the facilities.
(U) Location of communal toilets and baths. Communal toilets and baths shall be located on the same floor or the floor immediately above or below the rooming unit.
(V) Lead-based paint. Every owner or operator of a dwelling unit or rooming unit being let for rent and/or occupancy shall eliminate any and all peeling paint and coat surfaces with a fresh coat of primer and paint.
(W) Communal kitchens. If a communal kitchen is supplied, it shall comply with the following requirements.
(1) The minimum floor area of a communal kitchen shall be 60 square feet.
(2) The minimum floor area of a communal kitchen in which roomers are permitted to prepare and eat meals shall be 100 square feet.
(3) The communal kitchen shall be equipped with the following:
(a) A refrigerator with an adequate food storage capacity;
(b) An approved kitchen sink;
(c) A stove or range;
(d) At least one cabinet of adequate size suitable for the storage of food and eating and cooking utensils;
(e) At least six square feet of surface area, which is easily cleanable and suitable for the preparation of food; and
(f) A table and adequate chairs for the normal use of the facilities if a communal dining room is not supplied.
(4) Every communal kitchen shall be located within a room accessible to the occupants of each rooming unit sharing the use of such kitchen, without going outside of the dwelling and without going through a dwelling unit or rooming unit of another occupant.
(X) Communal dining room. Every dwelling or rooming house, within which the occupant of any rooming unit is permitted to prepare meals or cook within a communal kitchen containing less than 100 square feet of floor area, as provided in division (W) below, shall contain a communal dining room which complies with all of the following requirements.
(1) Every communal dining room shall be located on the same floor of the rooming house as the communal kitchen and such dining room shall be as nearly adjacent to the communal kitchen as is practicable.
(2) Every communal dining room shall be located within a room accessible to the occupant of each rooming unit sharing such dining room, without going outside of the dwelling and without going through a dwelling unit or rooming unit of another occupant.
(3) The communal dining room shall contain a table and adequate chairs for the normal use of the facilities.
(4) Every communal dining room shall contain not less than 70 square feet of floor area.
(Y) Shades, draperies and window coverings. Every window in rooms used for sleeping rooms in rooming units and furnished dwelling units shall be supplied with shades, draperies or other devices or materials which, when properly used, will afford privacy to the occupants. Every window in rooms used for sleeping purposes in unfurnished dwelling units shall be supplied with hardware necessary to support shades, draperies or other devices or materials which, when properly used, will afford privacy to the occupants.
(Z) Kitchens; stoves and refrigerators. Kitchens or kitchenettes in multiple dwellings, rooming houses and duplexes shall be supplied with a stove or range and a refrigerator by the owner, operator or tenant.
(Ord. C-519, passed 5-15-2012)