(A) Compliance.
(1) Places utilized for human habitation or held out for such use shall comply with all of the minimum standards and requirements of this chapter.
(2) All owners, operators, and occupants shall comply with the requirements of this chapter to maintain these standards.
(3) The owner, operator, or occupant of every place used for human habitation shall give the PEO free access to places used for human habitation at all reasonable times for the purpose of inspection to ensure that compliance is being achieved.
(4) No person shall occupy or allow occupancy of a place of habitation that violates this chapter.
(B) Owner and/or operator responsibilities.
(1) Responsible for maintaining, in a clean and sanitary condition, the shared or public spaces of the place of habitation and premises. Shall be maintained and be free from any accumulation of rubbish and garbage, and shall ensure that rubbish, garbage, and other trash shall be properly kept inside closed and sealed trash receptacles, provided by the City of Goldsboro.
(2) Responsible for providing adequate and operable plumbing facilities, as required herein, including an adequate water heater for maintaining such facilities in efficient operating condition.
(3) Responsible for grading and maintain premises so as to prevent the accumulation of stagnant water thereon, or within any building or structure located thereon.
(4) Responsible for keeping property and premises free from species of weeds or plant growth which are noxious and detrimental to public health, and which are not a public nuisance.
(5) Responsible for providing adequate and operable heating facilities and appliances, as required herein, and for maintaining them in efficient operating condition.
(6) Responsible for the extermination of insects, vermin, rodents, or other pests in all exterior areas of the premises. Responsible for ensuring the place of habitation is reasonably impervious to pest.
(7) Responsible for interior extermination of insects, vermin, rodents, or other pests (multi-family only, when more than one unit is infested, infestation of one unit places responsibility upon the occupant).
(8) Responsible for all accessory structures to be maintained structurally sound and in good repair.
(9) Responsible that the place of habitation remains closed and secured when not occupied.
(10) Ultimately responsible for violations of this chapter irrespective of any agreements made between owner and occupant.
(C) Occupant responsibilities.
(1) Responsible for maintaining, in a clean and sanitary condition, the part of the place of habitation and premises in which he/she occupies and controls.
(2) Responsible for keeping the exterior property areas free from any accumulation of rubbish or garbage, and using trash receptacles provided by the City of Goldsboro and not maintain or allow a public nuisance.
(3) Responsible for exercising care in the use of plumbing facilities, water heater, heating facilities, and appliances.
(4) Responsible for giving owners, agents, and employees access to any part of the place of habitation for the purpose of making repairs or alterations to bring the place of habitation into compliance with this chapter or any other lawful order.
(5) Responsibility of interior extermination of insects, vermin, rodents, or other pests if the owner has satisfied their condition of providing exterior extermination and ensured the place of habitation is reasonably impervious to pest (single-family).
(D) Standards for structures. No person shall occupy as owner-occupant, or let to another for occupancy, any dwelling or dwelling unit for the purpose of habitation which does not comply with the following requirements:
(1) Walls, floors, and roofs shall not have any rotted, deteriorated, or damaged supporting members that compromise their structural integrity resulting in an unsafe condition.
(2) Foundations, foundation walls, piers, or other foundational supports shall not be deteriorated, damaged, or dilapidated to a point that compromises their supporting strength.
(3) Stairs, porches, and any appurtenances used for access into a dwelling or within a dwelling shall be safe to use and capable of supporting the designed structural load. They shall not be damaged, deteriorated, or dilapidated.
(4) Every place of habitation shall be provided with adequate means for egress in the case of fire, panic, or disaster.
(5) The roof, flashings, exterior walls, basement walls, floors, and all doors and windows exposed to weather shall be constructed and maintained so as to be reasonably weatherproof and watertight.
(6) There shall be no chimney or parts thereof which are defective, deteriorated, dilapidated, or in danger of falling, or in such condition or location as to constitute a fire hazard.
(7) There shall be no use of exposed ground as a floor. Wood floors shall not be placed directly upon the ground.
(8) There shall be no openings or exposed holes in floors.
(E) Standards for equipment and facilities.
(1) Plumbing.
(a) Each dwelling unit shall be connected to a potable water supply and public sewer, or an approved and permitted sewage disposal system.
(b) All plumbing fixtures and waste pipes shall be properly installed and maintained in good sanitary working order, and be kept free from obstructions, leaks, and defects, and be capable of performing the function for which such plumbing fixtures are designed.
(c) The water supply shall be maintained free from contamination.
(d) Fixtures, including water closets, shall not be cracked, broken, leaking or loose from the floor or wall, as applicable.
(e) Tub and shower stall floors and walls shall be watertight.
(f) The water supply system shall be maintained to provide a sufficient volume of water and at a pressure adequate to enable the fixtures to function properly and safely and free from leaks and defects.
(g) Water heating facilities shall be properly installed, maintained, and capable of providing an adequate amount of water to be drawn at every required sink, lavatory, bathtub, shower, and laundry facility at a temperature between 110- and 140-degrees Fahrenheit.
(h) Every plumbing component shall function safely and effectively, and shall be maintained in a satisfactory working condition. It shall be unlawful for any person to deposit any material willfully or maliciously into any plumbing fixture, toilet, or bathtub which may result in the obstruction of any sanitary sewer. Any liability on the part of the occupant shall not relieve the owner of the responsibility of cleaning any resulting blockage.
(2) Heating.
(a) Each dwelling unit shall have a central or electric heating system or sufficient chimneys, flues, or gas vents with a heating appliance connected, so as to heat all habitable rooms including bathrooms to a minimum temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit measured three feet above the floor, with an outside temperature of 20 degrees Fahrenheit.
(b) Portable heaters are not acceptable to satisfy the primary heating requirement.
(3) Electrical.
(a) Every dwelling unit shall be wired for electric lights and convenience receptacles.
(b) All fixtures, receptacles, equipment, and wiring shall be safe and maintained in a state of good repair. There shall be no exposed wiring. There shall be no circuit overloading.
(c) There shall be installed in every bathroom and laundry room at least one ceiling or wall type electrical light fixture.
(d) Every public hall and stairway in multi-family dwellings shall be adequately illuminated by electric lights at all times when natural daylight is not sufficient.
(e) Smoke alarms shall be provided which are operable and in good repair. The landlord is responsible to provide at least one carbon monoxide alarm when there exists an attached garage or fossil-fuel burning heater, fireplace, and/or appliance. Unless the landlord and tenant have a written agreement to the contrary, the landlord shall place new batteries in the alarms at the beginning of each tenancy and the tenant shall replace the batteries as needed during tenancy, except where the alarm is a tamper resistant ten year lithium battery smoke alarm. The landlord is responsible to repair or replace alarms within 15 days of receipt of written notification by the tenant of needed repair or replacement.
(f) Extension cords shall not be used to replace permanent wiring methods.
(4) Room sizes. Every dwelling unit shall contain at least the minimum room size in each habitable room as required by the North Carolina Building Code at the time the dwelling was constructed.
(5) Ventilation.
(a) Every habitable room and bathroom shall have a permanent means of providing air circulation or air exchange.
(b) Except where provided by mechanical ventilation, every habitable room shall have an operable window, the size of which shall be not less than 8% of the floor area of such room.
(c) Every bathroom shall comply with the light and ventilation requirements for habitable rooms, except that no window or skylight shall be required in adequately ventilated bathrooms and water closet rooms equipped with an approved ventilation system.
(6) Window screens. When air conditioning is not provided, every door opening directly from a dwelling unit to an outdoor space shall have a screen door with a self-closing device. Every window opening to an outdoor space shall likewise be supplied with screens.
(7) Infestation. See divisions (B) and (C) for owner and occupant responsibilities regarding infestation.
(8) Rubbish, garbage, refuse storage facilities. Every dwelling, to include all types of dwellings indicated in this chapter, shall be supplied with containers with lids to temporarily store rubbish, garbage, and refuse until it is transported to a legal garbage disposal facility.
(9) Mold. Mold nor mildew is not handled by the City of Goldsboro Minimum Housing and Abandoned Structures Ordinance.
(Ord. 2023-9, passed 3-20-23)