(a) No person shall occupy as owner-occupant or let to another for occupancy any dwelling or dwelling unit for the purpose of living, sleeping, cooking or eating therein, that does not comply with the following requirements.
(b) The following requirements are hereby declared essential to the health and safety of the occupants of such dwelling or dwelling unit.
(1) Attached garages or non-dwelling areas. All non-dwelling occupancies shall be separated from the dwelling unit by a fire-resistant wall and if the dwelling and garage are covered by a common or connecting roof, then the ceiling also must have a fire resistance rating of not less than one hour as defined in the Building Code.
(2) Basement or cellar. The basement or cellar of any dwelling shall be reasonably dry and ventilated and shall be kept free from rubbish accumulation.
(3) Basement dwelling units. The use of basements or cellars for dwelling units is prohibited unless they comply with subsection (b)(18) below governing ventilation, provided however, if occupied at the time of the passage of this code and if it complies with all other provisions of this code, the public officer may approve less than the required windows, if in his or her opinion, the window area is not detrimental to the occupants.
(4) Bathing facilities. Every dwelling unit shall contain within a room which affords privacy to a person in the room, a bathtub or shower in good working condition and properly connected to an approved water and sewer system.
(5) Boarding and rooming houses. No room shall be used for sleeping purposes unless the ceiling height is at least seven feet and there are at least 400 cubic feet of air space for each occupant over six years of age. For sleeping rooms with sloping ceilings, the ceiling height shall be at least seven feet over at least 50% of the floor area.
(A) Bathing facilities shall be provided in the form of a tub or shower for each eight occupants. Separate facilities shall be provided for each sex and plainly marked.
(B) A flush water closet shall be provided for each six occupants and shall be separated with the separate access from bathing facilities if more than four occupants are served by each. Separate facilities shall be provided for each sex and shall be plainly marked.
(6) Drainage. All courts, yards or other areas on the premises of any dwelling shall be so graded and drained that there is no pooling of the water thereon. Properly constructed wading and swimming pools and fish ponds are excepted from this section.
(7) Entrances.
(A) There shall be for each dwelling unit a normally used separate access either to a hallway, stairway or street that is safe and in good repair.
(B) A secondary exit to the ground shall be available in case of fire through windows, porch roofs, ladders or any combination that is free of hazard or egress.
(8) Floor area. 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 shall be calculated on the basis of total habitable room area, inside measurements. No floor space shall be included in determining habitable room area over which the ceiling is less than seven feet above the floor for the purpose of this subsection (b)(8).
(9) Garbage and trash receptacles. Every dwelling and every dwelling unit shall be provided with such receptacles, not exceeding 32-gallon capacity, as may be necessary to contain all garbage and trash and such receptacles shall at all times be maintained in good repair.
(10) Heating. Every dwelling and every dwelling unit shall be so constructed, insulated and maintained and be provided by owner or occupant with heating units so that it is capable of reaching an air temperature of 70°F under ordinary winter conditions. The chimney of the dwelling or dwelling unit shall be maintained in good order and the owner of the approved heating equipment shall maintain it in good order and repair.
(11) Kitchen sink. In every dwelling unit containing two or more rooms, there shall be at least one kitchen sink with public water under pressure and connected to the public sewer, or if that sewer system is not available, to a sewage disposal system approved by the City Health Department.
(12) Lavatory facilities. Every dwelling unit shall contain within its walls a lavatory basin in good working condition and properly connected to an approved water and sewer system and located in the same room as the required flush water closet or as near to the room as practicable.
(13) Lighting. Every habitable room shall have a ceiling electric outlet and a duplex outlet in wall or floor, or at least two wall or floor outlets.
(14) Lighting of toilets and bathrooms. Every toilet and every bathroom in every dwelling shall have at least one electric light in either the ceiling or on the wall.
(15) Plumbing. All plumbing, water closets and other plumbing fixtures in every dwelling or dwelling unit shall be maintained in good working order.
(16) Privies. All pit privies, privy vaults, “dry hopper” sewer-connected privies and frost-proof closets are hereby declared to be a public nuisance.
(17) Toilet facilities. There shall be at least one flush water closet in good working condition for each dwelling unit, which flush water closet shall be located within the dwelling and in a room that affords privacy.
(18) Ventilation. Every habitable room in a dwelling or dwelling unit shall contain a window or windows openable directly to the outside air and the total area of such window or windows shall be not less than 5% of the floor area of such room. An approved system of mechanical ventilation or air conditioning may be used in lieu of openable windows. Such system shall be capable of providing not less than four air changes per hour, except that in toilet compartments such system shall provide a complete air change every five minutes and be automatically put in operation when the toilet compartment light is in the “on” position.
(19) Water heating facilities. Every dwelling shall have supplied water heating facilities that are installed in an approved manner and are maintained and operated in a safe and good working condition and are properly connected with the hot water lines to the kitchen sink, lavatory and bathtub or shower.
(20) Windows and doors. Every window and exterior door shall be reasonably weather-tight, lockable and rodent-proof and shall be kept in good working condition and good repair.