(a) For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
ACCESSORY STRUCTURE. A building or structure the use of which is incidental to that of the main building or structure located on the same lot.
APARTMENT. A dwelling unit.
APPROVED. Accepted as satisfactory by the Chief of the Community Development Department or his or her authorized Building Inspector, pursuant to standards of this Housing Code; by the Code Enforcement Officer, pursuant to the Building Code; by the Fire Chief, pursuant to statutes and the Fire Prevention Code; by the Health Commissioner, pursuant to the applicable state, county or local health codes; and by the Municipal Engineer, pursuant to applicable construction standards.
BASEMENT. A portion of a building located partly underground, but having less than half of its clear height below the average grade of the adjoining ground. A BASEMENT which is used for a use other than storage shall be considered a story. (See CELLAR.)
BATHROOM. A room affording privacy equipped with a flush water closet, lavatory and bathtub or shower in good working condition and properly connected to an approved water and sewerage system.
BOARDING HOUSE. See ROOMING HOUSE.
BUILDING CODE. The Building Code officially adopted by Council or such other code as may be officially designated by Council, or the applicable code of the county, for the regulation of construction, alteration, addition, repair, removal, demolition, use, location, occupancy and maintenance of buildings and structures.
CEILING. The surface suspended from, or attached to, the underside of a floor or roof, which does not form a structural part of such floor or roof. CEILING also means the underside of an exposed floor or roof construction.
CEILING HEIGHT. The clear distance between a floor and the ceiling directly above.
CELLAR. A portion of a building located partly or wholly underground and having one-half or more of its clear floor-to-ceiling height below the average grade of the adjoining ground. (See BASEMENT.)
COMMERCIAL UNIT. A building or structure, or a part thereof, which wholly or partially contains retail or service establishments or office space. COMMERCIAL UNITS include those buildings, or parts thereof, which provide for or may provide for commercial uses, including, but not limited to, the following: retail sales and services, auto sales and services, bowling alleys and other commercial/recreational buildings, funeral homes, all restaurants and food service establishments, business and professional offices, service stations, car washes, animal hospitals and veterinary clinics, banks and financial institutions, public service institutions, motels, theaters, medical clinics, laundromats and other similar structures or buildings.
DWELLING. A building or structure, or a part thereof, which contains a dwelling unit, rooming unit or commercial unit.
DWELLING UNIT. A room or group of rooms located within a dwelling and forming a single-family habitable unit, with facilities which are used or intended to be used for living, sleeping, cooking, storing food or eating purposes. Such a unit is commonly known as an apartment.
ENFORCEMENT OFFICER. The Chief Housing Inspector of the municipality or his or her authorized agent or representative.
EXIT. In general, means the way out from any point in a building along a continuous and unobstructed line of travel which leads to a street or to an open space or court communicating with a street or other public thoroughfare.
EXTERIOR PROPERTY AREA. The open space on a premises and on adjoining property under the control of the owners or operators of such premises.
EXTERMINATION. The control and elimination of insects, rodents or other pests by eliminating their harborage places, by removing or making inaccessible materials that may serve as their food, by approved poisoning, spraying, fumigating or trapping, by blocking their access to a dwelling or by any other recognized and legal pest elimination method approved by a health officer of the municipality or the county.
FAMILY. A person or group of persons living in a dwelling unit and functioning as a household to provide for basic living needs and to perform necessary living duties and responsibilities.
FIRST STORY. The story whose floor is not more than five feet above the average level of the ground surrounding the building in which it is located.
GARBAGE. All waste, including, but not limited to, all putrescible wastes, and includes any refuse accumulation of animal, fruit or vegetable matter used or intended for food or that attends the preparation, use, cooking, dealing in or storing of meat, fish, fowl, fruit or vegetables.
HABITABLE ROOM. A room or enclosed floor space used or intended to be used for living, sleeping, cooking or eating purposes, excluding bath rooms, toilet rooms, laundries, pantries, foyers or communicating corridors, storage rooms, laundry and utility rooms or spaces in attics, basements or cellars.
HOUSING CODE. Ordinance 11-1977, passed May 16, 1977, as amended, codified herein as Chapter 1480 of these Codified Ordinances.
HOUSING INSPECTOR. The Chief Housing Inspector of the municipality or his or her authorized agent or representative.
INFESTATION. The presence, within or around a dwelling or in or near waste disposal containers, of any insects, rodents or other pests.
INOPERATIVE MOTOR VEHICLE. Any motor-driven vehicle that cannot, both physically and lawfully, under its own power, and without repair or replacement of parts, be operated on the public highways of this municipality, or which fails to display the distinctive number and registration mark, including any validation sticker, required by § 436.09 of the Traffic Code.
MAINTENANCE. The servicing, repairing or altering of any building, structure, appliance, apparatus or equipment to perpetuate the use or purpose for which such building, structure, appliance, apparatus or equipment was originally intended.
MULTI-FAMILY DWELLING. Any dwelling containing three or more dwelling units.
OCCUPANT. Any person, over one year of age, living, sleeping, cooking or eating in, or having possession or use of, a dwelling unit, rooming unit or commercial unit.
OPERATOR. Any legally responsible person who has charge, care or control of a building, or a part thereof, in which dwelling units, rooming units or commercial units are leased, let or offered for occupancy, and includes a lessee, sublessee, vendee in possession or any other person otherwise managing or operating such building or part thereof.
OWNER. The owner of the deed or freehold of a premises or lesser estate therein, a contract buyer, a mortgagee or vendee in possession, an assignee of rents or a receiver, executor, administrator, trustee, lessee or other person in control of a building, or their duly authorized agents. Any such person representing the owner is bound to comply with the provisions of this chapter to the same extent as if he or she were the owner.
PERSON. Any individual, firm, corporation, association or partnership.
PLUMBING. All of the following supplied facilities and equipment: water pipes, water closets, mechanical garbage disposal units, waste pipes, sinks, installed dishwashers and clothes washing machines, lavatories, bathtubs, shower baths, catch basins, drains, vents and other similar supplied fixtures, including all connections to water or sewer lines.
PREMISES. A lot, plot or parcel of land, including a building or structure thereon, or any part thereof, except land occupied by streets, alleys or other public thoroughfares.
RENTAL DWELLING UNIT. Any dwelling unit that is occupied by any person, not the owner of the dwelling unit, who pays rent or other consideration for the use and occupancy of that dwelling unit.
ROOMING HOUSE. Any dwelling or dwelling unit containing one or more rooming units, with not more than four roomers in any one rooming unit, which may include common cooking, food storage and/or eating facilities not located within the rooming unit, in which space is let for compensation by the resident owner or resident operator to three or more persons, none of whom are children, parents,
grandchildren, grandparents, brothers or sisters of such owner or operator, but not including a hotel or a rest, convalescent or nursing home. Dwellings in which space is let to two or fewer such persons shall not be deemed a rooming house nor shall hotels licensed under Ohio R.C. Chapter 3731. Institutional dormitories or buildings or portions of buildings designed, arranged, intended or maintained for or occupied by 50 or more persons which are let for occupancy by religious, benevolent, charitable or other nonprofit organizations shall not be deemed a rooming house.
ROOMING UNIT. Any room or group of rooms in a rooming house, dwelling or dwelling unit, forming a single habitable unit for not more than four persons, which is used or intended for use for living or sleeping, but does not include facilities for cooking or storing food or eating purposes.
RUBBISH. Combustible and noncombustible waste materials, except garbage, and includes the residue from the burning of wood, coal, coke and other combustible materials and paper, rags, cartons, boxes, wood, excelsior, rubber, leather, tree branches, yard trimmings, tin cans, metals, mineral matter, glass, crockery, dust and other similar materials. (See TRASH.)
STRUCTURE. That which is built or constructed and includes prefabricated and/or modular systems.
SUPPLIED. Paid for, arranged for, installed, furnished or provided by, or under the control of, an owner or operator.
SWALE. A topographical depression located to receive surface water from adjacent lands and distribute such water in a manner allowing maximum natural ground water recharge and minimizing run-off and the construction of piped storm water systems.
TOILET ROOM. A room affording privacy equipped with a flush water closet or urinal and a lavatory basin in good working condition and properly connected to an approved water and sewerage system.
TRASH. All combustible and noncombustible waste material, except garbage. (See RUBBISH.)
VENTILATION. The process of supplying and removing air by natural or mechanical means to and/or from any space. MECHANICAL VENTILATION means ventilation by power-driven devices. NATURAL VENTILATION means ventilation by opening to outer air through windows, skylights, doors, louvers or stacks, without wind-driven devices.
WASTES. Burnable and nonburnable trash, rubbish and garbage.
WORKMANLIKE STATE OF MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR. The maintenance and repair shall be made in a reasonably skillful manner.
YARD. An open, unoccupied space on the same lot with a building extending along the entire length of a street or a rear or interior lot line.
(b) Where terms are not defined herein and are defined in the applicable Building, Zoning or Fire Prevention Code, they shall have the meanings ascribed to them in such Codes. Where terms are not defined in this Housing Code or in the applicable Building, Zoning or Fire Prevention Code, as aforesaid, they shall have ascribed to them their ordinarily accepted meanings or such as the context implies.
(Ord. 11-1977, passed 5-16-1977; Am. Ord. 82-34, passed 4-5-1982; Am. Ord. 96-28, passed 5-21-1996)