Every dwelling unit shall conform to the following standards:
(a) No portion of any room which does not presently meet all of the requirements for habitable rooms under any section of this Code shall be included in determining the habitable floor area of a dwelling unit.
(b) Every dwelling unit shall have not less than the permitted floor area under the effective permission of the Building or Zoning Code at the time of construction of the building or amendment of the use. Of the permitted area a minimum of 250 square feet shall be habitable floor area and shall contain at least one room which shall have not less than 160 square feet of habitable floor area and which is not less than ten feet in width, provided that no room used to compute compliance with such square foot minimum limitation shall be less than seven feet in width nor have less than seventy (70) square feet of habitable floor area. Every dwelling unit must have an attached or detached garage that will accommodate two full size passenger vehicles unless, at the determination of the Building Commissioner, the lot size is not sufficient for that size structure which will then permit the construction of a garage which will accommodate at least one full size passenger vehicle not less than a single full size passenger vehicle.
(c) No portion of any room which is less than seven feet in width shall be included in determining habitable floor area.
(d) All habitable rooms shall have a clear ceiling height of not less than seven and one-half feet, provided that rooms with sloping ceilings shall have a clear ceiling height of not less than six feet, nine inches in at least one-half of their habitable floor area. In determining the habitable floor area of rooms with sloping ceilings, all portions of less than five and one-half feet in height shall be disregarded.
(e) Every dwelling unit shall contain at least 150 square feet of habitable floor area for the first occupant thereof and at least 100 additional square feet of habitable floor area for every additional occupant thereof, but in no case less than the authorized minimums in subsection (b) of this section.
(f) The third floor area of a double house, a two-family dwelling or a multifamily dwelling consisting of side-by-side dwelling units, sometimes known as row houses, shall be used to compute compliance with the requirements for minimum habitable floor area for a family occupying a dwelling unit in such double house, two-family dwelling or multi-family dwelling to the extent permitted by subsection (f)(1) hereof, but subject to the requirements and limitations of subsection (f)(2) hereof, as follows:
(1) A. Where there are two (2) separate approved stairways from the third floor area to the ground floor of such building, seventy-five percent (75%) of the habitable floor area of the third floor shall be used to compute compliance with the requirements for minimum habitable floor area for a family occupying a dwelling unit in a double house or multi-family dwelling or occupying the second floor of a two-family dwelling.
B. Where there is only one approved stairway from the third floor area to the ground floor of such building, fifty percent (50%) of the habitable floor area of the third floor shall be used to compute compliance with the requirements for minimum habitable floor area for a family occupying a dwelling unit in a double house or multi-family dwelling or occupying the second floor of a two- family dwelling.
C. For an "approved stairway" see the Building Code provisions.
(2) A. No portion of the habitable floor area on the third floor shall be used to compute compliance with the requirements for minimum habitable floor area for a family occupying a dwelling unit on the first floor of a two-family dwelling.
B. No portion of the floor area on the third floor used for storage purposes shall be included in determining the habitable floor area of such third floor.
C. No portion of any room on the third floor which does not presently meet all of the requirements for habitable rooms under any section of this Code shall be included in determining the habitable floor area of such third floor.
D. No portion of the habitable floor area on the third floor of any dwelling shall be used to compute compliance with the requirements for minimum habitable floor area for a family occupying a dwelling unit in such dwelling unless such family has the exclusive use, other than for storage purposes, of such third floor.
(g) When providing and/or installing smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms, as required by the latest adopted edition of the residential code of Ohio, the smoke alarms shall be of the photoelectric type, and single station carbon monoxide alarms shall be listed as complying with UL 2034.
(Ord. 2023-45. Passed 6-5-23.)