(a) No person shall operate a rooming house unless he holds a valid rooming house permit issued by the Mayor in the name of the operator and for the specific dwelling or dwelling unit. The operator shall apply to the Mayor for such permit, which shall be issued by the Mayor upon compliance by the operator with the applicable provisions of this chapter and of any rules and regulations adopted pursuant thereto. This permit shall be displayed in a conspicuous place within the rooming house at all times. No such permit shall be transferable. Every person holding such a permit shall give notice in writing to the Mayor within twenty-four hours after having sold, transferred, given away or otherwise disposed of ownership of, interest in or control of any rooming house. Such notice shall include the name and address of the person succeeding to the ownership or control of such rooming house. Every rooming house permit shall expire at the end of one year following its date of issuance unless sooner suspended or revoked as hereinafter provided.
(b) Any person whose application for a permit to operate a rooming house has been denied may request and shall be granted a hearing on the matter before the Mayor, under the procedure provided by Section 1351.03.
(c) Whenever upon inspection of any rooming house the Mayor finds that conditions or practices exist which are in violation of any provisions of this chapter or of any rule or regulation adopted pursuant thereto, the Mayor shall give notice in writing to the operator of such rooming house that unless such conditions or practices are corrected within a reasonable period, to be determined by the Mayor, the operator's rooming house permit will be suspended. At the end of such period the Mayor shall reinspect such rooming house, and if he finds that such conditions or practices have not been corrected, he shall give notice in writing to the operator that the latter's permit has been suspended. Upon receipt of notice of suspension, such operator shall immediately cease operation of such rooming house, and no person shall occupy for sleeping or living purposes any rooming units therein.
(d) Any person whose permit to operate a rooming house has been suspended, or who has received notice from the Mayor that his permit is to be suspended unless existing conditions or practices at his rooming house are corrected, may request and shall be granted a hearing on the matter before the Mayor, under the procedures provided by Section 1351.03. If no petition for a hearing is filed within ten days following the day on which the permit was suspended, the permit shall be deemed to have been automatically revoked.
(e) At least one flush water closet, lavatory basin, and bathtub or shower, properly connected to a water and sewer system approved by the Mayor and in good working condition, shall be supplied for each eight persons or fraction thereof residing within a rooming house, including members of the operator’s family wherever they share the use of those facilities. In a rooming house where rooms are let only to males, flush urinals may be substituted for not more than one-half the number of water closets.
All such facilities shall be so located within the dwelling as to be reasonably accessible from a common hall or passageway to all persons sharing such facilities. Every lavatory basin and bathtub or shower shall be supplied with hot water at all times. No such facilities shall be located in a basement except by written approval of the Mayor.
(f) The operator of every rooming house shall change supplied bed linen and towels therein at least once each week, and prior to the letting of any room to any occupant. The operator shall be responsible for the maintenance of all supplied bedding in a clean and sanitary manner.
(g) Every room occupied for sleeping purposes by one person shall contain at least seventy square feet of floor space, and every room occupied for sleeping purposes by more than one person shall contain at least fifty square feet of floor space for each occupant thereof.
(h) Every rooming unit shall have safe, unobstructed means of egress leading to safe and open space at ground level, as required by the laws of the State and the Municipality.
(i) The operator of every rooming house shall be responsible for the sanitary maintenance of all walls, floors and ceilings, and for maintenance of a sanitary condition in every other part of the rooming house; and he shall be further responsible for the sanitary maintenance of the entire premises where the entire structure or building is leased or occupied by the operator.
(j) Every provision of this chapter which applies to rooming houses shall also apply to hotels, except to the extent that any such provisions may be found to conflict with the laws of the State or with the lawful regulation of any State board or agency. (Ord. 2696-95. Passed 1-4-95.)