(A) No person shall operate a rooming house unless he holds a valid rooming house license issued by the office of the City Clerk in the name of the operator and for the specific dwelling unit. The operator shall apply to the office of the Building Inspector for a permit for license, which shall be issued by the office of the City Clerk upon compliance by the operator to the satisfaction of the Building Inspector, with the applicable provisions of this subchapter. This license shall be displayed in a conspicuous place within the rooming house at all times. No such license shall be transferable. Every person holding such a license shall give notice in writing to the office of the City Clerk and the Building Inspector within 24 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 of control of such rooming house. Every rooming house license shall expire at the end of 1 year following its date of issuance, unless sooner suspended or revoked as hereinafter provided.
(B) Any person whose application for a permit to obtain a license to operate a rooming house has been denied may request and shall be granted a hearing on the matter, under the procedure provided by § 15.1.087 of this subchapter.
(C) Whenever upon inspection of any rooming house the Health Officer or the Building Inspector finds that conditions or practices exist which are in violation of any provision of this subchapter, the Health Officer or Building Inspector, as the case may be, 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 Health Officer or the Building Inspector respectively, the operator's rooming house license will be suspended. At the end of such period, the Health Officer or the Building Inspector, as the case may be, 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 license 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 unit therein.
(D) Any person whose license to operate a rooming house has been suspended, or who has received notice from the Health Officer or Building Inspector that his license 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 Board of Appeals, under the procedure provided by § 15.1.087 of this subchapter; provided that if no petition for such hearing is filed within 10 days following the day on which such license was suspended, such license shall be deemed to have been automatically revoked.
(E) At least 1 flush water closet lavatory basin and bathtub or shower, properly connected to a water and sanitary sewer system approved by the Building Inspector and in good working condition, shall be supplied for each 10 persons or fraction thereof residing within a rooming house, including members of the operator's family wherever they share the use of the said facilities, provided that in a rooming house where rooms are let only to males, tank system urinals of the floor resting type fixtures may be substituted for not more than of the required 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 Health Officer or the Building Inspector.
(F) The operator of every rooming house shall change supplied bed linen and towels therein at least once a 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 1 person shall contain at least 80 square feet of floor space, and every room occupied for sleeping purposes by more than 1 person shall contain at least 40 square feet of floor space for each occupant thereof over 12 years of age and at least 30 square feet for each occupant therein under 12 years of age, as computed in accordance with division (C) of § 15.1.091.
(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 this state and this City.
(I) The operator of every rooming house shall be responsible for the sanitary maintenance of all walls, floors and ceilings, and for the maintenance of a sanitary condition in every other part of the rooming house and shall be further responsible for the sanitary maintenance of the entire premises where leased or occupied by the operator.
(J) Every provision of this subchapter which applies to rooming houses shall also apply to efficiency apartments, motels, cabins, hotels and similar accommodations except to the extent that any such provision may be found in conflict with the laws of this state or with the lawful regulations of any state board of agency.
(K) The Health Officer is empowered to suspend the operation of divisions (A) and (B) of § 15.1.091, and/or division (G) of this section hereof by special or general order in writing when he shall deem an emergency exists, which in his discretion shall warrant such suspension; provided, however, that no such general or special order so suspending operation of division (A) of § 15.1.091 and/or division (G) of this section shall be of a duration longer than 10 days.
(Ord. 308, passed 8-21-68) Penalty, see § 1.1.99