No owner or other person shall occupy or let another person occupy any rental dwelling unit, unless the premises is clean, sanitary, fit for human occupancy and complies with all applicable legal requirements of the State and the City, including the following requirements:
A. License And Inspection Required: The owner of a rental dwelling unit shall obtain and license and shall pass the required inspection prior to any occupancy of the rental dwelling unit.
B. Maintenance:
1. Shared Or Public Areas: Every owner of a rental dwelling unit shall maintain in a clean, sanitary and safe condition the shared or public areas of the building and premises thereof.
2. Occupied Areas: All occupants of a rental dwelling unit shall maintain in a clean, sanitary and safe condition that part or those parts of the building and premises thereof that she/he occupies and controls.
C. Storage And Disposal Of Garbage And Rubbish:
1. All occupants of a rental dwelling unit shall store and dispose of all their rubbish in a clean, sanitary and safe manner.
2. All occupants of a rental dwelling unit shall store and dispose of all their garbage and any other organic waste which might provide food for insects and/or rodents in a clean, sanitary and safe manner.
3. Every owner of a rental dwelling unit shall supply facilities of adequate size for the sanitary and safe storage and disposal of rubbish and garbage.
D. Pest Control:
1. Pest Extermination: Every owner of a rental dwelling unit shall be responsible for the extermination of vermin infestations and/or rodents on the premises. Every occupant of a dwelling unit containing more than one dwelling unit or an occupant of a nonresidential building containing more than one unit shall be responsible for the extermination whenever his unit is the only one infested. Notwithstanding, however, whenever infestations caused by the failure of the owner to maintain a building in a reasonable rodentproof or reasonable verminproof condition, extermination shall be the responsibility of the owner. Whenever infestation exists in two (2) or more of the units in any building, extermination thereof shall be the responsibility of the owner. Whenever extermination is the responsibility of the owner, the extermination must be performed by a licensed pest control contractor.
2. Rodents:
a. No occupant of a rental dwelling unit shall accumulate boxes, lumber, scrap metal, or any similar materials in such a manner that may provide a rodent harborage in or about any dwelling unit or building. Stored materials shall be stacked neatly.
b. No owner of a rental dwelling unit shall accumulate or permit the accumulation of boxes, lumber, scrap metal, or any other similar materials in such a manner that may provide a rodent harborage in or about shared or public areas of a building or its premises. Materials stored by the owner or permitted to be stored by the owner shall be stacked neatly.
c. No owner or occupant of a rental dwelling unit shall store, place or allow to accumulate, any materials that may serve as food for rodents in a site accessible to rodents.
E. Sanitary Maintenance Of Fixtures And Facilities: Every occupant of a rental dwelling unit shall keep all supplied fixtures and facilities therein in a clean and sanitary condition and shall be responsible for the exercise of reasonable care in the proper use and operation thereof.
F. Minimum Heating Capability And Maintenance: In every rental dwelling unit, when the control of the supplied heat is the responsibility of a person other than the occupant, a temperature of at least sixty eight degrees Fahrenheit (68°F), or such lesser temperature required by government authority, shall be maintained at a distance of three feet (3') above the floor and three feet (3') from exterior walls in all habitable rooms, bathrooms and water closet compartments from September through May.
G. Minimum Exterior Lighting: The owner of a rental building shall be responsible for providing and maintaining effective illumination in all exterior parking lots and walkways.
H. Driveways And Parking Areas: One off street parking space must be provided for each tenant age of eighteen (18) years or older. The owner of a rental building shall be responsible for providing and maintaining in good condition paved and delineated parking areas and driveways for tenants consistent with title 11, chapter 21 of this Code. (Prior Code § 7-11-6)
I. Yards: The owner of the building shall be responsible for providing and maintaining the yards of premises consistent with section 5-2-3 of this Code.
J. Exterior Storage: Owners and occupants of rental dwelling units shall comply with the City's exterior storage requirements as regulated by section 11-18-3 of this Code. (Prior Code § 7-11-6; amd. 2018 Code)
K. Public Nuisances: Owners and occupants of rental dwelling units shall comply with the City public nuisance ordinance as provided in title 5, chapter 1 of this Code.
L. Taxes, Fees And Charges: The property owner shall be responsible for payment of all Property Taxes, City utility fees, special assessments, and interest. Delinquent utility accounts shall be subject to section 8-1-9 of this Code. (Prior Code § 7-11-6)