It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, corporation or association of persons to establish, maintain, operate or carry on the business of a public laundry or washhouse, where clothes or other articles are cleansed, ironed, washed, starched, marked or sorted for hire or profit, including automatic laundries as defined in Section 360 of this Code, in any building or premises within the limits of the City and County of San Francisco, without having first obtained a permit therefor from the Director of Public Health, which said permit shall specify the name of the permittee and the location of the premises used or to be used as such laundry or washhouse.
(a) Permit Conditions. No permit shall be granted except upon satisfactory evidence that the premises are properly and sufficiently drained, and that all proper arrangements for carrying on the business without injury to the sanitary condition of the neighborhood have been complied with, and particularly that the provisions of all ordinance pertaining thereto have been complied with and upon a report from the Chief of the Division of Fire Prevention and Investigation of the City and County of San Francisco, or other satisfactory evidence that the stoves, chimneys, machinery, equipment, washing and drying apparatus and the appliances for heating smoothing-irons are adequate and in good condition, and that their use is not dangerous to the surrounding property from fire, and that all proper precautions have been taken to comply with the provisions of the ordinance defining the fire limits of the City and County of San Francisco and regulating the erection and use of buildings in said city and county, and of all ordinances pertaining thereto.
It shall be the duty of the Director of Public Health and of the Chief of the Division of Fire Prevention and Investigation, respectively, upon request of any applicant for a permit hereunder to inspect the premises on which it is proposed to establish, maintain, operate or carry on said business, or in which said business is being maintained, operated or carried on with a view to ascertaining the existence or nonexistence of the conditions and matters set forth in this Section.
(b) Revocation of Permits, etc. The Director of Public Health shall not grant, refuse or revoke any permit hereunder except after a full hearing, publicly had, at which the applicant or permittee may appear in person and by counsel and introduce evidence; and in the granting, refusal or revocation of permits said Director of Public Health shall exercise a sound and reasonable discretion.
Permits issued hereunder are not transferable.
Any permit granted hereunder shall be revocable by the Director of Public Health for any violation of the provisions of any ordinances of the City and County of San Francisco, in the conduct of such laundry or washhouse.
(c) Persons Afflicted with Contagious Diseases. No person, firm, corporation or association of persons maintaining, operating or carrying on the business of a public laundry or washhouse or automatic laundry, as defined in Section 360 hereof, within the limits of the City and County of San Francisco, shall permit any person suffering from any infectious or contagious disease to lodge, sleep or remain within or upon the premises used by him, her, it or them, for the purpose of such laundry or washhouse.
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, corporation or association of persons to establish, maintain, operate or carry on a public laundry or washhouse, or automatic laundry as defined in Section 360 hereof, within the City and County of San Francisco in any building or any portion thereof, or in any annex or outhouse thereto or other premises that is frequented by persons likely to spread infectious, contagious or loathsome diseases or that is occupied or used or frequented directly or indirectly for any immoral or unlawful purpose, or that is occupied or used as a public hall or store unless there is a complete wall separation between said hall or store and said laundry, washhouse, or automatic laundry and the latter has its own separate entrance from the street.
(d) Lettering on Laundry Vehicles. It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation either as owner, agent or employee of any public laundry or public washhouse, where clothes or other articles are cleansed for hire, or for any owner or operator of any independently owned laundry route, to operate or to cause to be operated any vehicle for the purpose of receiving clothes or other articles to be cleansed or for the purpose of delivering any clothes or other articles which have been cleansed, unless such vehicle shall carry in letters at least four inches high, painted on both sides, the name of the laundry where said clothes or other articles have been or are to be cleansed.
(e) Exception. The provisions of this Section shall not apply to hotels, or hospitals maintaining or operating laundries exclusively for the convenience, service or accommodation of the respective guests, patients or employees.
(f) Violation. It shall be unlawful for any owner, lessee, occupant, or person in charge or control of any building or premises within the limits of the City and County of San Francisco or for the president, manager, superintendent or other managing officer of any firm, corporation or association to cause or to permit the business of public laundry or public washhouse, or automatic laundry as defined in Section 360 hereof, to be established, maintained, operated or carried on in any building or premises within the City and County of San Francisco in violation or in disregard of the provisions of this Article.