No person shall operate a hotel, motel, lodging house/room, or boarding/rooming house, or let, rent or offer for a consideration to another for occupancy any rooming unit in any hotel, motel, lodging house/room, or boarding/rooming house, except in compliance with the provisions of every section of this chapter.
(A) Definitions:
BOARDING HOUSE OR ROOMING HOUSE: A dwelling or part thereof, in which lodging is provided by the owner or operator to those unrelated to the proprietor. A boarding house or rooming house is a facility in which rental sleeping accommodations are provided. Access to rooms is made through principal and secondary access points of the dwelling and connecting corridors and staircases.
LODGING HOUSE: A building originally designed for and used as a single- or two-family dwelling, all or a portion of which contains rooms which accommodate persons who are not members of the keeper's family. Lodging, or meals, or both are provided for compensation for three (3) or more but no more than ten (10) persons.
LODGING ROOM: A room or suite of rooms rented as sleeping and living quarters, but without cooking facilities and with or without an individual bathroom. In a suite of rooms, each room which provides sleeping accommodations shall be counted as one "lodging room" for the purpose of this title.
MOTELS/HOTELS: The word "hotel" or "motel" within the meaning of this section includes an establishment which is open to transient guests, in contradistinction to a lodging house, lodging room, boarding house, or a rooming house, and is commonly known as a hotel in the city, and which provides customary hotel services such as: maid service, furnishings and laundry of linens, telephone and/or desk service; the use and upkeep of furniture; and bellboy service.
(B) General Provisions: No person shall operate a hotel, motel, lodging house/room, or boarding/rooming house within the city until he has:
1. Made application to the city and paid the annual license fee of fifty dollars ($50.00); and
2. Been inspected by the officer of the city and been found to meet all requirements of this and all health, fire prevention and other sections pertaining to a hotel, motel, lodging house/room, or boarding/rooming house, and laws of the state.
It shall be the duty of the officer of the city to inspect each hotel, motel, lodging house/room, or boarding/rooming house within a reasonable time after being notified by the comptroller that applicant has applied for a permit to operate a hotel, motel, lodging house/room, or boarding/rooming house and has paid the annual license fee.
The officers of the city shall refuse the applicant the right to operate a hotel, motel, lodging house/room, or boarding/rooming house until applicant has complied with all provisions of this code pertaining to health and fire prevention and all laws of the state in regard to hotels, motels, lodging houses/rooms, or boarding/rooming houses.
(C) Inspection; Notice: Whenever, upon inspection of any hotel, motel, lodging house/room, or boarding/rooming house, the officer of the city finds that conditions or practices exist which are in violation of any of the provisions of this chapter or other health or fire prevention provisions of this code or the laws of the state regarding a hotel, motel, lodging house/room, or boarding/rooming house, the officer of the city shall give notice in writing to the operator of such hotel, motel, lodging house/room, or boarding/rooming house that unless conditions or practices are corrected within a reasonable time, of not less than ten (10) days, the operator's right to operate a hotel, motel, lodging house/room, or boarding/rooming house will be suspended. At the end of such period of time, the officer shall reinspect such hotel, motel, lodging house/room, or boarding/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 said hotel, motel, lodging house/room, or boarding/rooming house is closed. Upon receipt of such notice, the operator of such hotel, motel, lodging house/room, or boarding/rooming house shall immediately cease operating the same, and no person shall occupy for sleeping or living purposes any rooming unit thereof therein.
(D) Lavatory Facilities: At least one flush water closet, lavatory basin and bathtub or shower, properly connected to an approved water and sewer system, and in good working condition, shall be supplied for each four (4) persons or fraction thereof residing within a hotel, motel, lodging house/room, or boarding/rooming house, including members of operator's family whenever they share the use of such facilities; provided that in a hotel, motel, lodging house/room, or boarding/rooming house where rooms are let to males, flush urinals may be substituted for not more than one-half (1/2) the required number of water closets. All such facilities shall be so located within the building as to be reasonably accessible from a common hall or passageway to all persons sharing such facilities, within a room which affords privacy to a person within said room. Every lavatory basin and bathtub or shower shall be supplied with hot water at all times. No such facilities shall be located in a cellar.
(E) Minimum Area: Every room occupied for sleeping purposes by one person shall contain at least seventy (70) square feet of floor space, and every room occupied for sleeping purposes by more than one person shall contain at least fifty (50) square feet of additional floor space for each occupant thereof.
(F) Means Of Egress: Every rooming unit shall have safe, unobstructed means of egress leading to a safe and open space at ground level as required by the laws of the state and the provisions of this code.
(G) Maintenance: The operator of every hotel, motel, lodging house/room, or boarding/rooming house shall be responsible for the sanitary maintenance of all walls, floors and ceilings and the maintenance and sanitary conditions in every part of the hotel, motel, lodging house/room, or boarding/rooming house; 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. (Ord. 2062, 10-22-2013)