(a) No person shall operate a rooming house, motel, or hotel, or shall occupy or let to another for occupancy any rooming house unit in any rooming house, motel, or hotel, except in accordance with the provisions of every section of this Code.
(1) Basic equipment. Every rooming house, motel, or hotel shall be equipped with at least one flush water closet, one lavatory basin, and one bathtub or shower, properly connected to a water and sewer system approved by the Authorized Inspector and in good working condition. These facilities shall be supplied for each six persons or fraction thereof residing within a rooming house, motel, or hotel, including members of the operator's family if they share the use of the facilities. In any rooming house, motel, or hotel, every room occupied for sleeping purposes, except those occupied by the operator's family members, shall contain one lavatory basin properly connected to the water and sewer system approved by the Authorized Inspector and in good working condition. In a rooming house, motel, or hotel in which both sexes are accommodated, a minimum of two flush water closets and lavatory basins located in separate rooms which are conspicuously marked shall be required. In a rooming house, motel, or hotel in which rooms are let only to males, flush urinals may be substituted for not more than one-half of the required number of water closets. All such facilities shall be so located within the rooming house, motel, or hotel as to be accessible from a common hall to all personal shared facilities, afford privacy and be separated from the habitable rooms. 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 Authorized Inspector.
(2) Bedding, bed linen and towels. The owner or operator of every rooming house, motel, or hotel shall maintain the supplied bedding in a clean and sanitary manner, shall change supplied bed linens and towels therein at least once a week, and prior to the letting of any room to any occupant.
(3) Minimum space. Every room occupied for sleeping purposes by one person shall contain at least eighty 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.
(4) Means of egress. Every rooming unit in a rooming house, motel, or hotel shall have safe, unobstructed means of egress leading to safe and open space at ground level as required by the laws of the State of Ohio and the City of Struthers.
(5) Smoke alarms required. No owner shall let to another any rental unit or part thereof, during the time(s) that there is not a least one fully operable, properly installed and maintained and appropriately placed, smoke alarm on each and every floor or the individual rental unit (including basement).
(6) Sanitary maintenance by owner. The owner or operator of every rooming house, motel, or hotel 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, motel or hotel. He shall further be responsible for the sanitary maintenance of the entire premises where the entire structure is a building leased or occupied by the operator.
(7) Guest register. The owner or operator of every rooming house, motel, or hotel shall keep at all times in a convenient place a book or register wherein every person applying for accommodations must sign his name and place of residence before such accommodations are furnished and such book or register shall be available for inspection by the Authorized Inspector at all times.
(Ord. 99-9773. Passed 3-12-99.)