§ 150.13. Rooming houses—Equipment and facilities.

No person shall operate a rooming house, or occupy or let to another for occupancy, any rooming unit in any house, which does not comply with all of the applicable requirements of this chapter.

A.

Bathroom Facilities. At least one flush water closet, lavatory basin, and bathtub or shower, properly connected to a water and sewer system, meeting standards approved by the Housing Inspector and in good working condition, shall be supplied for each six persons or fraction thereof residing within a rooming house, including members of the operator's family whenever they share the use of the facilities. In a rooming house where rooms are let to males, flush urinals may be substituted for not more than one-half of the required number of water closets. All rooming units and water closets shall be so located within the dwelling as to be accessible from a common hall or passageway to all persons sharing the facilities. Every lavatory basin and bathtub or shower shall be adequately supplied with hot water at all times. The facilities shall not be located in a basement except by written approval of the Housing Inspector.

B.

Bedding and Towels. The operator of every rooming house shall change supplied bed linen and towels therein at least once each 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.

C.

Sleeping Room Area. 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 sixty square feet of floor space for each additional occupant thereof.

D.

Means of Egress. 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 the state and the city.

E.

Sanitary Maintenance. The operator of every rooming house shall be responsible for the sanitary maintenance of all walls, floors, and ceilings and for maintenance of a sanitary condition in every other part of the rooming house. He shall be responsible for the sanitary maintenance of the entire premises where the entire structure or building is leased or occupied by the operator.

F.

Cooking. Cooking in dormitory rooms and rooming units shall be prohibited.

G.

Access. Access doors to rooming units shall have operating locks to insure privacy.

H.

Heating Requirements. The operator of every rooming house shall furnish heat sufficient to maintain an inside temperature of not less than seventy degrees Fahrenheit for each hour of the entire twenty-four-hour period of each day in all habitable rooms, bathrooms, water closet compartments, and kitchens, and be able to maintain this temperature when the outside temperature falls to fifty degrees Fahrenheit or below, except that the operator shall furnish heat sufficient to maintain the following minimum temperatures at the following hours of the day: between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit.

I.

Smoke Alarms. Every rooming house shall be equipped with alarms installed outside of each separate sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of each sleeping area and on each additional story of the dwelling, including basements and cellars but not including crawl spaces and uninhabitable attics. In dwellings or dwelling units with split levels, a smoke alarm shall be installed on each level. The occupant of any dwelling unit shall be responsible for replacing the battery in battery-operated smoke alarms. The property owner shall be responsible for all maintenance of smoke alarms other than battery replacement. No person shall remove or render a smoke alarm inoperative. Smoke alarms that are not self-contained or battery powered must satisfy Section 93.52(D), (E), and (F) of the Akron Codified Ordinances.

J.

Fire Extinguishers. Every rooming house shall be provided with fire extinguishers of a minimum classification and shall be maintained in a safe and approved operating condition.

K.

Fire Stairs/Sprinkler System. Every rooming house having habitable rooms located on floors exceeding two stories in height above grade, not counting basements, shall be provided with not less than two independent exits or exterior fire stairs from each floor above the second floor, fully accessible from each dwelling unit on the floor, or as an alternative, the entire dwelling shall be provided with a residential sprinkler system installed in accordance with National Fire Protection Association Standard #13R. Penalty, see § 150.99.

(Ord. 708-1997; Ord. 769-1996; Ord. 282-1992; Ord. 181-1992; Ord. 205-1988; Ord. 113-1972)

(Ord. 152-2017)