Ordinance No. 083 Housing Maintenance Code

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Section 6. Minimum Standards for Light and Ventilation. No person shall occupy as owner, occupant or let to another for occupancy any dwelling or dwelling unit, for the purpose of living therein, which does not comply with the following requirements: 1. Habitable Room Ventilation. Except where there is supplied some other device affording adequate ventilation and approved by the Compliance Official, every habitable room shall have at least one window facing directly outdoors which can be opened easily with an area of not less than 10% of the floor area with a minimum of 10 square feet. 2. Nonhabitable Room Ventilation. Every bathroom and water closet compartment, and every laundry and utility room shall contain at least the ventilation requirement for habitable rooms contained in Section 7-1, except that no windows shall be required if such rooms are equipped with a ventilation system capable of providing for five air changes per hour. 3. Electric Service, Outlets and Fixtures. Every dwelling unit and all public and common areas shall be supplied with electric service, functioning over current protection devices, electric outlets, and electric fixtures which are properly installed, which shall be maintained in good and safe working condition, and shall be connected to a source of electric power in a manner prescribed by the Ordinance, rules and regulations of the City of Gem Lake and by the laws of the State of Minnesota. The minimum electric outlets and fixtures shall be as follows: 1. Dwelling containing one or two dwelling units shall have at least the equivalent of 60-ampere, three - wire electric service per dwelling unit as a condition of sale. 2. Dwelling units shall have at least one branch electric circuit for each 600 square feet of dwelling unit floor space. 3. Every habitable room shall have at least one floor or wall- type electric convenience outlet for each 60 square feet or fraction thereof of the total floor space, and in no case less than two such electric outlets, provided, however, that one ceiling or wall -type light fixture may be supplied in lieu of one required electric outlet. 4. Every water closet compartment, bathroom, kitchen, laundry room, and furnace -room, shall contain at least one supplied ceiling or wall -type electric light fixture and every bathroom, kitchen, and laundry room shall contain at least one electric convenience outlet. 5. Every public hall and stairway in every multiple family dwelling shall be adequately lighted by natural or electric light at all times, so as to provide effective illumination in all parts thereof. Every public hall and stairway in structures containing not more than two dwelling units may be supplied with conveniently located light switches controlling an adequate lighting system which may be turned on when needed, instead of full-time lighting. 6. A convenient switch or equivalent device for turning on a light in each dwelling unit shall be located near the point of entrance to such unit. Section 7. Minimum Thermal Standards. No person shall occupy as owner, occupant or let to another for occupancy any dwelling or dwelling unit, for the purpose of living therein, which does not have heating facilities which are properly installed, and which are maintained in safe and good working condition, and which are capable of safely and adequately heating all habitable rooms, bathrooms and water closet compartments in every dwelling unit located therein to a temperature of at least 681 Fahrenheit at a distance of three feet above floor level and three feet from exterior walls at an outside temperature of -25' Fahrenheit. Gas or electric appliances designed primarily for cooking or water heating purposes shall not be considered as heating facilities within the meaning of this section. Portable heating equipment employing flame and the use of liquid fuel does not meet the requirements of this section and is prohibited. No owner or occupant shall install, operate or use a space heater employing a flame Ordinance No. 83 Housing Maintenance Code Page 7 of 15