Sec. 518.431. - Rooming houses and rooming units—General.

Every person who operates a rooming house or who occupies or lets to another for occupancy a rooming unit in a rooming house shall comply with the requirements of this Part and with every other Section of this Chapter that is not in conflict with this Part. Every rooming unit shall comply with all the requirements of thin Chapter pertaining to a habitable room, except as otherwise provided in this Part. (a) Water closet and bath facilities. At least one flush water closet, lavatory basin and bathtub or shower, properly connected to a water and sewer system approved by the Duval County Public Health Unit and in good working condition, shall be supplied for each four rooms or fraction thereof within a rooming house; provided that: (1) In a rooming house where rooms are let only to males, flush urinals may be substituted for not more than one-half of the required number of water closets. (2) The facilities required by this Section shall be so located within the dwelling as to be reasonably accessible to all persons sharing the facilities and from a common hall or passageway on the floor they serve. (3) Every lavatory basin and bathtub or shower shall be supplied with heated and unheated water under pressure at all times. (b) Minimum floor area for sleeping purposes. Every rooming unit occupied for sleeping purposes shall contain at least 110 square feet of habitable floor area for the first occupant and at least 50 square feet of habitable floor area for each additional occupant, except that in no case shall the total number of occupants exceed two times the number of habitable rooms in the rooming unit. Every rooming unit shall also contain at least four square feet of closet space for each occupant with an unobstructed height of at least five feet. If the required closet space is lacking, in whole or in part, an amount of space equal in square footage to the deficiency shall be subtracted from the area of habitable room space used in determining permissible occupancy. In a dormitory room, the required closet or closet space may be provided in another portion of the rooming house. (c) Bed linens and towels. The operator of every rooming house shall supply bed linens and towels therein at least once each week and prior to the letting of a room to another occupant. The operator shall be responsible for the maintenance of all supplied bedding in a clean and sanitary manner. (d) Shades, drapes, etc. Every window of every rooming unit shall be supplied with shades, draw drapes or other devices or material which, when properly used, will afford privacy to the occupant of the rooming unit. (e) Certain cooking prohibited. Cooking in dormitory rooms and rooming units is prohibited. (f) Locks. Access doors to rooming units, water closet rooms and bathrooms shall have properly functioning locks to ensure privacy. (g) Private ingress and egress. Access to or egress from each rooming unit shall be provided without passing through another rooming unit or dwelling unit. (h) Sanitary conditions. The operator of every rooming house shall be responsible for the sanitary maintenance of all walls, floors and ceilings and for the sanitary maintenance of every other part of the rooming house. The operator shall be further responsible for the sanitary maintenance of the entire premises where the structure or building within which the rooming house is contained is owned, leased or occupied by the operator, otherwise, the owner shall be responsible. (i) Sanitary facilities. Every water closet, flush urinal, lavatory basin and bathtub or shower required by Section 518.502 shall be located within the main enclosing walls of the rooming house and within a room or rooms which: (1) Afford privacy and are separate from the habitable rooms. (2) Are accessible from a common hall and without going outside the rooming house or through another room therein. (Ord. 96-458-297, § 1)