Kern County Municipal Code Ch. 8.32 House Courts, Tent Camp Spaces and Squatter Camps

For the purpose of this chapter, certain words and phrases are defined and certain provisions shall be construed as set out in this section unless it is apparent from their context that they have a different meaning. Words used in the singular include the plural, and words used in the plural include the singular. Words used in the present tense include the future.

A. "Apartment" means a room or suite of rooms which is occupied or intended or designed to be occupied by one family or person for living and/or sleeping purposes in a house court.

B. "Camp car" or "camp trailer" means any unit used for living and/or sleeping purposes and which is equipped with wheels or similar devices used for the purpose of transporting such unit from place to place, whether by motor power or other means.

C. "Family" means one (1) person living alone or a group of two or more persons living together in an apartment, whether related to each other or not.

D. "Health department" means the public health services department of Kern County and shall include the county health officer and the duly authorized representatives and deputies of said department.

E. "House court" means any building or structure containing more than two (2) apartments or any group of two (2) or more separate buildings or structures containing one (1) or more apartments each located on a parcel of land or contiguous parcel or parcels of land under the ownership or operation of one (1) person, which building or structure or any portion thereof is, with expressed consent of the owner or person legally in charge of the land upon which such house court is located, designed, built, rented, leased, let or hired out to be occupied, or which is occupied as the home or residence or living quarters of two (2) or more families or persons living independently of each other.

F. "Person" means a corporation, copartnership or association as well as a natural person.

G. "Squatter" means one who settles or locates on land enclosed or unenclosed with no bona fide claim or color of title or without the expressed consent of the owner or person legally in charge of the land.

H. "Tent camp space" means any place where one (1) or more tents or camp cars or trailers are erected or maintained for hire or used or intended or designed to be used as living or sleeping quarters for one (1) or more families or persons or where free camping is permitted with or without tents or camp cars or trailers, or where one (1) or more tents or camp cars or trailers are established for living or sleeping purposes with the expressed consent of the owner or person legally in charge of the land upon which such camp space is located.

(Prior code § 3300)

(Ord. No. G-8006, § 25, 1-26-10)

A. The provisions of this chapter are applicable to every house court, tent camp space and squatter camp in the unincorporated area of the county, and it is unlawful for any person, firm or corporation maintaining, operating, conducting or carrying on, or for any person residing in any house court, tent camp or any other person to violate or to contribute in any way to the violation of any of the provisions of this chapter.

B. The provisions of this chapter shall not be construed to apply to any premises, buildings, structures or equipment referred to in an act entitled "An Act to regulate the construction and maintenance of auto camps in unincorporated areas, to provide for the inspection and supervision of same and to provide penalties for the violation of the provisions thereof," Chapter 214 of the State of California Statutes of 1931; or in an act entitled "An Act regulating the sanitation and ventilation in and at camps where five or more persons are employed; and providing a penalty for the violation thereof," Chapter 182, State of California Statutes of 1913, and amendments thereto; nor shall this chapter be construed to apply to any supervised public park or public camp or picnic ground owned, operated and/or maintained by the federal government, the state of California or any agency of said state or by any political subdivision or municipality.

(Prior code §§ 3303, 3304)

It is unlawful to construct, reconstruct or maintain, or to begin the operation of or to operate a house court or tent camp space upon any public or private property in the unincorporated area of the county, except as herein otherwise specified; and it is unlawful to occupy for living and/or sleeping purposes or to reside in any established house court or tent camp space without permission so to do from the owner or person legally in charge of the land upon which such house court or tent camp space is located or the owner or person legally in charge of such house court or tent camp space; and in any prosecution for the violation of this chapter the burden of proving such permission shall rest upon the person or persons so occupying such house court or tent camp space; and in the absence of such permission such camp or house court habitation shall be declared to be a squatter camp, as defined in this chapter, and shall be vacated when so ordered by the county health department, it being the expressed intention of this chapter that no squatter camp shall be permitted to exist in the unincorporated area of the county.

(Prior code § 3302)

It is unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to maintain, conduct or carry on or cause or permit to be maintained, conducted or carried on any house court or tent camp space in which three (3) or more families reside, unless such premises shall be provided at all times with a resident caretaker.

(Prior code § 3305)

No habitations or shelters constructed of sacks, rags, brush, cans, weeds or refuse material of an objectionable nature, or any combination of the foregoing, shall be permitted in any house court or tent camp space; and it shall be the duty of the owner or person legally in charge of the land upon which any house court or tent camp space is located, or of the operator or person in charge of such house court or tent camp space where any such construction exists, to have it removed from the premises or demolished.

(Prior code § 3313)

A. In addition to the other requirements set forth in this chapter, all buildings, structures or tents used or intended or designed to be used for human habitation hereafter erected in any house court or tent camp space shall meet the following minimum requirements, and it shall be the duty of the owner or person legally in charge of the land upon which such house court or tent camp space is located, or of the operator or person in charge of such house court or tent camp space, to see that the following requirements are complied with:

1. A clear air space of at least twelve (12) inches shall be maintained between the ground and the lower edge of the floor joists of any building in a house court, and the entire space under the building from the level of the floor to the ground must be enclosed, except that a sufficient number of ventilating screens or lattices must be provided to properly ventilate underneath the building. The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to masonry floors laid directly on the ground.

2. All floors, exterior and interior walls and ceilings and roofs of house court buildings shall be constructed of a good grade of surfaced lumber or other approved impervious material, and shall be kept clean at all times.

3. Every house court sleeping room must have a floor area of at least eighty (80) square feet and be not less than seven (7) feet in width at any point within that portion of the room counted for computing the minimum area of eighty (80) square feet; and every living room, sleeping room or kitchen in a house court building must have a ceiling height of at least eight (8) feet. Attic rooms or rooms where sloping ceilings occur need only have the prescribed ceiling heights in not less than one-half (½) the area of the room.

4. Every living room, sleeping room or kitchen in every house court building shall be provided with windows, the area of which shall be equal to at least one-eighth (⅛) of the floor area, except that in no event shall the aggregate window area of any living room, sleeping room or kitchen be less than twelve (12) square feet.

5. The windows of all rooms in house courts must open onto unobstructed areas of adequate dimensions, located on the same lot as the house court building they are designed to serve, and must be arranged so that at least one-half (½) of their required aggregate area can be opened unobstructed to the sky.

6. If a kitchen is provided in any house court building, it must be equipped with running water and a sink, if running water is available, and the drainage from such sink must be disposed of in a sanitary manner.

7. No toilet room shall be permitted to open directly into a kitchen or other room in which food is prepared or stored.

B. Anything in this chapter to the contrary notwithstanding, the county health officer may grant special exemption permits in isolated localities where the application of this chapter or any of the provisions thereof would, in his discretion, be impracticable or unnecessary.

(Prior code § 3320)

Each camping party shall be allowed usable ground space of not less than five hundred (500) square feet.

(Prior code § 3311)

A. Cooking shall not be permitted in any sleeping room or other compartment used for sleeping purposes, and sleeping shall not be permitted in any room or other compartment used for cooking purposes in any building or structure in any house court.

B. Partition walls between cooking and sleeping rooms or compartments in the building or structure in any house court shall extend from the floor to the ceiling or to the roof if there is no ceiling.

C. Doors between cooking and sleeping rooms or compartments in any building or structure in any house court must be solid and full-length.

(Prior code § 3306)

It is unlawful to use or permit to be used for sleeping purposes any room in any building or structure in any house court house that does not contain at least six hundred forty (640) cubic feet of air space, and if any such room is occupied by more than two (2) persons the cubic air space of such room shall be increased by not less than five hundred (500) cubic feet for each additional person the room is designed, built or intended to accommodate or that such room does accommodate for sleeping purposes. All existing rooms used for sleeping purposes shall be provided with ventilation to such an extent as will meet the approval of the county health department.

(Prior code § 3307)

A supply of water safe for human consumption shall be provided in ample quantity to meet all requirements of the maximum number of persons using such house court or tent camp space at any one time. Such water supply shall be easily obtainable from its source, or through a pipe distribution system from which faucets shall be located not more than one hundred fifty (150) feet from any house court or tent camp space within such grounds. If the water supply is obtained from a well or wells, such well or wells must be properly covered so that water may not be dipped therefrom, and also be properly banked so that surface water cannot drain thereinto.

(Prior code § 3314)

A sufficient number of public slop hoppers or sinks shall be provided in all house courts and tent camp spaces and shall be connected with a sanitary disposal system.

(Prior code § 3317)

At least one (1) bathtub or shower bath and one (1) privy or water closet or chemical type toilet must be provided at every house court or tent camp space for each sex for every ten (10) apartments, tents, camp cars, trailers or other habitations. No house court habitation or habitation in a tent camp space shall be a greater distance than two hundred (200) feet from both men's and women's baths and toilets. The locations of all baths and toilets shall be plainly indicated by proper signs. The interiors of all bath and toilet buildings shall be kept clean and properly lighted and ventilated, and from sunset to sunrise a proper light shall be kept burning in all public bath and toilet buildings in house courts and tent camp spaces.

(Prior code § 3316)

It shall be the duty of the owner or person legally in charge of the land upon which any house court or tent camp space is located, or of the operator or person in charge of such house court or tent camp space, to see that all of the buildings, structures, tents and equipment in connection therewith, regardless of ownership, are maintained in good repair and that the habitations are in such condition as to afford protection to the occupants against the elements and so as to exclude dampness in inclement weather. The roofs shall be kept waterproof and all storm or casual water properly drained and conveyed therefrom to the street sewer, storm drain or street gutter, or otherwise disposed of in a manner so as not to create an insanitary condition.

(Prior code § 3312)

In any building, structure or tent used, intended or designed to be used for human habitation hereafter erected in any house court or tent camp space, every installation of gas piping or gas appliances shall be subject to the following requirements: When in the judgment of the health department any such installation of gas piping or gas appliance is defective in that its condition in the judgment of the health department may endanger health, life or property, the department shall order any utility company supplying gas to such premises to discontinue such service, by removing the meters or shutting off or refusing gas service, as such company may choose. The department at such time shall also notify the owner, tenant and occupant of the building or premises where such gas supply is connected of the fact of such disconnection order, stating the reasons therein for the order together with a description of the defect in such installation. The utility company shall not again supply to such premises or restore such connection until such time as the installations are corrected or repaired to the satisfaction of the health department, and such company is so notified. It shall also be the duty of the owner or person legally in charge of the land upon which such house court or tent camp space is located, or the operator or person in charge of the house court or tent camp space, to see that the foregoing repairs or corrections are made.

(Prior code § 3321)

An adequate number of covered metal watertight and flytight depositories for garbage and rubbish shall be provided and shall be conspicuously and conveniently located in every house court and tent camp space.

(Prior code § 3308)

Every building, structure, camp car, trailer, tent or other habitation in a house court or tent camp space, and all other premises of every house court or tent camp space, shall be kept clean and sanitary in every part and free from all accumulation of debris, filth, rubbish, garbage or other offensive matter.

(Prior code § 3309)

All sewage effluent, garbage and rubbish from every house court or tent camp space shall be disposed of in a sanitary manner in such a way as to meet the approval of the county health department.

(Prior code § 3310)

No fires shall be at any time so located as to endanger automobiles or other property in any house court or tent camp space. No fires shall be left unattended at any time on the exterior premises of any house court or tent camp space, and all campfires shall be completely extinguished before a camping party leaves.

(Prior code § 3315)

Dogs at no time shall be permitted to run at large in any house court or tent camp space.

(Prior code § 3318)

It shall be the duty of the owner or resident caretaker of any house court or tent camp space to report immediately to the health officer by telephone and writing any person residing in such house court or tent camp space having, or reasonably suspected of having, any infectious or contagious disease, whereupon it shall be the duty of the health officer to examine or cause to be examined such person afflicted with, or reasonably suspected of being afflicted with, such infectious or contagious disease and cause such person to be isolated or removed from such house court or tent camp space whenever the same may be necessary for the protection of public health and in accordance with rules and regulations of the county health department and the State Department of Public Health.

(Prior code § 3319)

It shall be the duty of the owner or person legally in charge of the land upon which any house court or tent camp space is located or for the operator or person in charge of such house court or tent camp space to see that all of the provisions of this chapter are complied with.

(Prior code § 3322)

It shall be the duty of the county health department to enforce all of the provisions of this chapter, and for the purpose of securing enforcement thereof the county health officer or any of his duly authorized representatives shall have the right and are empowered to enter upon any public or private property, including any building or habitation, in the unincorporated area of the county to inspect such accommodations or installations thereon or therein that may be covered by the provisions of this chapter.

(Prior code § 3301)

A. Any person, firm or corporation violating or contributing in any way to the violation of any of the provisions of this chapter shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor.

B. Every violation of any of the provisions of this chapter shall be construed as a separate offense for each day during which such violation continued and shall be punishable as provided in this code.

(Prior code § 3323)