Manhattan Beach Municipal Code Ch. 5.28 House Trailers and Tents

For the purposes of this chapter, certain words and phrases used herein are defined as follows:

A. "Camp car and/or trailer" shall mean any unit used for living, sleeping or business purposes which is equipped with wheels or similar devices used for the purpose of transporting said unit from place to place, whether by motive power or other means.

B. "Camp ground" shall mean any place, area or tract of land upon which is located any camp car and/or trailer.

C. "Building Department" is the Building Department or Building Inspector of the City.

D. "Health Department" is the Health Department or the Health Officer of the City.

(§ 1, Ord. 472)

It shall be the duty of the Health Department and of the Building Department to enforce all of the provisions of this chapter, and for the purpose of securing enforcement thereof, the Health Officer or the Building Inspector, or any of their duly authorized representatives, shall have the right and are hereby empowered to enter upon the premises of any camp ground within the City to inspect the same and all accommodations connected therewith.

(§ 2, Ord. 472)

It shall be unlawful for any person to operate, maintain or offer for public use within the City any camp ground without first applying for and receiving from the Building Department a permit so to do, or without complying with regulations set forth in this chapter or any rules and regulations which may be formulated by the Health Department from time to time and with the laws of the State.

(§ 3, Ord. 472)

Each application for a permit shall be in writing upon a form provided by the Building Department for that purpose. It shall state the name and address of the applicant and a description of the property whereon or wherein it is proposed to conduct a camp ground. It shall also contain such other information as the Building Department may require. It shall be filed by the applicant with the Building Department not less than ten (10) days nor more than thirty (30) days before the camp ground is made ready for use, and it shall be accompanied by an inspection fee established by the Council under separate resolution.

(§ 4, Ord. 472, as amended by § 15, Ord. 1458, eff. June 17, 1976)

All moneys received by the Building Department as inspection fees shall be paid into the City treasury and placed in the general fund.

(§ 5, Ord. 472)

Upon the filing of such application accompanied by the inspection fee, it shall be the duty of the Health Department or any of its duly authorized representatives to investigate the premises and determine whether the proposed camp ground or the site selected therefor conforms with the requirements of this chapter, the rules and regulations of the Health Department and the laws of the State. No permit shall be issued unless such camp ground or the site selected therefor complies with such requirements and meets the approval of the Health Department. The Health Department may approve or reject any proposed camp ground site at its discretion.

The Building Department shall not issue its permit to operate, maintain or offer for public use the camp ground for which the application was made until it has first received notice in writing from the Health Department that the Health Department has approved the proposed camp ground site.

(§ 6, Ord. 472)

Any permit granted pursuant to the provisions of this chapter shall be subject to revocation or suspension by the Health Department in the following manner: A notice shall be served on the person holding the permit specifying wherein he has failed to comply with this chapter and requiring him to appear before the Health Department at such place or location as may be designated in the notice at a day and hour therein specified, not less than five (5) days after the personal service of the notice on the permit holder, requiring him to show cause at said time and place why the permit should not be revoked or suspended. At the time and place mentioned in the notice, the person holding the permit shall have the right to appear in person, or by counsel, and to introduce such evidence as he may de-sire, and the Health Department shall confront the permit holder with any charges that the Health Department may have against him. After the hearing the Health Department may revoke or suspend the permit at its discretion.

(§ 7, Ord. 472)

It shall be unlawful for any person to establish, maintain, conduct or carry on any camp ground unless there shall be at all times posted in a conspicuous place at said camp ground the permit obtained from the Building Department in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.

(§ 8, Ord. 472)

The provisions of this chapter shall be applicable to every camp ground within the City. It shall be unlawful for any person maintaining, operating, conducting or carrying on any such camp ground, or for any person living, sleeping or carrying on business in any camp car and/or trailer located in a camp ground, or any other person, to violate or contribute in any way to the violation of any of the provisions of this chapter.

(§ 9, Ord. 472)

Every person owning or operating a camp ground shall maintain such camp ground and any toilet, baths or other permanent equipment in connection therewith in a clean and sanitary condition and shall maintain said equipment in a state of good repair.

(§ 10, Ord. 472)

The Health Department is hereby empowered to formulate from time to time and to enforce any rules and regulations that said department may deem advisable governing the operation of camp ground or camp cars and/or trailers bearing on any matters of sanitation or housing.

(§ 11, Ord. 472)

No camp ground with accommodations for more than two (2) camp cars and/or trailers shall be located anywhere in the City without first making application to the Council and receiving an approval as to location.

(§ 12, Ord. 472)

Every camp ground shall be laid out with available unoccupied space of not less than 500 square feet for each camp car and/or trailer. Camp cars and/or trailers shall be arranged in rows abutting or facing on a driveway or clear unoccupied space of not less than twenty (20′) feet in width, which space shall have unobstructed access to a public street or alley. No camp car and/or trailer shall be placed closer than four (4′) feet to the exterior boundaries of the property used as a camp ground. No camp car and/or trailer shall be kept or parked on City property or streets for a period exceeding twenty-four (24) continuous hours.

(§ 13, Ord. 472)

All camp grounds shall be located on a well drained area and the premises of every such camp ground shall be properly graded so as to prevent the accumulation of storm or casual waters.

(§ 14, Ord. 472)

An adequate supply of pure water for drinking and domestic purposes shall be supplied to meet the requirements of the camp ground. The water supply shall be obtained from faucets only, conveniently located in the camp ground, and no dipping vessels or common cups shall be permitted.

(§ 15, Ord. 472)

It shall be unlawful for any person owning or operating a camp car and/or trailer located in a camp ground or on any private property to remove or cause to have removed the wheels or any similar transporting devices from said camp car and/or trailer or otherwise to permanently fix it to the ground in a manner that would prevent the ready removal of said camp car and/or trailer without first obtaining a permit so to do from the Building Department. Any alteration to any camp car and/or trailer as set forth in this section shall be construed as removing it from the requirements of this chapter and converting it into a dwelling or structure, and it shall thereupon be subject to the requirements of Chapter 9.01 of this Code and the Housing Act of the State.

(§ 16, Ord. 472)

Dogs shall not he permitted to run at large in any camp ground at any time.

(§ 17, Ord. 472)

There shall be provided in every camp ground one water-closet connected to a sewer or cesspool for each sex. One of such water-closets shall be distinctly marked "For Men," and one shall be distinctly marked "For Women." There shall be provided an additional water-closet for each sex for every six (6), or fractional part thereof, in excess of eight (8) males or eight (8) females living in the camp ground; provided, however, that the Health Department may exempt any camp ground existing on September 17, 1938, from fully complying with the provisions of this section when, in its discretion, such deviation will not be detrimental to the health of persons occupying the camp ground or to the proper sanitation of the premises.

(§ 18, Ord. 472)

There shall be provided in every camp ground such number of metal receptacles with close fitting metal covers for garbage, refuse, ashes and rubbish as may be deemed necessary by the Health Department. Such garbage receptacles shall at all times be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition.

(§ 19, Ord. 472)

There shall be provided in every camp ground one or more slop sinks properly connected with a cover or cesspool, such sinks to be conveniently located at no greater distance than one hundred (100′) feet from any camp car or trailer.

(§ 20, Ord. 472)

It shall be unlawful to permit any waste water or material from sinks, baths, showers or other plumbing fixtures in camp cars and/or trailers to be deposited upon the surface of the ground. All such fixtures, when in use, must be connected to the City sewer system, or the drainage therefrom must be disposed of in a manner satisfactory to the Health Department.

(§ 21, Ord. 472)

Every camp ground shall be provided with means of lighting the same at night. All public water-closets and bath units shall be provided with sufficient lighting facilities which shall be kept lighted during the time from one-half hour after sunset until one-half hour before sunrise.

(§ 22, Ord. 472)

Any water faucets, toilets, garbage receptacles or other equipment required by the provisions of this chapter in camp grounds, or which may hereafter be required by any rules and regulations of the Health Department pertaining to camp grounds, shall not be construed to mean water faucets, toilets, garbage receptacles or other equipment now or hereafter located in or adjacent to camp grounds and which may now or hereafter be required under provisions of other laws.

(§ 23, Ord. 472)

Every person owning or operating a camp ground shall maintain a register. The owner shall have every guest or person who brings a camp car and/or trailer into the camp grounds sign the register when the guest or person comes onto the camp ground. The register shall also show the date of the arrival of the guest or person and the number of the occupants in the camp car and/or trailer. Each guest or person must also give the make, type and State license number of his automobile and of his camp car and/or trailer. When any guest or person who has been registered in the camp ground gives up or surrenders his accommodations and/or services in the camp ground, the register shall show the date when the guest or person left or checked out of the camp grounds.

(§ 24, Ord. 472)

It shall be unlawful for any person to use any camp car and/or trailer as an established place of business.

(§ 26, Ord. 472)

Notwithstanding any of the other provisions of this chapter, it shall be lawful, subject to the observance of the conditions expressed in this section, for the owner or person in possession or control of any camp car or trailer and for the owner or person in possession or control of any premises within the City to place or to allow or permit the placing therein of not to exceed one camp car or trailer on any single premises, and to occupy or permit the occupancy of such camp car or trailer by a human being for a period of not to exceed ninety (90) days after such placing. The following conditions shall be observed during all of said period of ninety (90) days:

A. A permit must be obtained from the Building Department and an inspection fee, established by the Council under separate resolution, shall be paid for trailers occupied by human beings.

B. The trailer and the premises in and about the same shall at all times be kept in a clean and sanitary condition to the complete satisfaction of the Health Officer or of the official performing the duties of Health Officer.

C. The occupant of such trailer shall have immediate and easy access to sanitary toilet and lavatory facilities, connected to a cesspool or sewer, at all times in any dwelling house or other structure in or upon such premises or within one hundred (100′) feet immediately adjacent thereto.

D. The camp car and/or trailer shall not be used as an established place of business.

It is further provided that the Council, in its discretion, upon the written request of any permittee hereunder, may extend the period of limitation of ninety (90) days set forth in this section for such additional periods and subject to such conditions, if granted, as to the Council may seem proper or desirable. Nothing contained in this section, however, shall be construed as requiring the Council to extend any such ninety (90) day period except in its sole discretion.

(§ 25, Ord. 472, as amended by § 1, Ord. 547; § 16, Ord. 1458, eff. June 17, 1976)

It shall be the duty of every person owning, leasing, renting or operating a camp ground in the City, and of every guest or person accepting accommodations therein, to comply with all of the provisions of this chapter and any rules and regulations formulated by the Health Department governing camp grounds. Any person violating any of the provisions of this chapter or said rules and regulations or contributing in any way to the violation thereof shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor.

(§ 28, Ord. 472)

A. Permit required. It shall be unlawful for any person to erect, construct, maintain or occupy any tent, tent structure, tent house or canvas or other cloth house of any kind within Fire District No. 1, Fire District No. 2 or Fire District No. 3 of the City; provided, however, that such tents and other tent structures may be erected in said fire districts for a period of not to exceed one year for the purpose of temporary human occupancy or of holding exhibitions, public speaking and other public gatherings after first obtaining permission in writing from the Council so to do and paying therefor any fee which may be prescribed by this Code.

B. Exception. The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to tents or tent structures erected by the United States of America or by the State in carrying out the functions of their respective governments and governmental activities.

(§§ 1, 2, Ord. 556)