Article 3 — Tents and House Courts

4231 - Prohibition.

It shall be 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 except as herein otherwise specified, and it shall be unlawful to occupy for living and/or sleeping

purposes or to reside in any established House Court or Tent Camp Space without permission to do so 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 Article 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.

4232 - Caretaker.

It shall be unlawful for any person 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 or more families reside unless, in the absence therefrom of the owner, lessee or operator, such premises be provided with a caretaker.

4233 - Sleeping rooms.

It shall be unlawful to use or permit to be used for sleeping purposes any room in any building or structure in any House Court that does not contain at least six hundred and forty 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 cubic feet for each additional person the room is designed, built or intended to accommodate or that such room does accommodate for sleeping purposes.

4233-1 - Separation from cooking rooms.

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 compartments used for cooking purposes in any building or structure in any House Court.

4233-1.1 - Water supply for cooking rooms.

Every room used or intended or designed to be used for cooking purposes in any building or structure in any House Court must be equipped with running water, if available, and provided with a kitchen sink.

4233-2 - Partitions.

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

4233-3 - Doors.

Doors between cooking and sleeping rooms or compartments in any building or structure in any House Court must be solid and full length.

4234 - Sanitation.

Every building, structure, camp car, trailer, tent or other habitation in a House Court or Tent Camp Space and all of the premises of every House Court or Tent Camp Space shall be kept clean and sanitary in every part and free from all accumulations of debris, filth, rubbish, garbage or other offensive matter.

4234-1 - Mattresses.

Mattresses and bedding furnished by any owner, lessee, operator or caretaker of any such House Court or Tent Camp Space shall be maintained in a sanitary condition.

4234-2 - Garbage disposal.

An adequate number of covered metal, water-tight and fly-tight depositories for garbage and rubbish shall be provided and shall be conspicuously and conveniently located in every House Court and Tent Camp Space.

4234-3 - Sewage.

All sewage effluent, garbage and rubbish from every House Court or Tent Camp Space shall be disposed of in a sanitary manner.

4234-4 - Camp space.

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

4235 - Maintenance.

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 unsanitary condition.

4235-1 - Shelters.

No habitations or shelters constructed of sacks, rags, brush, cans, weeds or refuse material, 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.

4236 - Water supply.

A reasonable supply of water for domestic purposes and safe for human consumption shall be provided in ample quantity to meet all requirements of the maximum number of persons living in a House Court or Tent Camp Space at any one time. Said water supply shall be easily obtainable from its sources, or through a pipe distribution system from which faucets shall be located not more than 50 feet from any tent, camp car or trailer within such ground. If the water supply is obtained from any spring or springs, well or wells, said water source or sources must be properly covered so that water may not be dipped therefrom, also be properly banked so that surface water cannot drain there into.

4237 - Plumbing.

At least one water flush toilet must be provided in every apartment equipped with a kitchen and in every other apartment in a House Court provided, however, where there are apartments without kitchens and such apartments are structurally joined so as to constitute one building then and in that event there shall be provided not less than two (2) public water flush toilets for every such five apartments or fractional part thereof. At least one water flush toilet must be provided at every Tent Camp Space for each sex for every ten tents, camp cars or trailers located therein.

4237-1 - Toilets.

No tent, camp car or trailer in a Tent Camp Space, shall be a greater distance than 200 feet from both men's and women's toilets. The locations of all toilets shall be plainly indicated by proper signs. The interior of all 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 toilet buildings in Tent Camp Spaces.

4237-2 - Vents and traps.

Each and every plumbing fixture in a House Court or Tent Camp Space shall be properly trapped and vented.

4237-3 - Public sinks.

A sufficient number of public sinks for the disposal of wash water and sink water shall be provided at all House Courts and Tent Camp Spaces and shall be connected with a sanitary disposal system.

4238 - Minimum requirements.

In addition to the other requirements in this Article set forth, 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 minimum requirements set forth in the following sub-sections and it shall be the duty of the owner or lessee of the land upon which said House Court or Tent Camp Space is located or of the operator of such House Court or Tent Camp Space to see that said requirements are complied with.

4238-1 - Flooring ventilation.

A clear air space of at least eighteen 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 Section shall not apply to masonry floors laid directly on the ground.

4238-2 - Floors, walls, ceilings.

All floors, exterior and interior walls and ceilings and roofs of House Court buildings shall be constructed of a good grade of lumber or other impervious material and shall be kept clean at all times. Where the floors are constructed of lumber, it shall be of tongue and groove material and tight fitting.

4238-3 - Floor area and ceiling height.

Every House Court sleeping room must have a superficial 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. Every kitchen in every House Court shall have a superficial area of at least fifty (50) square feet and every living room, sleeping room or kitchen in a House Court building shall have a ceiling height in all portions thereof of at least eight (8) feet.

4238-4 - Windows.

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.

4238-4.1 - Unobstructed.

The windows of all rooms in House Courts must open into 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.

4238-5 - Toilet rooms.

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