Section 12-G404. OCCUPANCY LIMITS

Strike Section 404.1 in the International Property Maintenance Code in its entirety and insert new Section 404.1 in the Property Maintenance Code in its place to read as follows:

 

404.1 Privacy. Dwelling units, hotel units, housekeeping units, rooming units and dormitory units shall be arranged to provide privacy and be separate from other adjoining spaces, and shall be arranged so that occupants can access common space without going through another unit.

Insert new Subsection 404.4.1.1 to Section 404.4.1 of the Property Maintenance Code to read as follows:

 

404.4.1.1 Special provisions for existing high-density transient uses.  Where a hotel or motel has a valid certificate of occupancy as of January 1, 2014, and the hotel or motel uses any sleeping room for the accommodation of a greater number of occupants than is authorized by Sections 404.4.1 and 404.5, the increased density of occupancy (referred to as “high density occupancy” or “high density use”) shall be permitted only if there is compliance with the following conditions:

 

1. Each occupant of a high density use room shall be a transient;

 

2. The maximum number of occupants accommodated on any single floor of the hotel or motel shall not exceed one person for each 50 square feet (4.6 m2 ) of the total habitable room area in all of the rooming units located on that floor;

 

3. High density occupancy rooms shall be provided with daily maid service which shall include at least one thorough cleaning of the room each day it is occupied;

 

4. Each high density occupancy room shall be given a daily airing, unless the room is mechanically ventilated;

 

5. The beds in each high density occupancy room shall be arranged so that the head end of each bed is at least 3 feet (914 mm) distant from the head end of any other bed;

 

6. A high density use room shall be located in a hotel or a motel protected by a supervised watchman service comprised of such number of employees, with such number of watchmen’s clock stations, and with inspection tours following such routes, as may be approved by the Fire Marshal; and

 

7. Each floor and stairway in a high density use hotel or a motel shall be inspected by the employees of the supervised watchman service at least once every 30 minutes during the period beginning at midnight and ending at 7:00 a.m. the following morning.

 

Strike Section 404.4.3 in the International Property Maintenance Code in its entirety and insert new Section 404.4.3 in the Property Maintenance Code in its place to read as follows:

 

404.4.3 Water closet accessibility.  Every bedroom shall have access to at least one water closet and one lavatory without passing through another bedroom, or a non-residential space.  Every bedroom in a dwelling unit shall have access to at least one water closet and lavatory located in the same story as the bedroom or an adjacent story.

 

Insert new Section 404.4.6 in the Property Maintenance Code to read as follows:

404.4.6 Room Dividers. No room shall be divided in any manner into space intended for living, sleeping, eating or cooking purposes by an installed partition or divider of any type above 4 feet (1219 mm) in height, unless each such subdivided part complies with the requirements for a habitable space.

 

Exception:  The enclosure of cabinet-type kitchenettes by doors or other closing devices, where those kitchenettes are too small to be occupied when the doors or other closing devices are closed in a normal manner, shall not be deemed to subdivide the room.

 

404.7 Food preparation.

 

Insert new Subsection 404.7.1 to Section 404.7 of the Property Maintenance Code to read as follows:

404.7.1 Facilities provided by an owner.  If an owner furnishes any facilities for cooking, storage or refrigeration of food that are not within a sleeping unit or dwelling unit, these facilities shall be maintained by the owner in a safe and sanitary condition and in good working order.

 

 

authority

Section 10 of the Construction Codes Approval and Amendments Act of 1986 (Act), effective March 21, 1987 (D.C. Law 6-216; D.C. Official Code § 6-1409 (2012 Repl.)) and Mayor’s Order 2009-22, dated February 25, 2009, as amended.

source

Final Rulemaking published at 61 DCR 3196 (March 28, 2014 – Part 2); as corrected by Errata Notice published at 61 DCR 5246 (May 23, 2014).

EditorNote

The District of Columbia Property Maintenance Code (2013), referred to as the “Property Maintenance Code,” consists of the 2012 edition of the International Property Maintenance Code, published by the International Code Council (ICC), as amended by the District of Columbia Property Maintenance Code Supplement (2013) (12 DCMR G). The International Property Maintenance Code is copyrighted by the ICC and therefore is not republished here. However, a copy of the text may be obtained at: http://publicecodes.cyberregs.com/icod/ipmc/2012/index.htm?bu=IC-P-2012-000006&bu2=IC-P-2012-000019.