It shall be the duty and responsibility of the
owner of any dwelling to keep and maintain the exterior of the dwelling
and masonry walls, clapboards, shingles, exterior studs, main cornices,
foundation walls, wood sills, corner posts, wood plates, supporting
rafters, roofing boards and covering, the stoops and porches, flooring,
railings and stair treads; the risers, posts, handrails, balustrades
and newels; window sashes, frames, sills, stools and aprons; the doors
and door frames, the fire escapes, flooring, railings, ladders, passageways,
weights, chains and stairs; and the joists and crossbeams of every
dwelling structurally sound.
The owner of a dwelling shall keep and maintain
the interior of such dwelling, including the doors, walls, floors,
ceiling, halls, stairs, stairways, attics, cellars, basement, basement
hatchway, plumbing fixtures, heating plants, including chimneys, smoke
pipes and flues, and all supplied utilities, facilities and equipment
structurally sound.
The owner of a dwelling shall, in any building,
the whole or part of which is occupied by a tenant, be required to
do the following:
A.
Keep the side walls, ceilings and every habitable
room, closet and compartment retained under his control or used by
more than one tenant reasonably clean and in good condition.
B.
Keep every part thereof retained under his control
or used by more than one tenant, including the basement, cellar, halls,
stairs, landings, porches, floors, fire escapes, courts, yards, alleys,
areaways and passageways, clean and free of filth, ashes, garbage,
rubbish, refuse, junk, soil matter, drainage water, slop, wood, paper
and other material of a putrefactive or combustible nature and free
of fire and accident hazards.
[Amended 9-14-1972 by Ord. No. 9-72]
A.
The owner of a building shall keep the roof and every
part thereof structurally sound and free from leakage.
B.
All roofs within the Borough of Rockaway shall be
constructed of such material as may be specified by the underwriter's
codes for said roofing material. The owner of a building shall have
the right to repair said roof by placing over the original roof construction
upon said building one additional layer of roofing material. The owner
of a building shall be prohibited from constructing any more than
the aforesaid two layers of roofing material upon any building within
the Borough of Rockaway. In the event that it shall come to the attention
of the Construction Code Official of the Borough of Rockaway that
any roof constructed or repaired after the effective date of this
section shall contain more than two layers of roofing material, said
Construction Code Official shall, upon proper notice, have the power
to require said excess roofing material to be removed and, in the
judgment of the Construction Code Official, if necessary, to have
a new roof placed thereupon. All notices of violation and procedures
in regard to the above shall be governed by the appropriate subsections
of the applicable ordinances and regulations of the Borough of Rockaway.
[Amended 9-2-2004 by Ord. No. 08-04]
C.
The owner of a building upon which a roof shall be
placed, whether the same shall be new construction or a replacement
or cover roof, shall first obtain, before commencing construction
of the same, a permit to construct or erect said roof. Said permit
shall be obtained from the Construction Code Official of the Borough
of Rockaway upon proper application.
[Amended 9-2-2004 by Ord. No. 08-04]
The owner of a dwelling shall keep such dwelling
free from vermin and rodents.
The owner of a dwelling shall refrain from shutting
off or causing to have discontinued or disconnected supplied utilities
for any occupied dwelling or dwelling unit, except where such disruption
of utility service is necessary while in the actual process of making
repairs or during temporary emergencies for which repairs are being
arranged.
A.
The owner of a dwelling shall not use or permit to
be used for sleeping purposes any room in any dwelling where the cubic
capacity for each person of the age of 12 years or over is less than
450 cubic feet and for each child under 12 years of age is less than
250 cubic feet.
B.
He shall not permit to be used as a sleeping room
any room in any dwelling unless at least 1/2 of the floor area
of such room shall have a ceiling height of at least seven feet.
C.
He shall not use or permit to be used any cellar space,
lobby, hallway, closet, bathroom or kitchen as a sleeping room.
The owner of a dwelling shall not occupy or
allow or permit another person to occupy any dwelling for the purpose
of living therein which does not comply with the following requirements:
A.
Every habitable room shall have a window or skylight
with an area of not less than 1/10 the floor area of such room
opening directly to the outdoors. A habitable room in an existing
dwelling shall be deemed to comply with this section if it has an
opening without a door or other closure for said opening to an adjoining
room or rooms having such window or skylight area.
B.
Every bathroom which does not comply with Subsection A shall be provided with artificial ventilation, capable of producing a complete change of air at least five times an hour.
D.
Every dwelling unit shall contain a kitchen sink in
good working condition and properly connected to a water and sewerage
system in compliance with the ordinances of the Borough.
E.
Every dwelling unit shall have an adequate supply
of potable running water, with a minimum rate of flow at every faucet
or fixture of not less than one gallon per minute.
F.
Every
dwelling unit shall contain at least 600 square feet of habitable
floor area for the first two occupants, at least 100 square feet of
additional habitable floor area for each of the next three occupants,
and at least 75 square feet of additional habitable floor area for
each additional occupant.
[Added 9-23-2010 by Ord. No. 19-10]
The owner of a dwelling shall not lease any
dwelling unit:
A.
Which does not contain within a room which affords
privacy to a person within the room a water closet, lavatory basin
and a bathtub or shower in good working condition and properly connected
to a water and sewerage system in compliance with the ordinances of
the Borough.
B.
Which does not have water-heating facilities which
are properly installed, which are properly connected to the hot-water
lines of every kitchen sink, lavatory basin, bathtub and shower required
by this chapter, which are maintained in safe working condition and
which are capable of heating water at all times to such a temperature
as to permit an adequate amount of water to be drawn at every required
fixture at a temperature of not less than 120º F.
C.
Which is not connected to or does not have a properly
installed and functioning central heating system which is capable
of safely and adequately heating all habitable rooms, bathrooms and
water closet compartments within its walls to a temperature of at
least 70º F. at a location of three feet above floor level, when
the outside temperature is 10º F. All heating facilities must
be in compliance with the Heating Code of the Borough.[1]
D.
Which has a portable room-heating unit using liquid
fuel; all such portable units shall be prohibited effective January
6, 1969.
E.
Which does not have an unobstructed means of egress
leading to a safe and open space at ground level.
