[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Saco 5-1-1995
as Ch. XIV of the 1994 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]
The purpose of these standards is to establish a condition of safety
that will allow the home to perform in a manner that will greatly reduce hazards
that present an imminent and unreasonable risk of death or serious personal
injury.
These standards shall apply to all manufactured housing built before
June 15, 1976, or not built according to the National Manufactured Housing
Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974, United States Code, Title 42,
Chapter 70, to be located on an individual lot or in a mobile home park in
the City of Saco after August 20, 1990, the date of passage of this chapter.
A.
Exterior doors.
(1)
Required egress doors shall be located where a lockable
interior door must be used in order to exit.
(2)
Homes shall have a minimum of two exterior doors not
less than 12 feet from each other as measured in any straight line direction,
regardless of the length of the travel between doors. One of the required
exit doors must be accessible from the doorway of each bedroom without traveling
more than 35 feet.
(3)
All exterior swinging doors shall provide a minimum clear
opening 28 inches wide by 74 inches high. All exterior sliding glass doors
shall provide a minimum clear opening 28 inches wide by 72 inches high. Locks
shall not require the use of a key for operation from the inside.
B.
Egress windows and devices. Homes shall have the following
emergency egress facilities:
(1)
Every room designed expressly for sleeping purposes,
unless it has an exit door, shall have at least one window or approved exit
device. If an exit window or device is installed, it shall be listed in accordance
with procedures and requirements of AAMA 1704-1985.
(2)
The bottom of the window opening shall not be more than
44 inches above the floor.
(3)
Locks, latches, operating handles, tabs and any other
window, screen or storm window devices which need to be operated in order
to permit exiting shall not be located in excess of 54 inches from the finished
floor.
Each interior door, when provided with a privacy lock, shall have a
privacy lock that has an emergency release on the outside to permit entry
when the lock has been locked by a locking knob, lever, button or other locking
device on the inside.
A.
At least one smoke detector (which may be a single-station
alarm device) shall be installed in the home in the following locations: A
smoke detector shall be installed on any wall in the hallway or space communicating
with each bedroom area between the living area and first bedroom door, unless
a door separates the living area from the bedroom area, in which case the
detector shall be installed on the living area side as close to the door as
practical. Homes having bedroom areas separated by any one or a combination
of communication areas, such as a kitchen, dining room, living room or family
room (but not a bathroom or utility room), shall have at least one detector
protecting each bedroom area.
B.
When located in hallways, the detector shall be between
the return air intake and the living area.
C.
The smoke detector shall not be placed in a location
which impairs its effectiveness.
D.
Smoke detectors shall be labeled as conforming to the
requirements of Underwriters' Laboratory Standard No. 217, Third Edition,
1985, as amended through October 8, 1985, for single- and multiple-station
smoke detectors.
E.
Each smoke detector shall be installed in accordance
with its listing. The top of the detector shall be located on a wall, four
inches to 12 inches below the ceiling. However, when a detector is mounted
on an interior wall below a sloped ceiling, it shall be located four inches
to 12 inches below the intersection on the connecting exterior wall and the
sloping ceiling (cathedral ceiling). The required detector(s) shall be attached
to an electrical outlet box, and the detector shall be connected by permanent
wiring method into a general electrical circuit. There shall be no switches
in the circuit to the detector between the overcurrent protection device protecting
the branch circuit and the detector. The smoke detector shall not be placed
on the same branch circuit of any circuit protected by a ground fault circuit
interrupter.
A.
Ceiling interior finish shall not have a flame-spread
rating exceeding 75.
B.
Walls and ceilings adjacent to or enclosing a furnace
or water heater shall have an interior finish with a flame-spread rating not
exceeding 25. Sealants and other trim material two inches or less in width
used to finish adjacent surfaces within this space are exempt if supported
by framing members or by materials having a flame-spread rating not exceeding
25.
C.
Exposed interior finishes adjacent to the cooking range
shall have a flame-spread rating not exceeding 50.
D.
Kitchen cabinet doors, countertops, backsplashes, exposed
bottoms and end panels shall have a flame-spread rating not exceeding 200.
E.
Finish surfaces of plastic bathtubs, shower units and
tub or shower doors shall not exceed a flame-spread rating of 200.
F.
No burner of a surface cooking unit shall be closer than
12 horizontal inches to a window or an exterior door.
A.
The bottom and sides of combustible kitchen cabinets
over cooking ranges to a horizontal distance of six inches from the outside
edge of the cooking range shall be protected with at least five-sixteenths-inch-thick
gypsum board or equivalent limited combustible material. One-inch nominal
framing members and trim are exempted from this requirement. The cabinet area
over the cooking range or cooking tops shall be protected by a metal hood
with not less than a three-inch eyebrow projecting horizontally from the front
cabinet face. The five-sixteenths-inch-thick gypsum board or equivalent material
which is above the top of the hood may be supported by the hood. A three-eighths-inch
enclosed air space shall be provided between the bottom surface of the cabinet
and the gypsum board or equivalent material. The hood shall be at least as
wide as the cooking range.
B.
The metal hood will not be required if there is an oven
installed between the cabinet and the range.
C.
Ranges shall have a vertical clearance above the cooking
top of not less than 24 inches to the bottom of combustible cabinets.
Carpeting shall not be used in a space or compartment designed to contain
only a furnace and/or water heater. Carpeting may be installed in other areas
where a furnace or water heater is installed, provided that it is not located
under the furnace or water heater.
All homes with roofs added after construction will require a professional
engineer to inspect the roof to determine that the roof and home can withstand
the rigors of a State of Maine winter or wind uplifts that may occur.
A person holding a master license issued by the State of Maine Oil and
Solid Fuel Examining Board shall inspect and certify that the heating and
fuel system meets the requirements of NFPA 31, Installation of Oil-Burning
Equipment, as adopted by that Board, or other applicable standards.
A person holding a master license issued by the State of Maine Electricians
Examining Board shall inspect and certify that the electrical system is safe
and meets the National Electrical Code in effect at the time the home was
constructed.
