Every dwelling unit shall contain at least 150 square feet of habitable area for one occupant, and 100 square feet for each additional person. The floor area shall be calculated only on the basis of the total area of all habitable rooms.
A. 
Occupation of dwellings.
(1) 
A detached dwelling unit (single house) may be occupied by:
(a) 
One family allowing for visiting guests; or
(b) 
Not over four unrelated occupants.
(2) 
An attached dwelling unit may be occupied by:
(a) 
One family allowing for visiting guests; or
(b) 
Not over three unrelated occupants.
(3) 
A multiple-family dwelling unit may be occupied by:
(a) 
One family allowing for visiting guests; or
(b) 
Not over three unrelated occupants.
(4) 
A rooming unit may be occupied by:
(a) 
One family; or
(b) 
Not over two unrelated occupants.
B. 
Certificate of temporary exception. Should the Housing Official determine that special circumstances exist, such as abnormally large dwelling units or lots, unusual room arrangements or other factors that will minimize the likelihood of creating a neighborhood nuisance, he may issue a certificate of temporary exception from the specific requirements of this section not to exceed 30 days. The applicant shall be the owner, his legal authorized agent or the lessee. The certificate shall be nontransferable. It does not run with the property and it may be rescinded by the Housing Official if:
(1) 
The information provided by the applicant is incorrect.
(2) 
Complaints registered by the occupants of other units in the immediate neighborhood appear to be justified.
(3) 
The applicant fails to correct code violations brought to his attention within 30 days.
A. 
Cooking in rooming units is prohibited.
B. 
Communal cooking and dining facilities in a boardinghouse are prohibited, except in kitchen areas and other areas as approved by the Housing Official in writing.
C. 
Access doors to rooming units shall have operating locksets to ensure privacy.
D. 
Special requirements for boardinghouses shall be subject to all provisions herein required and the following:
(1) 
Each such boardinghouse shall, at all times, have a resident manager at such boardinghouse.
(2) 
The name, address and phone number of the owner, his agent or lessee, if any, shall be posted on the back of the main entrance door.
(3) 
An updated register of all occupants shall be made available to the housing official within 48 hours, when requested.
(4) 
The owner, his agent or lessee shall be responsible for maintaining the grounds in a clean condition. He shall take necessary steps to prevent parking of vehicles in front yards, except in driveways. He shall take necessary steps to prevent the placing of interior-type furnishings on porches or front yards, and chronic accumulation of rubbish.
A. 
No room shall be used for sleeping purposes unless there are at least 520 cubic feet of air space for each occupant.
B. 
No room used for sleeping purposes shall have a floor area of less than 80 square feet.
A. 
Motor vehicles shall be defined as set forth in the Transportation Article of the Code of Maryland, § 11-135, as amended from time to time. For purpose of this chapter, however, motor vehicles shall not include motor homes, as defined in § 11-134.3 of the Transportation Article of the Code of Maryland, as amended from time to time, if used for temporary purposes while parked at a licensed campsite.
B. 
Motor vehicles, as described in this chapter, shall not be occupied or used for a dwelling unit or rooming unit.
C. 
No basement may be used as a habitable sleeping room unless it is in compliance with the following:
(1) 
The floor and those portions of the walls below grade are of waterproof and damp-proof construction;
(2) 
The minimum window area is equal to at least that required in this Code for such window area, or if windows are located wholly or partly below grade, there shall be constructed a properly drained window well whose open area is equal to or greater than the area of the masonry opening for the window, the bottom of the window well is below the top of the impervious masonry construction under this window, and the minimum horizontal distance at a right angle from any point of the window well is equal to or greater than the vertical depth of the window well as measured from the bottom of the masonry opening for the window, except where there is supplied adequate artificial illumination.
(3) 
The total openable window area in each room is equal to at least the minimum as required under this Code § 160-78, except where some other devices affording adequate ventilation and humidity control are supplied.
(4) 
The basement ceiling shall be furnished and covered with a normal ceiling covering.
(5) 
A fire extinguisher shall be supplied in the basement area.
(6) 
Smoke detectors shall be installed at the top of the basement stairway and in each habitable space in the basement.
(7) 
Habitable basement spaces shall have a clear ceiling height of not less than six feet six inches. Exceptions:
(a) 
Beams or girders spaced not less than four feet on center and projecting not more than six inches below the required ceiling height.
(b) 
Basement rooms in one- and two-family dwellings occupied exclusively for laundry, study or recreation purposes, having a ceiling height of not less than six feet six inches with not less than five feet six inches of clear height under beams, girders, ducts and similar obstructions.
(c) 
Dropped or furred ceilings over not more than 1/2 of the minimum floor area required by this Code, provided that no part of such dropped ceiling is less than six feet in height.
A. 
No dwelling unit or boardinghouse containing two or more sleeping rooms shall have access to a bathroom or water closet compartment by going through another sleeping room.
B. 
Boarding and rooming houses shall not have access to sleeping rooms, limited by access through another sleeping room, bathroom or water closet compartment.
The ceiling height of any habitable room shall be at least six feet six inches, except that in any habitable room with a sloping ceiling where at least 1/2 of the floor area shall have a ceiling height of at least six feet six inches. The floor area of that part of such a room where the ceiling height is less than five feet shall not be considered as part of the floor area in computing the total floor area of the room for the purpose of determining the maximum permissible occupancy.