The provisions of this article shall govern the minimum conditions of property and buildings. Every building or structure occupied by humans, except as exempted by § 512-2D, and the premises on which it stands, shall comply with the conditions prescribed in this chapter wherever applicable.
No person shall occupy as owner-occupant or let to another for occupancy any structure or premises which does not comply with the following requirements. The Code Enforcement Officer shall cause periodic inspections to be made of all premises to secure compliance with these requirements.
A. 
Sanitation. All exterior property areas shall be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition free from any accumulation of rubbish, garbage or debris.
B. 
Grading and drainage. All premises shall be graded and maintained so as to prevent the accumulation of stagnant water on or within any buildings or structure located on the premises.
C. 
[1]Insect and rodent harborage. Every owner of a structure or property shall be responsible for the extermination of insects, rodents, vermin, or other pests in all exterior areas of the premises, except that the occupant shall be responsible for such extermination in the exterior areas of the premises of a single-family dwelling. Whenever infestation exists in the shared or public parts of the premises of other than a single-family dwelling, extermination shall be the responsibility of the owner.
[1]
Editor’s Note: Former Subsection C, regarding noxious weeds, was repealed 9-11-2019 by Ord. No. 3697. This ordinance also renumbered former Subsections D though F as Subsections C through E, respectively.
D. 
Accessory structures. All accessory structures, including detached garages, shall be maintained structurally sound and in good repair.
E. 
Motor vehicles. No person shall leave any vehicle, whether registered or nonregistered, on any property within the City for a period exceeding 10 days if such vehicle is junked, wrecked, partially dismantled or disassembled, nonoperating or unable to be operated safely or legally on a public street. No person in charge or control of any property within the City, as owner, tenant, occupant, lessee or otherwise shall allow any vehicle, whether registered or nonregistered, to remain on such property longer than 10 days, if such vehicle is junked, wrecked, partially dismantled or disassembled, nonoperating or unable to be operated safely or legally on a public street. This subsection shall not apply to a vehicle in an enclosed building or a vehicle on the premises of a business enterprise operated in a lawful place and manner, when necessary to the operation of such business.
No person shall occupy as owner-occupant or let to another for occupancy any structure or portion thereof which does not comply with the requirements in this section:
A. 
Foundations, walls and roof. Every foundation, exterior wall, roof and all other exterior surfaces shall be maintained in a workmanlike state of maintenance and repair and shall be kept in such condition as to exclude rodents.
B. 
Foundations. The foundation elements shall adequately support the building at all points.
C. 
Exterior walls. Every exterior wall shall be free of holes, breaks, loose or rotting boards or timbers, and any other conditions which might admit rain or dampness to the interior portions of the walls or to the occupied spaces of the building. All exterior surface material must be painted in accordance with acceptable standards, and all siding material must be kept in repair.
D. 
Roofs. The roof shall be structurally sound, tight and have no defects which might admit rain and roof drainage shall be adequate to prevent rainwater from causing dampness in the walls or interior portion of the building. Existing gutters and downspouts shall be maintained in good repair.
E. 
Stairs, porches and railings. Stairs and other exit facilities shall be adequate for safety as provided in Chapter 255 of this Code and this section.
F. 
Structural safety. Every outside stair, porch and attached appurtenance shall be so constructed as to be safe to use and capable of supporting the loads to which it is subjected as required by the Building Code and shall be kept in sound condition and good repair.
G. 
Rails. Where the Code Enforcement Officer deems it necessary for safety, every flight of stairs which is more than three risers high shall have rails which shall be located as required by Chapter 255 of this Code, and every porch which is more than 24 inches above grade shall have guardrails so located and of such design as required by Chapter 255 of this Code. Every rail and balustrade shall be firmly fastened and shall be maintained in good condition.
[Amended 4-24-2014 by Ord. No. 3544]
H. 
Windows, doors and hatchways. Every window, exterior door and basement hatchway shall be substantially tight and shall be kept in sound condition and repair.
I. 
Windows to be glazed. Every window sash shall be fully supplied with glass window panes or an approved substitute which are without open cracks and holes.
J. 
Windows to be tight. Every window sash shall be in good condition and fit reasonably tight within its frame.
K. 
Windows to be openable. Every window, other than a fixed window, shall be capable of being easily opened and shall be held in position by window hardware.
L. 
Door hardware. Every exterior door, door hinge and door latch shall be maintained in good condition.
M. 
Doors to fit in frame. Every exterior door, when closed, shall fit reasonably well within its frame.
N. 
Window and door frames to fit in wall. Every window, door and frame shall be constructed and maintained in such relation to the adjacent wall construction so as to exclude rain as completely as possible and to substantially exclude wind from entering the dwelling or structure.
O. 
Basement hatchways. Every basement hatchway shall be so constructed and maintained as to prevent the entrance of rodents, rain and surface drainage water into the dwelling or structure and strong enough to support a load of 250 pounds.
P. 
Exit doors. Every door available as an exit shall be capable of being opened from the inside easily and without the use of a key.
Q. 
Screening. Guards and screens shall be supplied for protection against rodents and insects in accordance with the following requirements:
(1) 
Guards for basement windows. Every basement or cellar window which is openable shall be supplied with corrosion resistive rodentproof shields of not less than No. 22 U.S. gauge perforated steel sheets or No. 20 B&S gauge aluminum or No. 16 U.S. gauge expanded metal or wire mesh screens, with not more than 1/2 inch mesh openings, or with other material affording equivalent protection against the entry of rodents, including storm windows.
(2) 
Insect screens. From June 1 to October 15 of each year, every door opening directly from any dwelling or multifamily dwelling to the outdoors and every window or other outside opening used for ventilation purposes shall be supplied with approved screening, and every swinging screen door shall have a self-closing device in good working condition, except that no such screens shall be required for a dwelling unit above the fifth floor. The Code Enforcement Officer has authority to waive the requirement for screen doors on newer homes that have ornamental entrance doors and air conditioning where there is no need for screen door ventilation. Window-type air-conditioning units are not included in this exception.
No person shall occupy as owner-occupant or let to another for occupancy any structure or portion thereof which does not comply with the following requirements:
A. 
Free from dampness. In every building, cellars, basements and crawl spaces shall be maintained reasonably free from dampness to prevent conditions conducive to decay or deterioration of the structure as required by Chapter 255 of this Code.
B. 
Structural members. The supporting structural members of every building shall be maintained structurally sound, showing no evidence of deterioration which would render them incapable of carrying the imposed loads in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 255 of this Code.
C. 
Interior stairs and railings. Stairs shall be provided in every structure as required by Chapter 255 of this Code.
D. 
Maintained in good repair. All interior stairs of every structure shall be maintained in sound condition and good repair by replacing treads and risers that evidence excessive wear or are broken, warped or loose. Every inside stair shall be so constructed and maintained as to be safe to use and capable of supporting a load as required by the provisions of Chapter 255 of this Code.
E. 
Handrails. Every stairwell and every flight of stairs which is more than three risers high shall have handrails or railings located in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 255 of this Code. Every handrail or railing shall be firmly fastened and must be maintained in good condition. Properly balustraded railings, capable of bearing normally imposed loads as required by Chapter 255, shall be placed on the open portions of stairs, balconies, landings and stairwells.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II).
F. 
Bathroom and kitchen floors. Every toilet, bathroom and kitchen floor surface shall be constructed and maintained so as to be substantially impervious to water and so as to permit such floor to be easily kept in a clean and sanitary condition. Approved kitchen and bathroom carpeting will be permitted.
G. 
Sanitation. The interior of every dwelling and structure shall be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition free from any accumulation of rubbish or garbage. Rubbish, garbage, and other refuse shall be properly kept inside temporary storage facilities as required under § 512-8F and G of this chapter.
H. 
Insect and rodent harborage. Buildings shall be kept free from insect and rodent infestation, and where insects or rodents are found, they shall be promptly exterminated by acceptable processes which will not be injurious to human health. After extermination, proper precautions shall be taken to prevent reinfestation.
I. 
Extermination from buildings. Every owner of a dwelling or multifamily dwelling shall be responsible for the extermination of insects, rodents, vermin or other pests whenever infestation exists in two or more of the dwelling units or in the shared or public parts of the structure.
J. 
Extermination from single dwelling units. The occupant of a dwelling unit in a dwelling or multifamily dwelling shall be responsible for such extermination within the unit occupied by him whenever his dwelling unit is the only unit in the building that is infested.
K. 
Responsibility of owners. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, whenever infestation of rodents is caused by failure of the owner to maintain any dwelling or multifamily dwelling in a rodentproof condition, extermination of such rodents shall be the responsibility of the owner.
L. 
Interior walls, ceilings and floors. All interior walls, ceilings and floors shall be structurally sound, in good repair, free from defects, clean, painted and decorated.