[CC §18.610; Ord. No. 25, 10-7-1974; Ord. No. 276, 9-15-1986]
A "rooming house" is defined as a building where lodging is provided for compensation to two (2) or more persons, pursuant to previous arrangements, including sleeping rooms, boarding houses, hotels and private clubs.
[CC §18.620; Ord. No. 25, 10-7-1974]
It shall be unlawful to operate a lodging, rooming or boarding house within the City of St. John without first having obtained a license as provided for in this Chapter.
[CC §18.630; Ord. No. 25, 10-7-1974]
Every operator of an existing lodging, rooming or boarding house shall file an application with the City Clerk of the City of St. John for a license. Such application shall state the address of the building so used, the number of stories, total number of rooms in the structure and the total number of rooms to be rented, maximum number of paying guests that will occupy any one (1) room and other pertinent information, such as type of construction of the structure, number of stairways, exits, and facilities that are provided for safety measures.
[CC §18.640; Ord. No. 25, 10-7-1974]
Upon filing of such application, the City Clerk shall furnish all pertinent data to the Building Inspector and the Health Officer who shall make a thorough inspection of the facilities and prepare a written report thereon regarding whether the facilities conform to the requirements of this Chapter and all other requirements of the ordinances of the City of St. John.
[CC §18.650; Ord. No. 25, 10-7-1974]
If the Building Inspector and the Health Officer approve the facilities for use of lodging, rooming or boarding house, the City Clerk may issue the applicant a license therefor, a copy of which shall be posted in a prominent position in the hallway of the structure. The operator of any lodging, rooming or boarding house shall apply for a renewal of such license and permit on or before the first (1st) day of January of each calendar year.
[CC §18.660; Ord. No. 25, 10-7-1974]
In addition to the initial inspection, after the passage of this Chapter, of the facilities for lodging, rooming and boarding house purposes, the Building Inspector and Health Officer shall make annual inspections of the facilities. Whenever, upon such inspection of any rooming house, the Officials shall find that the conditions or practices which exist are in violation of any provision of this Chapter or of any rule or regulation adopted pursuant thereto, the Official shall give notice in writing to the operator of such rooming house that unless such conditions or practices are corrected within a reasonable time, not to exceed thirty (30) days, the operator's rooming house license will be suspended. At the end of such period, the Official shall reinspect such rooming house, and if he finds that such conditions or practices have not been corrected, he shall give notice, in writing, to the operator that the latter's license has been suspended. Upon receipt of notice of such suspension, such operator shall immediately cease the operation of such rooming house, and no person shall occupy for sleeping or living purposes any rooming unit therein.
[CC §18.665; Ord. No. 25, 10-7-1974]
Any person whose permit to operate a boarding house has been suspended or who has received notice from the Officials that his permit is to be suspended unless existing conditions or practices at his rooming house are corrected, may request and shall be granted a hearing on the matter before the City Manager, provided however, that if no petition for such hearing is filed within ten (10) days following the receipt of notice of suspension, such permit shall be deemed to have been automatically revoked.
[CC §18.670; Ord. No. 25, 10-7-1974]
A. 
The following minimum standards or requirements shall be met before any license shall be issued for the operation of a lodging, rooming or boarding house, and shall thereafter be conformed to at all times:
1. 
Every room occupied for sleeping purposes by one (1) person shall contain at least seventy (70) square feet of floor space, and every room occupied for sleeping purposes for more than one (1) person shall contain an additional fifty (50) square feet of floor space for each occupant thereof.
2. 
At least one (1) flush water closet, lavatory basin and bath and tub or shower, properly connected to a water and sewer system approved by the Building Inspector, and in good working condition, shall be supplied for each eight (8) persons or fraction thereof, residing within a rooming house, including members of the proprietor's family whether they share the use of such facilities or not. All such facilities shall be located within the dwelling as to be reasonably accessible from a common hall or passage to all persons sharing such facilities. Every lavatory basin and bath tub or shower shall be supplied with hot water at all times and no such facilities shall be located in a basement, except by written approval of the Health Officer.
3. 
Every proprietor of a rooming house shall change supplies, bed linens and towels at least once each week, and prior to the letting of any room to a new occupant. The proprietor shall be responsible for the maintenance of all supplied bedding in a clean and sanitary condition.
4. 
Every rooming unit shall have safe, unobstructed means of egress leading to open space at ground level. Every sleeping room shall have at least one (1) outside window, and the proprietor shall provide adequate screens for all windows and doors. The proprietor of every rooming house shall provide heat during the cold weather, normally after October fifteenth (15th), and until warm weather begins, normally around April fifteenth (15th), of each year.
5. 
The entire premises shall be kept in a clean sanitary condition and no accumulation of dirt or filth in any lodging, rooming or boarding house shall be permitted, and all measures necessary for the control of rats, flies, mosquitoes and similar pests shall be taken.
6. 
All stairways, halls and passageways shall be kept adequately lighted at night and exit lights shall be installed and kept in operation to insure ready readability indicating the direction of the nearest exit.
7. 
No cooking in rooms shall be permitted except for central cooking facilities. No hot plates or other cooking facilities shall be maintained in sleeping quarters.
[CC §18.680; Ord. No. 25, 10-7-1974]
The minimum fee to be paid to the City for any license as required in this Chapter shall be twenty-five dollars ($25.00). This fee shall include the cost of the initial inspection and annual inspection, and the license shall be valid for a period of one (1) calendar year. All fees paid to the City Clerk shall then be deposited and credited to the General Revenue of the City.
[CC §18.690; Ord. No. 25, 10-7-1974]
Any person, firm, corporation, or the agent, officer or servant thereof who shall offer to let rooms by public and/or other announcement, shall under the terms of this Chapter, be operating a lodging, rooming or boarding house.
[CC §18.695; Ord. No. 25, 10-7-1974]
A. 
It shall be the duty of the Building Inspector and Health Officer to enforce the provisions of this Chapter.
B. 
The owner or general agent of a building or premises where a violation of any of the provisions of this Chapter have been committed or shall exist, or the owner or general agent, lessee or tenant of any part of the building or premises in which such violation has been committed or shall exist, or the general agent, architect, builder, contractor or any other person who commits, takes part or assists in any such violation, or who maintains any building or premises in which such violation shall exist, shall upon conviction, be guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not less than ten dollars ($10.00) for each and every day that such violation continues, but if the violation be willful, upon conviction thereof, the punishment shall be a fine of not less than one hundred dollars ($100.00) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00), or imprisonment for ninety (90) days, or by both such fine and imprisonment, for each and every day that such violation shall continue, and each twenty-four (24) hours of maintenance of prohibited conditions shall constitute a separate and distinct offense.
[Ord. No. 1014 §1, 7-15-2013]