NH RSA Chapter 48-A: 1 through 48-A: 12 was adopted 3/9/1965
by the Annual Town Meeting (article 4), to establish Housing Standards
for the Town of Conway.
The purpose of this chapter is to:
A. Outline basic standards for all housing in the Town of Conway.
B. Provide a system by which the Town will institute a required certificate
of rental compliance for all rental properties in Town.
The requirements of this chapter apply to all housing in the
Town of Conway, however inspection for compliance will only occur
for those properties that are either:
A. Under construction for which a building permit has been applied for,
approved and issued.
B. Rented for any duration (including short term, long term, and seasonal
rental properties) and any building configuration (single family homes,
duplexes, multifamily homes, group homes, or any other type of structure
that is used for overnight accommodations.
Pursuant to Section 48-A:8, the Town of Conway establishes the
following housing standards.
A. One- and two-family home standards:
(1) Address visibility: The address number shall be legible and visible
from the street or road frontage of the property. Address number shall
contrast with the background. Numbers shall not be spelled out. Each
character shall be no less than four inches in height with a stroke
width of not less than 0.5 inches.
(2) Smoke alarms: Smoke alarms must be compliant with the NH Department
of Safety Office of the State Fire Marshal Bulletin # 2020-05 "Smoke
Alarm Device Requirements in Dwellings" or any superseding bulletins
or code updates.
(3) Carbon monoxide detectors: Must be present on each level.
(4) Means of egress: All occupiable areas of the home must have at least
one means of egress and one means of escape that must be compliant
with the NH Department of Safety Office of the State Fire Marshal
Bulletin # 2020-03 "Secondary Means of Escape - Egress Windows &
Doors" or any superseding bulletins, or code updates and HUD standards
for manufactured homes.
(5) Heating appliance maintenance: Have gas and oil heating appliances
been serviced within the last 24 months?
(6) Wood stoves and chimneys: Must be compliant with checklist in Appendix
3.
(7) Electrical system: Must be compliant with checklist in Appendix 4.
(8) Fire extinguishers: At least one 1A:5BC fire extinguisher available.
(a)
Fire extinguisher must have pressure gauge present and in green
range.
(b)
Fire extinguisher tank must be hydro compliant.
(c)
Fire extinguisher must have no visible damage.
(d)
Fire extinguisher shall be mounted near the exit.
(9) Fire pits: Must be installed and utilized according to RSA 227-L
"Woodland Fire Control Permits, Prohibitions, and Penalties" and require
a burn permit applied for by the occupant who is utilizing the fire
pit and issued by the local forest fire warden or fire department.
(10) Grills: If present, charcoal grills, gas grills, and wood pellet
cookers are compliant with the NH Department of Safety Office of the
State Fire Marshal Bulletin # 2020-08 "Grilling Safety at Multi-Unit
Dwellings and One- and Two-Family Dwellings" or any superseding bulletins
or code updates and they may not be placed on any combustible surfaces
(for example but not limited to wood decking, composite decking, etc.)
The grill must be at least three feet from the structure.
B. Multifamily housing standards.
(1) Multifamily housing in the Town of Conway shall comply with the current
edition of the Life Safety Code, NFPA 101 as adopted by the State
of New Hampshire and the multifamily section of any applicable NH
Department of Safety Office of the State Fire Marshal Bulletins or
any superseding bulletins or code updates.
C. Mixed-use occupancy standards.
Fine for operating a rental without a certificate of rental
compliance: Fines will be issued in accordance with state statute.
A Housing Appeals Board will be formed by an appointment of
the Board of Selectmen.
A. The Housing Appeals Board shall be composed of five members, including:
(1) A general contractor with not fewer than 10 years of experience,
five of which have been in responsible charge of work.
(2) A mechanical contractor with not fewer than 10 years of experience,
five of which have been in responsible charge of work.
(3) An electrical contractor with not fewer than 10 years of experience,
five of which have been in responsible charge of work.
(4) A plumbing or fire protection contractor with not fewer than 10 years
of experience, five of which have been in responsible charge of work.
(5) A landlord who owns property in the Town of Conway.
B. This board shall meet once on odd numbered months or monthly upon
receipt of application to review appeals to the violations of the
TOC Housing Standards that cannot be mediated or resolved with Town
Staff and the Fire Chief(s) directly.
C. Appeals Board decisions can be appealed to the Carroll County Superior
Court.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
CERTIFICATE OF RENTAL COMPLIANCE (CRC)
The written approval issued by the Town of Conway to occupy rental housing within a structure or building, indicating that a rental property has been inspected by the fire chief and meets the Town of Conway Housing Standards according to Chapter
72.
DUPLEX (TWO-FAMILY) HOME
A residentially occupied structure that provides two (separate)
living, sleeping, cooking and restroom facilities, usually occupied
by an individual or group of individuals occupying the structure or
either of the separate facilities as an individual or as a family.
HOUSING UNIT
Overnight accommodation for a family or group of people that
may be a single room, multiple rooms, and may or may not include a
kitchen or food preparation area.
LONG TERM RENTAL
Any occupancy of a residential structure such as but not
limited to single-family homes, duplexes, multifamily (three or more
individual units), group homes, or any type of structure that is used
for overnight accommodations for a time period greater than 30 days.
MIXED OCCUPANCY HOUSING
Any building that contains single-family, duplex and multifamily
housing in addition to one or more nonresidential occupancies.
MULTIFAMILY HOUSING
A residentially occupied structure that provides three or
more (separate) living, sleeping, cooking and restroom facilities
with the individual (separate) facilities occupied by an individual
or group of individuals occupying the facility as an individual or
as a family.
RENTAL HOUSING
A housing unit that is occupied by someone other than the
property owner in exchange for a fee.
SHORT TERM RENTAL
Any occupancy of a residential structure such as but not
limited to single-family homes, duplexes, multifamily (three or more
individual units), group homes, or any type of structure that is used
for overnight accommodations for a time period up to 30 days.
SINGLE-FAMILY (ONE-FAMILY) HOME
A residentially occupied structure that provides living,
sleeping, individual cooking and restroom facilities, usually occupied
by an individual or group of individuals occupying the structure as
an individual or as a family.