The standards within the International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC), current edition, as published by the International Code Council, are hereby adopted as the residential property maintenance standards of Chapter 17, Housing Code, for the City of Kalamazoo. Specifically the following sections contain the adopted standards:
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IPMC, Chapter 2 - Definitions
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IPMC, Chapter 3 - General Requirements
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IPMC, Chapter 4 - Light, Ventilation and Occupancy Limitations
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IPMC, Chapter 5 - Plumbing Facilities and Fixture Requirements
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IPMC, Chapter 6 - Mechanical and Electrical Requirements
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IPMC, Chapter 7 - Fire Safety Requirements
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IPMC, Chapter 8 - Referenced Standards
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A.
Additional requirements applicable to residential property.
(1)
Fire extinguishers. Portable fire extinguishers are required in all
dwelling units, condominiums, hotels, motels, fraternity houses, sorority
houses, group homes, all guestrooms in rooming houses (for threshold
of rooming house occupancy, see the Building Code), and any other
type of residential occupancy as defined by this Code and the Uniform
Fire Code. They shall be installed within individual dwelling units.
They shall be at least IAIOBC type and installed in a path of egress
where they are easily visible, accessible and permanently mounted
on a wall. All extinguishers shall be maintained in an operable condition.
Locations approved prior to the adoption of this amendment, including
mounting within labeled closets or cupboards, will be allowed to remain
until the extinguisher needs replacement. Fire extinguishers within
residential dwelling units must be replaced every three years, or
per the manufacturer's recommendation. If there is no manufacture
date on the fire extinguisher, it shall be dated upon installation
by the owner with a permanent marker. All questions on fire extinguisher
placement within a dwelling unit, or on the replacement schedule,
shall be the final decision of the Building Official and/or Fire Marshal.
(2)
Security. The following security measures are required:
(a)
Door viewers. Doors from a dwelling unit to a common hallway
or directly to the exterior, or from a rooming unit within a rooming
house (for threshold of rooming house occupancy, see the Building
Code), shall be equipped with a door viewer when there is no other
means of visibility through or by the door or from a clear window
or clear side light window immediately adjacent to the door. The viewer
shall be installed with the securing portion on the inside and nonremovable
from the outside. The viewer shall not be over five feet from the
floor.
(b)
Common entrance doors. Doors from a common area to the exterior
shall be equipped at a minimum with a lockable latch set with a dead
latch which can always be released from the interior by turning the
knob and from the exterior by a key. The hardware set shall have an
exterior knob which always requires the use of a key to be activated
for entrance. Hardware sets with this function are commonly referred
to as storeroom, vestibule or emergency lock sets. Such doors shall
also be equipped with an automatic closer. Exception: Dwellings of
five units or less do not require an automatic door closer.
(c)
Hinges. Out-swing dwelling unit exit doors shall be equipped
with hinges from which hinge pins cannot be removed or equipped with
special jamb pins which prevent the door from being removed if hinge
pins are removed while the door is in a closed position. Such doors
shall also be equipped with a plate at the bolt-strike area which
prevents prying at this point.
(d)
Patio door secondary locks. Sliding patio doors shall be equipped
with a permanently attached secondary locking device to supplement
the standard jamb latch if the patio door is on the ground floor or
accessible by exterior stairs or on a shared porch/deck area.
(e)
Security lighting. There shall be an outside light source that
illuminates every ground level exterior exit door. When the door serves
more than one dwelling unit, the control of the light shall be motion
detector/photocell/timer. When the door serves only one dwelling unit,
the control shall be by a wall switch located near the interior of
the door. If the door opens onto a deck or porch, the area lighting
the deck or porch may serve to meet this requirement. Solar lighting
may be utilized when designed/intended for such a use and is UL listed
for such a use. Private balconies and patios, not accessible from
the exterior or from an adjacent unit, are exempt.
(f)
Window locks. All operable sashes on the first three floors
of any residential building, or so located on any floor such that
they can be reached from an adjoining roof, fire escape or similar
projection, shall have locks or pins for when the window is in a closed
position. Basement windows over eight inches by 12 inches in size
shall have locks or be permanently secured.
(g)
Security grilles. Security guards and grilles installed over
a window shall be equipped with a quick-release mechanism operable
from within the room to allow escape through the window in case of
fire.
(h)
Basement window boarding. Basement windows may be removed and
the openings closed with weather-resistant plywood, one-half-inch
minimum thickness, securely anchored to surrounding construction,
and weather-protected with a paint or coating recommended by the manufacturer
for exterior use. As an alternative, basement window openings may
be closed with masonry or a glass block. For impact on habitability
of the basement, see §§ 17-51 and 17-107.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: So in original.
(i)
Prohibited locks. Hasplocks and padlocks shall not be used in
any areas occupied by residents.
(3)
Kitchen flooring. Kitchens must have a floor covering which is cleanable,
water resistant, odor free and stain resistant. Permanently installed
floor covering in a kitchen shall not be carpet. Kitchens which have
carpeting as of September 1, 2005, which is in good repair and clean
may keep such carpet until such time as it becomes worn, stained or
ripped to the extent that it requires replacement.
(4)
Electrical requirement for habitable spaces.
(a)
All habitable rooms shall be equipped with two duplex electrical
outlets and one ceiling or wall light fixture or three duplex outlets.
The duplex outlets shall be separate and remote from one another.
A required duplex outlet shall not be part of a light fixture. All
light control switches shall be conveniently located.
(b)
Three-way switching is required in hallways and stairways when
leading to habitable spaces.
(5)
Basement storage. Items to be stored in a basement, which are subject
to moisture damage, shall be stored in proper containers or off the
floor. Access to all equipment must be maintained, and the general
area shall be regularly inspected and treated, if necessary, for rodents
and insects.
(6)
Infestation.
(a)
Whenever infestation of insects, rodents or other pests exists
in any duplex or multiunit building or in the shared or public parts
of any building or in the common areas of any building, extermination
thereof shall be the responsibility of the owner.
(b)
In a single-family dwelling, whenever infestation of insects,
rodents or other pests exists, and the occupant has resided in the
unit less than 30 days, extermination thereof shall be the responsibility
of the owner.
(c)
In a single-family dwelling, whenever infestation of insects,
rodents or other pests exists, and the occupant has resided in the
unit more than 30 days, extermination thereof shall be the responsibility
of the tenant. However, any physical improvement(s) which may be necessary
to prohibit the entry of pests is the responsibility of the owner.
(7)
Doors. Doors that are not operational shall be removed and the area
remodeled to match or complement adjacent wall surfaces on the interior
and exterior.
(8)
Screens. Screens are required in all operable windows in rental property
between April 15 and October 31 each year. Doors serving as required
ventilation for any room shall also be equipped with a screen between
April 15 and October 31 each year.
B.
Additional property standard requirements applicable to all residential
properties.
(1)
Accessory structures. Accessory structures, including, but not limited
to, detached garages, detached carports, storage sheds and gazebos,
shall be structurally sound and in good repair. Doors and windows
shall be in good repair and free from deterioration.
(2)
Storage.
(a)
Open accessory structures, including carports, gazebos, decks,
lean-tos, open sheds, etc., shall not be used for storage of household
items. A reasonable amount of yard maintenance equipment is permitted.
Attached and detached garages or storage sheds with no doors will
be considered carports.
(b)
Building materials which are being used for ongoing construction
on the site shall be stored in an accessory structure. In the absence
of such a structure, materials shall be stacked neatly behind the
building so as not to be seen from the street. Long-term outdoor storage
of construction materials is not permitted.
(c)
In no instance shall upholstered furniture, carpeting, mattresses,
box springs, clothing or any such fabric items be stored in yards
or yard enclosures where they are subject to weather deterioration.
(3)
Site maintenance.
(a)
Parking areas and drives on the site shall be properly graded
and shall be covered with a surface treatment which resists standing
water and mud formation; acceptable materials shall include concrete,
asphalt, stabilized gravel or similar material; and said parking areas
and drives shall be in compliance with the Zoning Code, if applicable.
All driveways and vehicle turnaround areas shall have clearly defined
boundaries. A clearly defined boundary shall mean, at a minimum, the
existence of a distinct edge so the material used to pave or cover
the parking area, or barriers, such that the driveway where parking
is permitted is clearly distinguished from the yard area where parking
is not permitted. Other yard areas shall be covered with grass, a
ground-cover plant or other nonplant landscaping material that will
prevent the formation of dust and mud.
(b)
Shrubs, trees and other similar plantings shall be trimmed or
otherwise treated to prevent their overlapping into public walks and
rights-of-way and obstructing the view of sidewalks and streets at
entrances to driveways serving the property.
(c)
Vegetation growing such that it is causing deterioration of
the building or creating channels for water seepage shall be removed.
(4)
Historic district compliance. Properties located in an historic district
must comply with all applicable regulations.
