[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Orange 11-5-69 by Ord. No. 129-69.[1] Amendments noted where applicable.]
[1]
Editor's Note: The provisions of this chapter are derived from Ch. 21 of the former Code of the City of Orange, 1969, adopted 11-5-69 by Ord. No. 129-69.
For the purposes of this chapter, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them by this section:
LAUNDERETTE
Any establishment within the city where wearing apparel or any materials are brought in by a customer to be washed or dried and the washing or drying is done by the employees of the establishment and the apparel or material is taken away by the customer.
SELF-SERVICE DRY-CLEANING ESTABLISHMENT
Any place within the city where dry cleaning is done by the customer through the use of automatic or semiautomatic machines.
SELF-SERVICE LAUNDROMAT
Any establishment within the city where washing or drying of wearing apparel or any materials is done by the customer directly through the use of automatic or semiautomatic machines.
A. 
No person shall operate, maintain or use in any public or quasi-public place or in any building, store or other such place any launderette, self-service laundromat or self-service dry-cleaning establishment without first having obtained a license so to do. Such license shall be issued by the Health and Welfare Department after approval by the Building Inspections and Code Enforcement Department.
B. 
A license for the operation of self-service washing machines or drying machines in a building erected solely and exclusively for residential purposes, where such machines are installed for the sole use of the tenants within such building, is not required, provided that no self-service dry-cleaning machine or equipment is installed in such building.
[Amended 5-18-1982 by Ord. No. 16-82]
Any license issued pursuant to this chapter shall expire on December 31 following the date of issuance. No such license shall be issued unless the premises in which the business is to be conducted comply in all respects with the requirements of the fire, building and plumbing regulations of the city, nor shall any license be issued unless the provisions of this chapter are complied with. The annual license fee for the full year, or any portion thereof, shall be at the rate as provided in Chapter 88, Fees, for each washing machine, drying apparatus or dry-cleaning appliance located at each premises. A separate license shall be required for each establishment. The minimum fee for each establishment shall be as provided in Chapter 88, Fees.
A license for the operation of a self-service laundromat, launderette or self-service dry-cleaning establishment may be revoked by the Health Officer after notice and hearing if it shall appear that the licensed premises are being conducted in willful disregard or disobedience of the provisions of this chapter or in such manner as to constitute a danger to the health, safety, welfare or morals of the people of the city.
A. 
The entire premises devoted to the conduct of a self-service laundromat or launderette shall be kept in a clean and sanitary condition at all times, and all areas where the actual work of washing or laundering is performed shall be adequately ventilated and provided with sufficient natural or artificial light. All walls shall be covered with nonabsorbent paint, cement or other impervious material. The floors of such room or area shall have a covering of impervious material.
B. 
Each machine in a self-service laundromat or launderette used for washing or laundering articles of any description, with the exception of perishable materials such as woolens, blankets and similar perishable fabrics, shall be supplied with an automatic control which shall guarantee a process requiring not more than thirty (30) minutes in operation and which process shall consist of washing with a recognized detergent and three (3) rinses of water to a temperature of one hundred sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit (165° F.) during the entire cleaning process. In processing perishable materials such as woolens, blankets or similar perishable fabrics, the temperature of the water shall not exceed one hundred thirty degrees Fahrenheit (130° F.), and such process shall not exceed twenty (20) minutes in operation.
C. 
In all cases where a drying apparatus is used, the temperature of such apparatus shall at all times be not less than two hundred degrees Fahrenheit (200° F.).
No self-service laundromat or launderette shall permit diapers or any other materials containing bodily excrement or discharges to remain outside the premises. All such articles shall be washed in machines especially designated for such purpose, and all such machines so designated for such purpose shall be appropriately and conspicuously marked and shall not be used for any other purpose.
It shall be unlawful for the operator of any laundromat or launderette to receive from any person, or for any person to deliver to any laundromat or launderette, any materials that come from a residence or other premises quarantined by reason of the presence of a communicable disease within such residence or premises. Every laundromat or launderette shall have posted in conspicuous places in all rooms open to the public that it is unlawful to deliver to such laundromat or launderette any items from any such residence or other premises which is so quarantined.
A. 
Before any person shall engage in or be given a license to engage in and operate a coin-operated dry-cleaning establishment, that person shall comply with the following:
[Amended 11-14-2022 by Ord. No. 57-2022]
(1) 
There shall be submitted to the City Clerk a floor plan indicating the building outline and the location and description of each piece of equipment to be contained therein. Such plan shall, when submitted, bear the approval of both the Department of Building Inspections and Code Enforcement and the Health Department.
(2) 
The premises wherein the business is to be conducted shall consist of a one-story building with a concrete floor. No portion of such building shall be occupied as a residence or dwelling.
(3) 
The solvents used in the dry-cleaning operation shall be stored in closed containers and shall be transferred from the containers in a line free from leaks.
(4) 
Filter residue and other residues containing solvent shall be disposed of so as not to create a health hazard or nuisance. A covered metal container shall be used for temporary storage outside the building.
(5) 
Respiratory protective equipment shall be provided for maintenance personnel and shall be kept in good repair and available for immediate use.
(6) 
A utility fire extinguisher of either the carbon-dioxide or dry-chemical type shall be provided for use against electrical or oil fires.
(7) 
Only the front or customer side of the dry-cleaning machine shall be exposed in the customer area. The working or maintenance portion of the equipment should be separated from the front of the machine by a solid partition. As a means of minimizing any solvent buildup in the customer area and also to control any minor solvent leakage, it is required that there be a minimum flow rate from the customer area through the partition as follows:
Number of Machines
Minimum Flow Rate per Machine
(cubic feet per minute)
1 - 3
500
4 - 9
400
9-16
375
17 or more
360
(8) 
The exhaust ventilation shall be provided on a continuous basis while the premises are open for business. The fan wiring shall be such that the dry-cleaning equipment cannot be operated unless the fan system is in operation. Where grille openings are to be installed in the partition to facilitate air movement, they should be sized on the basis of five hundred (500) cubic feet per minute, per square foot of net grille area and should be placed as close to the machines as possible. Access doors to the maintenance area shall be kept locked.
(9) 
The floor of the enclosure or machine base shall be so constructed as to hold a liquid volume equal to the maximum quantity of solvent which might escape from the entire system. A drainage system shall be provided in the event of a leak. Such drainage shall be accomplished by gravity flow with the solvent transferred to a standby holding tank, and such tank shall be vented to the outside.
(10) 
A general ventilation fan shall be installed in the back room or maintenance area to be used in case of serious solvent leakage. This fan may be installed in the rear wall and, when combined with the system required in Subsection A(7) of this section, shall enable the exhausting of a minimum of one thousand (1,000) cubic feet per minute, per machine.
(11) 
The cleaning equipment shall be provided with an exhaust system capable of maintaining a minimum of one hundred (100) feet per minute face velocity through the loading door whenever the door is open. The duct work connections from this system shall be sealed (soldered or taped), and the discharge stack shall be extended to a minimum height of five (5) feet above the roofline.
(12) 
An interlock system shall be provided on the machine to prevent the loading door from being opened during the normal cycle. This system shall be either electrical or mechanical and so connected that, in the event of a power failure, the loading door shall lock.
(13) 
A step-by-step instruction list shall be posted in a conspicuous location near the machine for customer use.
[Amended 11-14-2022 by Ord. No. 57-2022]
(14) 
A solvent vapor-sensing device within the tumbler shall be required to control the drying cycle and to prevent the removal of solvent-laden garments.
(15) 
The machine design shall be such that no solvent is retained in the cleaned items upon completion of the dry-cleaning cycle.
(16) 
It is the responsibility of the proprietor to make certain that all clothing which cannot be properly cleaned and dried will not be placed in the machines.
(17) 
The machines should be checked daily and kept in good repair. All maintenance personnel should be familiar with necessary machine repairs and instructed as to the solvent hazards.
(18) 
Solvent control is to be such that, under normal operation and use conditions, no solvent odor can be detected in the customer area.
(19) 
Only the solvent specified by the equipment manufacturer shall be used.
(20) 
A supply of tempered [heated to sixty degrees or sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit (60° or 65° F.) makeup air equal to or greater than the total volume of air exhausted from the plant should be provided in order to eliminate any negative pressure conditions which might otherwise develop.
(21) 
Solvent-contaminated air shall be kept out of the air intakes of all combustion equipment.
(22) 
Exhaust ventilation stacks from dry-cleaning machines shall be located as far as possible from combustion air or drier air intakes.
(23) 
The proprietor shall provide the Health and Welfare Department with detailed installation, operation and maintenance manuals from the manufacturer.
B. 
If, after inspection by the Health and Welfare Department, it is found that one (1) or more of the requirements set out in this section are not being complied with, then the Health and Welfare Department can close the premises to the public until such requirements are met. This provision is in addition to the penalties provided for violation of this chapter.
[Amended 9-3-85 by Ord. No. 36-85; 2-4-86 by Ord. No. 9-86; 11-14-2022 by Ord. No. 57-2022]
No laundromat, launderette or self-service dry-cleaning establishment shall open for business before 7:00 a.m. and/or remain open for business after 12:00 a.m. on any day, and a competent, trained attendant shall either be present or on-call at all times while the business is open to the public. Administrative functions necessary and incidental to operation of a laundromat, launderette or self-service dry-cleaning establishment (e.g., cleaning, stocking, accounting, maintenance, etc.) may be conducted after 12:00 a.m. and/or before 7:00 a.m. on any day, so long as the business is not open to the public during those hours.
[Added 5-18-1982 by Ord. No. 16-82]
Any person who violates any of the provisions of this chapter shall, upon conviction thereof, be subject to a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500.) or imprisonment for a period not exceeding ninety (90) days, or both.