[Ord. No. 634, 12-2-1974; Ord. No. 869-08, 1-7-2008]
The provisions of this article shall apply only to multifamily housing with two or more dwelling units for which a building permit is required or to existing multifamily housing where a building permit is required for extending the existing project so that upon completion it will have two more dwelling units.
[Ord. No. 634, 12-2-1974]
The owner or builder of multifamily housing projects shall provide water mains and fire hydrants on his or her property and pay the reasonable and ordinary rent charged for fire hydrants by the Municipal Utilities Board of the City of Albertville, Alabama, as follows:
(a) 
Water fire mains of at least eight-inch pipe shall be installed; six-inch pipe may be used only where it completes a gridiron and then only up to 600 feet in length between interconnecting mains of approved diameter.
(b) 
Fire hydrants shall be spaced not more than 500 feet apart, with additional fire hydrants located as necessary to permit all portions of buildings to be reached by hose lays of not more than 400 feet.
(c) 
Water mains shall be of wrought iron, steel, or a PVC type plastic pipe, 160 pound psi accepted as a standard by most operating utilities. They shall be installed at least 30 inches below grade and shall be tested hydrostatically at not less than 160 psi pressure for two hours in the presence of a representative of building inspection.
(d) 
Hydrants, fittings, valves and Fire Department connections shall be installed by the Municipal Utilities Board of Albertville, Alabama.
(e) 
Water mains and fire hydrants shall be installed, under water pressure, and ready for fire fighting before any sheathing may be installed on walls and roof.
[Ord. No. 634, 12-2-1974; Ord. No. 2040-26, 6-2-2026]
The owner and developer of a multifamily housing project shall construct such project with the following provisions for firefighting equipment and in accordance with the International Fire Code:
(a) 
Reasonable accessibility shall be provided to and around all buildings for firefighting equipment, including ladder trucks on multistoried projects.
(b) 
Minimum widths of access driveways, excluding parking, shall be 20 feet. Minimum turning radii shall be 32 feet.
(c) 
Where the number of dwelling units in a project exceeds 100, there shall be two entrances to the project where road frontage is adequate for two entrances.
(d) 
Accessibility for firefighting equipment shall be maintained throughout all stages of construction.
(e) 
All driveways and parking spaces shall be paved with approved pavement.
(f) 
Asphalt paving shall consist of a minimum one-inch binder and one-inch plant mix with a minimum of four inches crusher run base. Soil cement may be used in place of crusher run where test reports are provided to show that the soil is suitable for soil cement.
(g) 
Where concrete is used for paving, the minimum thickness shall be five inches of 3,000 psi concrete, reinforced with six-inch by six-inch No. 10 steel mesh.
(h) 
Every dwelling unit must be separated from every other dwelling unit and hallway by partitions and floor and ceiling assemblies having a fire-resistance rating of not less than one hour.
(i) 
Where buildings are closer than 30 feet to another building or 25 feet to the property line, the exterior wall facing the building or property line shall have a minimum fire-resistance rating of two hours and a maximum of 30% window to wall area.
(j) 
Exterior walls shall be faced with a noncombustible material, except that a maximum of 10% of the exterior wall may be faced with a combustible trim or decorative treatment.
[Ord. No. 634, 12-2-1974; Ord. No. 2040-26, 6-2-2026]
Any person violating any provision of this article shall, upon conviction, be punished as provided in § 1-8 of this Code. Each day shall constitute a separate offense.