For the purposes of this chapter, buildings
are classified with respect to occupancy and use as public buildings,
residence buildings, business buildings and storage buildings.
A. Mixed occupancy. In case a building is occupied for
two or more purposes not included in one class, the provisions of
the chapter applying to each class of occupancy shall apply to such
part of the building as comes within that class, and if there should
be conflicting provisions, the requirements securing the greater safety
shall apply.
B. Doubtful classification. In case a building is not
specifically provided for or where there is any uncertainty as to
its classification, its status shall be fixed by a duly promulgated
rule giving due regard to safety.
For the purposes of this chapter, construction
as used in buildings shall be classified as fireproof construction,
semifireproof construction, firesafe construction, wood frame construction
and unprotected metal construction.
A. Fireproof. Fireproof buildings are those constructed
throughout of materials that will resist the action of fire and in
accordance with requirements for fireproof construction as outlined
in the 1967 Edition of the Building Code of the American Insurance
Association, successors to the National Board of Fire Underwriters.
B. Semifireproof. Semifireproof buildings are those constructed
in accordance with requirements for semifireproof construction as
outlined in the 1967 Edition of the Building Code of the American
Insurance Association, successors to the National Board of Fire Underwriters.
C. Firesafe. Firesafe buildings are those where exterior
walls are of approved masonry or reinforced concrete, with floors
and other interior construction wholly or in part of wood, and where
roofs are of approved incombustible materials.
D. Wood frame. Wood frame buildings are those where exterior
walls are of wood frame construction.
E. Unprotected metal. Unprotected metal buildings are
those in which the structural supports are metal and in which roofing
and walls or other enclosures are of sheet metal or other incombustible
materials or of masonry deficient in thickness or otherwise not conforming
to approved masonry.
A. General. Except as may be otherwise provided by statute
or by this chapter, no building hereafter erected or altered shall
exceed in height the limits fixed in this section.
B. Unprotected metal. Buildings of unprotected metal
construction shall not exceed one story in height, provided that this
shall not prohibit mezzanine stories, the aggregate floor area of
which does not exceed 25% of the area of the building.
C. Wood frame. Wood frame construction shall not exceed
30 feet in height for public buildings, one story for churches and
schools, 35 feet or two stories for residence buildings, three stories
for dwellings and 25 feet for business buildings and storage buildings.
D. Firesafe. Firesafe construction shall not exceed 35
feet in height for public buildings, 45 feet or two stories for churches,
two stories for schools, 45 feet or three' stories for residence buildings,
50 feet for business buildings and 35 feet for storage buildings.
E. Semifireproof. Semifireproof construction shall not
exceed 75 feet in height for public buildings, 75 feet for residence
buildings, 75 feet for business buildings and 50 feet for storage
buildings.
F. Fireproof. All buildings which exceed in height the
above limits shall be of fireproof construction.
A. General. Except as may be otherwise provided by statute
or this chapter, no building hereafter erected or altered shall exceed
in area in any story above the curb level the limits fixed in this
section.
B. Use of fire walls. No building shall be limited in
area if it is divided by fire walls into sections, none of which exceeds
the limits of area fixed in this section for its type of construction.
C. Fireproof construction. For public garages, fireproof
construction shall not exceed 10,000 square feet.
D. Semifireproof construction. For business and storage
buildings, semifireproof construction shall not exceed 10,000 square
feet, provided that fire walls of the thickness required for fire
partitions may be used in the subdivision of buildings of greater
area.
E. Firesafe construction. Firesafe construction shall
not exceed 7,500 square feet for buildings fronting on one street,
nor 10,000 square feet for buildings fronting on two streets, nor
12,000 square feet for buildings fronting on three or more streets.
F. Frame and unprotected metal construction. Buildings
of frame or unprotected metal construction shall not exceed 5,000
square feet.
G. Area modification.
(1) The area fixed in this section may be increased 100%
when the building is sprinklered.
(2) Buildings of greater areas than herein specified for
the respective conditions may, considering their location and purpose,
be constructed by special permission of the Board of Appeals, provided
that they do not exceed two stories in height.
A. The fire limits of the town, as established and amended
from time to time by the Town Board upon the recommendation of the
Boards of Fire Commissioners for their respective districts, shall
bound the more congested business and industrial area within a fire
district where a fire hazard is deemed to exist.
B. Such fire limits shall be designated as Class I or
Class 2, according to the extent of the existing fire hazard and shall
be indicated on maps which are incorporated herein by reference as
fully as if printed herein and which are deemed part of this chapter.
A building or structure shall be deemed to be
within the fire limits if more than 1/2 the area of the building or
structure is located therein.
A. Class 1 fire limit. No building or structure of frame
or unprotected metal construction shall hereafter be erected in a
Class 1 fire limit.
B. Class 2 fire limit. No building or structure of unprotected
metal construction or wood frame construction exceeding one story
in height shall hereafter be erected in a Class 2 fire limit.
Within all fire limits wooden shingle roofing
is prohibited.
All public garages hereafter erected within
a fire limit, which exceed one story in height, shall be of semifireproof
construction.
Within the fire limits, no building or structure
shall hereafter be extended on any side or increased in height unless
the construction of such extension conforms to the requirements of
this chapter for new construction.
Nothing in §§
89-35 through
89-40 shall prohibit, within the fire limits and subject to the specified limitations, the erection, extension or enlargement of the following buildings of frame or unprotected metal construction:
A. Private garage; stable. A building of wood frame or
unprotected metal construction occupied exclusively as a private garage
or stable, not more than one story in height nor more than 750 square
feet in area, located on the same lot with a dwelling or business
dwelling.
B. Outhouses. Outhouses not more than eight feet in height
nor more than 100 square feet in area, provided that the roofs are
covered with incombustible or fire-retardant material.
C. Greenhouses. Greenhouses not more than 15 feet in
height, erected on the same lot with and accessory to a dwelling or
a store.
D. Sheds. Sheds open on the long side, not more than
15 feet in height nor more than 500 square feet in area, with roofs
covered with incombustible materials.
E. Builders' shanties. Builder's shanties not more than
one story in height, for use only in connection with a duly authorized
building operation.
F. Coal tipples, bins, tanks, etc. Coal tipples, icehouses,
materials, bins, trestles and water tanks, when built of planking
and timbers of the dimensions specified by the Building Inspector.
Every habitable room shall have one or more
windows opening directly on a street, yard or court. Such rooms shall
be not less than six feet wide in any part and shall contain not less
than 60 square feet of clear floor area. It shall be unlawful to divide
a habitable room or enclose a portion thereof by fixed or movable
partitions unless each part of the room so divided or enclosed shall
separately conform to the requirements of this section.
Every room in every building hereafter erected
and occupied for business purposes shall be provided with one or more
windows or ventilating skylights opening directly on a street or on
a court, or such rooms shall be provided with an approved means of
mechanical ventilation. When the unoccupied space exceeds 500 cubic
feet for each occupant, such room may be ventilated by transoms or
other similar devices opening into rooms having windows or skylights
opening directly to the outer air as herein prescribed.
In public buildings every room used as an auditorium
or for public assembly and every other room that is not provided with
windows opening on a street, yard or court shall be provided with
an approved system of mechanical ventilation.
Every bathroom in a building used as a dwelling
shall be ventilated by one or more windows on a street, yard or court.
Every other bathroom and every room containing one or more water closets
or urinals, shall be ventilated by one or more windows opening on
a street, yard or court or on a vent shaft which extends to and through
the roof or into a court or by a separate duct of incombustible and
noncorrodible material, extending independently of any other duct
to the roof, or by an approved means of mechanical ventilation.
Nothing in this Article shall prohibit, in residence
buildings occupied by not more than two families, rooms without windows,
provided that every such room opens without obstruction directly into
another room which has one or more windows having an aggregate area
between stop beads of not less than 20 square feet and that the opening
between such rooms is not less than 40 square feet in area.
The total area of window glass required by this
Article shall be not less than 1/10 of the floor area served by them,
provided that in habitable rooms such area shall not be less than
10 square feet. Such window glass shall be so arranged when fully
opened that the total space open shall be not less than 50% of the
total required window space.
A. In every building hereafter erected every court provided
under the provisions of this Article for the lighting or ventilation
of any room shall have a width at every point of not less than one
inch for every foot that such point is distant from the highest point
of the court, but in no case less than four feet. Every such court
shall be open and unobstructed for the required widths from its lowest
point to the sky, except for the ordinary projections of window sills,
belt courses and similar ornamental projections, to the extent of
not more than four inches.
B. When a court is located along a side of a lot, the
lot line shall be deemed an enclosure of such court, except that when
a court opens on a street or any public space, such street or open
space may be considered as part of the court.
If a room in a residence building is overcrowded,
the Health Officer may order the number of persons sleeping or living
in said room to be so reduced that there shall be not less than 480
cubic feet of air to each adult and 300 cubic feet of air to each
child under 12 years of age occupying such room.
All business and public buildings shall be in
conformity with the provisions of this Article, provided that they
comply with state laws governing such buildings as to means of egress.
A. In every multiple-family dwelling hereafter erected,
there shall be at least one exit from every apartment or suite of
rooms.
B. The exit shall be to a public hall connected with
a stair not more than 50 feet distant from such exit, except that
in buildings not exceeding two stories in height, every multiple dwelling
hereafter erected shall have at least two stairways extending from
the ground floor to the roof. Such stairways shall be at least 15
feet distant from each other, unless they are on opposite sides of
a public hall.
C. One of these stairways shall be constructed of incombustible
material enclosed on all sides by fireproof partitions with automatic
fire doors at all floors and at the roof and shall be ventilated by
windows in the exterior wall or by skylights glazed with wire glass
in metal frames with fixed or movable louvers or may be a fire escape
construction of open iron or stone balconies and stairs. All stairs
shall be at least three feet wide in the clear and shall have treads
not less than 9 1/2 inches wide, exclusive of the nosing, and
the rise shall not be more than 7 1/4 inches.
The minimum clear width of every hallway or
passage leading to a required exit in multifamily houses shall be
36 inches.
A. Lumber; timber. The grades and quality of lumber and
timber used structurally shall conform to the accepted standards and
specifications as prescribed by the Building Inspector.
B. Other materials. All other building materials shall
be of good quality and shall conform to specifications which the Building
Inspector prescribes. The accepted standard specifications for quality
of materials shall be those of the American Society for Testing and
Materials.
The weights of the various building materials
in pounds per cubic foot shall be assumed to be as specified in the
1967 Edition of the Building Code of the American Insurance Association,
successors to the National Board of Fire Underwriters.
A. Computations. The dimensions of the several materials
and the form of each construction to be used in building shall be
computed as required in this chapter.
B. Factors of safety. The relation of the allowable unit
stress to the ultimate strength of any material shall be as 1:4 for
metal, as 1:6 for timber and as 1:10 for natural or artificial stones
and brick or stonemasonry.
C. Temporary supports. Every temporary support placed
under any building or structure or any part thereof during the erection,
finishing, alteration or repairing of such buildings or any part thereof
shall be of sufficient strength to safely carry the load to be placed
thereon.
D. Working stresses. The safe carrying capacity of the
various materials of construction shall be determined by the working
stresses in pounds per square inch, as specified in the 1967 Edition
of the Building Code of the American Insurance Association, successors
to the National Board of Fire Underwriters.
E. Loads. Every building and structure shall be designed
and erected of sufficient strength in all its parts to sustain safely
all live loads depending thereon, whether permanent or temporary,
in addition to the dead loads. The live loads per square foot, uniformly
distributed, shall be assumed to be as specified in the 1967 Edition
of the Building Code of the American Insurance Association, successors
to the National Board of Fire Underwriters.
F. Bearing value of soils. The safe bearing capacity
of soils shall be determined in tons per square foot as follows: loan,
one ton; quicksand, 1/2 ton; soft clay, one ton; wet sand, two tons;
coarse sand, four tons; firm clay, two tons; sand and clay, two tons;
fine dry sand, three tons; and gravel, six tons.
Workmanship in the fabrication, preparation
and installation of materials shall conform to generally accepted
good practice. Specific provisions of this Article shall not be deemed
to suspend any requirements of good practice, but shall be regarded
as supplementary or emphasizing them and shall be controlling.
Whenever an excavation is carried below an adjoining
wall, the person causing such excavation to be made, if afforded permission
by an adjacent owner, shall, at his own expense, preserve every nearby
wall, building or structure from injury and support the same by proper
foundation or retaining walls so that they shall be safe, and for
this purpose foundation or retaining walls may be built upon adjacent
premises.
A. If necessary consent is not accorded to the person
making the excavation, then it shall be the duty of the person refusing
such license to preserve and protect such building or structure from
injury and, when necessary, to underpin and support the same by proper
foundations, and for that purpose such person shall, when necessary,
be permitted to enter upon the premises where the excavation is being
made.
B. All such excavations for buildings shall be properly
guarded and protected in order to prevent the same from becoming dangerous
to life or limb and shall be sheathpiled when necessary to prevent
the adjoining earth from caving in.
A. Depth. Except when erected upon piers or posts on
the bay or oceanfront, foundation walls shall be carried not less
than four feet below ground level, shall rest on solid ground and
shall have the space between the first floor and the grade enclosed,
except for necessary ventilation, provided that when one-story buildings
of frame construction do not exceed 750 square feet, they may be erected
on foundation walls which shall be carried not less than two feet
below ground level, provided that they rest on solid ground. The foundation
walls of dwellings or two-and-one-half-story frame buildings may be
stopped at a depth of three feet below ground level.
B. Materials. foundation walls shall be built of approved
masonry, reinforced concrete or steel protected by masonry. All masonry
foundation walls shall be laid in cement mortar.
C. Thickness. If built of brick, concrete or hollow building
blocks, a foundation wall shall be at least four inches thicker than
the masonry walls next above them, but in no case less than 12 inches.
For buildings of frame construction not more than 2 1/2 stories
in height, the foundation walls shall not be less than eight inches
in thickness.
A. Materials. The footings of foundation walls shall
consist of masonry, concrete or reinforced concrete. Wood footings
may be used, if they are entirely below the permanent water level.
B. Thickness. Footings shall be not less than 12 inches
thick, except that for frame buildings, the thickness shall be not
less than eight inches.
C. Design. Footings shall be so designed that the pressure they produce on the soil per unit of area shall be uniform so far as possible under all parts of the foundation walls, and such pressures shall not exceed the bearing capacity of the soil as specified in §
89-55 of this chapter.
D. Cellar floors. In all buildings hereafter erected,
the cellar floor or any floor resting directly on the ground shall
consist of stone, gravel or cinder concrete.
A. Materials. All masonry shall be constructed of approved
materials and shall comply with the provisions of this section.
B. Protection. All masonry shall be adequately protected
against freezing for at least 48 hours after being set.
C. Erection.
(1) Except when carried independently by girders at each
floor, no wall shall be built up more than 25 feet in height in advance
of other walls of the building.
(2) No masonry shall be supported on wooden girders or
other form of wood construction.
(3) Isolated piers shall not exceed in height 10 times
their least dimension.
(4) Masonry walls that meet or intersect shall be adequately
bonded or anchored. Piers having less than four square feet of cross
section when located at an intersection with a wall shall be bonded
into and built as part of that wall.
(5) Door and window openings in walls shall be spanned
by well-buttressed arches or linters having bearings at each end of
not less than four inches.
(6) Every pier supporting a girder, arch, column or lintel
carrying a wall over an opening of more than 10 feet shall be built
of approved masonry.
D. Brick masonry.
(1) Except when laid in Flemish bond or faced with running
bond, at least every sixth course in brick walls shall be a full header
course.
(2) Brick shall be wet immediately before being laid except
in freezing weather.
(3) All horizontal and vertical joints in brick masonry
shall be filled with mortar.
E. Hollow building block masonry.
(1) In hollow walls of brick and in walls and piers of
hollow building blocks, suitable provisions shall be made at each
line of floor beams and wherever load concentrations occur to ensure
good bearing and a uniform distribution of load.
(2) Where two or more hollow units are used to make up
the thickness of a wall, the inner and outer courses shall be bonded
at vertical intervals not exceeding three courses by lapping at least
one cell completely over a cell of the unit below.
(3) Brick facing or lining, when used with hollow building
blocks, shall be bonded to the backing with at least one header course
in every six courses of brick or there shall be at least one full
length header in every 72 square inches of wall surface.
(4) Hollow walls of brick or walls of hollow building
blocks shall not be used as bearing walls in buildings or structures
exceeding 40 feet in height.
(5) Except in buildings one story in height or of frame
construction and not in a fire limit, hollow walls of brick or hollow
walls of building blocks shall not be used as party walls.
F. Mortar.
(1) Mortar for masonry construction shall be either cement
mortar, cement lime mortar or lime mortar as hereinafter specified.
(2) Cement mortar shall be made of one part of Portland
cement, three parts of an approved clean sand and not more than 15%
of lime, all ingredients measured by volume. The maximum allowable
compressive stress in cement mortar of the above proportions shall
be 325 pounds per square inch of gross cross-section area.
(3) Cement lime mortar shall be composed of one part Portland
cement, one part of lime or lime putty and a maximum of six parts
of sand, all ingredients measured by volume. The maximum allowable
compressive stress in cement mortar of the above proportions shall
be 250 pounds per square inch of gross cross-section area.
(4) Lime mortar shall be composed of one part of lime
putty or hydrated lime and a maximum of three parts of sand; all ingredients
measured by volume. The maximum allowable compressive stress in lime
mortar of the above proportions shall be 100 pounds per square inch
of gross cross-section area.
G. Veneer construction.
(1) Masonry veneer shall consist of bricks, stone, concrete,
terra cotta, hollow building blocks or other approved material.
(2) Such veneer shall rest directly upon a foundation
wall or upon other approved masonry.
(3) It shall be securely attached at intervals of not
more than 16 inches vertically and 24 inches horizontally to the wall
or, in the case of frame construction, to approved sheathing combined
with a weatherproof lining.
(4) Flashing to prevent moisture from penetrating behind
the veneer shall be provided at wall openings.
A. General. The thickness of masonry walls hereafter
erected shall conform to the provisions of this section and, irrespective
of other requirements of this chapter, shall be sufficient to keep
the stresses in the masonry within the working stresses prescribed
by this chapter.
B. Dwellings. In dwellings, walls may be eight inches
thick, when not more than 30 feet in height nor more than 50 feet
in length between cross walls or adequate buttresses, provided that
in a gable wall of a dwelling the portion of such wall within five
feet of the peak need not be considered in fixing the height.
C. Business buildings, public buildings and storage buildings.
In business buildings, public buildings and storage buildings, the
thickness of masonry bearing walls shall be not less than 12 inches
for the uppermost 35 feet of their height and shall increase four
inches for each successive 35 feet or fraction thereof measured downward
from the top of the wall, provided that solid masonry walls eight
inches thick may be used for buildings not exceeding 30 feet nor two
stories in height and hollow walls of brick or walls of hollow blocks
eight inches thick may be used for buildings not exceeding one story
in height. The thickness of reinforced concrete bearing walls shall
be not less than 3/4 of the thickness required for masonry bearing
walls, but in no case less than nine inches.
D. Supported walls. Walls supported by girders at each
story may be eight inches thick.
E. Nonbearing walls. The thickness of nonbearing walls
may be four inches less than required for bearing walls.
F. Party walls. Party walls shall be constructed of solid
brick masonry laid in cement mortar or cement lime mortar or of reinforced
concrete, not less in thickness than required for exterior bearing
walls, provided that in business buildings and storage buildings exceeding
20 feet in height, no part of the wall shall be less than 16 inches
thick.
Party walls shall extend at least three feet
above the roof.
A. General standard. Except as may be otherwise provided
by law or ordinance, the Building Regulations for Reinforced Concrete,
as adopted by the American Concrete Institute, shall be deemed to
be the generally accepted good practice in reinforced concrete construction.
B. Concrete; materials and mixtures. All materials used
in connection with concrete construction shall be subject to the approval
and acceptance of the Inspector of Buildings.
(1) All sand used in connection with building construction
shall be clean, sharp, coarse and free from any inorganic matter.
(2) Quicklime and hydrated lime shall conform to the specifications
of the American Society for Testing and Materials.
(3) Portland cement shall comply with the standard specifications
of the American Society for Testing and Materials.
(4) The coarse aggregate in concrete shall be crushed
granite, trap rock, gravel or other durable material that may be approved
by the Building Inspector. When gravel is used, it shall be thoroughly
washed and screened. Where mass concrete is used, the coarse aggregate
shall be of such size as will pass through a two-inch ring. All aggregates
shall be free from dust or other deleterious materials.
(5) All concrete, except in connection with reinforced
concrete structures or parts of structures, shall be made of one part
of Portland cement, not more than 2 1/2 parts of sand and five
parts of coarse aggregate.
(6) Concrete for reinforced concrete shall be mixed of
one part of Portland cement and not more than six parts of aggregate,
fine and coarse, either in the proportion of one part of cement, two
parts of fine aggregate and four parts of coarse aggregate or any
such proportions that the resistance of the concrete to crushing shall
not be less than 2,000 pounds per square inch at the age of 28 days.
(7) Ingredients shall be accurately measured, thoroughly
and uniformly mixed and sufficient water added to make a plastic mixture.
Concrete shall be placed immediately after mixing.
Except as may be otherwise provided by law or
ordinance, the Specification for the Design, Fabrication and Erection
of Structural Steel for Buildings of the American Institute of Steel
Construction shall be deemed to be the generally accepted good practice
in steel construction.
A. Walls. The walls of a building of firesafe construction
shall be of approved masonry or reinforced concrete.
B. Stair walls.
(1) In all firesafe buildings, the enclosure of stairways
shall be of approved masonry or reinforced concrete.
(2) When stair walls are built of brick or concrete they
shall be at least eight inches thick. If built of reinforced concrete
and properly supported, they shall be at least four inches thick.
When built of terra cota blocks, supported by suitable steel framing,
such walls may be six inches thick, if properly supported.
C. Floors within stair walls. Floors within stair walls
shall be of fireproof construction and shall be of terra cotta, stone,
concrete, cinder concrete or other approved material.
D. Doors in stair walls. All doors, excepting only an
outside entrance door, shall be approved fire doors, with approved
self-closing devices and incombustible sills, jambs and trim.
E. Stairs. Every firesafe building more than one story
in height shall have at least one stairway and such others as may
be required by state law.
F. Beams.
(1) Wood beams, except header and tail beams, shall have
bearings of at least four inches.
(2) The ends of beams resting on masonry walls shall be
cut to a bevel of three inches in their depth.
(3) Trimmers, headers and tail beams over four feet in
length, unless supported on walls or girders, shall be hung in approved
stirrups.
(4) Floor and roof beams, except in the case of pitched
roofs, shall be rigidly bridged at intervals not exceeding eight feet.
(5) Each tier of beams resting on masonry walls shall
be anchored at intervals of not more than four feet. Where floor or
roof beams run parallel to masonry walls, similar anchors fastened
to two or more beams shall be secured to the walls.
(6) The ends of wood beams resting on girders shall be
butted end to end and anchored to the same beams as the wall anchor
or they shall lap each other at least 12 inches and be well spiked
or bolted together where lapped.
(7) Wall plates and roof construction shall be anchored
to the walls at least every six feet.
(8) No beam shall be cut or pierced in any manner that
will cause the beam to be insufficient for the load.
(9) No floor or roof beams of structures within a Class
1 fire limit may be less than three inches in thickness.
G. Girders. Wood girders shall be anchored to the walls
and fastened to each other with suitable steel straps.
H. Separations in walls. Wooden joists, beams and girders
resting on opposite sides of a masonry wall shall be separated from
one another by at least six inches of solid masonry.
I. Stud partitions. Stud partitions which rest directly
over each other and are not parallel to the wood floor beams shall
run down between the floor beams and rest on the top plate of the
partitions below and shall have the studding filled in solid between
the uprights to the depth of the floor beams with suitable incombustible
materials.
J. Fire stops. Where walls are studded off, the space
between the inside face of the wall and the studding directly over
such space shall be fire-stopped with incombustible material for a
depth of not less than four inches, securely supported.
K. Wood posts.
(1) Wood posts shall have iron or steel caps and bases
with pintle connections, or steel or iron caps with projecting shelves
to support girders.
(2) Wood posts shall not be used in cellars.
L. Roofing. All roofs shall be of asbestos or prepared
composition shingles, asphalt-asbestos felt, asphalt impregnated ragfelt
and gravel, concrete, brick, slate, tin, copper or other approved
incombustible material.
A. Walls.
(1) All interior studding shall be but one story in height,
set on caps or shoes, except where partitions are over girders and
fire-stopped as approved by the Building Inspector.
(2) Walls and partitions shall be constructed to develop
a strength and rigidity equivalent to wooden studding, not less than
two inches by four inches, spaced not to exceed 16 inches on centers.
(3) Where exterior walls or parts thereof are sheathed,
the boards shall be not less than 3/4 of an inch in thickness, shall
be laid tight and properly nailed to each stud and shall be covered
with a waterproof sheathing paper. An approved insulation board not
less than 1/2 inch in thickness may be used as sheathing, provided
that it is properly nailed and covered with a waterproof sheathing
paper. Where sheathing is omitted, all corners shall be diagonally
braced and such other measures shall be taken to secure rigidity as
may be necessary.
(4) Wooden sheathing may be omitted when other approved
types of construction of adequate strength and stability are used.
(5) Ledger or ribbon boards used to support joists shall
not be less than one inch by four inches, shall be cut into the studs
and shall be securely nailed to each stud.
(6) No part of the wood frame shall be placed below ground
level.
B. Beams.
(1) All floor beams, roof beams and roof rafters shall
be at least two inches thick. Floor beams and roof beams shall be
spaced not more than 16 inches on centers. Roof rafters shall be not
more than 24 inches on centers and not less than six inches in depth,
except that rafters less than eight feet in length may be four inches
in depth.
(2) One-half the length of the span of beams in feet shall
determine the minimum depth of the beams in inches, but in no case
shall the allowable stresses of the beams be exceeded.
(3) No beam shall be cut or pierced in any manner that
will cause the beam to be insufficient for the load.
C. Exterior finish. Either brick, stucco, shingles, siding
or other approved material shall be placed over the waterproof sheating
paper as an exterior finish.
D. Separating walls. Walls or partitions separating two
or more dwellings of frame construction shall consist of wooden studs
covered on both sides with gypsum mortar or cement mortar, not less
than 3/4 of an inch in thickness, on expanded metal lath, or of some
other construction having an equal or better fire resistance.
E. Roofing. All roofing shall be of wood or composition
shingles or other approved waterproof material.
All wood beams shall be trimmed away from flues
and chimneys. The header and trimmer beams shall be not less than
two inches from the outside face of the chimney. Any header beam supporting
a trimmer arch in front of a fireplace shall be not less than 18 inches
from the face of the chimney breast.
A. Fire partitions. Fire partitions shall be constructed
of approved masonry or reinforced concrete or of a form of construction
of incombustible materials having an equal or better fire resistance,
in accordance with the state Industrial Code. Fire partitions may
be used as bearing walls, provided that in addition to meeting the
requirements for fire partitions, they conform to the requirements
of this chapter for bearing walls.
B. Fire walls. Fire walls shall be constructed of solid
brick masonry laid in cement mortar or cement lime mortar or of reinforced
concrete, stone or terra cotta blocks, in accordance with the provisions
of the state Industrial Code.
A. Private garages.
(1) A private garage located or attached to a building
occupied for any different purpose shall be separated from the balance
of the building by wood-joisted ceilings and wood stud walls covered
with gypsum mortar or cement mortar not less than 3/4 of an inch in
thickness, on expanded metal lath, or of some other construction having
fire resistance of not less than one hour.
(2) Proper precautions shall be taken to prevent the seepage
of fumes from such a garage to adjoining parts of the building.
B. Public garages.
(1) No public garage shall hereafter be located within
or attached to a building occupied for any other purpose, unless it
is separated from such other occupancy and the walls, floors, and
ceilings enclosing it are of fireproof construction or semifireproof
construction.
(2) Walls, floors and ceilings which effect such separation
shall be continuous and unpierced by openings of any kind; provided,
however, that door openings equipped with self-closing fire doors
leading to salesrooms or offices that are operated in connection with
such garages shall not be prohibited; and provided, further, that
the use of elevators and stairways to other stories accessible only
by vestibules or balconies constructed and arranged as required for
fire towers shall not be prohibited.
(3) Proper precaution shall be taken to prevent the seepage
of fumes from such a garage to adjoining parts of the building.
(4) No public garage shall hereafter be built of unprotected
metal or wood frame construction.
(5) All exposed timber trusses, steel trusses and girders
shall be covered with expanded metal lath and one inch of Portland
cement plaster.
A. In all buildings except buildings occupied for residence
purposes by one or two families, partitions in the cellar or any part
of the building more than half below the curb shall be constructed
of incombustible materials.
B. In any building hereafter erected or altered in order
to change its occupancy, except buildings occupied exclusively for
residential purposes by one or two families, wood beams, where used
over the cellar or over the lowest story, shall be covered with metal
lath and plaster, plasterboard and plaster or other approved incombustible
material.
Drop awnings without vertical support shall
be permitted but shall in no case extend more than six feet from the
face of the building and shall be at least six feet six inches in
the clear above the sidewalk.
A. Material thickness. All chimneys shall be built of
brick, concrete, hollow tile of clay or concrete, concrete block or
reinforced concrete not less than eight inches thick; provided, however,
that for ordinary stonemasonry the thickness shall be not less than
12 inches; provided, further, that in dwellings in brick or solid
concrete chimneys, used exclusively for ordinary stoves, ranges, furnaces
or open fireplaces, the thickness of the masonry may be reduced to
not less than three and 3 3/4 inches.
B. Lining. Every such chimney shall be lined with a flue
lining. High-pressure steam boilers, incinerators exceeding nine square
feet grate area or of fuel-fire type and other moderate heating appliances
shall have a lining of four inches of fire brick for a distance of
at least 25 feet above the flue entrance.
C. Height. Chimneys shall extend at least three feet
above the highest point at which they come in contact with a roof
of the building and at least two feet higher than any ridge within
10 feet of such chimney.
D. Foundation. Chimneys shall be built upon concrete
or solid masonry foundations which start below the frost line.
When a building hereafter erected extends more
than 10 feet above the roof of any immediately adjoining building,
the owner of the higher building may be required to extend the chimneys
of the adjoining building to the proper height and properly anchor
the same, provided that they are within 12 feet of the higher building.
Metal smokestacks shall be permitted for boilers,
furnaces and similar apparatus where large hot fires are used, provided
that every such stack or part thereof hereafter erected within a building
other than a one-story building shall be enclosed above the story
in which the appliance served thereby is located, in walls of approved
masonry or a partition constructed of incombustible materials, and
it shall be guarded by a galvanized iron ventilating thimble extending
not less than nine inches below and nine inches above such roof construction.
Such thimbles shall be of a size to provide a clearance on all sides
of the stack of not less than 18 inches, provided that for stacks
of low-heat appliances, the clearance may be reduced to not less than
12 inches.
A. Back and side walls. The back and sides of fireplaces
hereafter erected shall be of approved masonry not less than eight
inches thick.
B. Hearth. Fireplaces, except when designed and used
for gas appliances only, shall have hearths of brick, stone, tile
or other approved incombustible material supported on masonry arches.
Such hearths shall extend at least 16 inches outside the chimney breast.
[Added 12-7-1976; amended 4-5-1977]
All new residential one- and two-family construction
where the roof eave drain drip line is located at a point less than
10 feet from a property line shall require the installation of horizontal
storm drainage gutters of either wood, metal or plastic construction
having a minimum diameter of three inches or rectangular equivalent.
Said gutters are to be pitched towards a leader or leaders of wood,
metal or plastic construction with a diameter of at least two inches
with the minimum size of leaders, storm drains and roof gutters to
be determined in accordance with the table entitled "Maximum Permissive
Loads for Storm Drainage, Piping and Gutters — -Table
531" of the New York State Building Code. Said leaders are to be installed
so as to connect a dry well which shall measure a minimum of 18 inches
in diameter (or rectangular equivalent) with a depth of no less than
three feet. Said dry wells shall be located so that the nearest edge
shall be no less than four feet from the foundation wall of the house
wherein there is slab or crawl space construction and seven feet where
full basement construction is proposed. The dry well size is dependent
on the area to be drained and soil absorption.
[Added 2-27-2001 by L.L. No. 2-2001]
Each dwelling unit, storage area and common
area in a Senior Citizen Multiple Residence District constructed after
the effective date of this section shall have such sprinkler system
or systems fully installed in accordance with National Fire Protection
Association Standard 13R (1999 Edition).