2006 New York Code - Single Room Occupancy

 
    §  248.  Single  room occupancy. 1. It shall be unlawful to occupy any
  frame multiple dwelling for single room occupancy. It shall be  unlawful
  to  occupy  any  other  existing  class  A dwelling or part thereof as a
  rooming house or furnished room  house  or  for  single  room  occupancy
  unless  such  dwelling  or  part shall conform to the provisions of this
  section and to such other provisions of this chapter as were  applicable
  to  such  dwelling  before  such  conversion.  This section shall not be
  construed to prohibit the letting by a  family  of  one  or  more  rooms
  within  their  apartment  to  not  more  than  a total of four boarders,
  roomers or lodgers provided, however, that every room in such  apartment
  shall  have free and unobstructed access to each required exit from such
  apartment as required by the provisions of paragraphs  a,  b  and  c  of
  subdivision  four  of this section. A dwelling occupied pursuant to this
  section shall be deemed a class A dwelling.
    2. Any such dwelling may be so occupied without increasing the  number
  of stairs.
    3.  The  number of rooms shall not be increased nor shall the light or
  ventilation of any room be impaired.
    4. a. No room in any apartment shall be so occupied unless  each  room
  therein  shall  have free and unobstructed access to each required means
  of egress from the dwelling without passing through any  sleeping  room,
  bathroom or water-closet compartment.
    b.  There  shall  be  access  to  a  second means of egress within the
  apartment without passing through any public stair or  public  hall.  On
  and  after  July first, nineteen hundred fifty-seven every tenement used
  or occupied for single room occupancy in whole  or  in  part  under  the
  provisions of this section and which does not have at least two means of
  egress  accessible to each apartment and extending from the ground story
  to the roof, shall be provided with at least two means of egress, or, in
  lieu of such egress, every stair hall or public hall, and every hall  or
  passage within an apartment, shall be equipped on each story with one or
  more  automatic  sprinkler  heads  approved  by the department. Elevator
  shafts in such tenements shall be completely enclosed with fireproof  or
  other  incombustible  material  and  the  doors  to such shafts shall be
  fireproof or shall be covered on all sides with incombustible material.
    c. Where access to a required means of egress is  provided  through  a
  room, such access to such room shall be through a clear opening at least
  thirty  inches  wide  extending  from  floor to ceiling and such opening
  shall not be equipped with any door or door frame, or with any device by
  means of which the opening may be closed, concealed or obstructed.
    d. All doors which open to any public hall or required stair hall  and
  the door assemblies shall be fireproof with the doors self-closing.
    e.  All  doors  opening from any room to any hall or passage within an
  apartment shall be self-closing and all  transoms  within  an  apartment
  shall  be permanently closed. All plain glass shall be removed from such
  doors  and  transoms  and  replaced  with  wire  glass,  wood  or  other
  non-shatterable material satisfactory to the department.
    f.  Directly over the opening to every required means of egress within
  an apartment, there shall be a sign of a type approved by the department
  marked "Fire Exit" and lighted in red at all times to  indicate  clearly
  the  location  of  the  means of egress, and on the walls of any hall or
  passage within the apartment leading to such means of egress there shall
  be maintained at all times arrows to indicate clearly the direction  and
  location of the fire exit.
    g. Every hall or passage within an apartment shall be unobstructed and
  well lighted at all times with a minimum of one foot-candle of light.
    h. All wood wainscoting except a flat base not exceeding ten inches in
  height shall be removed from every hall or passage within an apartment.
    5. In every such dwelling which is not fireproof every hall or passage
  within  an  apartment  shall  be equipped with a sprinkler system, which
  shall be extended so as to have at least one  sprinkler  head  in  every
  room.  The  construction  and arrangement of such sprinkler system shall
  comply with the requirements of the department.
    6.  There  shall  be  provided  in  each such dwelling an adequate and
  reliable fire alarm system, approved by the fire commissioner  by  means
  of which alarms of fire or other danger may be instantly communicated to
  every  portion  of  the  dwelling.  Where,  throughout  the  dwelling, a
  closed-circuit,  automatic   thermostatic   fire-detecting   system   is
  installed  which  actuates  an  interior  fire  alarm  system, or where,
  throughout the dwelling, an approved-type automatic sprinkler system  is
  installed  which  actuates  an interior fire alarm system by the flow of
  water through such sprinkler system, a watchman need not be provided  as
  required in subdivision fifteen of this section.
    7.  There  shall  be  a  fire-retarded bulkhead in the roof connecting
  directly with the highest portion of any stairway  to  the  roof,  which
  bulkhead  shall  contain  a  fireproof  door  and assembly with the door
  self-closing. The stairs leading to such bulkhead shall be fireproof  or
  fire-retarded  as  required  for  public stairways in the other parts of
  such dwelling.
    8. a. Every wash basin, bath, shower, sink and laundry  tub  shall  be
  provided with an adequate supply of hot and cold water.
    b.  When the number of occupants of such a dwelling is eleven or more,
  there shall be provided for them in such dwelling at least  one  laundry
  tub and facilities for drying clothes.
    9.  Cooking  shall  be  permitted  only in kitchens and cooking spaces
  complying with the provisions of section thirty-three. Any  gas  fixture
  in  such spaces shall be connected with permanent, rigid piping. The use
  of any movable cooking apparatus in any sleeping room is unlawful.
    10. a. There shall be a central heating system adequate to heat  every
  sleeping  room  in a dwelling to the temperature requirements prescribed
  by subdivision one of section seventy-nine of this chapter.
    b. The use of any movable heating apparatus in any  sleeping  room  is
  unlawful.
    c.  Every  boiler  room  shall  be  constructed in accordance with the
  provisions of section sixty-five and shall be adequately ventilated.
    11. a. No room may be occupied for sleeping purposes unless it  has  a
  window  or  windows  with  an  aggregate glazed area of at least ten per
  centum of the total floor area of such room. Each such window  shall  be
  at  least  twelve  feet in area and so constructed that at least half of
  its area may be opened.
    b. Any room on a top story may be lighted and ventilated by a skylight
  of the same area as required for windows  and  arranged  to  provide  an
  opening of at least six square feet for ventilation.
    c.  In  every sleeping room, except a room on the top story so lighted
  and  ventilated,  there  shall  be  at  least  one  window  meeting  the
  requirements  of  section  two  hundred  thirteen,  except  as otherwise
  specified in this subdivision, opening upon a street  or  upon  a  yard,
  court  or  shaft meeting the requirements of section two hundred twelve,
  but in no case shall such a court or shaft  be  less  than  twenty-eight
  inches in width.
    d.  Every  room shall be adequately lighted by electricity. The use of
  gas or any other type of open flame lighting is unlawful.
    12. No room may be occupied for sleeping purposes  by  more  than  two
  adults  considering  children  of twelve years or more as adults and two
  children between the ages of two  and  eleven  years  inclusive  as  the
  equivalent  of  one  adult.  Children under two years of age need not be
  considered as occupants.
    13.  Every room rented for single room occupancy and all furniture and
  bedding therein shall be thoroughly cleansed before occupancy and  every
  sleeping  room  at  least  once  a  week thereafter. When bed linens are
  provided they shall be changed at least once every week. When  the  rent
  includes  the use of towels, at least one bath towel and two hand towels
  shall be provided every week  for  each  occupant.  Such  cleansing  and
  service  shall  be  the exclusive obligation of the person from whom the
  occupant rents such room.
    14. Except as  provided  in  subdivision  thirteen,  the  owner  shall
  maintain  the  dwelling  in  conformity  with section eighty relating to
  cleanliness.
    15. There shall be a competent manager living  on  the  premises,  who
  shall  be  responsible for the conduct, operation and maintenance of the
  dwelling, and, except as provided in subdivision six  of  this  section,
  there shall also be on the premises at all times a competent watchman in
  charge of the dwelling.
    16.  It  shall be unlawful to rent any room in any such dwelling for a
  period of less than a week.
    17. In each such dwelling a register shall be kept, which  shall  show
  the name, signature, residence, date of arrival and date of departure of
  each occupant and the room occupied by him.