HomeMy WebLinkAboutORD NO 152 OH h Av. C :..THe.. C.O ' STRUO iOm ,
ERECTIOI~T, REPAIR, ALTERA. TIG~, DE,iOLITION
CONDEiE~ATION A~_~D USE OF BUILDINGS IN THE
CITY OF BAK~-~SF~Z.D,'CALiFORNIA,
· R~PEA-LING OHDITi~ANCES NOB. 179,, l~, 278,
~B~q, S2S, S~V,
:.~ NEU S~I~ES ~HD .~LL ORDINANCES AND PARTS
OF ORDIY~.ANCES iN CONFLICT' i:YER~'~ITH.
BE iT ORDAi~ED BY THE COB~ICIL OF THE CITY OF B~.I_~RSFIELD,~
as follo~vs:
SECTION !.
This 0:~dinance shall be known, designated and called
"TPL~ BUILDING ORDINANCE".
PART 1.
SECTION 2.
ADi..'iIN ISTRATIOi~
~_~.vLAUFUL TO VIOLATE..
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm·~. or corpora-
reoai~ raise build upon, move,'
tion to erect, construct, alter, ~ _, ,
demolish, maintain o~~ use, or to cause, perknit or suffer to be
erected, constructed, alter. ed, repaired, raised, built upon,
moved, demolished, ;A~aintair~.ed o~. used within the City of Bakersfield
any buildinS or str~cture, or any portion thereof contrary to any
of the provisions of this ordinance, or to do, or cause to be done,
or to construct or cause to be constructed, or to use or cause to
be used, sny sewer, cesspool, plumbing or house drainage affect. i~g'
thereof, in the City of B~kersfield, contrary to any 0f the pro-..
visions of this o~Sinance, or to make any alterations, changes
or addition:~ 'to any gas pipe or gas fitting i~' any buil~in~~
structure, or any portion thereof in .~he City of
contrary to any of the provisions of
· PER}~IITS EQUIR~. ' ....'~:~"
.,~..:~ .~..: .....
It shall be unlawful for any per.s~, ~.irm or corporation:-..:... .......
~o cobden'ca .or p~oce~d with the erection, cona~r~ction, alteration,
rep~.ving or demolition, exceeding $25~.00 in cost, (restoration
of 'plasterin~ or painting excepted) of any building or other struct~e
either private, pBblic., municipal,.. s.tL~te~ or United States in the
· ...~ ,7....City of Bak~:~sfiel~, County of Kern; 'unieas a permit so to do shall
~A have been first obtained from the Department of Buildi~gs.
..~.. In such parts of the City in whiCH a system of streets
· ~a$ n'ot been estabiished, only' so much of this ordinanc~ shall
-...;~" I ~as in the judgment of the Inspector of BUildings make neces-
.... . .... PY. - .
~S~ry for the ·safety of life and health; but this shall not be con-
strued to permit the erection of any building' to exceed in height
SECT.!.ON 5.
or area the: !imitS..fixed by this ordinance for such buildings.
The City of Bakersfield, County of Kern, State of
California and' United States GoverD~nent shall be exempt from the
'pa~vment of' the fees charged for Such Permit under the provisions
of t~is ordinance~
· 'P.KRDiIT TO COVER.
SECTION 4.
No persons shall lath, plaster or oths~wise cover or
· co~deal an:~ of the ,spaces between studs, joists, frame work or
................. ~'-'- -!- ~ ...... - ........... · - ~" ~. ~.---- -. :- ..... -':-i..~ .....
'furring of any .structure until he has obtained a supplementary.'
· permit the~?efor.
::,To pe'zm!it to' lath, plaster or conceal any of the
spaces between ~tuds, joists, frame work or furring of any'
. ~_~I.~Q ~.~_~.,.~: ...... : ......
stru~t~.re~a!l be issued until the Ciiief Building Inspector
structure properly fram~.=and braced. no~ until- the' concealed
work-.~~ electrical and olu~g systems: have
by mu~i'eipal authority. The Chief ·Building InspectoF· shall in-
spect same within 48 hours after receiving written noti'Ce.
~.......:Sundays s. nd 1.egal holidays excepted.
",. APPLIC~TIOll FOR PIeRNITS.
SECTIOh~
· Befor'e the construction or alteration of any bui'lding,
wall or struc.tu~.e., or any part· off'either, or of any .platform,
""~"" staging or flooring to be usec] for standing. or seating purposes,
.?/ builder employed of such owner or lessee in connection with the
proposed construction or alteration, shall submit to the Building
InS~or 'a detailed statement in duplicate· of the specifications
o~proDriate blanks to be furnished to applicants by the Depart-
'.' merit of Buildings, and e coraplete. set of plans and structural de-
tailed drawings. in duplicate which shall clearly show all parts
Of the strUCture.,. Such. 'sta'tement, constituting an application
· .~-~'. 'for a perrait to construct or alter,.. shell be accompanied by a
~ further statement in writing, sworn to befor-e a Notary Public~
giving th~ cost 0f the entire work and also the full name end
residence· of .~Gb of the o~ers of said building, Or 'proposed
building, s~ructure or proposed structure, premises,.wall, plat-
form,.'...staging or flooring, an~.by a diagr~ of the lot or plot
on-'which said construction or alteration is to be ·made, showing
existing buildings or structures that are to remain,
- 3-
SECTION 6.
If the construction~'y a!~t~ration,
or. plumbing ol~. drainage
or the alter,a. tion thereof, is to be made 0sr':.executed by any. ot~9~
person' the owner of the land in fee, the-person.~S2'~-enc~ing to
make such construction, or alteration,. Or to constru6t'?'''~'''''~' .~lp~b~
ing or drainage shall, either as o~mer, lessee., or' ~nL'~
~"~~tative canscity, accompany the._application to. build or alter
with. a statement"'~'.Y~iting, sworn to as aforesaid, g
each .o~j~he o~me~s of the land, building, or proposed building,
~. Structure or proposed structure, 'premise s. wall,. p~atfona, staging
· .'t-~.~ floori~.g, and reciting that he is duly authorized to perfo~ said
work. Such. statement ~y be made by the agent oi~ architect of the
person hereinbefore required to ma~e same.
.....'~.en the .estimated cost of an erection, alteration or
~_.
repairing any. building or structure, does not exceed $1,000. the
person, fir~,~ or corporation nroposing to make 'such improvements
~"~"shall file with ~he Department of B~ldings,in lieu.of the plans
and specifications'hereinai~ter provided for, a stateme.n~ in writing
sworn 'to as aforesaid setting forth what repairs, alterations or
improvements are conten~lated, and describing the general character,
nature. and'extent of the same.
UNLAWFUL TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.
SECTION
It shall be unlawful for any person to erase, alter, or.
modlfv any line, figure or coloring contained on any such drawing
or. specification 'so sta3nped by t~e Department of. Buildings and
filed with said .. department for reference.
It shall be Unlawful ~or any per'~'~o deviate' in a~y ·
manner affecting the structural features or the stability of the'
'build~n~ f~om the ~e~ms' of the application, drawing or snecifica-
-tion, unless notice in writing of'such intention to alter or deviate.
"'~shall be given.
to the Denartment 'of Buildings and the permi'ssio_n
Alterations in buildings made prior to the completion
thereof which do not involve any ~al cost of the proposed
-'·~~r·a'ny c'~ange in the structural features of th~ S..~airways,
.elevators, fi~e ·..escapes or other means of co~'aunication,.~'~ .amy in-
gress Or egress, and tht are not in violation. .o.f any of th'~' provis-
ions'of this ordinance, may be ma~e'~it.~out permission of the
Department o£ Buildings.
Any person, firm or corporation desiring to deviate from
the plans·and specifications, application or drawings in the con-
'strUption, alteration, repair or demolition, as the case may be,
w ich affects the· structural features or the. stability of the build-
~·for whici~ a permit has already been' issued, shall make applica-
tion for new permit 'and shall pay the same fees as hereinbefore pro-
vided, based on the entire cost of the changes.
SECT~0N 8.
PERLilT EXPIRES.
~'If the ~ork authorized by a permit is not coF~nenced within
90 days from 'the date thereof, or if the work .authorized by such
per. mit shall be .~sus~nded or abandoned by the owner· of said building
:~' 'a period. of 90 days, then such permit shall. then6eforth be null
and void, and before such work can be recomm~nced a new permit shall
be taken ~·t, and the same fees ss hereinbefore fixed. for the original
permit shall be paid therefor.
~0N 9.
· . If any person, firm or corporation shall commence the.
erection,.construCtion, alteration, repain, moving or demolition of'
any building, without a permit first having been obtained from the
Depar'tmen~'-o~-'BuildinE~'.as ~equired 'by thi's ordi~an~e,"notice"
writing to obtain such permit shall be served upon such person,
firm o~ corporation by the Department of Buildings, or shall be
shall fsil, for a period.Of ~.~e~y.~four hours after service or
posting of such notice, to obtain such permit, such' person, firm
or-~ co~p.'~"~ation shall be required, upon subsequentl~-~i~E.
· such permit, to pay for the same double the ~ount of.t~e fe~.
hereinbefore provided for such permit; provided, however, 'that
the failure of the Department of Buildings to serve such notice
shall .not~"relieve any-person, firm or corporation from any liabil-
ity imposed by or provided in this ordinance.
S~CTION 10.
PERi.:iIT REVOCATION OF.
the work in, upon or about any buildi~kg or structure
shall· be conducted in violation of any .of the= provisions of this
Ordinance, it shall be the duty of the Inspector of Buildings to
revoke the permit for the building in connection with which such
vioiation shall hav& taken place. It shall be ~unlawful, after
the revocation of such permit, to proceed with such building unless
such permi'D shall first have been reinstated or re-issued by the
Inspector of Buildings. Before a permit so revoked may be law-
fully re-issued or reinstated, the entire building snd building
site shall first be put into condition corresponding with the re-
.quiremerits of ~his ordinance, and any work or material ~pplying
to the same in violation of any of the provisions of this ordinance
shall.be first removed from such building.
SECTION 11.
The Department of Buildings shall, before .gra.nting any
permit upon an application filed in accordance with the provisiens
.of section 4 of .this ordina.~.ce, require t~..e.pa~ent by said appli'
cant· of the amount or a'.',~ounts as provided in this section as
(A) '-COST 0:? PROPOSED WORK FEE
.!i to 5oo .... - ......... .$ 1.0o
-~" 501 to 1000 ,.. .......... 2,50 -~
'_~'fee of. :;>1'.50' for each additional S1000 or fraction ther-dof up to
and ~ncluding ~15,000, and a fee' of $1.'00 for each add~t~o.~ "~" ~'-.'.'
..... ' ;" ':' ':""" "."' '~: ":'" ': .....' ':'.:':~ ~" 5'.~':.':?:": "L!':.. '.::';.:~:." "" '!" ":" "V.: .' "" ' ....
50~ for $LO00... or fraction thereef .ab.o!ze $4'0,000. .... .:~-':' ..
.'Tq':..'-:' .:"::'~':'~"-" ' '':':' :' ""-
In the case of the mov~n~ .Qf any buil,di~....S~t~',;_i~ :..: .
- .. ~. o..~ -. ~., r.....~, ,~ .... . ..:... .....:.....~. :.~:.~.....~,. .
,. L.~.~' ...-. . .
shall. be necessary to obtain from ~. Superint.Ondent~'~f.~reets (~. '. .
' ' ~ '~ ' ','. "' .-..~"~.L" ~ .. _. .. '..' ~< .... ....:2,~.-...~ :..,' '.' '~ ~.
. -.. '.~:~ ....
· ...~.
' ::' ........
~l~a) a ~a~m~ a'a.'~o~aaa ~ 0~a~a~oa No. .Na~
INSP?.?.CTOR OF BUILDII,IGS.
SECTION 12.
RE(~UIRF~';F,Ei,YTS: The Inspector of Buildings shall be an
architect, licensed to practice architecture by the State Board of
Architecture., or a Civil or Structura~ En~4~eer, or a buildin~ con-
tractor, or an efficient building mechanic, and shall have been en-
gaged as an architect or a civil or structural engineer or building
contractor o~? a building mechanic for a period of not less than ten
years prior to his appointment.
SECTION 13.
RE.'~PONSIBILITY.' OF INSPECTOR: The Inspector of Buildings
shall have the management and control of all matters and things per'
taining to the departraent of buildings, snd shall recor,.m~end the
appointment or removal by the City Manager, according to law, o~ all
subordinate officers and assistants in his department.
All subordinate officers, assistants', clerks and employees
in said department shall.be subject to such rules and regulations as
shall be prescribed from 'binze to tD~e b~' the Inspector of Buildings,
approve5 by the City i'~anager.
The Inspector of Buildings shall institute such measures
and.prescribe such rules ~nd regulations fdr the control and guidance
of his subordinated officers and employees as shall se. cu~e the careful
inspection of. all b~ild~ngs while in pro~ess ~f"cbn~tr~Stion,' alt'era- ' ....... ~:
tion, repair:, or removal, and the strict enforcement of the several
provisions of this ordinance.
It shall be the duty of the Inspector of Buildings and
h'is' a. ssistants to enforce' all ordinances r'et'a~ing.'~o'..the~.e~~
construction~ alteration, repair, ~emoval or the safs~ of .buildings,'
"~"~"?In all cases where any action is taken by the Inspector
of Buildings to enforce the provisions of any of th~o..~'~.C~ions con-
~i~ ~ ~ a to enforce the provisions of any of
~-:'~'~.~.'~'-' ained in.t' is ordin rice or
~... -~ .'
~he building Ordinances of the city now or at'ahoy time hereafter
in force, wi~ether such action is taken in pursuance Of the express
provisions of such sections of ordi.nances or in a case where dis-
cretionary power .~i~' given by the ordinances of said city to the
Inspecto'r of Buildi. ngs, such .acts shall be done in the name ~Sf and
on behalf of the City 9f Bakersfield, and the said Inspector of
Buildings in so acting for the City shall not render himself liable
personally, and he is hereby relieved from all personal liability,
for any damsge that may accrue ~o-persons or property as the result
of any such act coymmitted in good faith in the discharge of his
duties, and any suit brought against the said inspector of Build-
ings by reason thereof shall be defended by the Department of Law
of the City' until final termination of the proceedings therein.
The Inspector of Buildings Shall have full power to
pass upon any question arising under the provisions of this ordi-.
nance, subject to the conditions~ modifications and limitations
contaLned therein..
.... R STRUCTURES WHERE COMPLAINT
INSPECTOR OF BUILDI~vGS~"O -
iIi~S I';~D:~.
· DUTY OF INSPECTOR - UNLAWFUL TO CONTINUE THE USE OF
~'.UILDIN~S NO T 1N CO!'.iPLIANCE WITH ~DiN~CE. '
SECTION 14.
It shall be the duty of the Inspector of..Buildings
where any citize. n represents that any building or structure or
part thereof is in an unsafe or dangerous condition, or that the
stairwa'Ys, corridors, exits or fire escapes in any factory or
worksh6p or othe~.~ place of employment are insufficient for the
escape 'of the e~l~es infc:a'se ~.rire~..p~, ~r.~.~.dent or
' "~ '~:~'~" ;""~' '-"' ' ~ "" .":..""'..r.-...'..~ .. "_Z ..... '..."' · ..... ..y ..........
- 8-
in the city do not comp!~ with_ the requix'eme~.ts of this 0rd. i~.O.e,
to make examination of such building or structure; .a~ if. such .~ep-
, · · .~ .' . · .2. ·· ~, _. -
resentation is foun~ to be true the said Inspector sD_a~l give notice
in writing to the owner, occupants lessee or person in possession,
charge or control of such building. or structures to make .such
changes, a].ter~tions or repairs as safety or the ordinances of the
city may require. Upon failure of parties so notified to comply
with the require~aents of said notice, the mhtter shall be placed
in the Deps. rt~.~ent of La'~' of the City of Bakersfield for prosecution.
It shall be unla~vful to continue the use of. such build-
ing ~til the changes, altepations or repairs .found necessary by
the. Inspector of Buildings to make such-building or part thereof
safe or 'to bring it into conpliance with this or~]inance shall have
been made.
BUI~GS FOIE~D IN ~dH UNSAFE CONDITION - NOTIC;: TO OV~NER - ~UTD'ORIT'¥ OF TE INSP~TOR.
SECTION 15.
Whenever the Inspector of .Buildings shall find any
building or structure or part tb. er.eof .in the City in such an
safe condition ss to enchanter life, but in such condition that by
the inm~ediate application of precautionary measures such danger. ....
may'be averted, he 'shall have authority-, and it shall be his duty.
to fo~-t~witb. notify, in writiv,.,, the owner, agent or person in.
possession, charZe 0r. control of such bt~ilding or structure or
part therec. f, to adopt and put into effect such 'precautionar,y
roeagates as may be necessary o~~ advisable in order to place such
building or. structure or part thereof in a Safe condition; suc~3
noti.9~..Sha].l s~ate briefly the nature of the wo~'k.'required to be
done and shall .specify the time within which the-work required. to
be done shall be completed by the person, firm or corporation
notified, which shall be fixed by said Inspecto~: of Buildings,'
upon takinc' i~to consic~e3~ation the condition of s~ch bui'ld~ng or
~s .. .'. ~ ;"'
find the oEer of such building, structure or part 'ther.e~'f,'o~'.any
agent'or person in possession. charge or contr'ol thereof, upon whora
/nuch notice may be served, he shall addr'ess, stamp and mail such
in addition'thereto shall place or cause to b~ _.
herein provided for upon such building'at or. near its principa.1
entrance, &~d shall a&so post or cause to be posted in a conspicU-
ous place at each. entrance of such. building, in ~arge letters, a
notice as follows:
"THIS BUI,LDING IS IN A D&NG.i,.'ROUS CONDITION AND
B.k~72.',l CO'_,-.~DEY.IkvED BY THe INSPECTOR OF BUILDINGS."
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation
to removc 'Said notice or notices without written permission 'from
the'Inspector o'f Buildings.
If at the expiration of the time specified in such notice
for the completion 6f the york required to be done by the terms of
such notice, in order to render the building or structure safe, said
notice shall not have been costlied with, and said building or,..
structure is in such an unsafe condition a:s ~o endanger life or
property, it shall be 'the duty of the. Inspector of Buildings to
proceed forthwith to tear down or destroy that part of said build-
ing or structure that i's in such unsafe condition as to endanger
life or p.rope.rty, and in case where an unsafe building or structure has
hot b'een_ r'epaired. or.rendered s. afe.'by the application'of precautionary
measures, such building or structure, or the .dangeroUs parts thereof,
Fshali-'-be torn d'om~ by the Inspector 'of BUil_d.i_ngs,. or. by his order
and the. expense of tearing down any part of s~ch' building .or struc-
ture. shall be charged to the person o~ing or in possession, charge
or control of' such building or structure or part thereof, and the
said. Inspector shall· recover or cause to be' .reco'vered frop, such
· ~:':-..~..-.,~.;~.,:.... - ::. ,.''' ~... .- . .~-: . ~ :..,. ,.~ .~;....~.,.~..~u ...........~....::.'
of doing such work, by.. leg.al,'r~r.'.~.~.]~dings..prosecuted by the Law
If the owner, aZent or person in possession, charge
"c~'ntrol' of such building or structure, or part thereof, when so
notified, shall fail, neglect or refuse to place such'bUilding or'
structure, or pert 'thereof,.· in a ~afe condition and to adopt such
b'~ecautionary measures as shall have been sPecifieS by said Inspector
"~ithi~...~..~...time specifiea in &uch notice, in su&h case, at the ex-
piration of such time, it shall be unlawful for any person,. £irm' or
corporation to occupy or use said building or ·Structure, or any part
thereof, until said building or structure or part thereof is placed
in a safe Condition~ and in case where. a building or structure, Or
part thereof, is in a d.a~.gerous or unsafe condition and has not
been placed in a safe condition Within the time specified in the
no~ice of the Inspector of Buildings, such building or'structure,
or such part thereof, shell be forthwith vacated, and it shall be
unla~.vful for any person or persons to enter same except for the pur-
pose .. of making repairs required by the InSpector
the ordinance of the City of Bakersfield.
of Buildings and
BUILDING OR PAP~T OF BUILDING CONSTRUCTED Oti BEING
' CONgTRUCTED II-.v ViOL~kTION 'OF .CRDIF.,ANCE.
AUTHORITY OF -II,~SPEOTOR TO TE-~R DOWN.
SI~CTIOt,.v 16.
Whenever it shall 'be found'that any building or
stmcture, or part thereof, is being, or shall have been con-
structed or built in violation of any of the provisions of'this
ordinance, the Inspector of Buildings shall forthwith notify the
owner, agent, superintendent or ar.chitect of, Or the contractor
'of the .fact that such bu. ildi~ o~ structure, or part thereof, has '~
~~~, or.:. ~.~peing .constructed or erected ' contr. ary to the provisions "of this ordinance, and shall specify briefly in such notice in
what manne~ t~ provisions of this ordinance, or any of them, .ha~S~...,-, .......
been violated and shall ·re2.uire t~i~ 'oarson so.notif'ied to forth-
such notice the time within which such work shall be d~'ne~" :.'" "~
I~, st the e~irmtio~ of the time set forth .~hin ~su'ch
notice,· the person so notified shall have refused, n~[~
failed to com~ly.with the request made in sucD--.n~tice ~nd to have
such building or structure o~- p~r;tf...~.he.~eof,' concerninS wkic~ notice
was sent,· changed so as to conform to and comply with the provisions
of this ordinance, the Inspecto~~ of BUilSi'ngs shall ha~e the autho~~-
~tv, and it shall be his d~t~' to proceed forthwith, tg:~.~ ·down o~~
cause to be torn dom, such building or structure, or pa~t thereof,.
as shall or. may have been erected and constructed in violation of
the-provisions of shy of the provisions of this ordinance', .'and the
cost of such work shall be charged to and recoveFed from the
of such building or structure or .from the persons for whom such
building o~'~ structure is being erected, in leggl proceedings
prosecuted. by the Law Depart;,xent.
SECTION 1V.
hH~Y STOP CONSTHUCTiON AND' WtVECKING OF BUILDINGS.
Said Inspector shall have the power to stop the construe-
· tion of an~r building or :,~aldng of any alterations or repairs of any
buildin~ within said citt~ when the same is being done in ~ reckless
· ' or careless manner or in violation of any ordinance, and to order,
in writing or bF' parole, any and all persons in any way or ·manner
whatever engaged in so constructing, siterating or ~epairing shy
such building, to stop and ~l. esist therefrom.
And the said Inspe:ctor shall have power to stop th8
wrecki~ or tearing dow~ of any buiid~'n~ or "structur-e within said
city ~en t!le same 'is being don'~"in a'-r-ec~'ie~s'~-6~~' careless reamer
· or' in violation of any ordinance Or in .sUch instuner as to en6a~ger
':'v]'ife or property, and·to orSer any and el-1 persons 'engaged in said·
-work t'o st,~p arfd desist therefrom. tTnen such work has been
.....~i.~.;:~. · . . .. v-' ..-
· stopped.,':~F" the order' of t!~e Said Inspector, it .s...~..~..~.;.~.~...t....' ~' . .~~s....d._~....
· '-.~;i !- · .' ''-' ':~: ~-~"' ~-'''''!' ~.;.;.~y~i;-'~ ~.:~.:::-". -' UuY...:~-.'....~: '. ~'.~:...:.'
:. .' ""' ....:"' .......' ......
until said Inspector shall be satisfied that adeqt~ate preC~uti'ons
· ;;~.:~; .,.~.~,~,.......:.i.,:~._,~.....-i-:.'.:.' ' .' .'.':~~~,~'..~'~,~...~ ~.
will be taken for the p c~.l~.n~-.~-~:~'e..':.a .~ ~r. op-er~"'~d tha~ sa~d ..... '
. .
work will be prosecuted c~reful. ly ~d i.n.con~f0rmity with the ordinance
· ' ._.~.~. "' ' " ..'
of the city. .' '. · ,"' ~"~:'.
~BITRATION - ~.PPBAL PROi,i DECISION.
.. .. ....::~:
· '.....
....
In all cases where discretionary pole~ i.e. give~"'~to"the. "
Inspector of Buildings to estimate t~ dam~ge..~0 buildings, as also
in .qu-estions relating '~o the security or any building or buildings
_ _ -.~ :....~.
or structure~, o~-p'a~t thereof, and in all other cases where,.~.
cretionary' powers'are given by o~dinances to the Inspector of Build-
ings, any party or parties believing the~aselves injured or wronged
. by the decision of the Inspector of Buildings must, before institut-
ing any suit, make mn appeal for ~rbitr~tion ms follows, to-wit:
in:~ person wishinS to make ~n appeal shal]. do so within
5 days after written notice of the decision or order of the Inspector
of BulldiAls has been given. An appeal made l~ter than 5 days ~fter
serving of the notice of the Inspector of'Buildings shall not entitle
the appellant to any arbitration. The request for,arbitration shall
be in writing and shall state the object of the proposed arbitration
and the name of the person who is to represent the appellant as
arbitrator.
The Inspector of Buildings shall thereupon inform the
appellant of the cost of such arbitr. ation, and such appellant shall,
within 24 hours from the i~eceipt of such info~mation, deposit with
tt:e Inspecto.~? of Buildings the sum of money requested for defraying
the ex_oense of same, ~hich stu~ shall be fixed in each case by said
Inspector in proportion to the time it will take and the difficulty
and importance of the case, but shall in no case be more than the
-.cost 'oi~' similar-service' in the course of-ordi~ry"business of private
individuals or corporatio~_s. As soon as such sum of money shall
have been deposited with hDi~, the Inspector of Buildings shall
appoint an arbitrator to represent the city, and the' two arbitrators
thus chosen shall, if they cannot agree, select a. third arbitrator,
the decision of any two of these arbitrators shall, after
·.
investigation and consideration of the matter .in. ques~ion~'·,~.~:....~.=.-~ ....
an appeal is taken there.f~_0m, as.:pro~ided in c.'aS.e of:"~ apneal .
mder a statutory arbitration, w~thin 5 ~ys thereafter;.
.'::~' .~ITRATORS TO T~(E OATH - QUALIFICATIONS
.~."' TO 'EXA; ~INE WITNESSES.
SECTIO . " le.
.i.~.
The arbitrators shall themselves, before entering .~pon
the discharge of their duties, be placed under oath by the City'
Clerk, to 'the effect that they are unprejudiced as to the matter
in question and' that they will faithfully discharge the duties of
their position. They shall be either Architects who have been
licensed by the State Board of Architecture to practice ArchL.~.T~c-ture
in California, or Civil or Structural Engineers who have graduated
from some technical institution of recognized'standing. They shall
h~ve the po.,~,e~ to call witnesses a~d place them under oath,.and
their decision or award shall be rendered in v.~.iting, both to the-
Inspector of Buildings and to the appellant. The fee deposited
by the appellant with the Inspector of Buildings shall be paid by
the Inspector of Buildings to the arbitrators upon the rendering
of their report and shall be in full of all costs incident to the
arbitration; but should the decision of said.board of arbitration
be rendered against the Inspector of Buildings,· then the money de-
posited by the aforesaid appellant shall be returned to him and
the entire cost of such arbitration shall be paid by the City.
( IN URG.~T CASES - INSPECTOR ' S POV~ER FINAL. )
SECTION 20.
Uhenever the decision _o~ the Inspector of Buildings
upon- the safety of any building or any part thereof is made in a...
case which is so urgent that failure to properly carry out his
orders to demnolish or strengthen such building or part thereof
may endanger life and limb, the decision and order of the Inspector
of Build'in~s shall be absolute and final.
SECTION 21.
Whenever it shall be necessary, in the opinion;of ~~-
. · ~'.. .~... . .~..-:. ._ . · ::~'
Inspector of Buildings, to call upon the DePartment.'.o~!'Po!ice fo~
aid or assistance in carrying out or enforcing any of the 'Provisions
of this o~dinance, he shall have th~ aUthori.ty. so to do, and. it shall.'.
be.,the duty' of the Department of Police, or of any member of said.~.:~.~..~.!~i~.!~
department, when called upon by said Inspector, 'to. act accordin~--t~./i~.~ni~''~'
· . -.. ~., ,..... ~.,~..~.
the instructions of, and to'perform such duties A.s may be required
by sa~id' inspector in order to enforce or pu~ into effect the provis-
D_~UTY '.OF POLICE TO ASSIST Ii'~SPECTOH IN P~.,'.iFORCING 'j' ":':
PROVISIONS' 0i~!THIB '~RDINAi'ICE.. "' '~.""~.".'~ '. '
ions of this Ordinance.
SECTION 22.
CERTIFICATES - NOTICES ~ REGiST~_R. "
The Inspector of BUildings shall sign or cause to be
signed el! certificates and. notices required'to be issued from the
Department of Buildings and shall keep a record of the same, and
shall issue or cause to be issued all permits authorized bV this·
Ordinance.
He shall also keep a proper record of'all tran'~actions
and operations of the department and such record shall be at all
times open to inspection of the City N~nagor, Mayor, Chief of Pol.ice,
Fire Chief'and members.of thc City Council.
SECTION 25,
~UST' KEEP ACCOUtiT OF F'[~ES PAID - ANNUAL REPORTS
-. ESTIMATES.
Said Inspector shall keep in proper books for.that purpose
an accurat~ account of all fees cha~ged, gi~ing the name. of Person to
whom same is ch~'rged, date on which said charge is made, and t.~b~...
amoun ch' Oh ·
t o~ ea su fee. - .....
He shall-also', annually, on or before the first day. of"
'January in each. year, prepare and present to the City Council a
po~t ~howing ~he'receipts and exPenditures.and entire work of th~
Depart~,~ent of Buildings.during the previous fiscal year and he shall
15
on or before July first of each yea~ prepawe and submit to the
- .. ~.. . . · . . - _ ... ., ... ' ~,...~:~. ~. .... ~ ·
City M~nager an e.stimate of. the whole cost and expense ?f
ing for anti maintaining his office during.the ensuing fiscal year.
SECTION 24.
LEG&L PROC~I!~G8, REPRESENT.A. TIVE OF. OWNER ~
CO~ H..~ITT~E OF S~IRVEYOHS.
i~EG.~L PROCEEDIi~GS.
DUTY OF CITY ATTORI~- TO PROCED: Upon written re-
quest by the Inspector of Buildings the City Attorney shall sue
for and collect all pens. lties and take charge of a.~_ conduct all
legal proceedings imposed or provided for by this ordinance; and
all suits or proceedings instituted for the enforcement of any of
the several provisions of this ordinance or for the rcovery.of any
· penalty thereunder shall be brought in the name of the City of
Bakersfiel:t by the City Attorney,· to whom all notices of violation
shall be returned for pr. osecution, and it shall be his d~.ty to
take charge of the 'prosecutior.~ of all such suits and proceedings,
collect and receive all mo.ney~ that may be. collected upon judg-
ments, suits or proceediD. gs so instituted, o~~ ~vhich may be paid
by any' parties who have violated any of the provisions of this
ordinance and upon settlemerit of .judgment and removal of viola-
tions thereunder, execute satisfaction therefor.
SECTIOI, Y 25.
. TEI..',PORARk' I!.vJUNCTIONS.
In anb, action or proceedi~g for the enforcement of the
provisions of this ordina,'~ce tlt. e City of Bakersfield may apply
to the court for an or~ler st:joining and restraining any violation,
ordering the property vacated or prohibiting its use for any pui~.-
pose ~hats. Qever, until tl:.e he. aring and.. determination of such
action and': the entry of final judgment therein.
- 16 -
5~CTION
a resident of said City, as a person upon whom to serve a notice of
violations., Dotice to make safe, or notice of sur. vey, a mandate, or
any paper under the provisior, of this ordinance, or either of the
same, and may file the same, with the written ~5nseht of the person
so designated, duly aclmowledSed;one in the office or the .I~.~...$..~17
of Buildings, and one in the office of the City Clerk w:here tLe r~al
estate or building or structure is situated. The designation must
specify the residence and place of business of .the person making-it,
and also of the person designated and the location of the property
with respect to which tb.e designation is ~ade. It shall remain.. in
force during the period s','~ecified therein, if any, .or if no ·period
is specified therein, u..til one 'year a~ter the filing thereof,· but'
it is revoked earlier, either by death or legal inco~upetency Of
.eiih.e:~..p.f the.parties, or by tt~e~..f_.i.l_i..n.g~.gf..a..r. evoca.tion by either
of the parties,. duly acknowledged. The City Clerk must irmnediately
file and index such designation, consent or revocation; and shall
note, upon the origi~a! ~esignation and index,-the filing of.a
revocation.. While the designation remains in fSrce as prescribed
injunction or Order,. or by reason ther.eof, ~n any 'ag~t".i'8~. or pro..,
ceeding.
-. ....~...~'~. of.ficer .Or the Inspector of Buildings., aating' i.~..goo~ ..~.~"..
faith and without malice, shall be liable for damages by .reason. of ....
anything· done in any such action or p~oceedin~. ."~
.-. .~:~.~.... · ...~. . :.' ..: .
DESIGNATIOi~ BV ~N O~'~TYER OF A BUI~ING ..~.:"i' '~..~--"-~.~'~
-, ~.~.~
SECTION 28. . . ~,
Either a reside~t or a non-resident of the City 0f .......~,.
.....
Bakersfield, of full age, O~T_ing real estate o~' a building thereon, .-..-;.
may execute and acknowle~Ige in duplicate, 'a written designation of
notice of survey,'a mandate, or 'am.y~: paper ~nder the. P~.o~iSig~_~ .~.f' '''~
this ordinance, ~r either of .~he same, m y be served. ~pon .,th'~.?pe~-
' ' ' -'U '
son so designated,. in like reamer' and with like eff~Ct~..~'as 'if' it~
· --~'were served person~ily upon the person' making the designation~,~not-
withstanding his . _ the City of B~ersfield.
-~..,
-. COLKiITT2E OF SURVEYORS '. .
.... ~...
SECTION S9.
A comn~itt'ee of surveyors shall consist of t~ree pers~s,
one of ~vhom shall be the Inspector of Buildings, another o'f whom.
shall be an architect, civil engineer or builder 6f at least ten
years practice in the City of Bakersfield, appointed by the Mayor
'o.f said. City; another of whom shall'be a practicing architect,
~ngi~eer or buii~.er, of at least. ten years practice, appointed by
the owner o'f said building or structure..
In case th.e ov.~ner fails
to appoint, or, having appointed, the said representative fails to
attend according to notice, the two surveyors first named shall
m~ke the survey, and' if they do not agree, they shall appoint
another member, who shall be a practicing architect, engineer or
.builder of at least ten years practice.
The architect'~ uivil engineer, or builder-appointed by
the Mayor of the City.of Bal~ers'field who may serve on a conunittee
of.surveyors, as pres'cribed in. Section ~', shall receive the
sum'of twenty~five dollars for each survey thereof, to be paid by
the City Treasurer upon the uoucher of the Inspector of Buildings.
Should the ovmer fail to appoint and it becomes necessary for the
committee to appoint another member as prescribed in this SectiOn,
the member so appointed. shall receive. the sum of twenty-five .~
dollars for each survey, payable as above.
pART II..-
SECTION 50. -'
DEFIFITIOiqS.
The terms used in this ordinance shall be held to include
and mea'~ each of the meanings ~0esDectivelv set forth in this section
and any·term used in the singular nu3nber shall be held to include
the plural.
ALLEY: Any open and unobstructed thoroughfar'e havi. nE a maximum
width of '55 feet, and a minDaum width of 10 feet, other than a street
as defi-ned L~erein.. '='
APPROVFj):
'The word. "approved" means approved by the Under-
writers Laboratories or, the American Society for' Testing Materials
or by the·I~aspector·of Buildings.
BASEP,~NT: Shall be as defined in the State Housing Acts.
BUILDING: A· structure affording shelter.
BUILDING LI2~: A real or imaginary line formed by/the intersection
of the out&r face of the enclosingwalls and the surface of the
ground
CELLAR
Shall be as defined in the State Housing· Acts.
COURT:. Shall be defined in the State Housing Acts, ,~nd
shall be built as per requirements of this act.
D.~_AD LOAD:
Shall include the weight of the ~alls, floors, etc.
etc., of a 'building, including all permanent construction.
DWELLING: Shall be as defined in ~he State Housing Acte.
HOTEL:
Shall be as defined in the State Housing Acts.
· LIVE LOAD:
Shall include all imposed, fixed or transient loads
other than dead loads.., due to the'occupancy.of the building and its
.expoSure. to wina pressure.
LOT LIE: 'The line of demarcation between the properties of
different owners,· or between separate and distinct plots of ground
on which separate and individual buildings may be erected,.not in-
cluding the line of demarcation between any lot .or parcel of
OWNER: Any f i~nf' per s o~..?~ ~:~0~Por~ i~ '.~~. ~.~ ~:' .'...~:~'. · .
t~o. ll~n~ property, or a duly authorized agent or a~.6'~"..';'~2~L;~Z:
· ." · . . .....~...-...... -~.,~,.~:~ ...
PROP~TY: For' the purpose o~:..~hi6' .Ordinance '~ha~l 'be co~'
..... .~ :j~3~. :.... ~. ,..-
strued to mean the lot, yard, ground, ba~ of. Yea~.th.:.,nr~'Eock; wall,
building or structure, and any or. all .improvsmOnt. s t'hereon. .-..
"StO~"
STORY: The term _y means the vertical distance fro~,
floor to ceiling. The miniman l~-elght of a' story shall-be seven
STREET ~ .ay open and ~obstructed 'thorOughfare ;'~nue,
highway, crossing. or intersection, courts and places'which have
been dedicated and accepted as streets according to La'~'~.~
SEUCTURE: Includes the te~a building, appurtenance. wall,.
platform, staging, shed, sign, billboard or anything built of
more than a single post or pier joined or 'fastened together '
public or private property, on or above or below a .public highway.
TEI~T: Is a partition, portable lodge or canvas house
enclosed or. covered with cloth. .No tents or tent houses shall
be permitted for dwelling purposes in the city limits.
-~EI~E!'~'iENT HOUSE: Shall be as defined in the State Housing Acts.
. ~ALLS:' .Bearing - A wall which supl,orts any load other
than its own weight.
Curtain wall means any wall supported at intervals'
on the frame'of a building, or a wall which'is self-supporting
only on the exterior of a building.
Fire wall - The term "Fire Wall" shall apply to all
walls-built for the purpose of fire resistance. The term also'
applies to that portion of walls above roof surface.
Division - Any ~nterio~- wall 'i~..~"bu~d~z,g.
. . .. .' .... L ...... ~_L'__.,i .... · ........ -L ........... "-'' .'. .~ '_-__~ .... -. ' '--- ,~. .. .. ----- .~..-
'Non-bearing - One which. supports no 'load other.
than its own weight. ...... .~." .-. '~..~:.'L,.-.~?~C?.' .:.~.~':.
: .... ' -' .'~,i. ~..,~:._-: '. :-' ....
· -~"~ Parapet - That part of any Wall en~ir~.~~ '
Party - A wall' that separates' tyro (S)'
separate buildings, and ~s adapted. 'fer joint ~er~...~~
T~TE; Any building or part of a building desired or used
. for.theatrical or operatic purposes with accon'~odations' for a.a '~" .~.. .... ...
audience of more. than three hundred pe'rsons and having a permanent "~"~'"
stage Upon which movable scenery and theat
- rical applmances~~..;
emplO'yed, not including also moving picture theatres,..e.~.r with .
or without a stage and having caoacity an six hundred persons .... "~"'
PART. III.
'CLASS!FIC~TION.
CLASSIFICATION OF BUILDINGS BY CONSTRUCTION.
SECT I ON 51,
For the purpose of this Ordinance, buildings'sh Ti'~°b'e
Classified according to the method of construction into the
following types:
Class "~" buildings.
Class "A" buildings a~e defined as those hav~n~ fire-
- -- u
proof frames of steel and v;ith all structural part~ of incombustible
material. Walls shall be of masonry or reinforced concrete.
Class "A" buildings with all wall loads abo~e the third
floor carried on'the steel frame shall not be limited as to height
except as hereinafter provided.
Class "A" buildings with self-supporting curtain or
bearing walls on the exterior shall be limited in height to
86 feet.
Class "A" buildings may be built an~here in the City.
Class "B" buildings.
Class "B" buildings are defined as ~hose having a
frame of reinforced concrete carrying all wall and floor' loads.
All structural parts shall be of incombustible nmterial. Walls
shall be of masonry or reinforced concrete. The ma~im~ limit
of height of Class "B" buildings shall be twelve stories except
as hereinafter provided. "
'Class "B" buildings may be built any~.~here in the City.
Fire-proOf Hotels and Tenement Houses as define~l by
the State Housing Acts shall be limited"to height as de~i'~ed by
said Acts.
Cia~s "C" buildings.
Class "C" buildings are defined as those having exterior
-, .· "-
walls of masonry and an interior frame of corabus·tibl. e!· ~te~.'~l.
_ _ .
"--.: '- -. The ~,val-l-s 'm~.be.bearin~ or cu~.tai~ }yells an0 the interior supports
. m~-~, :'b'e 't.imber joi~s, timber or steel girders, and timber', steel
7or ca-St iron col~s or timber' studding.
Cte's~-:"C"'build~ngs built with the-i~terior of mill con-
struction or 'with s'll joists, girders, ~tudding, furring.and soffits
of ~.tairs-la~hed with metal lath :and pqiastered 'may .'b~ built to a
'height ~ot ..~o exceed eighty-fou~- (84) fee~, :except as he.reinafter'
provided" '
'C. lass" .i'C" buildings wit~ all' joi~ts-,'.gi'~der~, stndding,
fu,~i~.g .and.' Soffit· of'stairs 1at'had ~vith. wooden lath a~d plastered,
-. or not latheS'd-and plasteped n'~ay-b.e bui'lt. to. a Height n~t to. exceed
~ fifty-five· (55).Tee~,."exCept es he~einaft6r pr0~ided.
~ .
Semi~fireproof Hotels and T. ene~nt Houses. as defined in
;.
the s'tate 'Housing. Acts shall be limited to heights as' defined by
s~id ~.cts. " :
Class ,C" buildings may b'e ~uil~ 'anyWhere .in.. the-City
.. Stair and elevator house. s, water 'ba~s, ~owers and spires
may 'exceed ~he' 'limit s.
TOwers'and' spires on. Class "C~' or f~ame buildings may
extend· one .bjundred ~eet above .the ..roof,· but '.no :such tower'or spire
shall occupy ·more than one-quarter of the st~eet'~fr~nt~ge of the
~uil~ing,. nor shall it have e base area ex~eeaing' 1.O00 square
~eet..'- SUch tov~ers .'end spires shall not be uS'~ a'8 a" dwelling,
.. ., -;
, plaCe·of m. anuf~Ctu~e', nor storage ~oom 'and sha~l'be c0'vepe8 with
~i ~ ial '
. . ~epr. of me.tar . :
Towers-for the"purpdse of filtp~ir~', "coo'ling· or puri-
~ fyin'g' wat'eE ma~' be erected..or'constru&tedj proVihe~:~ t'hst they
beUerec'b'ed or Constructed 'indep~n.dently of the"buiZlding and: to e
heavv t~.o. er or 'steel construction". - :
- - · .l"
· ' .'- ....... , -I'/.~I.LL CG'ISTRUCTION~.· ·
"-Buil8'~ngs. of'mill con'.~tz,uction are d:.efin~d as those
..:- .. . .. .B~ ' . . , .
w:ith exterior w~lls of masonry/and the interior 'loads supported
"..b~ heavy timb~,r frame. The fFame...s'hal-1 'b,~: 'constrUcted Without
' ~. ., .. -Fran~e' 0~-. wooden buildings'i~ b~.pOnStn~eted' tO'. a' .he'i~ht
. not' e.xc'~e~ing' .fOr~y .(40~ .~eet'L and may be bui'lt"an~here in 'th~
Ci%y except within the fire limit. s ~ ""'
...... . . ~. :L.
" .-' ' ."W06den ~o~t-eIs. or'Tenement Houses ':'.a~"'d~fined in ~the'
'-·State Housing .A'dt's.'~hail.~e .'limited· t~ heights a's "define~ bQ~ ~':" '
.. T - · ' . ,- .. ... - ..... · ..
- .24;
PART IV.
[IRE LIMITS.
'e
SECTION.
The fire limits of the Oity of Bakersfield shall be as
prO*ided in Ordinance No. 120, New. Seriesj and Ordinance No. 133
New Series , and all other Ordinance~.amendatory thereof.
RESTRICTIONS WITHIN FIRE LIMITS.
SECT ION 33 ·
· . BUILDING RESTRICTIONS WITHIN THE FXRE LIMITS - Every
building' hereafter erected· or enlarged within the fire ·limits
· shall' be enclosed on all sides with walis constructed wholly
of stone, brick, hollow tile or concrete, 'an~., shall have the
roof; including roof and Sides of ~Ox~ner windows, 'coVered.' with
incombustible' materials ·
PERMISSIBLE WOODEN STRUCTUEES WITHIN-.FIRE LIMITS.
SECT ION. 34 ..
NO frame or wooden building or-strUctur~ shall here-
after b~ erected within the Fire Limits except ae herOinafter
specifie~, and all roofs placed upon such· s. tPucture shall have
approved fire-resistive covOri~xg:
'Temporary one (1) story buildings· for use of builders
'in connection W'ith"~o~stmc~ion W~' ana'~'empOraPy Stand. s, plat-
forms, booths and tents. All such stPucture~ shall' be removed.
ape a,
s,hed~
as soon as. they ·have ceas. e.d tO serve their origins.1 purpose.
One s.toPy Sheds· open on the 'l'axg' side, not over
fifteen (15) feet high, with sides covered w'ith' incombustible
mat'e~ial ..and 'not 'exceeding five hundred (500) square feet in
A Wooden fence shall .not'. form the back or sides.· of' any
Wooden'fences not over ~en (10.).feet high.·
Piazzas oP porches on frame buildings-, with a pPoJec-
tiQn or-not 'more than'ten (10).. feet from face.of· building, and
not higher than the. first story. SUch porches shall not be
· -enclosed except that 40 square feet may be .enclosed with f~ame
construction for use as a pantry or toilet· room.
Small-out-houses not exceeding one hundred fifty (150)
square feet in area and eight (8) feet .in height,
.......... .. wooden·sheds or out-houses'shall not be located with-
.. in five (5) feet of any lot line nor less than thirty (30)
feet from'any other building over one (1) stoPy high.
". Grain Elevators, Coal Packets or Ice Houses.
.. Frame 'extension used exclusively for ~oilet purposes,
but shall have approved roof covering.
PORCHES...
· On buildings"of ordinary construction, piazzas or porches
o£ woodmay'be constructed on buildings not mope than'three (3)
st'0ries':in"'~eight"pP0v~ed-th-eip--gpeat-est PP6~'ion--from 'the
face Of the building is not more than ten (10)" feet and provided
they do'not'extend mope than one (1) foot·above the ceiling of
the third story."No such porch shall be built less than five
(5) feet f~om .the lot line or
an6ther building' unless
less than five (5) feet shall'have a fire wall of the same
material as, required for the building for which the porch is
'erected. -..:.
.. .Where 'porches are .continuous,' exten.ding fifty (80) "';~"
feet or more across: any part of a building, there 'shall be a
fire wail separating each fifty (80) .feet of 'porch'from the
adjacent portion. 2uc~L'wall shall be carried two (~).feet
~bove'the roof .and be properly coped. Every. porch which is
:'intended to be enclosed shall have enclosing'ealls as requi~ed..
for t~e enclosing walls of the building. ~
The 'end of the porch outside the stairway and'also the
back of the'porch around such .stairway,'.not. to e~ceed eleven.(ll)
feet-in extent, may be enclosed with wood or frame construction,
and a Window with a glass area of nfne.'('9)'square feet shall be
' in the back enclosure on that part of t~ .porch facing the yard
or court of each ·Story.
':-v"::No"frame bUildin'g"shall be moved from without to with-
in·the·fire limits nor shall'the locations be .changed within'
the fire limits.
No building'used for residence or temement house purposes
shall be moved from one lot to another tmtil frontage consent
has been obtained f~om.'the majority of the property owners on
'both':!s~de-s~of the s'treet"-.~n-the..block in which-'vt~e-building-to
· .be thUs',.~sed is located'.
. Z
, _LT
· SECT ION .35 .r
-. A~y existing frame bui. l'din~i'within-the fire limits
which may hereaft~ be damaged by ·fire", decay or otherwise to
an amOunt. g~ea~er-than one-half (½) it~ value'exclusive of the
fo~n~ation,'sh~ll not be repaired or rebuilt,· but shall be
immediately removed,
.. In case the'owenr of the damaged building shall' be dis'
satisfied with the decision of the Inspector ·or·Buildings that
such building is damaged to a greater extent than one-half
of its value, .exclusive of the foundation, the ·amount and extent
of such damage shall' be determined upon by an examination of
the building by three ·(.3) competent persons; one of whom shall
be appointed by the InSpector of BuildingS, another.by the
owner of the building and a third by both arbitratorS. The
decision of the majority of these surveyors, reduced to writing
.and sworn to, shall be conclusive.
- 28 -
PART V.
AREA LIMITATIONS.
SECTION
No building or partion of any building shall'exceed a
· 'greater floor area between exterior, party o~ division walls than
set forth by the f~loWing table:
~.AREA 0F BUILDINGS
~ · Maximum Unsprinklered Floor Area Permitted
'He.i'gh~ of Bu. llding - One ·story, Class-"A" and ·"B" , 40,000
"' SqUa~ f~eet;'L'Class "Ci', 12,500 square feet;'.Frame Buildings,
10,000 square feet-. Over one sto.~y, class "A" .' and" "B" , 35,000
square .feet·; Class "O" 10,000 square 'feet; Frame Buildings,
7,"~.QO s~uare feet'; pr6vided, ho*ever, .that the maximum unsprink-
lered fl6or area ,of ·-any class "A" building located outside of Fi~e
Limits, used or intended for use exclusively as a hotel, shall not
exceed V-5.','090! square 'feet on any floor 'thereof above. the basement.
Provided, -further, that whe~e~ in such building or portion
thereof, there is. installed'and maintained an approved automatic
s'.pPinkler system,.the floor area shall ~0t exceed the maximUm. set
foP~h in the'follOwing·table: "
· '" AREAS oF BUILDINGS.
· MaximUm· Sprinklered Floor. Area. Permitted
" Cla~S '~!" and "B" 75,000 's. quare feet; Class "C"' 25,000
"".'~square feet; Frame.~Euildings, 17,000 square feet.
. For the purpose of this ordinance the°floOr areas of buildings
or'.np0~ions· o~ ~ui'~dings shall be cOmPuted exclustve.'of thickness of
the exterior,'pa~ty' o~ division walls...
"".....' j Sprinkler.'systems shall b~ deSign~.d acCording'tO the Fire
~ Underwri'~e~s code~
PART VI.
USE LIMITAT IONS.
SECTION sv.
The. atres in any part.of the City s'ea~ing more than 800
persons shall .be of class "A" const'ruction' or Class "B" co~stru~'~
tioh~ 'Theatres seating less than.800 persons but.more than-300
persons may· be of class "c" construction. · ~
· ". Moving Picture' Theatres seating less than 300'persons
'may. be frame.~0nstrUction, .provided they comply with all' require-
· men~s. of'this Ac't. '(See°Special ReqUirements for Mpving PictUre'
· Theatres, Par~ XI'X ."'
.... Schools, hosp~ta'ls an~ Sanitariums. w~iOh.are ove~'eme-
'story ~n height and halls and-other places-of publio. assemblage,
seating mo~e. t~an 1~000 persons~ shall be o£ 'OlasS "A" 'or Class
"B" construction.
Department-st'oreS, warehouses and buildings=without part-
.itions, used for the' storage of merchandise shall be of eithe.r
· ~.Cla~s. ,. or Class construction, and shall be.
li~ited'to the'h~tght perscribed for said types of'construction;
prOv. i.ded~ However, ':that no building of this' cbara~t'er Shall be
'constructe'd to'a greater height than 102 feet.
Wood working-miils'o.perated.b:y powerjwhere~er.er'ec~ed
.... ' .AiI'huilS. inga 'dSed '.'fOr Stabling 'an~m~!s j'ab6~e'the 'first
or g~oUnd floor or ih basement .and'.publi6 garages., over two-
stories in height shal~ be of Class "'A" Or Class "B"". _construction.
P ART VII.
STRENGTH AND QUALITY OF STRUCTURAL MATERIALS.
SECTION
MATERIALS: All materials shall be of quality suitable for
the purpose for which·they are intended to be used.· Each material
shall be free from imperfect.ions whereby its strength°or durability
may be impaired.·
SECTION 39.
TESTS: The- Inspector 6f Buildings shall-haVe authority to
reject materials which are unsuitable and b~low the requirements for
strength as set forth by the·American SoCiety'for Testing Materials,
and. may require tests to be made at the expense of the owner to
determine the strength of any structural materials.
In case such materials have al~eady'bee~ tested by the
Underwriters Laboratories or American Society for·Testing Materials,·
or other equal authority, the Inspector. of Buildings shall accept
i~S' report and ~nateri'alS or methods of construction as tested and
approved shall be used·and installed'in the same manner in which they
were.tested for approval.
No new. structural material. shall be used in 'any structure
until it ha~ been~tested and found to fulfill ~he minimum conditions
and. tests required by this Ordinance for materials used-for"'iike
~u~oses.
SECTION 40.
BRICK. ..
SECT I0N 41.
Sand' used for building shall be grit, ciean coarse, ·and
..... i!l'iCf6'~. .......... ' ~'
S .................. "" ~. =_~ll,.~ .... =. .. - · L '="':'
.. .'~ Clay Brick ·shall be well burned and hard, or some approved
hard-Cement bri'~k, Su. bJe~t to test under subdivision.~o.f SeCtion~Z~
SAND.
· SECTION 42.
GRAVEL.·
· ..
GraVel sha'll be composed of 6-iean pebbles Or bard, homogeneous.
.rock, of graded .'sizes and free from' dirt or Other foreign matter.
..
..
· - . _ ":L'~".' -. ~ - ...... ~ '~ ~..o. . . ~ .~,. .~...
· - .- -' .... - .... ... ~...L~v..-~ .
· · L. ~-~."~ ' .=.'. - "' ' . ·...... , .- '. ~ ~. - .~.. ". . ~' .~:~ '?~_'~
SECTION
Lime shall .be thoroughly burned quick lime and well
slacked before us ing.
PORTLAND· CEMENT.
SECT ION 44 .
Portland cement s. hall be capable of passing the require-
ments of the American Society for Testing· Materials.
CEMENT MORTAR.
SECTION.45.
Cement mortar shall be made of cement· and sand in the
· proportiona .of one'part of cement and not'more than three parts
of sand, and shall be used before the initial set has taken place.
The c~ment and sand are to be measured and .thorOughly mixed be-
fore adding water... "
OEMENT AND LIME MORTAR.
SECTION 46..
'Cement and lime mortar,'mixed,shali be
made- of one ( 1 )
· .part cement to net mor~ than six (6) parts of 'lime mortar,
measured in'a box. "
..... Ti"~ .. ~.--- - · .- .-L',~'~- -.-- '. ....~ ~--..~,' .-. ..- .~L~'~ ...........
" HOLLOW TERRA COTTA TILE BLOCKS. '-
SECTION 47~ .....
.Hollow t'erPa c'otta lile blocks shall not be used fop
exterior walls'within the fire limitS, except as ProVided in
this-ordinance and as a facing or veneer for brick work'or
.i.'...- 38 -"'~ "' " "
· masonry wali~ of standard thickness,
HoliCw tetra c. otta tile'~blocks
may be used for-exterior walls of buildings hot'more'than two-
stories in height in any portion outside ·of·the fire limits,
where the walls of such bulidings,'in which hollow tetra cotta
til~ blocEs are used, are of the same thi'cknessas required
for..masonry.walls under the same conditions'and. said tile block
shall be laid up in cement mortar.. ...
All'tile used for 'structural purpOses. in buildings
shall be well manufactured, free fP'om checks and crackS. Each
piece shall be moulded' square and t~ue and ·shall be 'hard-burned
and shall have a Clear hard ring. The tile ·block shall develop
· . ~
an: ul.timate crUshing strength when burned of not ·less than ~000
lbs.' per sq. inch. All computations as'to thickness and strength
of the walls of.the tile shall be·based upon a working strength
Of 200 lbs. per sq. inch.
C 0NCRETE ·BLOCK .'
SECTION 48.
All pre-molded, non-reinforced concrete units composed
~ ,-
o.f Portland cement· c'o~te shall,".be: ~.onside~.e~.'~$. ~no~ete
block,
Concrete blocks shall not be used until they havebeen
approved by the Building InspectOr and have met the following'
·requirements:
(a) TESTS: Before approval of the product of any
........ ,.. .'~'---~ ............. · . ..- ..... :'~ ~ . · ...... ..,.~ .... = -.~-~ .... . . .._.~ "_'.... . ....
manufacturer, compression and absorption tests shall be made
at the expense of the manufacturer at a laboratory of recog-
nized standing.· The ultimate compresslvs strength of hollow
and two-piece· units at 28 days average 750.pounds per square
inch of the' gross Cross-sectional area of the' unit as designed
to be used in the wall and mat not fall below 650 pounds per
square inch in any test. The gross cross-sectiOnal area·of
hollow building .units shall be. considered the product of the ..
length by the width Of the unit. The gross.croSs-sectional
area of two-piece concrete building units shall be' the product
~f the length of the unit by the width of the wall for which
the units are intended.
(b) The ultimate compres~ive strength of solid con-
crete building units at 28 .days' must average not less-than
2,000 pounds per square inch of the cross-seCtional area of
the unit tested aS used in the wall, av~ must not fall below
1,500 pounds per sqUare inch in any test.
(c) The average .amount of water absorbed in ~9 hours
by 3units 28 days old shall not exceed. iO ~r cent of the
weight of the dry units.
(d) At least three samples of each Unit tested for
either compresSive strength or absorption shall be se!ec~ed
by't~'.Building inspector so as to represent as nearly as
p~acticable the average quality of the product' of the manufacturer.
(e) The product of any manufacturer .which has been
tested within the next preceeding six months may be accep.ted
-.for use' by the Building InspectOr without beir~ tested, but
tests may be required at any time when· in the opinion of the
Buil~ing'.tnspeC~or'the"'p~oduct-'does'not meet'.~ith the require--
men~s.'of this ordinance.
CONCRETE. BLOCKS.
SECTION 49.
Hollow concrete' walls shall be taken to mean walls of
precast or poure~ concrete, where the outer and inner sect'ions
of such walls are not less than 2 inches thick and are bonded
or tied together by means of galvanized iron bonds or ties or
other equally satisfactory bonds or ties.
CO C E.
SECTION 50.
All mass concrete for foundations. shall 'consist of a'
medium wet oP 'plastic mixture of c~ment, sand, and stone,
gravel, or other hard mater'ial, containing not less than one
part Portland dement to three parts sand and five parts broken
stene or other hard durable material of main dimensions not
to exceed 2 inches. Ooncrete for floors, backing or ashlar,
and fireproofing, shall 'be composed of not less. than one part
P.'ortland Cement, two parts sand, and four parts broken stone
of major. dimensions not exceeding one inch; Gravel of graded
size may be used' in place of broken stone. 'Concrete for rein-
forced concrete shall be Proportioned as specified under rein-
forced concrete.
Whenever the amount of concrete in any one building equals
or exceeds one hundred (100) cubic yards', the concrete shall
mixed in a "batch-mixer"~ If the amount of .concrete. be under'
one hundred cubic yards, it my be mixed in a "continuous mixer"
or it may be ~ixed.by hand, in which latter ·case it shall be
'turned over at. least .twice dry, and a~ least· twice during the
'-addition qf'.'wate~,.the re~ulting mixture to have'the s~one
~horoUghly incorporated in the mixture, and to'be of uniform
color. and co~isten.cy.'
ALLOWABLE UNIT STRESSES FOR'STRUCTURAL TIMBER.
The safe ca~..~ying capacity of timbe~ when not'otherwise
specified shall be 'determined by the following .wOrking stresses
in' .pounds per square inch of net corss-sectional area, as ap-
plied to seasoned timber to be' kept u~der-shelter and in dry
leeation; deflecti6n not to increase with time. If timber is
u~ed in other locatigns, these values shall'be modified.
ALLOWABLE' UNIT STRESSES FOR STRUCTURAL TIMBER.
(Pounds per square inch) '
SpeCies ~f Timber
Douglas ~ir
DenSe Grade
Oak
Pine, So~thern
Yellow
SpmAce
Redwood
BENDING
Stress in Horizontal Shear
Extreme Shear
Fibre .Stresses
1.600' 100 150
1~00 125 188
00MPRESSION.
Parallel Perpendicular
Parallel to grain to grain
to grain "Short
Columns"
1200 350
1000 500
1600 125 188 1200 5~0
1100 85 128 800 250
800 60 100 ' 700 200
SECTION 52.
WOODEN COLUMNS.
Formula for determining safe loads for timber columns.
American Railway Eng~e~s .Association Formula.
Unit Stress on Column
Cross Section in'Pounds ): c (' 1
Pea'square inch
c: Allowable· working compressiv. strength of timber in
pounds per square inch with the grain
L: Unsupported ·length of post· or column in inches
d m Least dimension of post in inches
COLUMNS ECCENTRICALLY LOADED: The sum'of ~he stresses
due to the eccentricity'added to all other stresses shall in no case
exceed the allowable working stresses stated in this Ordinance.
MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE STRESS_ES AND SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR METAL.
SECT ION 85.
The maximum allowable stresses in pounds per square inch
in steel and iron shall not exceed the followin-g:
Rolied :. ~aSt ,\Wrought Cast
Steel. Steel. Iron. Iron.
Tension on net section .......... .....·.... 16,000
Maximum compression on gross section ....~ 14,000
Bending· on extreme fibre 16,000
Bending on extreme fibre tension .......... . .... .
Bending on extreme fibre compression ............
Be~ding on extreme 'fibres. of pins ........ . 24,000
Shear: shop driven rivets and pins........ ~,000
Shear: field driven rivets ................ 10,000
Shear on rolled steel shapes.. ..... . ..... · 1~,000
~8hear plate girder webs; gross sectionS... 10,000
Shear on brackets ........ .... ............ . .....o
Bearing, shop driven rivets and pins ..... 24,000
Bearing field rivets ' 20,000
16,000
14,000
16,000
~- - The allowable compressive stresses per square inch
for columns shall b~ determined by the following formulas:
Steel ' 16 ~ 000 VO · '
.. ~. ~=~.-
In the above'formulas:
L equal length in inches.
R equal least radius· of gyration in
inches.
!..- In no case shall the allowable c0mpressive stresses exceed
that given in paragraph (a') of this section.
~. - For steel columns filled wit~, and encased in concrete
extending at least three ·inches beyond the outer .edge of the steel,
..~
where the' steel is calculated to carry the entire live and dead load,
the allowable stress· per square inch shall be determined by the follow-
ing formula:
L
18,000--V0-~- ..
R
but shall not excee~ 16,000 potin~s.
~. - Steel Columns. For steel columns fille~ with, but not
encased in, concrete, the steel shall be calculated to'carry the
entire live and dead loa~. In this case the above formula may
be'used, but the allowable stress shall not exceed 14,000 pounds:.
t. - Stresses due to eccentric.loading shall be provided for
in all compressive members.
~. - Rolled Steel. The length of rolled steel compressire
members shall not exceed one hundred twenty times the least radius
· of-gyration,-but the-. l'imi~ng-""~engt~ o'f'-struts-f0r-~fnd' bracing. only
may be one hundred f~fty times the least radius of gyration. The
- 38 -
Limiting length for cast iron 'columns shall be seventy times the
least radius of gyration.
~.'- Cast Iron. Cast iron columns shall not be used in building
greater than twice the least width and only in Class "C" construction.
Cast iron shall be of good foundry"mixture, producing a
clean, tough, gray'iron. Castings shall be free from serious.blow holes,
cinder spots, and cold shuts.
The outside diameter or least side of cast iron columns
shall.nOt be less than 5 inc.~es.
The finished thickness of metal in the shaft shall no~
be less than one-twelfth the outside diame%e~ or the greatest lateral
dimension of cross section, not less· than 3/4 inch. The thickness
of metal in flanges, l~ga, seats, and brackets shall he not less than
1 inch.
In all cast-iron columns not cast with one open side, at
least three holes 3/8 inch d~ameter shall Be drilled 90 degrees apart
near·the middle of the shaft for the purpose of measuring the thickness
of the metal.
Whenever the core of a cast iron column has shifted 'more·
than one-fourth the thickness of the shell, the. strength shall· be
computed-assuming the thickness of metal· all around equal to the
( -
'thinnest part,· and the column shall be rejected if this computation
shows the strength· to be less than required by this ordinance.
A cast iron .column. shall be rejected whenever blowholes or
other imperfections'. reduce the effective area of the cross-section
more than 10 ~'er'cent. :
The ends of all 'cast iron columns shall be planed t'o a true
surface perpendicular to the axis of the column. SucC~.ssive=
column lengths shall be bolted together tlu, o.ugh end flanges ..'...'
with at least fou~'bolts .not less than S/4 inch in diameter,'.'.
No shims shall be used between the flanges.
If the core 'of a cast-iron column. below a Joint is
larger than the core of the column above, the 'core of the lower
column shall be tapered up for a distahOe of not.less than 8
inches, to the size. of the core. of the column above.. 'Im' lieu
of-tapering the-oore,'a steel or cast iron plate of sufficient
thickness may be used between the flanges. The difference bet-
ween the diameters or sides of any two successive column lengths
shall be not greater than 2 inches.
'The connection of beams and girders· to cast· iron columns
shall be affected by means of'seats reingorced by'bradkets of
· sufficient depth and thickness to support the entire load, and
by 'lugs to which the webs. of·the beams and girders shall be
bolted. The projection of the seat beyond the face of the
oolunun shall in general be not greater tb~n 4 inches.
All holes in cg~'t iron columns shall be drilled. Cored,
or core~ and reamed holes shall not'be permitted.. The diameter='.
o~ holes sha.'ll not exceed that of the bolts by more than 1/16
inch. The distance from the center of a hole to"the.edge of a
flange or lug shall be. not less than 1½ inches.
Cast iron oo'lumns shall not be used in any case where
'the'-load is Sufficiently eccentric to reduce. the uni~ compression
to zero in the ·extreme fibre on one side of the axis of the
column.
O'ast i0rn bases or shoes shall be Planed on top. Bases
which rest on steel girders shall be planed top and bottom.
The thickness of metal shall be not less than 1 inch. The in-
o'lination of the outer edge of the ribs with the horizontal
'~'hall' be not less than 45 degrees.. Whenever one side of the:
.... ~..d plate· ~xcee~s 3 ~eet in length a reinforcing flange at
least 3'inches high shall be provided.
· ' Cast iron lintels shall be not less 'than 3/4 ·inch in
thickness and shall not be used for Spans eXCeeding 6 feet.
The interior space of cast. iron' columns shall be in
no case filled with any material.
,.
LIVE AND DEAD LOADS .- STRESS. )
a. - Wherever the live an~ dead load stresses are of
opposite character, only 70 per cent of the dead load stress
shall be considered as: effective in ~unteracting the llve
load stress.
For stress produced by wind forces combined wt~h
those from live and dead loads, the unit stress may be increas-
e'd**~y per Cent .over-those given above; but the section shall.
not be less than' required if wind forces be:neglected.
RIVET ING - TENS ION. )
~. - In. proportioning tension members the'diameter of
the rivet holes. shall be taken one-eighth of an inch larger
than the nominal diameter of the rivet.
.... b_. - In proportiOning rivet"~T' ~h~ no~nina~ diameter of
the rivet shall·be used.
-~ - Pin-connected riveted tefi~lon. members shall have.
a net 'section through the pin-hole at least 25 per cent~ in
excess. of the net section of the body of the member and the ..~.:'.".l
net section back of the pin-hole, parallel with the axis of
the member, shall not be less than the net section of the body
of the member.
PLATE GIRDERS - FLANGES -' COMPRESSION.
a~ - Plate girders shall be proportioned either by the
moment of inertia of their net section, or by assuming that
theflanges are concentrated at their centers of gravity and'
a unit stress used such that the extreme fibre stress does not
exceed 16,000 pounds per square inch, in which case one-eighth
of the gross section of the web, if properly spliced, may be
Used as ·flange section.
~. - The gross section of the compression flanges of
plate girders shall not be less than the gores section of the
tension glengee; nor shall the stress per square inch in the
compression flange of any beam or girder of a·longer length
than 28 times the width exceed
20,000--,160--- B
In which .formula
L equals unsupported distance and .
B equals width of flange.
~. - The flanges of plate girders shall be connected
to the web with a sufficient number of rivets to transfer the
total Shear at any point in a distance equal to the effective
depth of the girder at that point combined with any load that
is applied directly on the flanges.
~. - Webs of plate girders shall· be p~ovided with stiff~."'.:...
eners over' all bearing points, under'all points of concentrated'
loading and elsewhere when required by good engineering practice.
REINFORCED CONCRETE.
SECTION 5~ ·
1..- The term !'Reinforced Concrete"' means any combination
of metal imbedded in concrete to..form structural members" so that
the two materials assist each other to sustain all the stresses
imposed.
'2. - Quality of Cement. - All cement used in reinforced
concrete Shall be Portland cement meeting the requirements of
section ' L~ ·
3. - Quality of Fine ARRregate. Fine aggregate shall
consist of sand, crushed stone, or gravel screenings, passed
through' a' Screen when dry, having 1/4 inch diamet'er' holes and
not ~e than thirty per cent, passing a sieve having 30 meshes
per lineal inch. It shall not contain more than 5% by volume
of quicksand,vegetable loam, perishable organic matter, or other
deleterious materials'.
.4. -. Quality of Coarse Aggregate. _l. - Coarse aggregate
shall consist of crushed $,tone or gravel which is retained on
a screen having. 1/4 inch diameter· holes, and ·shall be graded
in size from small to large particleS. The maximum size shall·
be such that all the aggregate will pass through a 1 inch diam-
eter ring.. The particles' ~h~ll~ be ~lean, h'ar~, '~reble,' and
free from all deleterious material.
2. - Gravel.'shall be free from clay or loam except such
· ' "~.' naturally adheres to the particles.
- 43 -
clay oil or loam is
in such'quantities that it cannot be readily removed by dip-
ping'in water or brushing lightly with the hand, the gravel
'shall be washed. When bank-run gravel is used, it should be
screenedfrom the sand and remixed in the proper propOrtionS
for fine and coarse aggregate.
The concrete used for reinf. orced concrete construction
s~all develop.an.."aVerage crushing strength o'f not less than
2,000 pounds per sq., inch in tests of a~ least five (5) cyl-
inders six inches in diameter and 12 inches high, 28 days.
~'.after mixing. The'samples are to be taken' immediately after
the concrete has been fianally put in place, and must be of
the same material, consistency and proportions as that used on
the'work.
Concrete mixtures which develop'ant.average c~ushing
's~rength greater than 2,000 pounds per square inch, 28 days
after mixing, shall be allowed a proportional increase in unit
working stresses in the concrete and in the bond betwean con-
crete and steel. If the average strength is less than 2,000
p'ou~-.uer square inch~ a proportional reduction in allowable
stresses must be made. In the absence of definite knowledge
in advance of construction, the average crushing strength may
be assumed as 2,000 pounds per square inch for concrete having
one (1) part ·of cement to six (8) parts of fine and coarse agg-
regate combined, ~,500 pounds .per square inch for one (1) part
of cement to four and one-half (~!~
~ parts of graded aggregate,
'and ~'~0 pounds per square'inch fo'r-~ne~(1) p-hr¥~6f cement to'
three (~) parts of graded aggregate.,
UNIT STRESSES FOR 2,000 #.OONCRETE.
(GRADE 1)
(a) Concrete construction shall be so designed that
the following unit .working stresses shall not be exceeded:
(b) Compression:
Grade i Concrete. Extreme fibre stress under flexure,
850 pounds per square inch.
Extreme fibre stress in compression at Support of con-
tinuous beams, VS0 pounds per square inch.
Axial compression (on effective area) in column with
vertical reinforcement and horizontal ties,..580 -pounds per
square inch.
Axial compression (on effective area) in hooped columns
with vertical reinforcement, 800 pounds per square inch.
GRADE 2 CONCRETE.
Grade 2 concrete ~.~hen used in retaining walls and
foundations shall not exceed eighty (80) per cent of the stresses
provided for in grade 1 concrete. In dir. ect compression three
hundred fifty (350) pounds per square inch.
GRADE ~ CONCRETE.
Grade 3 concrete shall no~ exceed 60 per cent of the
stress provided for in grade 1, in direct compression, two
hundred fifty (250) pounds per square inch.
(c) Shear. The maximum shearing Stress in a section
· -sh~ll"be used asia means of'measuring th'e 'resistanCe to' diagonal
tension stress and the following valuse for the maximum vertical
shearing stress shall be used:
- 45 -
'(1} For beams with horizontal bars only and without web
reinforcement, the shearing stress'shall not exceed forty (40)
pounds per square inch.
(2) For beams thoroughly reinforced with web.reinforce-
ment, the value of the shearing stress shall not exceed one
hundred twenty (120) pounds-per square inch. ~
(3) Where punching shear occurs, i.e.~ shearing stress
Uncombined with compression normal to the shearing surface,
and all tensioh normal to the shearing plane provided. for by
reinforcement, the shearing stress shall not exceed. one hundred
twenty (120.) pounds per square inch.
When reinforcement is used to increase the unit shear,
the proportion of the unit shear taken by the concrete shall
not exceed 'forty (40) pounds per square inch and.the reinforce-
ment shall be sufficient to'take the remainder. Stirrups shall
not be placed further apart than two-thirds (2/~) of the effect-
ive depth of the beam if they are considered as adding to the
shearing resistance. If unattached stirrups are used they shall
pass under the main reinforcing bars. There .shall be sufficient
anchorage in the compression portion of the beam to develop the
s'tirrmps without exceeding the ·bond stresses by this ordinance
provided. If stirrups are attached to the reinforcing bars,.
the connection must be sufficient .to develop the elastic limit
of the steel without.causing slipping along the'main bars. For
beams of Tee section, the web of the beam only shall be assumed
....... to'~e v~ffectlve for real'Sting' sHea~'. ................. ~'~l~ ~'-- ~
(d) Adhesion. Bond stress for plain hard bars, sixty
(60) pounds per. square inch.
Bond stress for .plain structural steel grade'bars, eighty (80)
pounds per square inch.
· ..~ .. .
...~.'...~'. ..l~__ ' .~-.'-'.
Bond stress for twisted or deformed bars, one hundred twenty
'(i20) pounds per square inch.
Bond stress for steel wire, eighty (80) pounds per square inch.
'(e) Steel in Tension. The maximum tensile 'stress in
.~oncrete reinforcement bar's shall not' exceed 16,000 pounds. per
square inch.
(f) Steel in Compression. The compressive stress' in
the steel shall not exceed fifteen (15) times the compressive
stress of the encasing concrete.
(g) Ateel in Shear.' The shearing strength of the rein-
forcing steel' shall not be considered in the design of Reinforc-
ing Concrete ConstrUCtion.
REINFORCED CONCRETE DESIGN.
SLABS AND BEAMS. (a) THIOKNESS. .Slabs shall not be less
than four inches in thickness for floors and three and one-
half inches for. roofs.
(b).- TEE-BEAMS. Where adequate bond'between slab
and web of.beam,.ia provided, the slab may be considered as an
integral part of the beam provided its effective width shall
notTe'xceed on either s,id~'of the beam one-sixth of the span
length. of the beam.nor be ~Teater than six times the thickness
of the slab on either' side of the beam, the measurements 'being
take~ from edge.of web.
(c) - PLACING OF REINFORCEMENT". All reinJorceSent
shall be accurately located.and secured against displacement.
The reinforcement' for slabs shall not be spaced farther apart
than two and one-half times the thickness of the slab.
(d) - WEB REINFORCEMENT.. Members of web r~inforcement
shall be so designed as to adequately take. up thoroughout
their length all stresses not taken up by the. concrete, They
shall not be spaced to exceed three-fourths of the depth of the
beam in that portion where the web stresses exceed the allow-
able value of concrete in shear, Web reinforcement, unless
rigidly atta'ch~d, shall be'placed at right angles to the axis
of the beam and carried around the tension members,
USE OF FILLERS IN FLOOR CONSTRUCTION. When hollow tile,
concrete blocks or other acceptable fillers are used in any
.reinforced concrete floor construction, .the reinforced concrete
members of suc~ floor construction shall be designed in accord-
ance with the .provisions of this ordinance to take the entire
loadS, provided, however, that when the fillers..do not exceed
sixty per cent,, of the construction, not more'than two and
one-half inches of concrete shall'be required over the filler~..~.
"00LUMNS. (a) WITH LONGITBDINAL REINFORCEMENT ONLY, In
concrete columns, having no.t less than one-half nor more than
four per cent, of'Vertical reinforcement secured'~gainst displac~
ement by one-quarter-inch steel ties placed not farther apart
than fifteen diameters of the vertical rods nor more than twelve
inches, thw allowable load shall be five hundred pounds per square
inch on the concrete, plus seven thousand five hundred pounds
on the vertical reinforcement,
(b) - WITH LONGITUDINAL AND LATERAL REINFORCEMENT, Yn 'concrete
having not less than.one-half nor more than two per cent, of
hoops or spirals spaced not farther apart' than one-sixth of the
diameter of the enclosed column hot more than three inches,,
· and having not less than one nor more than f'cur per cent of
ve'~tical reinforcement', the allowable load shall be five
hundred .pounds per SqUare inch on the effective area.of the
concrete, plus seven thousand five hundred pounds per ·square
inch on the vertical reinforcemen~. plus a load per square inch
on the effective area of the concrete equal to two. times the
percentage of lateml reinforcement multiplied by the tensile
stress in the lateral reinforcement prescribed by working stres~
es hereinbefore provided, the percentage of lateral reinforce-
ment bein'g the volume of the hoops or spirals devtded by the
'~olume of the enclosed concrete in a unit length of column.
The hoops or spirals shall be rigidly secured-to'at least
four verticals to insure uniform spacing'.
(C) - STRUCTURAL STEEL AND CONCRETE. In columns. of
structural steel, thoroughly. encased in concrete not less than
four inches thick and reinforced with not less than one per
cent'of steel, the allowable load shall be sixteen thousand
pounds per square inch on the structural steel, the percentage
of reinforcement being the volume of the reinforcing steel
divided by the 'volume of the concrete enclosed b7 the reinforcing
steel. 'Not' more than one-half of the reinforcing steel shall
be placed vertically. .The reinforcing steel shall not be plac-
ed nearer than one inch to the structural steel or th the out-
~e~ surface of the concrete. The ratio of length to least rad-
ius of gyration of st~tur'Al"Steel'' '
section.shall not exceed
one hundred and twenty...~..~
- 49 -
.(d) . WEN RICER CONCRETE IS USED. In concrete
columns the compression on the concrete ~n,ay be increased
twenty (20)~per cent when the fine and coarse aggregates
are carefully selected and the proportion of cement to
total aggregate..is. increased to one Part of cement to not
~Or~. than four and .one-half parts Of aggregate, fine and coarse,
either in the proportion of one'part of cement, one and One-half
parts of fin~ aggregate and three parts of coarse aggregate,
or in such proportions as will secure the maximum density.
In'Such cases, however, the compressive stress in the vertical
steel shall not. exceed seven thousand two hundred pounds .per
· square inch.
(e)'- EC'CENTRIC LOADS. Bending stresses=due to eccen-
tric' loads' shall be provided fop by increasing the section of
concrete or steel until the maximum Stress shall not exceed ·
the allowable working stress.
...(f).- LENGTH. .Iar-columns, the Patio of length to least
side or'diameter shall not exceed fifteen, but in no case
shall the least side or diameter be less than twelve inches.
WALLS. Enclosure walls of reinforced concrete shall
.be sucurely anchored at all floors. The thickness shall not
be less than one-twenty-fifth of the unsupported height but
in no.case less than eight inches. The steel reinforcement,
running both horizontally and vertically, shall be placed
near both faces Of the wa-ll; the total weigh~ of such reinforc-
ement · shall be not less than one-halfgound-.p~ squabe.T'oot.l-L6f.wall.
PROTECTION OF'REInFORCEMENT.' The reinforcement in
columns and girders Shall be protected by a minimum of two
'inches of concrete; in beams and walls by a minimum of one
an~ one-half inches; .in floor'slabs by a minimum of one inch.;
and in footings by a minimum of four inches of'concrete.
LOAD TESTS.
..... ~..~.~._...
The builder may b'e' required to make load
tests 8n any portion of a reinforced concrete structure with-
in a reasonable. time after erection. The tests shall be made
under the direction of the ', t..~:I~jp~ctOp ~f buildings, and
shall show that the Construction will .sustain .safely a load c~""'
one and three-quarte~s times the live load for which i~ was
designed.
RULES. The rules goverming reinforced concrete in
bUilding .const~U'ction, heretofore adopted by the city council,
· so .far as ~hey are Consistent with the'provisions of this
.ordinance, shall remain effect'ive until amended'or repealed
by th_Le City Oou~cii.
PLAT' SLABS. - .Flatslabs shall be designed by one of
the following..Standard:-omethods. "~~~
1. - Drop'Construction aS designed by Bureau of Build-
ing .Inspection, Philadelphia.
-'Design according to the Chicago Ruling.
' " " " " AmeriCan Concrete Institute.
4"' " " " " Pittsburgh Ruling
~ Akine'System of two way reinforcement or other
'standard.systems of de~g~. ...... '.- -' .......... · ........ ..
ALLOWABLE STRESSES AND SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR MASONRY. )..
-. (a) - Allowable stresses in pounds per square inch on
plain concrete· and stone masonry shall not exceed the following: lABS.
Caursedrubble Portland cement mortar ..... 200
Ordinary rubble Portland cement mortar -
..... 100
Ooursed rubble lime mortar
Ordinary rubble lime mortar
First -class granite masonry, Portland cement mortar .... 600.
First-clSss lime and sandstone masonry, Portland cement
mortar - - ~ - 400
Portland cement ~oncrete 1-2-4 mixture, machine mixed -'/- - 400
Portland cemen~ concrete 1-2-4 mixtu~e~ hand mixed ..... 550
Portland cement concrete 1- 2~-5 mixture, machine mixed - -- 350
Portland cement concrete 1-3-6' mixture, machine mixed - - - 300
Portland cement concrete 1-$-6. mixture, hand mixed - - - - - 250
Natural cement concrete 1-2-5 mixture ........... 150
(b) - Allowable compression in pounds pe~ square 'inch
On brick masonry shall nor exceed the followinng:
No. 1 paving br~ck, 1 part Portland cement., 3 parts torpedo
sand ...................... 350
No. ~ pressed brick and sewer brick, ~mortar same as refered
to above ........ . .......... 280
. No. ~ hard common select brick, Portland cement mortar,
same as referred to above .... 200
No..~ hard common select.brick, 1.~pa~t=~portland, 1 part
lime, ~ sand as referred to above ......
No. ~ co~m~on brick, all grades, Portland c_ement mortar - - -
No. 6 common brick, all grades, good lime and cement mortar-
No. V common brick, all grades,
No. 8 common brick, all .grades, good lime mortar .- ......
(c) - Brick under Nos. 1 and 2 shall not crush at' l'eSs than
5,000 pounds pressure per square inch of gross area.·
(d) - Brick under nos. S and 4 shall not Crush a't less than
2,300 pounds pressure. per square inch of gross area.
(e) - Brick under Nos. 6, 8, 7, and 8 shall not crush at
less than 1,800 pounds pressure per square ~nch of gross area.
'Sand· lime brick of this crushing strength may be used where
natural cement mortar - -~·~ 160
100
common brick is permitted.
(f~ - Isolated piers of concrete, brick, or masonry shall
not be higher ~han six times their smallest'·dimensions unless
the above unit of stresses are reduced according to the follow-
ing ~o'lmula: . . ..
H
P equals O '(.1.26 minus )
20D
In which formula
.~"is the reduced'all~wedunit stress.
C ig"tHe'Unit s. tress in the above table.
H is the height of the pier· in feet.
D is the least dimension of the pier in feet.
(g).- No pier shall exceed in height twelve times the
least dimension. Weight of pier shall be added to other loads
in computing load coming on the pier.
ALLOWABLE STRESSES P0R MASONRY.
' -". 'PYREPR00FING.--
SECTION
For the .purpose 'of fire-protection,
reinforcing steel
shall be protected by the following minimum thickness.
One and one-half (14') inches in columns~ "' ':" ''z
Reinforced steel ~ot protected as specified above,
Shall not .be considered.as adding to the strength of the con-
struction.
SYSTEM.
SECT ION 56 ·
a. - No reinforced concrete construction shall be used
unless capable 'of mathematical analysis in aC..e~dance"'with the
established.principals of mechanics.
.~~. -'..Where special wystems of reinfOrceSent are'to be
constructed, the designing formulas.shall be filed with the
InSpector of Buildings, in.order that they.may bethoroughly
..~. investigated by him to ascertain w~erher .t~e working stresses·
are in accordance with the requirements. of'thiS Ordinance.
SECTION 57.
MIXTURE FOR REINFORCED CONSRETE.'WORK.
Methods shall be used' which will secure at all
.times _~eparat.e and uniform measurements of·cement, fine aggre-
--gat.e'-i-cou~se ·aggregate a~ wate~'~ .... ..7 ..... f.--:-.: ..... 'f--.". ---
b_..- The mixing shall .be done in a batch machine mixer
of a type that will insure the ~niform dis~ributi.on of the mat,
:..Crisis throughout the mass', except ~ha't special permission may
"~:'~e ·given by the .inspector of Buildings foX~ mixing' small quart-
titles of concrete by hand.· For machine mixing, the mixing shall
Continue for a~ least one minute after all the materials are
placed in the mixer. When mixed by hand, cement.and sand shall
£irst be mixed dry, turned at least three (S) times, or to'a.
uniform 'Color, the course aggregate then being added and mixed
'to a uniform color, the water then gradually added and turned at
least three times, or ~tntil the mass has a~tained ~ unifoPm
consistency.'
c. - In all cases the materials shall be mixed as
dry as will. procure a Concrete of such consistency that it
Will flow sluggishly into the forms about the metal reinforce'
ment.
d. - When concrete is conveyed or transported by any
means'~fr'om the .mi. xer to the forms, suitable precaution must .be
taken·to prevent segregati6n of the course and fine materials,
or to remix them before placing the concrete in the forms.
e. - The pe:hi~ing of mortar or concrAte that has partly
set will not Zbe permitted.
CEMENT, SAND AND INERTS.
· SECT ION 58.
a. - Cement; Cement shall be Portland cement which
conform to-the Standard Specifications of the/American Soc-
iety for~'Testing Materials adopted to become effective January 1.
1917, ~ith subsequent amendments effective Janusry 1, 1921.
: The Inspector of Buildings shall have authority to req-
uire the contractor to furnish a certificate of test made by a
repUtable,.competent and disinterested tester of the cement to
be used.
The test shall be made in accordance with the
Standard Specific'~tions and Tests for Portland Cement adopc-
.ted by the American Society for Testing Materials effective
..January 1, 1917, with subsequent amendments. effective January
1,-1921. Cement shall meet the requirements of this section,
but cement that has passed the V-day tensile test. may be used without
waiting for the 2B-day test. Cement that has failed to pass
the V-day tensile test shall be held awaiting the result of the
28-day test. before it is rejected.
The minimum.t~nsile strength of br'iquettes of one
square inch cross sect'ion made with one (1) part Cement and'
three (3) parts standar~ sand by weight shall be 200 pounds
at V-days (1 day in moist air, 8 days in water) and 300 pounds
at'28-days (1 day.in moist air, 2V days in wa~e~).
b. - Fine aggregate. Th~ fine aggregate shall be
clean, c.oarse and well graded., ~
All particles must pass through a four-mesh screen,
seventy '(V0) per cent'by weight must be retained 'on a fifty-
mesh screen', and not more than seven (V) per cent.by weight
shall pass through a hundred-mesh screen.
The maximumSpercentage of clay or loam shall not
exceed seven and one-half (V!
2) per cent weight, and must not
be in the form of a coating on the coatset particles.
c..- COarse Aggregate. The coarse aggregate shall
consist of clean,. hard, broken stone, gravel, blast fUrmace slag or
siml'~i'~"materials, which will pass'through 'a screen having' open-
ings · one (1)'inch in diameter, and will not pass.through a
screemjhaving openings one-fourth
~ inch in diameter.
..~- d. - Mixed Aggregate. Crusher-run stone, bank-run
'~" avel or mixtures of fine and coarse aggrega~e..pr~pared
"~]f.ore dllevery'shall not be used without re~sC'reening and grad-[
No aggregate will be permitted which has .~A$~,.ln suf-
· fiCient amount~ or of such character,.as to prevent the cement
from obtaining a proper bond.
STEEL IN CONCRETE.
SECTION 59.
" Samples of each size of steel .shall be tested by an
· approved testing laboratory, and certified copies of all such
~ tests shall be filed'.with the Inspector of Buildings'.
Reinforced steel shall comply with the "Standard Spec-
ifications!' for concrete reinforcing bars adopted by the
American Society for Testing Materials as revised in 1914.
-' The Inspector of Buildings may requir~ the contractor
to make, or cause to be made, bending tests in 'the field on
all grades of reinforcing'steel when, in his opinion, there.
is any doubt as to whether the reinforcing steel is up to
standard of these regulations.
These bending tests shall be those specified. in the
above mentioned "Standard Specifications".
SECTION 60.
Before placing concrete all forms shall be thoroughly
.cleaned out..
In filling in concrete around reinforcing steel, the
concrete must be worked continuously with suitable.tools as
it is put in place.
Concrete for columns must not be placed so rapidly as
to interfere with thorough and satisfactory working of the
-~. ~ ncrete into place. '.
Concrete subject to premature dryi'ng shall be kept
· wet during the first week after it is put in place.
When work is suspended the Joints shall be located-a~
follows:
For columns, at the underside of.girders or the under-
side'of capitals.
For girders, at a point midway between supports, unless
a beam should occur at this point, in which case the Joint
shall be offset a distance equal to twice'the.width of the
bee/he -
For slabs, at the center of the span.
Joints in columns, girders and beams shall be perpen-
dicular to the' axis, and in floor slabs perpendicular to the
planes of their surfaces.
Before wor~ is'resumed the concrete perviously placed
shall be ro~ghened, cleaned of all foreign material, thorough-
ly wetted, and' slushed with a mortar consisting of one part'
cement and not more than two parts fine aggregate.
Beams and girders shall not be constructed over columns
'W'i't~i~fft' permitting a pe~id'd of three' (3) hoUrS'to elapse tb
· provide for settlement and shrinkage.
When'beams are designed as tee-beams, the slab'shall
be .placed at the same time as the web.
The lateral spacing center. tO center of reinforcing
bars in beams and girders shall not be less than three
times the side or diameter of the harsh, and the clea~ vet
tical spacing between two layers o'f bars shall be not less than.
one (1) inch.
FREEZING EATHER.
SECTION 61.
When c~ncrete is placed in ~reezing weather the materials
· ' shall be properly heated, and such provision made that the
concrete shall be kept from freezing. untiI it has set and suf-
ficiently hardened.
CENTERING AND FORMS.
SECTION
All forms sh~ll be built in a substantial manner, with
joints such that no'. appreciable part of the mortar can escape
and.~l be so supported and braced that they will carry all
the imposed loads.
The bottom of all column.forms shall be so arranged
that the base of the column can be cleaned and .inspected immed-
iately p~ior to the placing of the concrete.'
Before removing the shores under any beam, girder or
.... sla'b--t~ columns suppo~t~f~g it~a~l be strippe~"'and ex~mined.
Placing concrete for columns. in chases left in masonry will
not be pe~nitt~d, except with the written'approval. of the
Inspecttot of. Buildings.
The time which shall'elapse before removing' centering
varies with the design of the structure, and with the con-.
dition of 'the concrete.
" Either the'shoring or reshoring shall remain in place
until the concrete is p~operl~ cured, and as long as may be
required for construction loads.
.In no' case shall the shores be removed from under
interior beams or girders in less than twenty'one
days. after.the concrete is palced.
Under favorable conditiOns'the shores under wall
girders may be removed in ten (10).days after placing concrete,
if the adjacent slabs are Properly'shored.
Ira slab has been previously properly reshored, the
centering may be removed'in seven (7~ days after the placing
of'the concrete. Either the 'shoring or reshoring shall remain
in pla~e not less than twenty~one ~21) days after the concrete
is placed.
Provided ample shores are. used to carry the full
..weight of the floor above, column forms may be removed in not
leas than three (3) days after concret~ is placed.
SPECIAL,NOTE - All forms unde~ concrete placed in free-
/zing weather shall remain until all evidence of frost are remov-
edfrom the.concrete and the natural'hardening of the concrete
has Proceeded to the point of safety.
.INSPECTION AND TESTS.
SEO.TION
A test may be required by the Inspector of Buildings as
to the carrying Capacity of any structure.
~. When reinforced concrete is used in construction'
the 'contracto.r shall provide for ,n~ have made such.tests
inspectio~ of" cement, inerts and steel aS is required by the
Inspecto~ of Buildings.
· . Before ·concrete is placed tixe contractor. shall notif. y
in writing the InspectOr of Buildl~.ngs the time at which he
intends to begin' placing concrete. '~"
SEGTION
P A R T VY:I I.
LOADING ASSUMPT IONS.
shall
WEIGHTS OF MATERIALS: The weight of various materials
be assumed to be as follows:
:Pounds per ~'
Brickwork Ordinary
Brickwork - Pressed Brick . ..............
Concrete - Cinder, used fo~ floor arches
Cubic
120
130
Foot.
Concrete -
Concrete -
or slabs well tampe~. ..... ,..
cinder, used for filling,'not
tamped .......................
stone or gravel. ......... ....
Granite bluestone and marble
Limestone.... ............................
Sandstone ............................... .
Oakeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Spx~ce and Hemlock ~ '
White Pine '
Yellow Pine Dense ·
Yellow Pine, Sound ·
Maple
Birch .....................................
108
60
144
170
160
145
50
~5
43
45
~5
BEARING POWER OF SOILS.
SECTION 65.
Rock....~ ........................
Gravel, compact ...................
Sand, clean and compact ..........
Clay on thick beds, always dry...
Clay on thick beds, Moderately dry
Sand, clean and dry ...............
Dry earth.. ........................
10 to 200 tdns per s q. ft.
4 to .." 6 " " " "
~ to 6 " " " "
2 to.~ 4 " " " "
2 tO 4 " " "
FLOOR LOADS.
SECTION 66.
Each floor of every building shall be of sufficient
Strength in all its pets to bear safely the. weight to be im-
posed thereon, in addition to the dead loads. Thedead load
shall be taken as the actual weight of the floors, walls, roofs,
partitions and all permanent.conStruction. The live load, all
other loads than dead loads. All partitions which are s,ufject
to removal or rearPangement shall be considered as live loads.
All floors shall safely support a minimum live load
per square foot of area as specified in the following table:
CLASS OF BUILDINGS.
Live Loads
Pounds per square foot
G~ound and Upper
Lower floors Floors
"F~a~d~, lt'~t' "~fi~"~bW~r '~lants,
Printing and lithographing houses,
railroads freight depots ................ 250
Warehouses ' "
...::' ...................................... 250
· --' . . . -. e,~- --'~. -:~~~:
· ..,~ ... ~~-.~.~.. L..: ~., '~ ~_ .~ ~.: ?~:.(~.~ ........-....~.~ .......
250
250
Live Loads
Pounds'per s!quare foot
Ground and Upper'
Lower floors Floors
Car Barns, garages ......... . .................. 150
150
Ball rooms, dance halls, exhibition build-
ings, factories, gymnasiums, work shops,
lofts,'markets, stables, stores, public
halls and restaurants · 125
' ,e-eeeee.e~eeeeeeee _....
';. .;j
Office Buildings..-..- .... · ............. j.~;.- ......
'Churches, libraries,. museums, theatres ..... 75
Schools and Colleges ' 75
125 ..
60
75
Asylums, club houses, detention buildings, ,-. '..:...
dormitorieS, ~ospitalS, hot.els~, lodge-
roomS, lodging' houses 75
· .Tenement houses and dwellings
4O
Sidewalks ' 150
STAIR AND STAIR LANDING LOADS.
SECTION 67.
All sta!rs~...platforms, landings,.baiconies and s~tair
" hal~.j~j.~2, shall.be of.'s~f!cient'-strength to sustain safely·
a";~ive l~ad of.not' less than 100.pounds per' s~uare ~oot for in-
terior construCtiOn,. and 150"pounds ~er square foot for e~terior
:. construction, with.a factor.of safety of four'in each case.
ROOF LOADS.
SECTION 68. .-
Every rG~ Wi~h a of less than 20 degrees with "
:~he horizontal'Lshall'be proportioned'to. hear safely a'live load
of 30 pounds Per' square foot of surface~ If the pitch of a
· ~o~f is 20 d~gr~es or more, the .live load shall be assumed to
=
.be 20 pounds'per square foot of roof surface 'c6nSidered as
- 6~ -
acting nominal to the surface.
SECTION 69,
COLUMN LOADS.
Every col~m~. post or other vertical support.shall be.
of s~fficient'=Stpengt~ to bear'safely the'comBined li~e and.
dead loads transmitted to it.
In buildings more than' five stories in height, the foi-
l'owing reductions are prem~ssible: "'
-. FOr columns supporting each sucCeeding'floor, a reduct-
ion of. 5 per ce~t of the.total live load per floor may be made,
but .the total'dedU~tion shall not exceed 50 per-cent.
-. No'reduction of live load"on columns shall be. Permitted
ih buildings whereethe assumed £1oor load is more than.120
pounds per square foot, and is 'likely to'.be permanent in char-
acter as in warehouses, printing houses, maching shops, et'c.
For structures carrying ·machines., such as cranes, .con-
veYor~,'.printing ~re'sses, etc., at least 50 per cent shall be
added to the stresses for live ioa~s"'-"to ~ovide'Eor.'~ffe'ct of
impact'and vib~ati~n's. '.' .... :
SECT 0N. V0..
WIND .P.-RESSURE,
All 'buildings or parts of buildings'in ~hich the height
i~ more than three times. the minimum horizontal dimension shall.
be designed to resist a horizontal wind pressure in any direct~n
of 20 pounds for every s~Uare foot of exposed surface. Wind
..... .~. ..... ~.- ..... = ....=.~ ..... '~
bracing shall be ~'o~ided by. making. the connection joint between
girders and Columns sufficient for'the vertical.load as.well as
-65.
-tl~e .bending due' to' Side· pressure~; or diagonal..bracing shall· be-
· '~laced between.' ~-oiUmns, proportioned tO transfer the ·Shear of 'the
side p~eSsure .-t6'th~'i f~otings. ~11 d~tailS' Shall.be designed
'to carry' tl~e 'streSSes' .'in .the main members.
· . The -overturn'i'ng 'moment. ~ue ...to. wind pressure shall no~'~
exceed 60 per' cent',. of' the~ moment 'of"stability o'~..the Structure
Unl · S S ' the. S .tru d tUre i ~ ". se Cure ly .anchored' to. 'the'. fou ndat ion '.
· he 'anChors 'shall 6e 'of~ &u~ficien~ s. trnegth to '. ~afely carry ~the
excess 'overturning mo'~ent,. without e~ceeding' the' allowabl~-'u~'it
stress given· in this Or~di na'nce. " .. '-" -
· When the stress due.. to the. Wind in any membe'r~Of con-
nection amo'unts ~0 less than 80 .per cent of the total' live and
~dead. loads, it. ~may be' 'negTec:ted. "' .V~h~enj'the 'S~ress due' .to the
wind exceeds 50 l~er .Cent of the stress' 'dUe t6 the combine~ live
.and dea.~. loads',""a~'l these Stresses. 'shall be'. 'add~' ~ogether and'
the' allowable unit .Y:.stress for"tHe~ t'6tal~ may be taken at ' 8o' per
cent:'in excess of the 'values all.oWed fCmvarioU~S'~'m~terials as
defined .by" this Ordin. ance'.. In no" case. shall 'the: 'section be '
less th.an-reqUiretiT. or 'the' live a~id dea~ loa. ds~.
" ' .'" ' .. T.' '°' · '
:' · '- '- ': ... ~.~ ~ y .,._-_~ -.. ~...: . ~ .'. l'
........ ~.. ..... .~ _ '.'. ~.~ .... -.~..~j~..'.~j*7.~ ~=.~.'j...._'...._-. ~ ~..,-L_L~' ..~. . ~ ........... · ..-. _.
· : ..... ~. - .o.,~- .~.
- 66 '
SECTION'·
PART IX.
EXCAVAT IONS' 'AND FOOTINGS.
SECT ION V2.
· j0i. ninE 1.and, buildings,.street, all~yS and'.~idewalks by ~nder-
'.'pining~ c.ribbi~'o~..shOring 'Or.~uCh'b~her.device 'as. will preven~
all Settling,~crac'king or'.damage whatever..
"' .The'foOtings fop the:.'foundation walls, piers and-columnS
shall. be'-constru.cted. of maSOnry or 'reinforced ConCrete',.' oP o£
steei:griiiag~"beamS'-~esting on a.bed.'of concrete~ .. '~' '.
.Footings .shall be-so desig~ed'tha~·.t~ l-cadS ~hey s~stain
Per ~ni~'. ~f.. Area .:sha-il. be aS .nea~!Y unifQrm ~s possible and the
.Stress~',shall c6nf0r~n.to the ·requirements .of~ this"Ordi, nance.
'Th6 dead loads carried'by. ~h~-foo~.ings shali inClude°the 'actual
*e~ight~'of the' s~per~structUre and .f'oundatio~s 'd6wn .~o-t~e-bottom.
of the. f0otin S. .All~ tanks or.·other receptacles fo~ liquids ~hall
All ·footings Shall-be Carried'tO .virgtn...so~l.
· L .
- 67 -
j
'All."excaV~tio.ns shal'l be' broperiy. guarde.d and protected,
aS.'Pre'sc~ibed.bY' tb? IndUstrial Acc'i'den~ Com~ission's Safety
o~ders.' .. : '.
'-".--" EVerY. pers6n, firm Or corpo~ati'on ~caVat.ing for '~he pur-
poS.e of laySrig'the.foundation .gf any building,..o~ fo~.any .other
-- p~rpose"what'ev~r, shall support. And 'protect from. damage all a~-
SECTION
, SPECIAL. ~P nO-ViSION S RELATING · TO 'THE'- -CO N~TRUC~TION
Capr~ing'ai~ floor loads and all. walls from-the thir~-~.loor'up.
'~: ."."' ·Class "'A" ··buildings in'Which .the he'fgh~ d8es not'exceed.
86 feet 'may h'ave the exterior. wall.· ~ :bear'ing 'wdii carrying .th~'-".~.i.~.'-.
adJ'~cent floor ..loads, or the eXter'f~r-wall m~· be a 'self-supp~tin~-
· L-..cUrta~n~'~a-i'!-wit~out.openings,~ the 'floOr· loads 'L~etng 'ca~v~eLd 0n.
· '. ?C01ums. built i-n"-~he. Wall Oas~ 'iron col~"'ma~ ~ ~Sed' in'sUch
ing-for pdblic".aS~emblag~ reqUi-~'ed'to be fireproof,. be constructed
without 6olns= built 'into·· the ·exterior walls which colurns may
SECT ION 7.4,
SECTION 75~
SECT ION. 76 ~'
carrythe floo~ load only.
LIMIT ING ~D ISTANCES...
.No pant of the metal of any column. except'connections and
beams.s~PPorts. shall be 'lesS. than four inches from. the outside of
any e'Xterior'~all. Portions. of the frame supp6rting wails' shall
not be less in. width than one?half the'width of.the wall. and 'the
sUPPOrting part-~hal~.proj-ect to'within'two.inches Cf ~he.out~'
"'face of the wall, "'
".. ' ..... TIE RODS. .:.
· Tie ~ods'-shall connect.all beams where the floob con-
strueti.on gives ~tse to a thrust.'Rods.s-hallbe proportioned to.
the'.thl~S~ and shall' have nuts o~ t~rn-buckles fo~ adjustment.
" ~IETAL FRONTS~' CORNICES~' FIRE WALLS ROOF TRUSSES.
Cast iron.or metal fronts may be.p~aced in. front o~ col-
umns of the steel" frame; Provided'the. latten.are.f~lly fi~eproofed.
· ~' .....~.'~..:~-.~. ~-' ............. L .... ~ -~ -~i__~. ' ~_~= .... -. ." ..,.. ~..._ ., ......~'--.- . .... =- . ,
.-. Brackets supporting overhanging'cornices,. belt covni.ees,-
and other p~ojections Shall be attached'to.t~e.s'teel frame'.
'-Supporting br~'ckets shall be' metal' within the.fire limits.
SECTION
Parapet and fire walls shall~ if over three f~et high,
above roof, be connected to the steel frame which must be ex,
WIND BRACING.'
In buildings over one hundred and two. feet high,'or
where the height exceeds three times the least horizontal dim-
ension, the following provisions of this section shall apply:
The steel or concrete frame shall be designed to resist
a wind force of 20 pounds per square foot actin~ in any direction
· upon'the entire exposed surface.
The combined dead load, live load, and wind load stress
shall not exceed the permissible dead'and live load stress by
more than ~3 1/~%.
In·no case shall the overturning moment due to wind
exceed-80 per conrum of the moment due to the wieght of the
structure. A~I exteriorwall girders shall·have knee-bracing
connections to columns. Provisions shall be made for diagonal,
portal.or knee-bracing to resist wind stresses, .and such brac-
ing shall be continuous from top sto~y to and including basement.
SECTION ~8.
~he steel frame shall be of masonry, or reinforced concrete.
Where self-supporting walls are used they shall be of brick or
- 69 -
plain concrete.:"All walls'Shall be anchored to frame at 'spaces
not exceeding 5 f~ety with'.3/4 inch anchors with 6'inch square
. eads, .'. ·
Outside of the'fire limits'sheet metal may be'used in
bUildings~ used for purposes of manufacture other than wood-
workfng~..
BRICK WALLS.
SECTION
Brick Walls when supported'on the'steel frame or in
'the first and Second story, .shall be at least 13 inches thick
unless' reinforced, except that'if used in the basement they
shail be 1V inches thick. 'Stone or tetra cotta veneer shall
'not be counted.part'of this thickness. If the height of a
supported w~ll exceeds 24 feet or the area between s~pporting
girders'and columns exceeds 400 square feet the thickness shall
be made' 1V inches..-
Self-supporting curtain walls of brick built in between
columns supporting floor'loadS may be used in Class "A" build-
ings Of a he~grht.not over 86'feet. Said curtain walls shall
21 inches thick. in basement, 17 inches thick for a height of 46
feet above the first floor and 13 inches ~hick for the remainimg'
heights' No openings shall be made in curtain walls. -.~"
' Self-supporting bearing walls of brick may.b'e~S.~d in
.. 2
shall be of a thickness as given ~ Section./~'of this O~din-
ance relating to Class "C" buildings... S~ehfwalls may b~ used to
;,.-~. .... ~....'. '.~.'..
carry adjacent floor iOadA,"provided that the adjacent interior
column is not more.than 20 feet from the bearing wall.
REINFORCED CONCRETE WALLS.
SECTION-80..
'Walls of reinforced concrete shall be permitted in Class
"A" buildings provided they be constructed--in accordance with
the requirements of Reinforced C~ncrete Construction, except
that they shall· be supported on'steel columns and beams instead
of reinforced concrete.
Concrete made with broken brick or terra·cotta or cin-
ders instead. of broken Stone will be permitted in class "A"
buildings.
CONCRETE BLOCK WALLS.
SECTION 81.
Ooncrete blocks shall be of dense concrete with courses
not over 12 inches high','·'except in ornamental cO~ses. Walls
shall be a~'l~as°t 12 inches thick. Blocks shall be of concrete
at least 2 inches thick at all parts,. and shall be made inter-
locking and set in Portland Cement Mortar. The area of opening
in blocks shall not exceed 1/3 of the·total cross sectional area
of the block. Walls. shall be supported on'the frame at each
floor level.
- 71 -
TERRA COTTA.
SECTION 82.
Tetra cotta blocking may be used in'outside walls and
in courts.· On outside walls it shall be set in cement mortar
and tied·to the ~teel frame by anchors of at least one-half inch
diameter round iron.
Window mullions of tetra cotta shall have a vertical
steel member enclosed and connected to the steel frame.
Tetra cotta blocks shall be set in c6urses not over
12 inches deep except in ornamental courses. Walis shall be
at least twelve inches thick and supported on the steel frame
at each floor level.
LIGHT COURT AND VENT SHAFT WALLS AND OPENINGS.
SECTXON
The walls of all outer courts and shafts and lot line
cou~ta. and shafts and of all courts and shafts the area of which
exceeds 50 square feet shall be of the same construction as
the.outer walls of the building.
- ~... ..... r.. '.:-"'~'.L.- '.'.._ '~' -~..
The walls of·all other courts and shafts of an area less
than 50 square feet may be of the same construction as ~lowed
for partitions but·they. must be plastered on the 5utside.
SECTION 84.
· FLOOR A_ND ROOF CONSTRUCTION.
The structural part of·floors and roofs may be built of
tetra cotta~' brick, stee~ ,or' of concrete made of stone, broken
brick, cinders or Other concrete. The slabs or arches shall be
proportioned to carry · loads 20 per cent greater than required
for the supporting .steel beams of the frame.
TERRA COTTA FLOORS.
SECTION 85.
Segment floor arches built of tetra Qottaahall have a
rise not less than 1 inch for each foot of spans. No arch
shall be less t~an 6 inches thick.
Arches shall be constructed so that the key block
shall fall in the center and .the 'shells and webS' always abut
against each other.
Flat arches shall not be less than one and one-half
inches deep for each foot of span, exclusive of the portion
o~ the block projecting below .the underside of the beams.
REINFORCED CONCRETE FLOORS.
SECTION 86.
Floors of reinforced concrete 'built in conformity with
the requirements for reinforced construction.
No slab of stone concrete shall be less than four inches
thick except roof slabs which may be 3 inches thick.
Floors of special design must be Submitted to the Inspect-
SEOTION 87.
FEEPR00FING.- GENERAL.
All parts of the steel frame including cast iron col-
~lmns shall be covered with fireproofing. The firepro0fing
shall be m ntinuous and no'pipes, wires or cables shall be'
laid in the fireproofing of columns or other structural members
nor shall any fireproofing be cut to allow the :'~ssage of any.
-- pipe' or due% through any part except floor slabs.
· ~.- In roofs where space. is left between the-~eiling and
roof beams, fireproofing may be omitted from the steel frame,
except around columns, and where columns project above the roof
they shall be fireproofed, but this shall not apply to the ex-
posed beam supporting tanks,etc.
COLUMN FIEPR00FING.
SECTION 88.
All columns shall be protected~at ~ 1. places with a
layer of concrete, brick, terr~ cotta, or metal lath and plaster.
If of concrete the fireproofing shall be of such thickness as
to fill all outer spaces of the columns and to extend at least.
three inches outside of the extreme metal of the columns.
Concrete may be made of broken Stone,'broken brick,. broken
tetra cotta or cinders, no part of which shall be. over one inch.
in m'a~or dimensions.
A mesh°Of'm~ta~'i~th or other form of metal.reinforcement
shall be placed.in th~e concrete.not less than one inch fromj~.~T~]'..
t f '.'..... ...... . ,.'- '.'.~ . ....
the outer'surfaCe thereof. IE'the fireproofing.'is made, of
tetra. cotta it maybe of either dense, semi-porous or porous
blocks not less than four inches thick. A space of one inch
Shall be left between the'metal of column and'the inside of
the te~a cotta, which space shall,be filled with concrete
grouted in.
Tetra cotta shall be set in cement mortar and the
blocks fastened with metal ties of approved pattern.
If the fireproofing be of brick it shall be at least
2-3/4 inches thick Outside of the column metal and set in
cement mortar. The main reentrant portions of the column
shall also be filled with brick.
If the firepr0ofing be of metal lath and plaster it
shall be of the double foms. Lath shall be strapped around
the steel column and plastered wi~h cement mortar or'hard wall
plaster. 'A second sheathing of lath shall be placed outside
of the first,'separated. therefrom by an air space of at least
one and one-half inches. The outer sheathing of lath shall be
rigidly Supported by the--column and covered with cement mortar.
A'~aTtition .Will be considered as a substitute'for the
outer sheathing.'
FIEPROOFING OF BEAMS AND GIRDERS.
'Fireproofing.of'the floor beams, girders and other
parts. of.the steel frame shall be made in the same manner as,
specified for columns except that all steel shall be covered
at least two' inches i'n its extreme parts.
Soffits of .beams and girders protected .by concrete'
shall have'a metal mesh embedded in 'the concrete and bent around
t~.flanges. of the beams as a support.
If such fireproofing be of tetra cotta, the' concrete
filling required on columns may be omitted around beams . . .
girders. Solfits of beams shall be protected by at.least two
inches of tetra cottas which shall'be'locked into.the arches
or around the flanges of the beams. ..
Partitions may be built of brick, solid concrete, rein-
forced concretes metal lath and plaster on-metal studss tetra
cotta, plaster blocks or other forms approved by the InSpector
of Buildings.'
No partitions, shall rest upon a wooden floor,'but must
be carried down tO the incombustible material'below.
Brick partitions shall be lai~ as walls and the thickness
shall not be ·less than 8 inches.
Solid plain concrete partitions shall.not be less in
thic..~..e~$ than 1/30 of the height.
Reinforced con~r~te partitions shall· not. be-less in
thickness than 1/60 of the height.
Plastered.partitions shall have a base of metal studs
and metal lath. Up to a .height of twelve feet solid partitions
two inches thick·with one layer of 'lath may be used. For
greater height studs with two layers of lath shall be used.
The-depth of the studs"sh~ll '~'~'t"ieast 1/80 Of"~He".He[ght of
the partitions.
· No grounds for fastening wooden parts shall be inserted
in the' plaster which must be continuous from floor to ceiling.
Tetra cotta partitions shall have the blocks set in
cement lime mortar and fastened with. iron clips. Thickness of
tetra cotta shall be at least 1/40 of 'the height of partitions~,
provided, however, that where galvanized wire cloth,. 2~
s meshes
to the inch of No. 20 wire or galvanized expanded metal lath
of 28 guage is used on eachcourse of tetra cotta,'the full
length of partitions', the thickness shall be' at least 1/80 of
the height of partitions. When interlocking tetra cotta tile
is used, metal clips. and wire mesh reinforcement may be omitted.
Plaster blocks partitions shall be built of solid
plaster blocks of a thickness at laast 1/40 of the height
of partitions and dowelled at top and bottom of each block.
SECTION 90.
CEILINGS.
Ceilings shall be made of reinforced concrete, tetra
cotta tile, metal lath and plaster or other approved fo~ms.
If of reinforced concrete or tetra cotta tile, the provisions
relating to floors shall apply. If the ceilings be of metal
lath and plaster the lath shall be suspended from the floor or
ceiling beams by a rigid frame work, to which-the lath shall be
f'i~nly applied.
SECTION 91.
PART XI.. .
SPE-C~IAL' PROVISIONS RELATING TO THE CONSTRUC~IOI~ OF
CLASS "B". '~"SUI'~D'INGS.
Class "'B" buildings shall .have. a' complete ~.~ of col-
eus, girders, and beams made of reinforced concrete. The st~c-'
rural parts of the f~ooPs shall be of-reinfoPced concrete a~d the
walls my be of reinforced concrete oP masonpy. 'Steel Pool
t~s~es const~cted in accoPdance with the PequiPement.s fop Class..
"A" buildings shall be petitted in Class "B" buildings.
SECTION 92.
PLOOR AND ROOF SLABS.
The general provisions as to design S Ail held. for floor
and roof slabs,· which shall be of reinforced cone.fete. No floor
slab shall ·be less ~han ~" thick. No roof slabs shall be less
than ~ inches. thick.
WIND-BRACINGi
SEGTION 95.
'The provisions of Section 77 of this ordinance
relating to Glass "A"'~uilding~ shall ap~ly to class" ibuild-
~.ng~., and in. addition the reinforcing of columns-shall be con-
nected so as! to develop its. full strength .in tenaion.
SECTION
WALLS.
Walls of 'Class ."B" buildings may be built as provided
in s.ctions ._ inclusive Of this Ordinance relat-.
lng to Class "A" buildings, and provided that self-supporting
curtain or exterior walls of bri~k may not be used for build-
· . ings exceeding four stories in height.
REINFORCED CONCRETE WALLS.
SEOTION 95.
Reinforced concrete walls shall be at least six inches
thick.
If the area of wall surface included between any two
· -
adjacent wall columns and adjacent floor girders exceeds 350
square feet and is less than 500 square feet, the thic.kness of
the wall shall not be less than eight inches, where the area is
over 800 but less than 600 square feet the"thickness ·shall ~e
ten inches. If the area embeds 600 square feet, the wall thick-
ness shall not be less than twelve inches supported on the frame
-a~e. ach story..
.,.. Six-inch reinforced concrete curtain walls shall be
reinforced with steel equivalent'to 3/8" square bars 12" c-c
placed~.horizontally .and 3/8" square bars at 18" center to center
placed vertically. ~or eight, ten, and twelve-inch Walls the
steel as required above for 8" walis shall be increased 1~½
per cent, 25 per cent and 37! per cent respectively
apart.
and all reinforcement shall° . 'w~.L ed'.~7~ef&el% i~tersection..
All reinforcements shall be rigidly connected at columns and
girders. to the steel reinforcement of the ~"s~e.
No reinforcement shall be spaced more than 24 inches.
Additional reinforcement a·!i be placed around openings,
- V9 -
Concrete walls may be built in the fo~m ef ..bearing-wall.$
of Uniform s'ectioni and of same thickness required for brick.. :..~:..~.'~ ...-.~..
If walls are built of piers. and connection walls..,
..piers shall be calculated and constructed as columns, The con-
netting wall if built of reinforced concrete without windows,
may be considered as self-support..i_ng, in which case the thick-.
hess shall be six inches in the upper, 40 feet., 'followed by an
increase of three inches in thie~ness for every additional 40
feet in height.
~nen such walls are pierced by'openings for doors and
windows, the entire loads shall be concentrated on the piers
'which shall be-proportioned as columns,
PA~TITIONS AND CEILINGS.
SECTION 96.
PartitiOns and ceilings shall be constructed' in accord-
ance with the provisions 'of Section ~ and ~O .of this Ordim-
ance relating to Class "A'~ buildings.
SERVICE PIPES AND C~TTING OF CONCRETE OR REINFORCEMENT.
SECTION 9V.
C'onduits or pipes for conveying ~lectricity, air or
gas may be embedded in the concrete except in columns, provid-
'ed th~'y'are 'of shch~ size and so placed ~s' n~t t~jWe~k~n the'
structure or its fireprpofing in,.any way.
Pipes conveying liquid i~ any form are not to be em-
bedded in any part of the structural concrete exCept.as, may be
necessary to pass through floors and wal..ls. ~' ""'
No drilling into or cutting of the fireproofing or of
the steei reinforcing spirals, hoops, stirrups or rods in any
columns or beams for the purpose of ate. aching fixtures, hangers
· or for any'purpose which will in any way injure the concrete or
'reinforcing in same, is to be Permitted.
PART
SPECIAL PROVISIONS ELATING TO MILL.CONSTRUOTYON.
SECTION 98.
MILL OR SLOWBURNING CONSTRUCT I0N shall have
walls and heavy"timber interior c'onstruc'tion so arranged as to
avoid concealed spaces and .to expose the least number 'of corners
or projections of combustible material to fire. When metallic
s!tructu~al members· are used they shall be firefroofed as requir-
ed for fire-resistive construction.
F0 DATION WALLS.
SECTION 99.
Foundation walls shall be of hard burned brick or stone
laid in Cement mortar or of plain or reinforced concrete and
shall be insulated from moisture where necessary. Heavy machines
or machines causing strong vibrations shall be'sapported on found-
ations independent of those of the main building.
Q~ SIDE WALLS.
SECTION 100.
Outside walls shall be of-good hard burned brick, stone
laid in cement mortar or of plain or reinforced concrete.
Walls, excepting party or fire walls~ for. all build-
ings' ~0~'exceedin.~ five (5) stories or sixty-five (65) fe~ in
height shall have the upper two (2) stories not less than twelve
thickness for'
(12) inches thick, increasing four i4) inches in
each two (2) stories or ~raction thereof.below.
in excess of five (8) stories or sixty-five feet (68) in height
but not exceeding six (6) stories or seVenty-five (78) feet in
height, the top story shall be not less than twelve (12) inch.~.?':~'f'
thick, increasing four (4) inches for each two (2) stories or
.fraction thereof below, as per the following schedule for thick-
ness.of walls:
For buildings
No. of stories in buildings Basemeht 1 2 3 '4
One story ............................ · ....12 12
Two stories ........ ' ............ ~ ......... 16 12 12
Three stories .............. ·.. ............. 16 16 12 12
Fou~ stories ........................ ; .... 21 16 16 12 12
Five stories .............................. 21 21 18 16 12 12
Six stories ................. ... ............ 24 21 21 16 15 12
Seven stories ............................. 28'24 21 21 16 16
Eigh~ stories ................ . ............. 28 24 24 21 21 16
Nine stories .............................. 28 28 24 24 21 21
5 6 ? 8 9
12
12 12
16 12 12
16 16 12
be
at least
12
Minimum Thickness for all party or division walls shall
four inches thicker than outside same height.
Table for minimum thickness of party or Division. Walls:
No. ·of.stories in building BaSement 1
One story ' " ' 16 16
Two stories ' ' ' 21 16
Three torie
Four tories. ":- ' 24
Five stories ' 24
SiX stories' '
"eeeeeaee.e.eeee.oeeeeee.ee.e28
Seven stories ............................ 28
Eight stories,. .......................... 32
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
16
21 16 16
20 20 16 16'
24 20 20 16 16
24 24 20 20'1.6
28 24 24. 20 20
28 28 24 20 20
16
16 16
16 16
inc~ement shall exceed-thirty (30) feet in
exposed.to fire from without shall.be built up
(3)'.feet above roof, shall be properly coped.
to
No two (2) Story
-_ height.----- . ........
Walls
at least three
Exterior openings located.~ertically above one another
and not protected by approved automatic fire Windows or doors'
shall have not less than three. (3) feet of solid masonry bet-
ween the top of any opening an~ the bottom of the next one above.
No such window or opening shall be arranged to open within one
foot of the ceiling surface, but the wall construction between
the window or other opening and the ceiling may be replaced by
a fire window in fixed sash and frame.
Steel lintels over openings more than four (4) feet
wide shall be fireproofed.
Where main cut off sections adjoin so as to form an
angle, all windows or other openings of the side walls for a
distance not less than thirty (30} feet from the angle shall
be.protected inc..an appvoved manner unless the openings occur
in only one wall. Where minor sections, such as boiler or
engine houses adjoin, the above rule need apply to main sec-
tions of building only.
.. Where buildings-of different~ heights ~djpin, all win-
dows of the higher section above the roo~ o~ the lower section,
as well as. all windows within ten (10) feet of t~e fire wall
on each section shall be protected in an appr~ved manner.
All windows and other openings in side walls of build-
ings, for a distance of at least ten (10) feet each side of a
fire wall shall be protected with approved wire glass windows.
- 84 -
SECTION 101.
All cornices, inclusive of those on show windows,
and overhanging gutters of roofs shall be of incombust'lbl~
material and if not built as a part of the walls shall be
secured to the. walls with metal framing or anchors.
FIRE DIVISION OR PARTY W~LLS.
SECTION 10~.
Fire walls shall be built of hard burned brick laid
in cement mortar and not less than sixteen (16) inches in
thicknesS:, or of.reinforced concrete and shall have a parape~
not less than three (3) feet high. Parapets shall be not less
than twelve (12) inches thick if of brick, not less than eight
(8) inches thick if of'~Sncrete.
Fire or party walls which serve as bearing walls on
both sides shall be not less than sixteen (16) inches thick
in the upper two (2) stories, increasing four (4) inches'in
thickness for. each two (2)'stories or fraction thereof below.
No two (2) story increment shall be more than ~hirty (30)
feet in height.
Wooden beams entering walls from.oposite sides shall
have not less than eight (8) inches of masonry between the
ends or sides.of beams or between outside of wall and end of
' beamS" ' .... -- '~
All openings shall be protected on both sides by app-'
roved automatic or self-closing fire doors.
CORNICES.
HAZARDOUS ROOMS.
· SECTION 103.
Apartme~ or rooms used for automatic ~P~I~ shop,
machine shop, foundry or rolling mill, japanning, dipping,
baking or paint shop, wo0dworking, lUmber drying or fat boil-
'ing rooms, shall'be separated from the 6ther parts'of the build-
ing by standard fire walls, ceilings and floors,. and all com-
municating openings shall be covered by double fire doors,
using a standard self-closing fire door on one side and either
a standard automatic fire door or a standard automatic rolling
steel door on the other side 6f the wall.
ENCLOSURE WALLS.
SECTION 104.
Walls which serve a& enclosures for stairways, elev-
ators, belt or power drive towers, etc. shall be self-suStaining
and-.'-~-.~-inco~bustible material. All shaft walls carrying floor
loads shall be not less than twelve (12) inches thick.
Stairway enclosure walls in sprinkle~ed buildings
three (3) stories or less in height may be of steel or wooden
studs wl~h. spaces between filled in solid with incombustible
material such as plaster blocks or tetra cotta and covered
on both sides with three-quarter (3/4) inch thick cement plas-
ter on heavy metal lath. Such walls shall be not less than
five and one-half
inches in thickness over all, ~imilar
enclosures may be used for stairways connecting two floors only
even in unsPrindlered buildings.
All other enclosure walls shall have parapets and be
of thickness required for fire walls, except that where. the
.wall. is less than eight (8) feet in length and has~ no openings
and is only.one story in height, it may be of brick eight (8)'
inches thick.
All Stairway doors shall be self-closing approved
fire doors and shall not. obstruct the free passage in stair-
way. All other openings from the different floors shall be
equipped with approved automatic fire doors. No interior
windows .shall be'permitted.
All shafts shall have skylights of metal with thin
glass'and screen, o~ a window ·with metal frame and thin glaes
· may be.~aced in the side of the shaft furthesto'L removed fr'om
property line.
BASEMENT FLOORS.
SECTION 105.
Basement Floors shall be of cement or asphalt concrete
· on foundation of cinders or broken stone', planking thr.ee
inches thick imbedded in tar concrete having a 'top or wearing
surface over it, or creosoted wood blocks imbedded in pitch
or asphalt on a concrete base.
TIMBER FRAMING.
SECTION 106.'~=~'~- .......
All timber shall be planed smooth with exposed edges
rounded'or chamfered. They' shall be protected from moisture
during c onstPucti~n .and no paint or finish of any kind shall
'~'be applied before they are dry.. · ' · .-.~,'~:~'j~'~.·-~ ....·~ ··~···j,~j~·.· .,~. ·..q~._
- 87 - "'~"~' ' .. :~..~h.~:: - t.'-
...._
· .... .-..~'. -':~'.. _~,. '-'.,. ;: ....... ......,., .....:,.
Columns or posts shall be not. le. ss than eight.. (.8). ...~.....--.:-:....~...-.~.~?
inches nominal in their least d~n~On.. and shall .be
vided with iron or steel base plates. and superimposed through-
out 'all stories on 'steel or iron caps with brackets .. pintle
and base plates.
Ends o~ columns shall be squared to their axes and
treated with creosote or other' preservative compound. Wood
bolster may be used to support roof girders only. Steel col-
umns shall be fireproofed.
Girders and beams shall be not less than six (6)
· inches in their ~east dimension and shall have a minimum
cross section area of seventy-two (V2)'square inches based on
nominal sizes. Double stick timbers ~hall be bolted together
and contact faces shall be treated withpreservative'compound.
Girders and beams resting on masonry walls shall not
be sealed in but shall be provided with wall plates, or boxes
of an approved self-releasing type allowing-a ·one-half (½)
inch air space all around the end and shall have the bearing
surface protected by a piece of creosote 'saturated felt or
paper.
Ends of beams or girders. shall be fitted around or
butted up close to columns and shall be held in place by steel
or iron s, traps spiked. bolted or lag s~crewed on the sides un-
less the post caps have sides projecting Upwards which can
be lag screwed to the girders,. or beams.
'~'I~ermed~ate beams shall ~'t on top 'of'~g~i'~d era or
hung in steel Or iron hangers, the ends· fitted in and all
inter-stioes filled with a preservative compound.
Where plaster is to be applied to ceiling the tim-
bets shall be thoroughly dry before 'its application and the.
.~laster shall ~ollow the lines of the timbers without.
air space between the two surfaces. Plain lime mortar
plastering shall be used. The addition Of a skincoat or lime-
putty
coat shall not be permitted.
FLOORS.
SECTION 107.
The floors ~.hall have the least possible number and
amount of openings, and these shall be protected in an app-
roved mannel~.
The floors shall be not le.ss than 3 inches (nominal)
splined or tongued and grooved plank covered with 1-inch
(nominal) flooring laid crosSways or ~iagonally. Top'floor-
ing' shall not extend closer than 1/2 inch to'walls to allow
for swelling in case the floor becomes wet. This. space shall
~e covered by a moulding so arranged that it will not obstruct
movements of the flooring'.
I£' laminated floors are used, at least two laminations~
at the wall shall be omitted until after glazing~ and roofing
have been .completed.
· . '~l'wo thicknesses Of water-proof paper or saturated
felt (but no asbestos.) with sealing compou~..d shall be laid
between planking and the top flooring, and shall be turned
up at least 3 inches around the. posts: and at the sidewalls.
- 89 -
A coUnter-flashing of galvanized irq~ or a baseboar~ nailed
in place ~'ith the joints between. i~..,and .the floor cO.vered'
with a moulding.shall P~otect .~the ~ppe~ ends of-th~ wat~r-p.~o0.~.~.~''
.,.._. ~-...'/..,~ ..
A £aiVly smooth'surface'shall be.provided before .any
'water~pro0fing i~"laid, and't~e felt'or. paper shall'be laid break'~'~
· ing Joints, the JointS"cemented, and the surface mopped with a
wate. r~Proof. Sealing compound. The top flooring shall be laid·
immediately following the final mopping~
ROOF CONSTR~T ION.
SECT I0N '108 .. "
Roofs shall be plank and timber construction and either
flat with sufficient pitch for proper di~ainage or 'of ·saw-tooth form.
Timbers,-shall be·not iess..than six' (6) inches thick r'.nom-
thai' in their least· dimension. Roof plank shall be not less than
two and five-eigh.ts ('P. 15/8) inches thick in a single layer, .spltned
or tongued and grooved~ and shall not extend across fire,'division
or party walls. ·
Both timbers and' planks shall be selr-releasing at their
support on walls.
SAW-TOOTH ROOFS.
SECTION 109.
Saw-teeth form of roof and other trusses' having iron
tension members and other metal oonnection details shall ~e per-
mitted only in sprinklered buildingS.
PART IT IONS.
SECTION 110.
In buildings not more than three (~) stories in height,
.and in all buildings'which are sPrinklered,·partitions may.be c.on-
structed of two inch nominal matched plank or double matched
boards with broken Joints. All buildings, unsprinklered and over three
..... s'tories'in height ~hal'l hav~ ~incombustible...par~i~ions~ ...... .
SPECIAL PROV-ISIONS ELATING ~TO CLASS ,O" 'OR ORDINARY
CONSTRUCTION AND NOT oD.V~ELLINGS,
BECTION 111.· '= - '·
Definition: A b~l~lng ha~_ng Masonry walls, with ..,..~...~ ....
'flOOrs and partitions 'Of · wooden· joists . and stud.'.'c~,n. st~puOti0n
'~T~eiP supporting posts· and girders may be of woo~
protee~'ed' by at least 'S inches of metal lath~-~d
its..equivalent, "~ .'~'' .. "~ ~:"..'
. . · .. ~ .. . .. ~-..~
The foun~ion ~lls of all buildings over t~o
..
hi~ shall. be '.four inches thicker from the foo~i.~~the
gra~?A.n required for the remainder of the~.L~alI'.'-..'
. ... ..... j....
. ..".~..
SECTION llS,
BRICK WORK - MASONRY,
All brick masonry shall be of brick laid in cement..
mortar or .lime and cement mortar,
All bricks shall be. well wet before. laid and~..~'l.
In all brick walls at least every sixth course
b'e a heading course.
In no case shall any wall or walls of any buildings
be carried up more than five (6) feet in advance of ~ny other
walls unless proper provisions. for s~itable anchors and ties'~e'
are made. The front, rear, side and party walls 'shall be pro-
perly bonded together, or they shall be anchored to each other,
every six (6) £eet in their h~ight by wrought'~iron tie anchors
not less than one and one-half· (1½) by three-eights (3/8) of
an inch in size, and not less than thirty-eigh~ (38)'inches in
length. The side anchors shall be built into the side or party
walls not less than sixteen (16) inches, and into the front and
rear walls, so as to secure front and rear walls to the side
or party wall, when not built and bonded together.
All exterior piers shall be anchored to the beams
or girders on the level of each tier.
The walls and beams of every building', during' the er-
ection or alteratio~ thereof, shall be stoutly braced from the
beams of each story, .and when required shall also be braced from·
the outside, until the building' is enclosed.
The walls and the piers of all buildings shall be pro-
perly and Solidly bonded'together with close Joints filled
with mortar. They shall be built to alise and carried up plumb
and straight.· The walls of each story shall be built up the ~.
full thickness to the top of the beams above. All walls shall
be built solid throughout except for flues.
SECTION 113.
BRICK PIERS.
The total load on such'brick piers shall not exceed
seven tons per square foot if laid in lime'mortar, ten.tons
~'~ square foot if laid in lime and cement'mortar, and fifteen
tons per square foot if laid in cement mortar. 'The area of
cross s~ction shall be net and no pier carrying a load shall
have an unsupp6rted length greater than ten times its least
horizontal dimension.
S CTXON
ASHLAR FACING.
Stone used for the facing of any building and known
as aahlar shall not be less than four (4) inches in thickness.
Stone ashlar shall be anchored to the backing, ~hich
shall be of such thickness a~ to make the walls, exclusive of
the ashlar, conform in'~ thickness with the requirements of
this OrdinanCe, provided that if the ashlar be at least eight
(8) inches thick, and bonded into thebacking~' it may be count-
ed.aa part of the thickness of the wall.
.All ashlar stone, unless bonded, shall be strongly amd
securely anchored to the wall with ir6n anchors'laid into the
s.tOne at least-'one (1) inch.
.... Iron ashlar plates used. in imitation..o£..stone ashlar
· on the face of a wallsshall ~e backed with.the same thickness
of masonry as for stone.ashlar.
The 'backing of all Stone ashlar shall. be laid with
cement mortar or cement and lime mortar mixed, but the. back:.
of the ashla. r may be parged with lime mortar to prev~ent diS~
FACING.
SECTION 116.
Where'brick facing is used on a building of more
than one story in'height with other than brick walls,· the
minimum thickness of said facing shall'be eight inches','and
· - ..... ~. ~...
the facing shall have a full header every seventh cours~'·
SECT ION 118.
INCREASED THICKNESS OF WALLS FO~ BUILDINGS
OF GREAT DEPTH.
Where any building without a c~osa-wall or buttres~
exceeds a depth of one .hundred and sixty (1~0~ feet, the side
or bearing walls thereof shall be increased in thictmeas for
four (4~ inches more than is prescribed in this, Ordinance
for the thickness of walls for each 100 ~eet or fraction there-
of of such excess depth.
REDUCED THICKNESS FOR INTERIOR WALLS.
SECTION 117.
' ~- Wh~.~ i~terior cross-walls. are used they'ma~ be made
four (4) inches less in thickness than exterior walls, provid-
ed they are self-supporting only.
SECT I0N 118.
INCREASiNG'HEIGHT OF WALLS.
When it is'desired to increase the height of exist
ing walls of ~he thickness required by this~ Ordinance the
weight of the additional walls shall be carried on a frame
steel girders and columns, securely anchored to the existing
walls and extending to an independent foundation. Lining of
walls to support additional loads is hereby prohibited.
PARAPET OR FIRE WALLS.
SECT I0N 119.
All exterior division or party walls shall have para-
pet walls of thickness' not less than that of'the wall of the
story below, carried not less than three (3) feet above the
roof, and coped with stone, tetra cotta, cast iron or cement.
WIi~n one ~(I) parapet wall.e~ a building rises above an
~djoining wall-of' said building the same shall be braced by a
-buttress. return of the-~hickness required for the parapet
walls, the length of which, at~an~angle of 46 degrees form its·
top, shall equal the difference in height of the two walls.
Walls facing on streets. not less than forty (40)
feet in width, where the continuous pitch of the ~oof (from
its ridge to the crown mould of a cornice projecting not less
than eighteen (18) inches) is not less than twenty C20) degrees,.
-a~e ~exempt'from the requirements.·.of this section.
Such walls may be stepped to follow' slope of roof.
Parapet or fire walls over four (4) feet in height
shall have a 3 inch by 3 inch continuous steel angle built
into the wall nto less than one (1) foot from. the top of wall.
There shall be connected to this angle at intervals of not
less than twelve (12) feet 3/4 inch rods'or other approved
anchors extending back and down~to the roof and fastened
thereto.
PLAIN CONCRETE WA~LS.
WALLS.
SECTION 120.
Walls built of concrete without reinforcement shall
be of the same thickness and under the s.eme conditions~s~
brick walls.
'All exterior'or division wallA of buildings hereafter
erected shall be of sufficient thickness tO support the loa~
to be .carried, but in no case, shall a brick, .stone, concrete
or hollow block wall be"'I~ss than 12 inches thick, except walls
of buildings outside the fire limits which, Under this ordin-
ance, may have a minimum thickness 0f 8 inches for second
story and 12 inches for first story. Such walls shall not
exceed ~-st0ries or 30 feet in height, exclusive of gable,
nor shall they exceed 88 feet in length, unless properly
brig~d by cross walls. -,.
Walls, excepting party and fire walls, of all buildings
other than.dwellings, not exceeding 4 stories in height, shall
have the upper two stories not less than 12 inches'thick, increas-
ing 4 inches in thickness for each two stories or. f~,~ion t. here-
less than 16 inches thick in the upper two' stories, or upper
30 feet, increasing 4 inches in thickness for each .two. stor-
ies or fraction thereof below. No two story increment shall
exceed 30 feet in ·height. Portland cement mortar only shall
be used in such walls.
Fire walls shall be continued from foundations to'three
feet above roof level and be coped. ,':"'.~'
· ,~.. -.~
All exterior and division or party walls over o~story
high shall extend the same thickness as the top story to' at
least 2 feet above the roof as parapet ~nd'be properly
excepting walls· which face on a street and'are finished with
incombustible cornices, gutters or crown mouldings, excepting,
also, the Walls of detached private dwellings with peaked or '~'.
hipped roof. The parapet walls of warehouses and all manuf-
acturing or commercial buildings shall extend three feet above
'the roof'.
Where walls sPYrutted with wood, the masonry between
the end of 'the wooden beams shall project the thickness of the ""'
furring beyond the inner face of the wall for the full depth
of-the beam, or a double .course Of'masonr~ above and below the
__ beam.....p~a.j~c~._ ~h~ full thiolrness o£ ~IA~ £ux-x-ln8 beyond the face .....
of the wall. In cases where floor beams Parallel walls furred
with wood, there shall be a space'of not less than 2-~/2 inches
· ~.'., ..
·'-..~..:,...?-,.~ :i~..'.....~.
- 9v - ']:i'; i..'" ..,
.- .... ,~.~ ..... '._..-.'..z .... ll'-~-...'~a:=~"~.;~":.~i"!i~e~..U,~..~ 7 '~;~:f... ~~..., .~ .. ~:~...~ -: .~.~;~,~..~ ..~' .... ¥-~.~. ·
SECTION 121.
filled in solidly'with'brickwork~o~ concret. for ~the full·
dePth~of the·floor beam.
ARCHES AND' LINTELS.
lintels of masonry or metal, .which shall have... a bsa-ring at
each end of not less than o~ inches on the wall.' ~·Bearing plates
shall' be provided for lintels resting On waii~j.'~ere the sp-~'.~" .
is more than six feet.
INNER COURT WALLS.
SECTION 12~.
The walls of inner. courts may be constructed Of
(2)'~lH~h 'by four (4) inch' Atuds spa~ed not over sixteen (1'~)
inch centers, fire stopped with two (2~ course.~"'6~ brick
four (4) inche~ of concrete Just above the floor line'nd a
fire stopped with timber not less than two (2).~"h.'jc~S in thic~-LL~.
hess and the full width of the studs between the.floor and the
ceiling line, and the studs shall be covered on'the court ~ide.
with wooden sheathl g.whioh is cove ed with m. tal not th ner
than No.' 26 U.S. Standard guage, with locked Joints covering
all' hail heads oP ~6V~ed'with dipped or galvanized metal
lath and cement plaster and the studs. shall be covered on the
· inside with metal lath and plaster.
-98-
CORBELS AND CORNICES.
SECTION 12~.. ~.
· When masonry walls are corbeled, the projection
shall not exceed one,fourth (1/4) of the thickness of the wall
and the projection of an~ course shall not exceed one-fourth
(1/4) of the thickness of such course.
RECESSES AN~ CHASES.
SECTION 124.
Recesses constructed in wa!~s to provide for stairways
or elevators may have a thickness less than that· required for
the"walls of the·building, but the' thickness of the 'wall at
the recess shall be not less than the average thickness. requir-
ed ~y this'0rdinance~for the ~alls of four-story-buildings,
~ut in no case less than twelve (12~ inches. No pipe chase
shall extend into any wall more than one-half (1/2~ of the
required thickness of the wall. No horizontal chase shall
exceed six (6~ feet.· chases shall not reduce the required
area of any pier. 0hases or recesses in walls built of hollow
blocks: shall not be constructed by cutting'the block or by any
other method that will impair the strength of the wall. Metal
sleeves shall be provided around pipes in chases at each
floor level and the chases shall be filled solid with masonry
for-oa-~ia~a-nce of Six--(~ inche's to act as'a fire
All-walls and partitions. in ac~ools, hospitals and
places of public assembly over one story high and all walls
andpartitions in t~eatres'shall hereafter be-built' of brick,
~tone or hollow or solid block,or metal lath and P.ortland"."~'~~
Cement plaster, on metal studding Or other equival®nt in-
combustible construction..
SECT SON 1 5.
PARTITIONS IN BASEMENT AND OELLARS.
all ·buildings of ordinary construction, except
dwellings, all partitions in'cellars shall be of fireproof'
construction, excepting partitions enclosing fuel bins and
· ~torage rooms not exceeding 150 square feet ·in area and the
interior partitions within apartments!.-
ENCLOSURE WALLS FOR STAIRWAYS~ ELEVATORS
AND OTHER SHAFTS.
SECTION 126.
In buildings of ordinary construction, enclosure walls
for stairways, elevators and other shafts shall be fireproof
walls or partitions of brick or plain or reinforced concrete
not less than 8 inches in thickne. ss for the uppermost 30 feet,
increasing 4 inches in thickness for each lower section of 30
.=feet or part thereof, or ~.~her approved fireproof construction.
· ~'LL... i.All build ings of ordinary construction which are used
· aboVe.the first floor for manufacturing or business purposes'
or for public assemblies or for any purpose whatsoever, ew~-~pt
.... a.rm..o~ie.~,.. court.~house. s., 4w~!lings, fi~ehouses,'~i-ls.., libraries.,
police precincts, railway stations and similar buildings shall
have required stairways~ separately and ~ontinuoualy closed.
SECT ION m2V"
· APART~RENT PARTIT.IONS IN. ORDINARY CONSTRUCT-tON.
'in all buildings of'-ordi.na~y construction, .a'!l pa~'Z'
~itions enclosing public hallways· or separating the .apa~e~ '.!.,
occupied by different tenants, shall eithe~ b~ bdi'it..as requi~ed
...... ...?. ..
f.or-fire,'party of division walls or they'may be.built of not
less than 3 i~ch appro~ed solid. or hollow partition blocks or
tile, or by 3 inch hollow or'2 inch solid metal studding and lath·
wit~ cement'plaster, or 2 x 4 inch wooden studding with metal lath ·and
3/4 inch of cement or cement tempered plaster on each side, or of
any other material .and thickness which shall meet the requirements
of the partition fi~e test unde.r test specifications of the National
Board of Fire Underwriters. Wooden Studs Shall be set:.~'i.wi.th '-the '.4 indh
dimension at right angles to the plane of the wail. 0~~ in such
partitions shall be protected by fire doors and windows.
SECTION 128.
P A R T X1Y. -~, ,, ',.
SPECIAL PROVISIONS RELATING TO FRAME CONSTRUCTION
· AND DWELLINGS OF MAS'0NRY'~NSTRUCTION. .......~. ~,-?~..." "
FRAME CONSTRUCT ZON. . "' "' "':!"L:~:..~ .~ ./~.~' ~'
SECTION 129,
Include all buildings whose structural parts and enclosing
walls consist of wood, also all buildings having enclosing walls
of wood: veneered, encased or faced with'stone, brick, tile,' con-
crete, plaster, oP metal, whose stability or rigidity depends
.upon the frame 'of' the building.
F0 UNDAT I 0NS.
Thickness of foundation/walls - Masonry.foundations for
frame or wooden buildings, one and two stories in height, used as c.:.=.~ ~
dwellings, must not be less than eight (8) inches thick, and not
over four (4) feet high. When the foUndations are more than four (4)"'~:.'~'
feet high they must not be less than thirteen (13) inches thick.
Foundations for three-story frame or wooden buildings shall
not be less than thirteen (13) inches thick, and for'buildings Over
three stories the foundations shall not be less· t.han seventeen (17)
inches thick.
When f~undation walls of frame oP wooden buildings are used for
embankment or retai~ing wall, two and three story buildings with
basement shall have .foundation or basement walls of brick or con-
d~et~'hot less than thirteen (13) inches thick~ and not.higher than
eight ~8).feet from top of top footing to bottom of first floor
JoiSt'~ (firs~ tier) .
If.a. deeper basement be desired the walls t.hereof shall be
'ngt less· than'seventeen (17) inches thick: the'bottom of footing of
said walls s~all not Be higher than ten (10) feet.from top of top
footing to'under Side· of first .sto~y floor joi.sts,.and the.footing
Shall'have a spread of one-half (~)' the thicknestS.. of the'wall. rest~
ing on it. ..
Where it 'is not 'allowable to have footings'-on the outside
of a fottnda~ion or 5asement wall, the.footings must extend far
enough on the inside to make them the required..width, ..
The foundation walls of frame buildings or structure~
shall be of mas.-,onry, the size depending on the bearing value
of the soil. ', ..... ~
All footings shall be carried down to virgin soil. '.~!~
SECTION 1SO.
BRICK VENEER BUILDINGS.
Outside of fire limits, frame buildings may he ven-
eePed with masonry, but such veen.er shall be not less than
four (4) inches in thickness constructed with well mOu~L~d
clay or cement brick or blocks laid up in lime and cement or '~-~'
cement mortar, which are anchored to the wood frame or back-
ing at intervals not exceeding' twelve (12) inches vertically
and sixteen (18) inches horizontall.y. The anchors sha.l! consist
either of nails 8d in s~ize o~ larger, or wire not smaller in
size than No. -10 B & S. guage. The height of this veneer shall
not exceed two (2) stories or thirty-two' (32) feet. The venee~P
or gables Will be permitted above the second story provided the
maximum height does not exceed thirty-two (~2) feet.
FIRE STOPPED VENEERED FRAME BUILDINGS.
SECTION
All frame buildings which may be veneered as prescribed
in-section /~g) ..s~h..a~ll ._ha_ve the space between s~ch ven--_
ee.Ping and the outside surface of the frame wall fire stop-
ped both vertically and horizontally at intervals of not less
~han .thirty-two inches (32"~ Such fire stopping shall be
- 103 -
loose incombustible material supported by wood strip~L and ·fully
filling to a depth of not less than three inches,.
between the veneer and the outside surface of the fram& wal~~
to effectively prevent the passage. of fire.
SECTION 132.
REINFORCED CONCRETE WALLS.
Dwellings may be built of-reinforced concrete not ex-
ceeding two (2) stories in'height.
Walls shall be not'less than four (4) inches in thick-
hess for one story buildings, height not to exceed nine feet.
in thiOkness and second story no~ lees than four (4) inches' in
thickness.
Reinforcement shall be no~ l~ss than ~/8 i'nche~
deformed bars, spaced not over sixteen (18)'inches centers'in
each direction. ~:::~.~:...
The mixture Shall be of a ~oportion 1:2~ '
· 8:3 a~4~..he
materials shall be as herOinbefore.designs'ted for reinforced
concrete .
BRICK.
BRICK HOLLOW WALL.
SECT ION 133.
a. Buildings not exceeding two stories, or twenty-
ef~h~28) feet' in'total' h~igh~"~ay be 'erected in ~he City
of Bakersfield except in that portion of said City included
within Fire Districts Nos. 1 and 2, with brick Walls const-
· ~u~ted with internal hollow spaces not exceeding four inches
(~") in width between the vertical courses of such w~lls.
All vertical courses of such walls shall be.-not leSs than ." ..~.
four inches (4") in width and shall be bonded. together..
· ~. ' . · .~.~-..~ .' ..
least every sixth course in height. Such bond shall be :..
of brick palcod and laid as headers not ~o exceed fou~ inches
(4") apart: or such walls may be bonded at .least every third.. . ..... ,,.,.,:~....
course with brick placed and laid as headers not tO exceeql.
eight inches (8") ·apart. All such bricl~vork and such· bonding
headers shall· be c'onst~cted and laid to th~ satisfaction of
the Inspector of Buildings.
b. Every building construc'ted as heroin provided ahall~
have not less than three courses of solid brick wall at each
stor.y in order to properly support and supply anchO~age~i~r.
all floor and roof joists, and such solid brick-wall=.~~be
carried at least to the top of Such floor and roof joists.
All walls constructed as heroin provided shall be laid up in
cement mortar. Such mortar shall be composed of'~three parts
of rich lime mortar and"0ne part of PortLand Cement.
c. Thee thickness of the walls constructed as H~.-.
provided shall be the same as that elsewhere in this ordin-
ance required for exterior walls of masonry buil~ngs, and
such buildings constructed as heroin provided l~ all re~p..ects.
other than the construction of such walls shall conform. tO .all
..-~.....~ .....
the requirements of this ordinance, for the Construc~iony~.
.... .,.~.~.~...
Class A, B, or C buildings. ....
d. The type of hollow wall constructed as i~'~.~is
...... ~ .............. -.-~-
Se~i~"'s~tforth shaiY not extend below the level of the first
floor or below the street
adjacent to such wail.
or bel~_._W the level of t~.e ground
e. Building not exceeding.' one story· in he..i.~.~t~.'~'a'..n,_d;-
where the height of such story does not exceed ~i~."~'.d.'.~ne_~
except in ~hat portion of said City included' within Fire
Districts Nos.
1 and 2, with brick walls cons~.~c.ted'Wi~j
an internal hollow 'space or spaces not exceeding four inches "' "~:."':'....~':
(4") in width 'between the vertical Courses· of SuCh walls.
All vertical courses of such walls Shall be not less than
two inches-(2"'~ in width, and shall '!be bonded together. at
evez~y c..qurse 'w. ithZ-.heade~ !brick : tai.d not- t~":"e~eed ~.eight inches
(8") apart'. No such wall shall exceed tWenty-four
feet in length if unsupported laterally.
f'.o Every building constructed as herein provided
have not less than three courses of solid brick wall
ceiling: and roof joists, in order to properly support and sup-
ply anchorage for all such joists. Such solid brickv~or.,k shall
be Carried at least to-the top of such floor joists in each
sha~' '
case. All walls constructed as herein pr.ovided shall be laid
up in cement mortar. Such mortar shall be composed of three
parts'of rich lime mortar and one part of Portland Cement.
g, The thickness of. the.walls constructe~ as'herein
provided shall be the same as that elsewhere.in'this ordinance
required for exterior walls of masonry buildings, and subh
buildings constructed as' herein provided in all respects
th~n~tH~ ~onstrUction of such Wai~a shall c~'nform to all the
requirements of this ordinance for the cons!truction of Classes
A,B and C buildings, excepting tha't where Joists anchors are
herein ·specified. may be of Q~:ne.--ha!.f.~'. 'inch. (½!') metal iS lieu ...... ~.,
of three-quarters inch (3/47)' me..t..~l:.. specified in Sectinn
of'this ordinance· In all.other-~e;pects such anchors s~a!l'......
b~ ~inStalled, and comply with the .~rovisions of said section
The type of hollow wall constructed as in this section
set forth'shall nbt extend below the level of the first floor
or below the street, or below the' level of the ground aCJacent
to such wall·
SECTION 134.
ONE STORY DWELLINGS.
a. Bearing walls for any.one-story building used
exclusively'for re'~idential purposes, when constructed of
brick,' stone, hollow tile, hollow cement blocks, hollow inter-
locking tile or plain concrete, shall be not less than six
inches (8") wide, provided that no portion Of such six-inch
(6")'wall shall extend below the ground level or exceed. nine'
9m,
and one-half ( ~ ) feet ~tory height·
'. ~ b. The basement or foundation walls of such build-
ings shall be not less than eight (8") inches wide with a foot-
ing-nOt less than sixteen inches (16") wide·
c. A suitable number of one-half inch (."') wrought
iron anchors extending into the walls shall be securely fasten-
ed t~..the ~e~l~ng..J0.~s~ .wh~.fi~e walls are constructed... _
d. When no ~re walls are constructed the rafters and
ceiling. joist shall be securely spiked to a wooden wall plate
no~ less than two inches (2") thick and four inches (4") wide
securely bolted to the bearing walls.
e. All main cross partitions shall be bolted to the
exterior walls with three-eights i.nch (3/8"0 bolts, two of "'::~.
such bolts shall be spaced equally between the floor ~..~:
ing of each partition.
TWO STORY DWELLINGS.
SECTION 155.
a. Bearing walls for.any building used exclusively
for reeidential purposes, when constructed of brick, stone, ~'
hollow tile, hollow cement blocks, hollow interlocking tile
or plain concrete, shall be not less than eight (8") wide,provided that
no portion of such eight inch.(8") walls shall~',extend below-
the ground level'.
b. No such building shall exceed two stories in height
and the combined height of both stories-shall not exee~d nine-
teen feet (19').
o. The foundation walls of such buildings shall be
not lesg than. ten inche~ ~'~0") wide with , footing not less'
than twenty inches (20") wide.
d. A suitable number of one'-half inch wrought iron
anchors extending into the walls, shall be securely fastened
to the second story floor joist and to the second story ceil-
ing Joist when fire walls are constructed.
e. When no fire walls are constructed the rafters and
.second story ceiling' Joist shall be securely spiked to a wooden
wall plat~ not less than two inches (2") thick and si~iinch~s
(6"). wide, securely bolted to the bearing walls,
f, All main cross partitions ...~.-all be belted.to the
exterior walls with three-eights inch (3/8") bolts., two of' ..
such bolts shall be spaced equally between the floor and
trig in e~ch partition of each story,
These provisions. shall also apply to all sections and
paragraphs.relating to hollow wall construction.
PRIVATE GARAGES.
SECTION 136.
a. Bearing walls for any private garage when built
in connection with a residence the capacity of which shall' not
exceed three hundred square feet (300') when built of brick,
stone, hollow tile, hollow cement blocks, hollow interlocking
tile or plain concrete shall be not less than six inches (6")
wide, provided that no portion of such six inch (6") wall'shall
extend below the ground level.
b. The foundation walls of such garages shall be not
less than eight inches (8") wide with a footing not less than
twelve inches (12") wide.
c. A suitable number of one-half inch wrought iron
anchors extending.~nto the walls shall be securely fastened
to the ceiling Joist when fire walls are constructed.
d.. When no 'fire walls are constructed the rafters and
.ce.i~ng joists shall-be'securely'-spi-ked~to a.wo~d~n' wall plate
not less than two inches' (2") thick and four ~nches (.4") wide
securely bolted to the bearing walls
SECT ION 137.
WOOD FRAMING IN ORDINARY AND FRAME· C~·~~ii~"i·
TIMBER COLUMNS AND POSTS. ~ "" ".
All timber col~s and posts. shall be squared at the
ends perpendicular to their axes and provided with iron. op
steel base plates. Where th.ey continue through more than one
· story, ~',they shall be superimposed in metal post .caps or shall
have ends connected by properly designed steel' or iron caps:,~.'~
pintle .-and base plate', and shall not rest directly o.~W~o~d
girders, beams, floor timbers or masonry fo'undatiOns-'~Olsters
· may be used to support roof girders only.
In basements 'the footings supporting 'wood columns
shall 'extend not less than (2) inches above the finished floo~.
The ends of wood columns in basements shall receive '-~.~bpu$~-~
applications of hot refined creosote. ' ' ·
All wood columns built in partitions in· basements
shal~'be open on at Ieas'~ two sides, They shall 'not be used~L~'...~.
as foundations below the ground,
GIRDERS, BEAMS AND JOISTS.
SECT I0N 1~8 ·
or ·plates shall be protected by placing a piece of creo
saturated felt o~ p.aper under the bearing surface!,~-shall have
a four inch bearing· and shall have a one-half ·inch ai~ space·
all around,
Where ~irders or beams meet· at the columns ·they-· ·shall
be' fitted around them' or butte~L~"!~se'.. to'!~he~"~ The ·ends shall
be held in place by steel or iron· s~raps, spiked, bolted or
lag screwed on thei~ sides· unless the post caps have sides pro-.'~'
Jecting upwards which can be lag screwe~
When the load on a floor does not exceed one hundred
(100)~pounds per square foot, a wooden strip not less than two
(2) inches .by four inches in size strongly ·spiked or bolted
to the girder may be used for ~he supporting of Joists or
rafters.
The ends of all floor, ceiling, and roof ~beams' or
J~iSts entering party or fire· walls from oposite sides shall
...
be separated by at least eight (B) inches of so.~id masonry.
All beams or Joists bearing o~ masonry walls shall
have their ends' splayed or cut to a bevel of not less than
three (5~ inches in their depth.
No Joist, rafter nor stud shall be less than two (2)
inches nominal in thickness except that all joists and rafters
within the fire ·limits sad all joists in buildings with over
.. a sixty pound per square foot live load shall be 'not less than
three (3~ inches nominal.
TRIMMERS AND HEADERS.
SECTION 1~.
Headers in floor framing in business buildings carry-
ing heavy loads wh~re note than two feet from a trimmer shall
be supported. by iron ~tirrups. Every t. rimmer ~and~.header or
tail joist over four 'feet .long in all buildings' e~'~pt dwel-
"".'llng.houses and minor structures, and over 8 feet long in'
dwelling houses and minor .structures, shall be hung in'stir-
rup~irons or approved Joist hangers of suitable strength for
the weight to be supported.
DOUBLE JOISTS.
SECTION 140~
Wherever bearing partitiOns'are located and ~un para-
llel to Joists, same sh~ll be.carried by joists weil blocked
with solid Bridging placed not more than 16 inches O.C. and
securely nailed together or by double Joists well'spiked to-
gether.
CUTTING OF BEAMS, ETC.
SECTION 141.
Wood beanis, girders, Joists rafters, columns or other
.sUpporting timbers shall not be cut or bored when the cut is
deeper or the center of the bore is more than 1/5 of the beam
depth below the ~op, nor at any point beyond three times the
depth of the beam from the end. ~Where cuts in excess 6f the
above and bore holes in excess of a diameter of 2 inches are
necessary, special provision, which shall be approved by the
Chief Building Inspector, for the framing Of such beams shall
be made.
BRIDGING.
SECTION 142.
All wooden floor beams or joists shall be bridged
with cross-bridging between Supports if the'span is over 8
feet. The Ci~tance between bridging or between bridging and
bearing shall not exceed 8 feet. Greater spans shall ~ave
"cross-bridging placed 6 feet center to center.
All wooden floor beams of Joists shall be bridged with
solid bridging. over bearing partitions when the under side of
the Joists is to be covered. Solid bridging shall be not less.
than 2 inches in thickness and shall be the full height of
the joists. Cross-bridging may be of 1 i~ch by 3 inches in
size for dwellings, but in all other buildings it shall be not
less than 2 inches by 3 inches in size and the spacing between
cross-bridging and supports shall not exceed 8 feet. When
attic space is partly floored,-there shall be solid bridging
at the edge of the flooring.
· °For heavy joists or where heavier bridging is des-
ired, the Chief Bui].ding Inspector may require bridging of
la~ge~ dimensions and may also require a closer spacing of rows.
WOOD TRUSSES AND TRUSS FRAMING.
SECT I0N 14S.
All wood trusses s.hall be so designed that all stresses
and'~'ension me~bers'sh~ll'~ of 'the ~trength required by the
unit stresses hereinbefo~e given, and all joints shall be acc-
urately cut and fit together so that each bea~ing i~ perfect~..-
and drawn tight to the full bearing. All such trusses shall
be properly secured in place by lateral bracing. .-
' :" ".:f~.~:~. T ·
Washers of sufficient size to distribute the load
properly shall be used in connection with rods or metal
members. 'Beforela truss is loaded the tension rod shall be well
tightened.
CompresSion and tension members shall be strained in
the direction of the fibre only.
Hip. or valley rafters shall be not less than '2 x 8
and when span is over sexteen (16) feet, same shall be doubled
and properly spiked together. Roof sheathing' for-wood shingles'
shall be of good grade SIS strips 1 x 4 inches or randon widths
not over 8 inches wide .spaced 2 inches apart and nailed solid".
at each bearing with two 8 penny nails Rafters shall be of''''''~''~
the size and spacing according to the load ~o be carried, ..
well braced and nailed solid.
FIRE STOPS.
SECTION 144.
Hereafter in all buildings, all interior and exter-
ior walls an~ floor or ceiling Joist L.'f~tersections shall be
provided with suitable. fire stopping in a manner'to completely
cut off con~nunication by fire through concealed spaces and to
prevent drafts both vertical and horizontal.
FIRE STOPPING A OUND' P PES, ETC.
SECTION'145.
Where plumbing, heating, ventilating and other pipes,
conduits or speaking tubes pass through wooden floors or
wooden partition, they shall be boxed. in and fire.stopped
with incombustible material so as to prevent the spread of
fire.
SILLS ,STUDDING AND SHEATHING..
SECTION' f46.
All frame buildings shall have bearing plates not
less than two by six inches ·bolted to foundati6n walls and
laid in cement mortar. The bottom of all wooden sills
frame construction shall at no place be nearer than 8 inches
to the ground.·
No wood studding shall be less than ~ x 4 inches
(nominal) in size, nor place note than~16 inches C.
All walls shall be securely. braced. Exterior walls sha~ 'be
sheathed' with boards nor less than seven-eights inches in
thickness. In no case shall such s~heathing be omitted ex-
cept-'on such types of construction as tests conducted by
recognized authorities have proven of equal strength in
stability. Sheathing shall be properly nailed to each stud with
at least two ten-penny nails.
PLATES AND SOLES.
SECTION 147.
Soles and plates Of dimensions not les.s-.than~tuds
shall be used with all partition~ not resting upon girder
beams or where the s~tudding does not pass down to the plate
of the partition below.
Partitions unsupported by walls shall be supported on
girders or double joists, or on plates if placed oneangles to
All stud partitions shall· have'angles at the corners
framed solid, so that no lath can extend from one room to
another.
INTERIOR BEARING PARTITIONS.
SECT I0N 148. . ~'
.Interoir bearing partitions shall be provided.with
double plates on top and bottom, each plate not less than two
(2) inches in thickness and of same' width as stud. If the
studding are placed directly below each joist, a single top"~.
and rest on the girders
or ca of r i ions o f
ly firestopped,. The.top plate shall act as a fire stop.
When a partition supports more than the weight of the'~"~
roof and two floors,.the studs shall be increased in size to
not less tha~ ~ inches by 6 inches, or 3 inches by 4
Stud partitions extending through from floor to ~loor shall
be allowed only in frame buildings not exceeding two stories
in height, and at point of passage through the floor shall
~e pr0pe~ly fire stopped.
TR.~SS- OPEN~y_NGS ~
SECTION 149.
All openings over fou~ (4) fee~ in 'length shall be
properly t~usse~.
- 116 -
INTERIOR NON-BEARI·NG PARTIT IONS. ·
SEC. T .IQ-..N 1~0. .... ·.
"-.'.. Interior non'bearing partitions may be provided with.
single plate on top and bottom, two (2) inc. h~.s· thick,and of
.,.~
h same asL 'sjtud, These top plates shall act as fire -~tops.
~!~.~.... .:...
STUDS.
SEOT ION 151.
StUds shall be doubled under ends of all double
'joists.
All stud partitions containing plumbing, heating or .....
other pipes shall be so framed and the jois=ts underneath so
spaced or trimmed so as to give proper clearance for the pip.~
ing.. Where-a partition containing ·such piping runs parallel
.T
to the floor Joists the joists .underneath such partitions~
shall be doubled and..spaced to permit the passage of such pipes
and=S~I1 be bridged wi~ solid bridging not..less than 2 inches
in thickness to the full depth of the joist, placed not over
inches on centers.
SECT ION 15~.
No·wooden furring or studding shall b.e placed against
..... any chimney; the plastering shall be ~irectly on the masonry,
or on metal lathing.
..- The.Surface of.Walls on partitions behind wainscoting-
shall be plastered ·flush with the ground and down to the floor
line.
....... ' ....All walls which are tO be lathed and plastered or
~'~...rwi e sheathed on either ·side·, all stud walls and all
· s
.p~a._rtitions which rest directly over each other shall be com-
· .~etely firZ stoppe~ with brick work or other suitable inc:o.m-'
bustible ma erial-a each floor level. The spaces between
the ends of floor Joists which'rest upon masonry walls, oP
upon wall girts, shall be filled. properly with fire stobping
material to the full depth of the Joist and spaces between
the studs shall be filled in the same manner to'a 'height ~L
of six inches above the .floor l~vel. Fire stopping shall be
arranged to cut off concealed draught .openings and forman
effectual horizontal fire barrier between stories.
Wood fire blocks no less than two inches in thickness
and the full width O'f the stud shall be cut ~betwe~n the
studs just above the-floor line and just below the.c~iling,
but if' there is~.a cove ceiling, ~he fire ~lock~ shall be lower-
· ed. to the ~.pring of the cove. A.wood plate at least 2 inches~
· in.thickness.and width of the stu~s,,. may be u,~.ed"~n place of'
the-c~tting..in a fire blo4k, F~e stops: made of incombustible
material such as mineral w5ol,. concrete or mortar, so as to
prevent the passage.of fire, may be used with the approval
of the Building' Inspector in p~ace of wood fire stops.
In all stud partitions. intermediate fire stopping·
shall be placed between the studs for the full. width of .the
studs. midway between floor levels. Such wooden fire stop~
in walls or partitions shall be wedged in b~twe.en the s. tud~ at
.an.'angle of not. less than 15 degrees nor more. th~....30 degree~
from the horizontal to avoid possible .openings. due t.o-..shri~!
and at the same time stiffen the frame.
No such horizontal
bracingor fire stopping' shall be'!~ss than 2 inches.~n ~icknes~s..
When a partition rests directly on a wooden. girder in
a':tasement or where stud partitions rest directly over each· -..~-~ · ~.~.~'.~
other and run down between the floor beams and rest upon the
top of the partition below, a. seven-eights inch board should
be nailed to both outer faces Of the studs for the entire
length Of the partition between the joist's,, an~ the space~
between the studs to 4 inches above the top o£ the floor be
· filled'with incombustible material. If loose incombustible
material is not used as a filling, a 2 inch piece should· be
wedged in between the s~tuds horizon~all~, directly abo~oe the
floor Joist line. 'Such stops shall be arranged to entirely
separate the spaces between the floor beams and those between
the partition s,tuds to effectually cut off '~raftS.
Where walls are s~udded off, a space between the·inside
ofthe wall and the s~udding at the floor level shall be fire
~topped with brick work or other approved fireproof material.
The beams.directly over the studded off space shall be deaden-
ed with not less than 8 inches of fire proof·material which
shall be laid on boards cut in between the beams. The under-
side of such beams shall be protected by a covering-of metal,
metal lath or plaster-board, and plastered to a total thickness
of ~/4 inch.
SECT ION 18'~.
Stair carriages shall ~e fire :stopped at least once in
the middle portion of each run, and shall be fire stopped by
the pas~ of fire. .. . ..... ~... '~. . .~!..:.~.-..~. : ~
When sliding doors are poCketed in partitio~nS., .euch
pockets shall be completely fire. s.topped at. en.d, sideS',· top
and bottom, .. "
All spaces between chimneys and wooden beams shall be
solidly filled With. refused mortar., loose cinders, or other in-
combustible material.
BRIDGING.
SECTION 155.
Bridging shall be as provided for ..under ordinary con.-
struction.
FIRE STOPPING AROUND PIPES, ETC.
SECTION 156. .-
Eire 'Stopping around pipes shall be a~: provided for
.under ordinary construction.
SECTION.' 157 ~
~' ~ o- P A.R'T XVI.
. ROOF "AiqD RGOF STRUCTURES .'
--r.-.. -' HOOF COVE.~RING"j .... "
All buildings-eXCept dwellings., tenements and'.~buildings not"
exceeding .tWo"a~a i/s' stOries.Or 55 feet in height or S,SQ0'" square feet in
area, and not used for factories', warehouses, or mercantile.' purposes,
and all buildingS' within the fire limits shall be covered with material
~'f...app~0ved standard quality, such as brick,. concrete, tile or slate, or
the'~ighest grade of tin roofing or asbestos shingles or built-up roofing
with gravel or slag s~rface, or built-up asbestos roofing~. or other roof-
tngs of like'grade, .which would rank as Class A or B under test specifi-
C'_ations of the .National Board of Fire Underwriters. RoOfs with a slope
of not more than'3 inches per foot horizontal may be covered with compos-
ition or £el~ with pi~ch and .gravel or slag surface. A layer of approved
deadening. felt at least 1/16 inch thick shall be placed between metal
roofing and supporting woodwork. The sides and tops of dormer windows
shall be protected the same as herein prescribed for the Pool.
· . Buildings excepted in the foregoing 'paragraph may. be covered
with any fire-resisting 'composition shingles or ready roofing, of a grade
which will rank not lower than Class C, under the test specifications of
the.'National Board of PiPe. Underw~iters, approved built-up roofing, or
verti.cal or edge grain wood shingles. The thickness of 5 'shingles. meas-
ured at the but'ts being not less than ~". The maximum exposure of
wood shin. gles tO the weather shall be :~
On roofs of 1/3 pitch or more -16 inch shingles, 5"
,, ,,
18 5~"
~4 " "
On roofs of' less than 1/Spitch-18 " " 4"
18 " " 4TM
Shingles to be laid with broken joints or'side lap not less
than one and one-half (1-m
s) inches with no breaks directly over each
other on .any three consecutive courses. 'All nails to be covered.
First c_ouns~es at caves to be. _la.i_d tw.9 pl_y~_pr.oj_ecti-mg S inches .ov.e~ crown
mould with one inch projection at gables. Shingles to be nailed with
t_hPee and one-half penny or four penny galvanized cut iron nails with
two nails to each shingle 5/8 .to 5/~ inch from the sides.
No s'torm or rain water from th.~. p~..Q~.~.~._~-.a.n~ building~
in the City of Bakersfield shall be discharge.d ubon '~he sur-
face of any sidewalk. When it is ~esired to convey
stom or rain water to the gutter of any street the s~e must
be. done by 'a' ~etalic water conductor' extendin~?f~om, the buil~.
ing Nlow the surface of the sidewalk ~d shall not extend
beyond the c~b line of the street.
SECTION 159.
· ROOF LEADERS
All buildings having a cornice or eaves pro~.eetion
within one foot of'the io~ line shall be p~ovided with'pro-
per gutters and downspouts.
SCUTTLES ON ROOFS.
SECTION 160.
Upon every roof of every building 'more than 15 feet
high, which is not requi~ed to have stairs, and bulkheads
l~adi~. thereto,-ther~.shall be a scuttle which shall be
easily accessible at all times, to all occupants~ Without
the use of keys. All non-fire proof scuttles shall be cover-·
ed on the top edges with sheet metal or other approved fire
proof .material. The roof opening shall be at least 2 feet
by -3°"T~et in size'.
SECTION 181.
&
PEN___T HOUSES AND BULKHEADS.
All inclosures upon roo'fs for tara,''
elevator machinery and all pent houses' and bulkheads upon
non-fireproof buildings shall be of.fireproof construction,
or may be built of Wooden stud~ filled with brick or other
incombustible material and.completely covered with metal or
other approved. incombustible materials,.and all"~indows, doors
and trim shall.be of metal, or metal covered, and be glazed with
wired glass where glass is used.
All such structures upon fireproof buildings shall be
of fireproof construction, including floors, and in all cases-
the outside surface .shall be covered with approved incombust-
ible whetherproof material, including all surfaces and the
edges of doors. a~d.'~]a~n~s.
Pent' houses when occupied'~or purposes other than here-
in-described shall not exceed 12 feet in height, and'shall not
occupy more than 75 per cent of the area of the roof, includ-
ing'all other bulkheads or pent houses.
No s~taging, sign, stand' or other structure shall'~"be
constructed upon the roof of any building without first obtain-
ing the approval of the Inspector of Buildings~
Outside of fire limits where buildings having masonry
walls are placed nearer than 3 feet to a side or rear l~t line,
.~.
or__B fee__~.~to ~nother. b~i~ding, the cornices an~M~rhanging
saves on the side or rear walls shall be of, or covered with
· incombustible material. ~h_en such buildings are erected in
with 'incombustible material between each building,..
.. -..:-.;.~ .. ....
ATTIC SPACE TO BE VENTILATED. "~;'~""~'~'
SECTION 162,
not provided with windows or other means of ventilation shall
have one (1) sheet.metal ventilator for each twenty-five hun-
The attic space of all building's other than dwellings ....~
dred (2500) square feet of roof area.
SKYLIGES.
SECTION 183.
All skylights shall' have metal frames and sash
and the frames' and parts thereof shall be .riVeted or otherwise
securely fastened in addi-tion to soldering.
When metal louvers; are used for ventilating purposes
over shafts .or in connection with skylights, thelouver..~ or
slat~' shall be riveted to the metal frame. ·
Except as ·herein provided, all skylights shall
glazed with wire glass or heavy plain glas'.s~' protected above
by screens of not less than 12 gauge galvanized wire with
a mesh not to exceed one inch, All screens shall have
stantial metal supports and shall be placed at ·least 8 inches
'above the skylight and project 8 inches beyond the edges of
the' skylight ,' " - .......
No wired glass shall be placed in a skylight over any
shaft; all such skylights shall be glazed with thin glaSS
and shall ~be protected by wire scre~ens.
Instead of a skylight over a shaft, a windOw"'of ·
equivalent area may be placed at the side of the shaft above
the roof on the side which is furthest removed from the pro-
perry iine. T. he window shall have an incombustible frame and
shall be glazed with thin glass.
SECTION 164.
Except windOws in the side of shafts-above the roof',
wi~ed glass only shall be used in skylights which are
o~ inclined at an angle of over 45 degrees., when subject'to
an exposure which would require wall openings to be protected
by fire doors or fire windows.
TANKS.
.Tanks of more than SO0 gallons capacity placed with-
in any building or on or above the roof of .any building, shall
be supported by steel or masonry of sufficient strength to
carry the same safely. Beams shall rest at both ends on steel
girders, iron or steel columns, or Walls or piers of masonry.
The supporting I beam shall either have the ends built
into masonry work, or shall be securely framed together in a
manner to prevent possibility of overturning or buckling. due
to osc~illation of the tank'in a wind storm.
CHIMNEYS, FLUES AND SMOKESTACKS.
All smoke chimneys and flues, hereafter constructed,
shall be of masonry (except as elsewhere in this. ord!n~~
provided. ) The-walls of such chSmneys- and fl~.~'
and flats (except such 'chimeys and flues to which there
connected any oil burning furnace, oil burning hea~er or oil
burning steam boiler), shall be not less than four (4-) 'inche~.'Z~Z~'
thick. The thickness of the walls of such chimneys .and.';flues
in dwellings and flats to which there"is connected any oil
bur~i~g' furnace, oil burning heater or any oil burning steam .'
bOile~, shall be no~ less than eight (8) inches' thick, or such
walls may be not less than four (4~ inches thick, provide~ that
they be lined on the inside with well burnt fire cla~,:'~.terra
cotta lining, not leds than three-quarters (3/4) inch thick.
In all other buildings, the walls of the smoke chimneys
and flues shall be not less than eight (8) inches thick, or
such walls may be not less than four (4) inches thick,' pro-
vided they be lined on the inside with well burnt fire clay
or tetra cotta·lining, not le~ than three-quarters
inch thick.
Clay or tetra cotta lining of flues shall extend from
the B'o~tom of the flue or throat o~ the fireplace continuous~ly
to the top of the said flue. The lining shall be inclosed as
carried up and the ends thereof shall fit closely together
and be set in cement mortar. All joints and openings bet-
ween the flue lining and the outer walls shall be filled solid-
ly with mortar.
.......... '-':-Chimneys and flue~ not'required to be 'line~ ·shall have ......
· smoothly struck joints on the inside.~or ·they shall be plastered
smoothly .thro.ug~x. 0ut, the inside· fr0~ the botto.m to . t~i..'~~_~.
and if the walls are less than ei~at' (8) inches thick, they
shall be plastered on the outside· .for their enti~e hei~t,
except such portions aS'a~e expo'~e~ to' the weather.
~ ~' Artificial Stone chimneys shall have all' J'oint~ ~~""
.. .......~.~.~ .. ...., ,
illled and smoothly st~c.k on the .inside ant outside. "
No smoke' flue shall be less than seven (7) inches in
the clear in any interior dimensio. n.
Only one (1-) inlet shall be permitted .in a smoke
flue seven by seven (~X7) inches in the. cle~ ·inside measure-
ment, and such flue· shall be increased in' size in the int.erio~---
thereof 'to seven 'by~leven (Txli)·inches for two (~). inlets.
No'more than two (.2) inlets shall be-p.la~.d. in any one
smoke flue.
Smoke flues larger than two hundred (200) square inCUr..;'
es, inside area~ shall have walls not less than twelv~} .in-
ches thick to a height· of twenty (20~ feet above the inlet, and
eight (8~ inches thick for the remaining height, and. the inside
four (4) inches of the walls of such flues shall. re of fire
brick'or may be·lined·with terra'cQtta flue lining for at
least twenty (20) feet a~o~e the'inlet.
Smoke flues for bakery ovens shall be not less than
eleven·by eleven (llxll} inches, inside measurement, and shall
j.
have masonry ~alls.'not less than eight (8) inches thick.
The inside four (.4) inches of the walls of..all smoke
distance of twenty-five (25).feet above the bottom of the
breeching inlet,' shall be c.onst~ucted of fire brick lai~ in
fire e;lay mortar.
than two hundred sixty (260) square inches inside!.me~surements,
s~all be carried up at least ten (10) feet above the highest
All chimneys having a greater flue_i~ea
point of the roof or any roof within twenty-five (28) feet
of such chimney.
The inlet for a.smokepipe'into a chimney or flue
shall be a tetra co~ta thimble not less than three-quarters
(3/4) inch thick'set in place as the construction progresses.
Thimbles shall be s~rrounded by four inches of brick work
broUght. flush with the furring and shall extend to the face
of the plastering and be not nearer than six (6) inches tO
any woodwork.
Chimneys shall not be supported on any wooden floor
beam,'but shall 6e supported by masonry of fireproof' construct-
ion from the ground up and shall not increase in size above
the base.
" '~ No chimney shall ~be oorbelled out more than eight (8)
inches from a wall, provided that no c~orbelling shall be more
than four (4).inches in'twelve (12) inch walls. No chimney
or flue shall be offset or drawn over for any purpose mute
than one-third of its exterior width or thickness. No offset
made to reduce the'siZe ~f a chim~'shall exceed one (1) inch
for each two .(2~ .inches of the height of such offset; and no
corbel extending from a wall shall exceed one (1~) inch for
e~ch~wo ~2.).inches of the_height thereof. 'No inlet to a
chimney, stack or flue shall be extended out.more than eight
(8) inches.
Elues in party walls shall not extend nearer than four
(4~ incehs to the center of the wall.
the walls of any chimney or flue, but shall be ke~t c-l~a~
fro~ the outside face of an~ c~i~y o~ flue.
~11 woed .Joists~ t~e~s, ~heade~s, beamS· ~d gi~d~s
shall be t~i~ed away at least two (2) incfies from the~. o~sid~:"
. . .,-'.~
· face of any ~oke flue, and f~om the outside of"'the .Gh~ey""6~e~a~.....'.,: ~'~'r
c'himeys built outside of frme structures or in light "~."..:..,:... ~''
wells thereof shall be securely anchored to the walls at int~-
vals of not more than ten (10) feet.
~... · .., . '.. - ......~_".
All chimeys ~d flues .shall extend ~t least four (4'). -.
· feet..'above a flat roof. ~ere such chimeys or flues project' : 'C':.
through'a pitch roof' at or near the ridge or peak ~~..,..
roof they shall project·not less than two feet· above said
......~
~ere chimeys or flues pierce the. roof at. the eaves
or on the slope of the roof they shall' extend above that p~o'~,.
of the ~oof not less than five (~) feet, measured a~ the o'en- "'~$
·. . ;..~.;.~..;
ter of the chimey on the slope of the roof. If'~a~y~,.s~ch chim-
ney projects above the roof to a hei~t of more' than:?~..~X:.:(6).'-'~i~:...:Q:_ ""
times its ~east cross section it s~ll. be briced with'.~x~... '~.':'.'
rod o~-'pipe not less t~ one inch. in di~eter with a ..
washer at each side of such c~meny, which Brice shall".extend .~.'~"-.
through said chimeny at a point not more than.. four:~~r!.~!.:... . .~.~..~.
the top thereof, Every chimney proJecting:'above the ro'~.:/~'.L.~'.~:~p.~r:'..~ .... .'.......
:'~! -',.'~:~,.~k "'~
mo~e tb-~ ~imes the. thicknes-~..Of its least c~oss-section
shall have at least three(S) four-inch cross walls-or two .~,~,,.~--...
chimenya, shal~ be laid in cement a
tO at least 'twenty-four (24.) inches. below the roof-Joi.~ts .:a~.~'''~ ......
provided for under head "Fire w~alls."
similar applicance when ,passing-through ~loors,o c~
roofs, partitions or exterior walls 0f' any building, '.--s~ll be
at least twelve (12) inches f~om any wood-or~,woodwork and such
wood' or woodwork shall be protected .by a met~ slcve at least
six (6) inches .~om the ~tack. This sleeve shall extend 'six
(6) inches above and twelve (12) inches below the floor,
ing or roof, and shall extend six (6) inch'es on each. si~. of
any partition or eXt'erior wall, a~d shall be s'ecurely fasten-·
ed in place.
On the exterior of any building, such stack shall be
placed at least twenty (20) inches from any wood or woodwork,
an~ its top must extend at least four (4) feet above the roof
adjacent to such stacks.
the cupola of 'any foundry or within e f
of any such cupola.
No pipe used to conduct smoke ·from any
similar appliance shall pass or extend through .any f!o~r,
ceiling, roof partition or wall· of any. building. .y./.. .... L..~.
TERRA COOTA CHIMNEYS may be-erected in that. po~t~on,-~
the city outside of Fire Limits, providing. ·such tetra
with iron straps, and all Joints of such chimneys be thoroughly ='~'"
cemented, No such tetra cotta chimney or pip~...~shail be
and must be so constructed s.o as t° be .e~po.sed to view at
every poin~ from the exterior of the building, guch tetra
cotta pipes shall .be not less than three-.quarters of an inch
thick, and be free from e~.cks,. crac'ks or other .defects. If
. .,~ .~.'...
such tetra cotta pipe or chimney is supported on a bracket,
such bracket must be securely fastenedto the building; bet-
ween the inlet of such pipe or chimney' and the bracket or
floor sustaining the same, there must be at least six
inches of cement· mortar. A clear-space of at laast two (2)
inches between the..tetra cotta pipe or ·.chimney a~d any wood-
work s'~all be provided, and. such tetra cotta chimn~,.,ys shall
extend at least· three (3) feet above the. roDf of the building.
P A R T
FIRE PREVENT ION ..
SECTION 165.
EATER ROOMS.
The entire.ceiling over the apartment containing the
heating apparatus, breeching and firing space, if'of combustible
'construction shall be. lathed with incombustible lath and be plas-
tered , except in undivided appartments containing the heating
~pparatus, in lieu of lathing and plastering the entire-ceiling,
the space over the heating apparatus and breeching.for a dis-
t~nce of 2 feet beyond all sides' of the heating apparatus and
breeching', may. be shielded b~ incombustible' lath and plastered,
or with asbestos board at' least 1/4 of an .~.nch thick, with
Joints lapped at least 1-1/2 inches, or with sheet metal not
less~.~han 26 gUage, ~ither painte~ or galvanize. d, Joints lapped
at least one and one-h~if inches and all outside ~edges turned
up at least one inch. The above sheet metal protection shall
be securely suspended at least 2 inches below the Joists.
COVERING.
SECTION 166.
All furnaces not Brick-set shall have· a double·cased
Jacke.~_t~ith an air space between the casings -.~ecket shall be
of not less than 26 B. & S,"guage iron from the base to the top
of the casing and shall be covered by.' sand or other incombust'-'
· ~.~'~ ~. 'ible material to a depth of at. leas~t .2 ·inches, and shall be
'~:~'.kep.t at least fifteen inches from any ceiling. "'~""
· .- ' DISTANCE FROM COMBUSTIBLE PARTITIONS.
-.~'...... All furnsces shall be kept at-least 2 feet from any'
· ~-._ ....
wood Or combustible partition at the sides or bact~ 'and at
least five. feet from the front, unless said partition or mater-
ial is covered by asbestos paper covered with sheet metal, and
then such distance shall not be less than one foot at the Sides
and rear, or five feet at the front.
WOOD SUPPORTS PROHIBITED.
SEC.T I0N 187.
No furnace, boiler for the generation of hot wat~er or
steam for heating or power, stationary engine or engine of
over ten horse power, shall be placed on any wood or combust-
ible floor or beams.
No furnace, boiler, range or other heating appliance
shall be placed against a wall furred"with wood.·
SECT.ION 168.
_CO ',STR__U_.CTVON.
. '...No combustible material shall be used in the construct-'
~ · _
tion"o~ any laUnc~ .... '~'~ ......
-drying room o~ dry kilns. All windows in
drying' rooms shall be standapd fireproof windows. No dry room
consturcted of incombustible mat~' '.~.'h~ll-be Dlaced within
eighteen inches of any. combustible. ~material un.~ess such com-
.~ustible material is shielded by.at. least one-quarte~ of .~.....,~'.!~':~-,~:~"~'.'~
· -: ~' ' . ' "'.' .~ ~.~.'~'~, ~-I,.. .
inch asbestos building lumber or hard asbestos boa. rd. '~..~L'~~'' '
SECTION 169.
HOODS HANGES, "
· .., .~f~.: ~! .':.-~..
..!.......~..:_::~.
#..'~...
All wood lath and plaster or wood oei. li.ngs over
large ra~es-, ~d. all ra~es tn hotels, res~~ts., public .' .....
or semi-public buildings, shall be ~a~ded~"by'metal"~OodT
placed at least nine inches below· any combustible ceili~'.'
~ ventilating' pipe connected with the hood shall be placed
not less thah nine inches f~om all wood lath and.~plaster or
woodwork and shall connect directly to a masonry flue or vent.
The pipe shall'be covered by at least l" of asbestos covering'
or its equivalent. ~
SECTION lye/.
FLUE CONNECTIONS.
..~.'~.~....:: .
.:~.....
All ranges shall have either smoke or·gas'vent con-
nections lea~ing directly to a masonry flue or chimney.
Flue Connections (a) All boilers, furnaces, heating
and cooking stoves,, gas. grates,'fire places, ovens. and all other
.heat.~n'~appar~tu~-sha~ll be P~ope~ly '~onnecte~"~i"~'~'fiue, .....
chimney, or stack as directly as and wArbin the shortest ~is-
tance possible.
SECTION 1V, 1.
WALL SHIELDS FOR STOVES AND RANGES.
No kitchen range or s;tove in any building shall be
placed less than 5 feet from any woodwork or wooden lath and
plaster partition, unless tha woodwork or partition is proper-
ly protected by metal shield, in which c~ase the distance shall
b~ not less than 18 inches. Metal shields shall be so attached
as to.preserve an air space behind them.
CONNE~.ION TO OTHER P IFES.
SECTION 172.
No vent pipe from any gas.heater shall be connected to
'any horizontal smoke pipe vented into any flue to·which there
is connected my appliance which burn~ fuel other than gas,
but shall be connected direc.tly to the flue. or'chimney.~ No other
sme~.e~p'.ipe s.b~.ll be connected into any chimney flue provided for a
~u~-.~ace or boiler.
WALL AND ~EILING PROTECTION.
SECTION 1V~.
No smoke pipe shall be placed nearer to any c.ombuSt-
ible wall or partition than the diameter of the pipe, or near-
er to any combustible ceiling than one and one-half times the
~iameter of the pipe, or nearer than 18 inches, unless such
wall=or ceiling is pro~e~d by. at leas~ one-quart~r"ihch of
asbestos board covered by galvanized iron not lighter than
B. & S..guage and of a width equal to at least three times·
the diameter of the pipe, and no smoke pipe shall be nearer
any protected'wall-o.P ceiling than one-half the allowab~.e.
distance for unprotected work, ..and in-no case nearer'ti~an~"~.~;
five inches.
..l
THIMBLES.
SECTION 174.
Where a smoke pipe passes through a combustible par-
tition, wall, or ceiling it shall pass through a. double thimble
composed of two concentric rings of sheet metal with at least
one inch air space all around between the rings, and such thim-
ble shall have at least four inches of incombustible material
between it and any combustible materiall
E~LUES IN OOMBUST IBLE PART IT IONS.
SECTION 175.
No metal gas'vent or smoke pipe shall be concealed in
a combustible partition. In existing..buildings the chief
.Inspect6r of Buildings may permit the use of vent flues for
gas fn =.such. partitions'~nly when in'his opinion it is' impos-
sible to install a masonry flue and when such vents a~e con-
s~tructed as shall be required by him.
OPEN FLAME EATING DEVICES.
SECT I0N 176..
.All ~as.,.. gaso!ine.~.oil or Ob~rco~! bur.~i~g stoves
or heating devices shall be placed on iron stands at least
inches above combustible supports, unless the burners
· are at least 5. inches above the base, with'metal guard plate~ ~..
4 inches below 'the burners.
No open flame heating device shall be
. , . ' . . ' .' ........ ... :~;:~ :!..5:~6~,:~...' .. U'...:~_~?.....--....~
· " .. " ~. ' .....-,:.. "'..""'.. · .... ~ .:'. '~ ~..'....- "'. '2 .. .:. '. "'
· . ..~. ~,.'
-No open ·flame heating or lighting· device shall· be used·· '.:'~f
in any room where gasoline or ,other .'v.61atile inflamm. ab[1.e.'.:'.~lu-.. :
SECTION 1VV. :
Gas connecti:ons to stoves, and similar heating devi~es.
· shall be. made by rigid metal pipeS··'. ~:.o_~ small po!?table gas .:~ .,.':_ .. .
heating devices, flexible or rubber.' tubing may be used when
there is no valve or other Shutoff on the.'..'deviCe....f[;~.~?!!~ ..'.'..~ij!~ ·
Every gas appli~ce which is provided. with..· '- """
outlet f~om the combustion ch~ber, ~all be carefully... SOn-
nec. ted with the ·vent ·pipe which shall· extend to and thro~
the ~of of the building.
Every such-vent pipe ·shall have an internal area at
least equal to the' vent pipe outlet on such ·appliance· ..and,-l~.
built of gaIvantzed iron shall have a-sleeve extending to full·· . .... .
length of the concealed portions .of such pip~':~U~:' ..... ·
s6' constructed ...
with metal-spacers'that there shall be a clear air spac~..:p~ ~;' .~'
sleeve ~d the exterior surfaces of every such sleeve.."~h~i~..~
covered'with 'three thickn~Ses"'of asbeS~'~pep. '-i ............ ""'~:""
~y portion of such vent pipe ·which is not. readily
visible, any portion of such vent pipe ePe'ctC. d. in. the attic ~.."'~'~
s.pa~e, and any portion of such vent pipe which mes ~~~...
00 "'" '~ ' ' ';; :""'
3 inches of wood or wooden lath and plaster for the p~pose of
'.this section,
SECT I0N 178,
SECTION 179.i
p~ope~ty p~otected' by a Shiel~,'in which .case the distance..;.-~sh~!~
oPk and no suoh
" ~ . ues shall be used fo~ any othe'P:: puvpose~j ~-".'.~:..
flues. shall ~e enclosed in a metal housing maAc~.~--'~.iron Of not
· - ~ .'_.,:-- ·
less than 26 B" & S. guage, rivited togeth~r..at He.. joints.
The housing shall not be placed?.Within six inches of any com-
bustible material.
SECT ION t8~.,, ,
HOT AIR PIPES AND REGISTERS.
All heater.. pipes from hot air furnaces where passing'
through combustible partitions., or fl6orS, must be doubled'
· tin pipes wi·th'at least 1 inch air space between them. Hot-
izontal hot air pipes leading from furnaces 'Shall be not less
than 6 imehea from any woodwork~ unless the woodwork be cover-
ed with loose fitting tin, or the pipe be covered With corru-
gated asbestos in which latter. case the dis~.ance from the· wood-
work may be reduced to not less than 3 ~nches.
No hot air pipe shall be placed in a wooden Stud part-'
.~.~.. ~ ~-~l ~ ...
· ..
itio~ or any wooden enclosure unless it be at least 8 feet hot-
iZontal distance from furnace. Hot air pipes contained in com-
bustible partitions shall be placed inside another pipe arranged·
to maintain 1/~. inch air space between the two on all sides,
or be securely covered with 1/2 inch· corrugated asbestos.
Neither the outer pipe nor the covering shall be within i inch
of wooden studding. Hot air pipes in closets shall be double
"wit~ a space of at ·least 1 inch between them on all sides.
Every hot air furnace shall have at least one reg-
ister without valve or lOuvers.
A register located over a b~k..furnaCe shall b~
supported by a brick shaft wbuilt up from the cover of the hot
air chamber, said shaft shall be lined with a.metal pipe, and
nO woodwork shall be within 3.inches of the outer face 'of the
shaft.
Hot air.registers placed in any woodwork or.com-
busti61e floors shall be surrounded with borders' of incOmbust-
ible material, not less than 2 inches wide,.securely set in.
place.
The register-boxes shall be of metal, and be double;
the distance betwee~ the two shall be not less t~an i inch;
or they may be single, if covered with asbestos not less ~han
1/8 inch in thickness, and if all woodwork within 2 inches b~
covered with tin.
SECT ION lS2.
No steam or hot water pipe shall be within 1 inch of
any woodwork. E~ery steam or hot water pipe passing through
combustible floors or ceilings.or wooden lath and plaster
partitions, shall be.protected by a metal'tube !. inch larger
in diameter than the pipe and provided with a close. fitting
metal cap on each Side of the floor or partitions. All wooden
boxes or casings enclosing stem'or hot water pipes,. or wooden
covers to recesses in wall.s in which steam or hot water heatj'~ .....
ing pipes are placed, shall be lined with metal and the pipe~.
shall be kept at least one inch away from the walls of the box.
Steam. and hot wa~er pipe covering shall be of incombustible'
material.
SECTION 183~.
PIPES, SHAFTS AND BELTS ·
-~" All exposed pipes or power shafting passing through
any floor or wall shall have the surrounding space closed off
· at the ceiling and the floor lined., 'In fireproof construction
]~...is preferable 'to have the pipes or shafts fit neat in the.
floor or wall.
All belt drives through floors sha~i he enclosed by
steel frame work covered with metal lath and cement plaster,
or other appr0ved incombustible material.· ~nere possible
all such belts shall be placed in a special fireproof~i.s~h~.~·
FIRE ESCAPES.
SECT I0N 184.
Every building that is occupied ass tenement house
and hotel as defined by the State Housing Ac-~s shall be equipped
with the number and type of fire escapes as set forth by said
State Act.
Every existing building three or more stories in
height which have not sufficient exits or facilities for es-
capes in case of fire, shall be equipped with suitable fire
escapes. The number and location of such fire escapes shall
b~ subject to. the approval of the Chief of the Fire Department.
The method of installation and strength of' such fire
escapes shall be determined by.~he. Ins.pector .o~'Buildings.
Every building of 4 stories or more and every building
of 3 stOries.when used or occupied as'a hospital, asylum, school,
convent, office building, old peoples home, orphanage, factory,
- 14.1 -
....
· workshop, .or for public entertainments or assembleges,. shall
pro ided and equipped with' exterior. fire escapes located
.. ., . . . · ....:....., ..:. _ ....,..-. .... .;..... .
.... .. .... :. ....,
.....
.
, .. '-;~ .;' . ..: '
.'~'--~. windows opening.upon or within..~. feet of such fire escape
nshail have metal sash and wire
The location of all fi~e escapeS..~.sha!~.be subject to
the"~'~'~roval of the Chief of the Fire.D~.p.a~;;nt.
The numbe~ of fire escapes to each building-shall be
.. .'.'.~-i.
based Upon .the class.of building and the.numbep 6f square
.t"of area, or fractional part thereof,-i~ th~ floor of the
greatest area above the first floor.
-,~. Maximum floor area.
Class of Building'- .for one fire escape.
A ... 10,000
When placed. on the rear or sides of a building not. adjoining
a street ~hey Shall extend to w'ithin 8 feet .Qf the ground.
.T~!sha!l 'be inclined s!taiPs from t~e first balcony.
to the uppermos~t balcony and stairs' or ladders from the upper
shall be galvani~.ed iron.
All materials used for the.construction of fire escapes
- 142 -
Balconies shall be not less than 3 feet 6 in...ches "
wide, sb~ll be supported upon suitable· iron· brackets not more
than 8 feet apart, and shall· be built into or anc~o~e'd to
the walls of masonry during the construction Of 'the walls
and securely fastened on the 'inside of the building.-'
In the floor or platform of all balconiea-the~=i'~~
·. ~; -.:'
long, enclosed and protected on three sides.
show on the Outside of the building.
All-nuts shall
The balconies· and stairways shall be ent~ely enclos-
the balconies or stair stringer and .the railing shall be
filled in with vertical iron rods not les~ than 1/~ inch
dismeter and 8 incheS. apart or with rigid wire mesh, all pro-
perly secured in place. All fi~e escapes shall be.~=~%o.-designed.
as to carry a load of lS0' lbs. per square foot wit~~.otor
of safety of four.'
Stairs shall be not-less than 2 feet ~Ide and s '~.
have an inclination from the perpendicular of not less
8 inches from the' bUi'l~ng ~d s.e~.~rely attached to'Y'~a~ ~.C.=.~"~i"..
fire escape. The following ~ildings are exempt from th~
- 143 -
. ...-. ...: .....~.. ......~' :..... ~:~=:~= .- .=,. -= ~:..:~, !~ ~."....... ~.'
..... :,:· ·-_~·']'!·'.·;~L~4?~Z_a.~'~.~'~-~~~·· ~. ~..
SECTION 185.
F. IRE DEPARTMENT OR DRY STANDPIPES.
Every building of four (41, o.r more stories h~gh shall
have, inside or outs, ide of its. exterior walls (if over 16 stc~
ies standpipeS must.be inside), one or more metal standpipe.st,.
which shall extend from four (4) feet above the sidewalk to
and over the roof and rest on the firewalls. Every standpipe
shall have a Siamese inlet attached four (4) feet above the
sidewalk, branches at each story, and a Siamese outlet on'the
·
roof. All inlets, branches and outtets to be' of not less
than three (~) inches interior diameter and to have caps and
chains, and all branches and outlets to have three (3) inch
· gate valveS. Standpipes shall conform to th~ following table:
Interior Sidewalk Roof
Diameter. Inlets. Outlets.
4-story building ....
4 inc.hes
5-sto~ building ....
4 inches
6 to 15-story building .... ~5 inches
2.way. 2-way
Siamese Siamese
3-Way 2-way
Siamese Siamese
4-Way 3.-way'
Siamese Siamese
16 or more story .buildings-6 inches
6-w~y. 4-way
Siamese Siamese
All iron or steel material used in th'e co~nstruction
and' erection of standpipes shall be galvanized after being.
'fitted to, 'and ~efore being permanently placed. in, the build~'~~'
ing, and shall be kept in good order and repair and free from
obstructions. Standpipes shall be of such strength as will
withstand a pressure of 300 pounds per square' inch.
- 144 -
· ~! ~. ~:.... ~. !~ ..~, L ".: i~ ~ ~ .~-'~ ~ ' ~" '~'~ ~"~' ~' ~
SECTION 186.
· ..STANDPIPES AND FIRE ESCAPE. 8.: .LOCAT-tON.~;.'.iINt~, '.TNSPECT'iON;'OF'
The Building'Inspec~O~ and Chief .of Fire Dep~rtment are
SECT ION 187.
hereby given the power ~o !O..cate and inspect said standpipes
and fire escapes, to see that 'same are properly
located.
INS IDE OR WET ST~IOP IrES FOR HOSE REELS.
In every building exceeding 58 feet in Height, and.
not over 104 feet, there..shall be a vertical' standpipe not
less than 3 inches in~.erior diameter..In every building e~-
ceeding 104 Feet in height there shall be a vertical stand-
pipe not less than 4 inches interior diameter. Such stand--
pipes shall bA 'located in halls near stairways, or near stair-·
ways if buildings have no halls, and shall be of ~'~ought iron
or steel, and together with fittings and connections shall be
galvanized, and shall be of such.strength as to'safely with-
stand at least 300 pounds per square inch water pressure whe~ ready
for service ....
In buildings excoeding lO0'feet frontage..on two or
· more streets, or whoo~e area exceeds 10,000 sqU. a'~e .feet there
shall be two such.. s~andpipes, near separate stairw~ys, if pos-
sible.
They shall be connected to water mains, t~nks or pumps
as hereinafter Provided, with preSSure'on at'al~ times; and if"
connected to a tank c~pable of holding 8,000 or more gallons
of ~ate.r,~ shali.~a~e..an extension-o£~-eqUa~ .di~me~er.'-~e~ding-to-a.-.
point outside of the building or premi.scs des~g'nated..b~:~th~'Oh~'ef.
of Fire Department, and provided ~it.h a three-inch gate valve
with a cap and chain.
- 145
Standpipes shall extend from the cellar to...~n~"through'
the roof', with a hose connection located from. 5_ 1 e
to 6 feet above the floor level, fitte'd with approved straight- ':
way composition' gate' valve in each'story,. including cellar, . and'
a hose connection provided above the roof 'With the .valv.e con-
tr.olling latter 'IOc.ated in the standpipe . under roof. a~d...a.~~ ....
to be operated both ~fPom above and 'below .roof.. A. S~itable .t~ee-'
quarter inch drain pipe and valve shall be p~oVided under the
roof for each POol connection. .. '__.
~en mops than' one. such standpipe is required in a
building, they· shall be connected 'at their bases by pipes of "".TI:'
size equal t0 that o.f largest standpipe so that water fPo~..~.
so~ce will suppiy all the standpipes.,
SECTION 188.
PROTECTION OF WALL OPENINGS ON CORER· LOCATI;.~..j~...'
All buildings hereafter erected on corner loo. ations
within the fire districts are to have window openings pPotec't-
ed by wire glass in metal'-fPames, or equipped wi~h standard
fi~.e shutters·- both forms of protection to meet the' approval
of .the National Board of P. ire Underwriters.
P A R T XVIII'.'
SPECIAL PROVISIONS ELATING TO THEATRES.
SECTION 189.
All theatres in any part of the city shall be Const._~.~.
ted in'acc:or~ance.with Sections ~/q/f~'~/~~' ""
l as herein.provided.
SECTION 1,90.;'
BUILDINGS COVE.RED.
Every theatre,opera house or other building or parts
of buildings designed or used for theatrical' or operatic pur~:
poses, or motion picture shows, for the a~commodation-O'~'i~ total
of more than 300 persons on all tiers, shall be built to comply
inclusive. :.
CAPACITY.
SECTION 191.
The Inspector of Buildings Shall determine the numb~er
of. persons which every such building may accommodate. This
determination shall be based on the actual number of seats
and an allDwance of 3 square feet per person for all parts of
· the auditorium or galleries'where "standing room" may be pro-
vided. .By s!tanding' room is meant such space in which by the
'law ~ersons may be permitted to stand'durin.g-'any performance'.
Such measurements are to be exclusive of required aisles,
SECT ION 192.
passageways and lobbies. No more than the 'number ..so' determined '; ...
and certified by the InsRector of Buildings .shall be_..allowed.' " ..... "
in such structure at any one time.
ALTERATIONS.
No building which 'at the'time of the passage of this'
Ordinance'is not in actual use for' the purpose.indicated in
of converting the same into a theatre, opera house,:or for
use'by a motion°picture show, unless when altered o~ded. to,
it conforms to the requirements of this.Ordinances.
AP P ROVALS 'RE'QU I RED ~
SECTION 193.
No building described in Section
shall be open-
ed t'o the public unti. 1 the Chief of the Fire DeparSment Shall
have certified in writing that a~l appliances for~ the. extinguish-
· ing of fire :conform to the requirements m~ .?.~i~ of this
Ordinance, and to the special requirements of the Fire Depart-
ment, and are in a complete and satisfactory working. condition.
SEC 'ON 'x9 4
FIREPROOF BUILDING OVER AUDITORIUM.
Nothing here in contained shall prevent the construction
of a thoroughly fireproof building above a fireproof theatre,
p~ovidi.ng no part of such fireproof building Shall...be. P!aee~ .~= ..
above that portio~ of any such building which is '~""='. ~'
· known· as the.
stage section.. The portion containing the theatre,' including
.._.....~ ....
all passages, lobbies and other accessories .connection ther~..~
es thick, and horizontally by unpierced fireproof floors
strength to safely'sustain a .live load of ,lSO' pounds per square
foot on every superficial foot,
SECTION 19~.
ROOF GARDEN.
a. - A .roof garden or open air' auditorium (but
· other place'of public amusement) may be constructed above a
· fireproof building used for theatrical purposes built in con-
.fo~mity with the requirements of this Ordinance. SUch roof
garden or open air auditorium shall have not less th~n".=~
per cent., of its total floor area open to the.skywithout a
%
roof, except that a cover of glass and metal skylight construc-
tion may be'provided, and no part of its .seating
space upon which seats might be p!aced~ shall be at 'greater~~=~'
height' than 90 feet-above the curb level and the main entran-
ce of the building.. The total capacity of such roofSarden or
open air auditorium shall not exceed ~50 persons, figured on
......... '~e"~'~blsI~ as that 'PrOv'i~e~ In s~ction y ~"T~"~d~'~--
ruction of such roof garden 9r open air auditorium shall be
fireproof and shatl conform in every way to the requi.remSnt'S'''=~'
of this Ordinance. =
~. - The size of entrance and exits, corridors and
stairways'shall be 50 per cent.~ 'greater than the correspond-
ing requirements for t~eatres where the orchestra floor is
at or about the street level. If an audience iS to be assem-
bled in the theatre, at the same time as in the open air audit-
orium or roof garden constructed above the same, then the pro-
visions of such entrance and exit herewith required for the
latter shall be entirely distinct from and in addition to the
provisions..'.for exits and entrances, corridors and stairways
required for .the.structure below.
C.'- If any strUcture is built over the ceiling or
· roof of any building used for a theatre, the girders, trusses
or other metal members supporting said.structure shall be
protected against fire by at least 3 inches of fireproof
material with special provisi.on to reinforce 'or support it.
OCCUPANCY RESTRICTED.
SECTION 1~6~
~. - ~o portion of any building erected or altered,
Used or intended to.be used for a theatre, shall be occupied
or.used for any business dealing in any article or material'
dangerous to life in the Opinion of the Inspector of Buildings.
~.o - The before-mentioned restrictions relate not
Only to that portion of the building which contains'the audit-
......... orium and the-stage, but~apply..~lSq_tp. the .entire structure
in connection therewith.
SECT I0N 19.~. ~'
WORKSHOPS AND. PROPERTY STOREROOMS
a. - No workshop, storage or general property room
shall be allowed in or under the auditorium, above the. 'stage
or under the same, or in any of the fly galleries; but such
rooms or shops may be located in the rear of, or at the side
of the stage, and in such cases they shall be 'separated from
the stage vertically and horizontally by a brick or' concrete·
wall not less than 12 inches in thickness or ot~r equally
sufficient cut-off, an.d the openings le,,ading into said portion
shall have self-closing fire do·ors on one side of tll~.. '~wall
and automatic fire doors on ~he' Other side of the wall..
~- - No sleeping' accommodations shall be allowed in
· any part of the. building communicating with·. the auditorium
or stage.
SECTION 198.
SEPARATION OF VESTIBUI~E FROM AUDITORIUM.
Interior fireproof walls or partitions shall separate
the,L_audito~ium from .the entrance·vestibule, and from any com-
municating. room or rooms over or under the same, also from any
lobbies, corridors, refreshment or other rooms forming part of
the theatre; the openings in all such walls shall be protected
by. approved ~lre doors or fire windows. TH~ ¢pD~_.s_hall be_ self-
· .closing, and the windows shall be stationary.
S~CT ION '199.
FLOORS.
. .' · .......: .-,' ~.~ ·; ~." .'
· .
All floor surface shall be of.concrete or'other in-
. c~mbus.tible 'material, .and no wooden boards or sleepers shall
'be used as a covering for floors, seat platforms, aisles,
steps~, 'l.andings,. passages or stairs.
TRIM.
SECT ION ."~'0:0,.
No c. ombustible doors or trim shall be used in the
auditorium, and none of the'walls or ceilings shall be cov-
ered with wooden sheathing, wainscoting, or other combustible
material, but this shall not preclude the cons'truction of a
wooden sounding board over orchestra pit when the same extends·
back of and below the overhang.of the stage, provided the said
wooden sheathing be properly fire stopped by a 12 inch brick
wall back of same, and also have a proper fireproof construct-
ion directly under. the overhang of the stage extending from
the'brick wall to the apron of stage.
SEATS.
SECTION .901.
All seats in the auditorium except those contain-
ed ~n.__box~_S.~ccomm0datlng~ot more than lS persons.shall be
firmly secured to the floor,-and shall be' placed no~ less than
32 inches from back to back, measured horizontally. .If benches
without arms between seats. are used, their capacity ·.shall be
figured on the basis Of one person to each '.lB 'inches. in
width. :
· .b~ _ No .seat in any gallery Shall ha-~e more than
seats intervening between it ~&~ aisle, o~ mo~e than ,~n'~
seats in a ~ow :~etw~en any two aisles. ~'
GALLERY PLATFORMS.
SECTION
No ·platform in gallerys·formed to receive' the seats
shall be more than ~l inches in height of riser· nor less than
3~ inches in width Of platform.' No such platform shall be
near'er than 8 feet from the ceiling.
TUNNELS OR CROSS' AISr~ES.
SECTION
There shall be no more than ll feet rise, measured
· vertically, in any aisle in any gallery.without direct ·exit
by tunnel or otherwise to a corrid6r or passage wit~ a free
opening to the gallery stairs or other direct discharge to
the street. .At.such el'evation of ll feet or less, an interven-
ing or.sross aisle leading directly to an exit may be substituted
for the tunnel. No such tunnel or c~o·ss aisle shall be less
tha~'.'~ee~. wideo~in ~he ~lear~ -. "
Aisles shall be not less than S ·feet wide at 'the ..
beginning~ and'all aisles· shall be increased in width to-' " "'
ward the exit 3 i.n~hes for-every 10" feet in length··.
SECTION
SECT ION.
SECT I0N
STEPS· IN'AISLES'.
'Steps in aisles shall be the full w!d~h'.o.f th.e.'~'le.
· ..No risers shall be. m~re than 9 inches-.'in. height,"'a~!d'~no tr~'A~(:.i.,.- "..
- Shall be ~ess 'than t0 inches in .widtH,. and wheneve. P 'the..pts~'~'' ..
.of seat' platfo~ns is 4 inches or less-~' the ft.o6r of..~:.t.h.~.-aislem'
FLOORS AT EXITS,
any aisle.
."
· In the auditorium there shall. be. no 'step..within 4 feet
of'. the front of an exit or'entrance doorway', nor within one
foot bf-the side thereof,
SECTION 207.
-_. PASSAGES,
· : 'L
a',-' -. The width of passages and hallwayS' shall 'be com-"'
..~.,~..... puted in the same manner as that. he.reinafter provided' fQr.!..~,ta, r~~'
· ... -- .~_..~!~: .-.~.-.... · . - .... _ , . .....
:. ... '.;',~-.. ....- ..........-'.. . .':.:.........,....." ~ ~'.-~i?..-~.~',.'.:-=.,L
'ways, but no passage may be lesS..than.5 feet.in ~idth.
".~'~Z~' ~- ~ All passages, hallways 'and; stairways leading
from any balcony or ~galle~y in any directio~ shall peanit
of free passage to an exit, without returning.
-.C....- The aggregate capacity of the foyers, lobbies,
hallwayS-, passages, and'rooms for the use of the ·audience,
· not.inclUding'aisle space, shall on each tier be sufficient
to contain the ·entire-number to be accommodated on. said
tier, in th~ ratio of. 180 superficial square feet of floor
-for'every hundred petsone.
SECT I0N 208 ·
CALCULATION OF EXITS.
a. - The combined width of entrances and exits for
each tier, likewise their stairways, shall provide one foot
of .width for each 20 persons to be'accommodated 'in that tier.
b. -.The width of entrance stairways shall be at least
50 per cent of ~he Combined width of the entrance and exit
stairways, and the aggregate width of emergency exit doorways
opening from each gallery shall be 60 per cent more than the
stair~mys to which. they lead.
SECT ION 209..
ENTRANCES.
a. - A common place of entrance may serve for 'the
orchestra floor of 'the auditorium and the first gallery, pro-
vided such entrance and the passage leading thereto are of the
Width .requi~e'd for.the aggregate capacity of these two tiers.
b. - Separate places of entrance shall~'.be~i~p~.O~i~d for
each gallery above the first.
c. - Where the number accommodated in a gallery ex-
ceeds two hundred, there shall be at lea'st two separate and
distinct entrances.
ENTRANCES ON STREET FRONTS.
SECTION 210.
a. - Every building u~'ed for the purpose designated
in Section~ ~3 s:hall have at least the front or one side
wall bordering on a Street, and not l~ss than one-half of the
Openings required for entrances of the audience to the auditor-
ium shall be provided in such wall or walls.
b. - Entrances opening directly on a street shall not
be on a higher level"from the sidewalk than four steps of
7-3/4 inch rise.
c. - Where any entrance does not open directly on a
street, corridor, or passage connecting with the street, it
shall be constructed of continuous walls of brick or other
fireproof material equally efficient. The roof construction
of these corridors shall. be fireproof and of-strength suffi-
cient. to safely'sustain a live laod'of 150. pounds per square
foot of area. The height of such corridors. shall be not'less
than 10 feet. No doors or Windows shall be permitted in the
sid~-walts or roof.. .. ._
EMERGENCY EXITS.
SEOTION 811':
From the auditorium at least two. emergency exits remote.
from each other leading .into open courts 0~ streets shall be
provided in each side wall Of the auditorium on all ·tiers.
Each exit shall'be provided with approved fire doors.·
Entrances shall not open into an enclosed court,
· ENTRANCE AND EXIT DOORWAYS.
SECTION 2I~o
a. - The minimum width of doorways shall be 5 feet in
the clear, except emergency exit doorways, which may be 44
i~ches.
b. - All entrance-and exit doors shall open outward,
and be hung in such manner as not to obstruct any part of the
required width of a d6~Srway, passage or stairway. The fasten-
ings of these doors shall be such as can readily be opened
from .the' inside at all times without the use 0f keys-or any
special knowledge'or effort, The use of draw bolts is prohibit-
ed, All· such doorways shall be entirely unobstructed,
MARKING EXITS.
SECT ION ~-t3.
._ a, - Every entrance and exit doorway opening from the
auditorium shall have Over' the same· on the! auaitoriu~ side the
word EXIT inscribed in legible letters not less than 6 inches
high, or an illuminated sign with letters of the same height.
Auditorium entrance and exits shall be numbered with figures
not less than 6 inches high.
b. -.No mirror shall be sq placed as'.to ·give the' appear-
ance of doorway,.exit or passage. There shall be no false
doors? or windows ...
SECT ION 21~..
DIAGRAM OF EXITS.
There shall be legibly printed on the prggram of each
p'erfo~mance a 's~parate diagram or ·plan of every tier~.~, Each
diagram shall occupy a space not .!~SS.than 15 .'square'inches
and s~ow distinctly the entrance' and exits from each tier
and where they lead.·
STAIR LANDINGS.
SECTION ~15,
When s'tairs. turn at an angle or return.directly on
themselves, a landing,. w~thout .steps, of the fd~l width.of.
both flights, shall be provided. The outer line of landings
shall be curved to a radius of not less than 2 feet; this
provision,· however, shall not apply to emergency exit stairs
on outside of buildings. When t~o side stairways connect
with one main stairway, ~he width of the main stairway shall
"~ ~"~"~'Ie~S~ual'to the a~gregate'width-of--t=he ~side"'st~ir~vays.~
No s~airways shall ascend to a· greater·height than 12 feet
.h_~ .wi'~'h of. su_ch ,: :'(" ·
without .a leve 1 landing, and' t ~:..2.an ..... ' :' :'
"' - "' d ' · · . ',~::u',!.-.x.jj~!, ~...~.. :.
'2,." .%" .:.7r,'''~ "" ' "' " '
... oz oo . .t of '''' ..
. , .~_-..~ .....~...; -.~:'..?..;,.E~L.,E.~.-..
platforms.
STAIR ~A'IV.S ;" ...
SECTION 216.
All s,tairways shall have on both sides strong hand
rails. Where stairways are built between'walls,. rails.shall
be .firmly secured' to the wall about 3 inches· disSant there-
from. All rails shall be about 3 feet above the'treadS.
This provision shall also. apply to all steps in side' aisles
of galleries. The width.,.of all stairs shall"'be meas.ure~'''''*
between hand rails. All stairways and landings between stor-
ies, when V feet and over in width, shall be Provided ·With a
center hand rail of metal, not less than 3 inches in dismeter,
placed at a height of about 3 feet above the~ treads and land-
ings. Such rails shall be supported on metal standards sec-
urely bolted to the treads or risers of the stairs. At the
'head of the stairway at each story, a newel post shall be
provided at least '6 feet in height, to which the rail shall
be s e cured'~
SECT ION 21'~.
ENTRANCE STAIRWAYS.
a. - No entrance stairway to any tier in the auditor-
ium shall be less than 5 feet wide.
b. - Entrance stairways and passages· for the dressing
rooms shall be at least 36 inches wide and extend 'inde~S~den$ty
to 'the 'street' or court° No s~airs' in the stage
be less than 30 inches wide, "
~. - No doo~ shall open i~ediately upon a flight
'stairs, but a landing at least the width of the door shall be
provided between such stairs'and such door,
.STAIRWAY ENCLOSURES.,
All entrance stairways for the use of th~ sudience' (~x-"
cept th~se leading to'the first gallery only, Which may be opem
o~ one side).shall.be.enclosed with.walls of.Brick or other fire~
· ,proof materials'in the stories through which ~hey pass. The~.
shall be no communicatie~-from any.portion of.the building
above the street or court grade to 'any of said stairw~ en~los-
' " .. ~ ~.i ~-~ ~" !.' .. .'
ures except from the tier for which the stairway is exclusive-
ly in~ende'd. No stairway £rom a gallery shall .communicate with
the basement or. cellar.
E~ERGENOY 'EXIT STAIRWAYS AND BALCONIES,
SECTION 219.
Emergency .exit stairways from each 'ga.lle~y shall be
placed in smoke-proOf l~'oWers, or an. approved form of open
..stairway may be used. The minimum width .of emergency exit
stairWays'shall be 4 feet, except that their width may be red-
uced 15 per cent,, if located in a smoke-proof t'ower having no
openings except to an outside balcony' and-.~o cOur~a~.. The
stairways for'the emergency exits from~;-~ach tier shall extend
to'the court or Street grade ind~F~.ly 'of~." '--stairways
or exits from '.other tiers, ::~.'.. ~i~~.ba!cOnie~all be at
least as wide as the stairways wh'i~"they serve~ b ~.in no.
· .L.. :.~~-~-' .
case less than 6 feet. No riser shall be. nearer than one foot
to the door opening..
CONSTRUCTION OF BALCONIES AND STAIRWAYS FOR EbBERGENCY EXITS.
SECTION 1~0.
.All emergency exit balconies and stairways shall be
constructed of Steel or'of other forms of incombustible con-
struction approved by the Inspector of Buildings. Riszers,
treads, platform~ and balconies must be 'solid, without slats,'
and'the .construction shall be of strength sufficient to sustain
safely a live lo~d. of 100 pounds.per square foot with a safe-.
ty factor of 4. Exterior stairways. and balconies of steel con-
struction shall.be .disigned to safely sustain a live load of
· not less than 100 pounds per square foot for interior construc-
tion, and 150 pounds per square foot 'for exterior constrmction,.
with a factor of safety of 4 in each case. Sheet metal or other
suitable solid material shall be provided to a height of not
less than 4 feet on the outer side of all such open air stair-
ways, balconies and platforms, and.they shall be covered with
a'metal hood' or awning const~u6ted'in a' manner approved by the
Inspector of Buildings. There shall be no openings in any the-
atre wall between the outside balconies or stairways and their
covers, except the required exits fro~'~ the tiei~ served by
said stairways and balconies. No person of the audience
shall be .obliged'tO pass alongside of more than one exit
doorway a~ter reaching an outside balcony to get to the
ground. All exit stsirwayS and balconies shall be kept
free of obstruction of every kind, including snow and ice.
TREADS AND .RISERS.
SECTION SSl.
All. stairs, shall have treads of unif0rmwidth, and
risers of uniform height. in each flight. The risers Shall
not exceed V-3/4 i~Ches. in ~eight nor shall the treads, ex-
clusive of nosing, be l~ss than 9-!
.o m. inches wide. NO c. ircular
stairs shall 'be permitted, and no winders shall be introduced
"'in any Stairs which may be Used for exit purposes.
EXITS FROM STAGE SECTION'.
SECT ION 2~2.
~-~.-
At least two independent exterior exits with direct
outlet at court Or street grade shall be provided from the'
stage level for the Service of.the stage and floors below
same. These exits 'shall be at opposite sides. of the stage
and ma~ serve also as entrances~ Each tier of dressing rooms'
. ~ '~,. _ ~ ~. - ......... ~_ ~-- , ....
shall .ha~e an independent emergency exit leading directly to
an open stairway, or to a court or street.' No ladder fire
escapes shall be permitted. The fly galleries shall be pro-
vided with adequate means of exit. All exits. from the stage
~L~;"s'ectiOn ehall be independent of the exits for the audience
'.~;~bove the court or street grade. Stairways, if any leading
.~! ~ ~
'~"from stage level shall be enclosed and protected by fire-
· . proof doors.
SECTION 223.
EMERGENOY COURTS.
.. -" There shall be reserved for emergency exit purposes
an open court or space on the side or sides of t~e b~ilding
as follows:
(a) -- ~n the case of a plot with street'on front,
rear, and both sides, or in. the case of a double corner plot
where both sides of the theatre bo~der on street, no courts-
w~ll be required. On a double corner, single corner, or in-
side plot when one side only of the buildingborders on a
street, one court will be required located on the opposite
~ide. On an inside plot where 'only the building front bop-'
ders-on'the street, courts shali be provided on beth sides.
(b) -- In buildings used for motion picture shows and
- having no s~tage, the exits and court~ above required may be
replaced by equivalent exits and courts at the rear if con-
.~ ......_s~s_t'_e_n_t'.wi~h th~'adeqUat.e..dis~ibution. of the..en~ire entran-
ce and exit facilities.
SECTION
COURT WIDTH,
The. minimum width of open cou~..t.s shall be 8 ·feet ..... ·-"'.'~"'
when the total capacity is 780 'or less; lO feet when the ~~-~"
capac. ity is between 780 and 1000; and when the Capacity exc-
eeds 1000 people the width of the courts shall be increased'
one foot for each additional 800·people or fraction thereof in
excess of 1000,
COURT LP~NGTH,
SECTION 2~5. ', ='~
· Said open court or courts shall ·extend 'at least from
the line of the prosecenium wall the length.of the auditorium
· to the wall separating the same from the entrance lobby or
vestib~le. This entire court area shall be open' to the. sky
except that emergency exit stairways and sm0keproof ·towers
may occupy part of the ~ apa..ee~.~i]~he..requf~~ width.'.~f exit
passageways is not obstructed',
SECTION
COURT CORRIDORS,
Where said emergency.courts do no~ open directly on a
~treet a separate and distinct Corridor or passage· Shall con-
tinue directly to the street,around the building or ~hrou.gh
such structure as may be or may have been built'on the street
but no such passageway shall pass under any portion of the
auditorium,.or stage. Said corridors Or passages shall b~
constructed fireproof all the way to the'street'in same manner
as p~ovided for the construction of corridors'for entrances,
in Section ~P ,'.paragraph ~ .. The corridor or passage lead-
ing from the COurt' to. the street shall be at least as wide
the court~ and there ·shall be no projections into the passage.
The outer openings may be' provided wit~ doors or.gates open-
ing oUtWard. During.the per£onnance these dOorS or gates shall
be'kept open~ at other times they may be closed and fastened '~'
'by movable bolts.
ENTRANCES IN COURTS,.'
SECTION ~2~,
If entrancea open on emergency courts or corridors
· the said courts or corridors shall be increased in width
and amount at l~ast.equal to the width' of the entrances which
they serve,
Entrance..vestibules to stage section, Section ~L~,
8ECTION~ 2.28 .-
COURTS AND CORRIDORS KEPT 0LEAR.,
The courts or corridors. or passages:.shall not be
used for storage purposes, nor for any purpose whatsoever
..excep~ for exit and entranc. e~. and must be kep% free and clear
during performances,
SECTION .' '~ ...
GRADIENTS.
All c. our~s~ and corridors at points 'of street entrance
'or exit shall be flush with sidewalk. 'To'overcome amy differ-
ence"of level in and between courts, corridors, lobbies,
ages and aisles on the ground floor, gradientp'shall be employ-
ed of not over one foot in 10 feet, ·exCept'that runs of not
more than 10 feet in length may be one in eight.
PROSCENIUM WALL.
SECTION 930 ·
A fire wall built of brick or concret~ not less than
12 inches thick. in .any portion shall separate the auditorium'
from the stage and shall extend at least 4 feet above the
Stage roof, oF the auditorium roof if the l~tter be higher.
Any windows in the structure above the auditoriumswhich face
over roof of stage section when within 100 feet of the stage
roof must be protected with fire shutters or firewindows.
Abo~e the prOscenium'Opening there shall be.a girder. o~ o~her
support of sufficient strength to Safely· carry the load. If
a gride~ be used it shall be protected against fire by·at
least 4 inches of fireproof material with-special provision'
to reinforce or support it.
PROSCENIUM CURTAIN.
a. - The proscenium opening shall be provided with a
rigid fireproof curtain:~, built.in conformity with the' follow-
ing 's'pecifications, or there equivalent in'effic:ienoywhen
approved by the Inspector of Buildings.
b. - The curtain shall'have a rigid, rivet-Jointed,
steel framework. The front'oraudience side' of the'frame
shall be covered With sheet steel 'of a thickness not less
than No. 20 U.S~ Guage. The back' shall be cove~e~ with .vit-
'rified cellular asbestos boards at .least 1 inch. thick, or
other material equally fireresisting. Both coverings shall
be securely attached to the framework· and the joints properly
sealed. The curtain shall be designated'to resist a wind
pressure of 10 pounds per square foot of surface without
flexure sufficient to interfere' With its closing. F-igure
c. - Th~ thickness of the curtain shall be not less
than 3 inches where the width of the Prosceniumwall opening.
is 30 feet or less; curtains for larger openings shall in-
crease in thickness' in proportion to the increase in width of
opening' they'cover.
d. -"An asbestos roll of a diameter not less than one-
half the thickness of the curtain shall be securely attached
to the bottom of the curtain to form.a smoke .seal between the
curtain and the stage floor.
e. - The curtain shall overlap the Prosceniumwall
opening at least 12 inches at each side .of the opening and no~
less'than 2 feet
f.'- The guide members at the sides shall be rQlled
steel shapes,none of which shall·be less than 3/8 inc~ thick,.
.. :.:.: .: ;~,-~.~-...s.~.'.
and shall be of such character as to .fornn a' continuous ~mok~'.-;0'
seal from top to bottom, with a clearance o.f nat
inch, The guides shall be installed in such mannert~at in case
of fire on the stage the pressure of heated gasses aga, inst
the curtain will'act to close the guide 'joints tigh.tly.
side of the opening, so located and of such thickness and height
as to be suitable for the attachment of,the curtain guides.
At least 1 inch· shall be allowed at each edge of curtain to
prdvide for lateral expansion.'-
Opportunity for.expansion of the hnProtected st~uctur-
al frame work of the. curtain and guides shall be furnished b~"~
Slotting the'holes of the-connecting bolts."
-NOTE: - As steel expands rapidly under action of heat,.
it is necessary to provide fo~ the change'in dimensions, ather-
wise._dtsastrous deformations may result In general an expan-
sion of abo'ut'l/8'inc.lf~'e'r foot measured fr~safiXed points sh-
ould be calculated.
g. - The ·wall Over the proscenium opening 'shall be
smooth and plumb to approximately the~.top of the curtain' when
it is down, and-shall then off set at lea~t 4 inches for the
rest of its height, t~us leaving a bench along the line of the
top of .the ctu~tain between which a smoke s~eal shall be formed.
Su~'a' ~eal may conveniently be' provided by a~a~gi~ for the
edge of a roll steel shape attached to the curtain ~o dip into
a trough of.sand resting on the bench~'.Fig. 40
h. - No part Of a curtain or any of the.curtain guides
shall be.Suppor.ted by, or.fastened.to anycombustible material.
i. - The hoisting apparatus for the curtai~ 'shall be
d~signed with a factor of safety Of'8~ "'
J. - The points for curtain suspension shall always '...'~'~
be an even number, but never less than"four. B of the'suspen-
sion points shall be' located at the extreme ends of the curtain,
and the others may be 'placed at such Points as best"suit the
design, but'in no case shalI the distance between any two points
of support exceed 10 feet.
k. - Half of the cables attached'to these points
. o o
Shall lead to one set of counter~veights and ball to another.
The curtain shall be operated by hydraulic or other mechanism
approved by the Inspector of Buildings. If hyd~aulic mechan-
ism is used, the.water may be taken from'either the' house tank
or SPrinkler 'tank supply. If'from the latter, the supply pipe
for emitSin mechanism shall be so located in the tank that it
connot reduce the qua~tit~.~f .water'betow..th~.'-.~mo~-~t nec. ess~ry
to fulfill the sprinkler requirements..
1. - The device for controlling the curtain shall be
simple in design, and capable of convenient operation from
both 'sides of the stage and from the tie galleries.
m. - The drop. spe~d of the curtain shall'be uniform an
not less than 1 foot per second~ but when' the curtain is about
2_~._f. ee__t from t.h~e_ .stage--i}-shall autom,atically. sloe dow~ ~n as..
to settle on the stage without shock.-, In addition to the reg-
ular operation mechanism, there shall be an emergen6y device.·
which will cut off' the power and'allOw·the curtain to drop
by gravity. This device shall be so arranged that·it can
be easily operated by hand from each side of the stage,
under the stage, and in. the tie galleries. The device shall
also'be so designed that its operation will be controlled by
fusible links located at each of'the above n~med points.
n.- The audience' side of the curtain may be decorated
with a paint in which. no oil i~ used. No combus.tibl~ mater-
ial s~all be applied or attached to the curtain.
o...- Drawings for every such curtain shall be submit-
ted to the Inspector of Buildings and be ~·approve~ by him
before it is erected. ·'·
COUNTER -~E IGHTS.
SECTION 232.
Where c'ounterwidghts are used they shall be suspended
at the extreme side or other walls of the stage section, and
be enclosed by g~ards.
OTHER OPENINGS IN PROSCENIUM WALL.
SECTION
Openings between the stage auditorium other than the
· ' 'Proscenium'opening. s~alt-not exceed four iN nt~n~'tWo"a~
the approximate stage level and two in the musicians pit; the
- lvo-
size of any such opening shall not exceed 21 square feet.
The openings at stage level shall.have an automatic fire
door on one side o£ the wall and self-closing fire'door~
on the'other side of the wall; openings, if'any, below the
.stage shall have alself-closing fire door; all of Said.doors
shall be hung sO as t0 be opened from either.Side of the wall.
at all times'.
OVERHANG OF STAGE.
SECTION 234/.
All that portion of the stage extending from the
stage inside of'the curtain and from the wall. separating·
the space under the stage 'from the auditorium, t'O the .outer
edge of'the apron shall be fireproof. A wood finish floor'
without air space may be used on the stage in front of the
curtain.
OPENING IN EXTERIOR WALLS.
SEC~ION 235~
~ Ail openings in exterior walls of the stage section
· shall be protected by an. approved fire door., shutters, or
windows.
VESTIBULES FOR' STAGE ENTRANCES.
SECTION~'236 ...... . ........ :_..:..___.,_ :.. .........
All entrances ~'o the stage from the front'streets,
-alleys, or open courts shall be vestibuled to protect the
stage from drafts of air.
SECTION
-FIREPROOF STAGE CONSTRUCTION.
All that portion of the
excepting that part usually embraced between the pr~'~e~ium
Jambs and from proscenium to rear wall shall be of fireproof
construction and designed to safely
....
.. ., -- ....
..
stage which is
~t less~tham 100 pounds per square
sustain a live load
· . ..: .~-_.~.;~.' .-~
foot, The non-firp~oof
portion of stage fl6or shall be of heavy timber or Steel
beam constr~ction with flooring not less than I~S/~ inch
finished thickness.
SECTION
ers sha~l
F~Y AND TIE GALLERIES.
The fly galleries and the tie galleries shall be of
fireproof construction designed to safely sustain a live
load of ~0 pounds per square foot. No wooden boards or sleep-
be used as a Covering Over these floors.
SECTION
GRIDIRON.
The gridiron or rigging loft shall have a lattice
metal floor capable-of sustaining a live load of ~8 pounds per
Square fooOt and be readily accessible by metal stairs or ladder.
SECTION 2~0.
SCENERY..
All stage scenery, curtains,-and decorations made Of
combustible material, .and all woodwork. On or.'about the stage,
.shall be painte~ or Saturated with-some-non'c0mbustihle~material,
or otherwise rendered safe against fire.
-172-
..SECTION ~41~
VENTILATION IN STAGE SECTION.
a. - There shall be one or more ventilators, construct-
ed of metal or other incombustible material', ~ear the center"
and above the highest part of th~ Stage of every.theatre, rais-
ed above the stage roof, and of combined'seCtional area equai
to at least 10 per cent of the floor area within the stage
walls. The openings in such ventil.ators shall have an aggre-
gate sectional area at least equal'.t6. that required.for the
ventilators. Detaiied draw. ings showing the Construction and
.operation of the ventilators must be approv~d by the Inspector
'of Buildings before lnstallation-is-b~gun. The.'.entire'equi-
pment shali conform'to the f0ilowing r.equirements or their
equiv~a~ent:-- -.
b. - THe construction of the cover andTits operating
mechani-sm shall be massive, and the cover shall open by force
of gravity'sufficient to effectively oVerCome the effects of
'.neglect, ~ust, dirt, frost, snow or expansion b'y wear, or
warping of the .framework. "
c. - GlaSs if used in ventilators must be protected
against'.falllng on the .stage. A wire screen if used under
the glass must be so placed that if clogged. it cannot reduce
the'required v~nt area or interfere with the operating mechan-
ism, or obstruct the distribution of water from the automatic
d. - The cover shall be arranged'to Open instantly
after the outbreak of fire by the use of approved automatic
fusible links of the thinnest metal pracitcable; manual con-
· '.'~:.' ~'..' ""~; "-..
trol also must be provided by a cord ~un down to-the stage
at a point designated by the .Sup~'~-intendent, ..~.'.~.. L'~·
e, - The ]'ink and '.cord must hold the' cover closed
against a force· of at least 30 pounds excess·counterweight
tending to open-the cover, Fusible ].inks shall be placed
the ventilator above the roof line andin at least two other
points in each controlling cord, No automatic sprinkler heads
shall be placed in the ventilator space above the fusible
links. While theatre is in use, each venti.lator' cover shall
be Operated daily by-one of the cords. · ~"~
SKYLIGHTS,
SECTION 242. ""
If any skylight is plac'ed in a roof, it shall be in-.
stalled in accordance with the requirements of Section'/
DRESSING ROOMS,
SECTION
a. - Actor'S dressing rooms shall 'not .be placed on
or under the stage, or in' or under the auditorium, They shall
be in separate sections provided for that purpose, No dressing
'room ceiling shall be less than 4 feet, 6 inches above the level
of the street or court adjoining,
b, - The walls separating the section containing the
dressing rooms· from the atage or auditorium shall be of brick
or concrete not less'than 8 inches in thickness and each open-
ing therein .shall be protected with a self-closing fire door
The' partitions dividing the dressing rooms, together with
the partitions of every passageway from. the same t_O the
stage shall be constructed-of .approved fireproof material not
less than 4 inches in thickness. All' doorwayS. in any of said
partitions ··shall be protected by self-closing ,'fire doors.
All dressing rooms shall be ventilated by fire windows to
a street or to a court not less then 24 square feet in area.
c. -.All shelving and cupboards in every dressing
room, property room or other storage rooms, shall be of in-
combustible material.
HEAT ING APPARATUS.
· ECT I0N 2~4.
a. - Steam boilers shall be located outside of the
building, either under the sidewalk or in an"extension, but
in no case under or Within any portion of the building; the
space allotted to the same shall be enclosed'by walls of
brick.Or concrete at least 12 inches thick on all Sides, and
the c~iling of such space shall be constructed of fireproof
materials. Each doorway in said walls connecting with the
building shall have an automatic fire door.
b. -'No floor register for heating, Ve'ntilati~g or
other pdrposes shall be permitted in aisles, .corridors, or
passageways.
c. - All blowers used to circulate air through heating
or ventilating· pipes with openings to the auditorium sh~ll be
provided with a device to stop the blower automatically in
case of fire. The device for this purpose shall be located
near the blower, both inside and outside the pipe ·leading to
· - ~,~f ~ j~:' ~..
openings' in the auditorium. See note in secl~'ion / .
~- -;j~. ;~o....~. ·
d. - No coil, radiator, or pipe shall~be placed
to abstruct any aisle or passageway. Any exposed ~adi~t~.o~-~
or coil shall be guarded..
.""~ ~.
LIGHTING.
SECTION S45.
a. - The stage section and every portion of ~he buil.~!~'.7"
ing 'devoted to the uses or accommodation of ·the public, also
all passages leading to streets, including the open courts
and corridors, shall be satisfactorily lighted during every
performance, and until the entire audience~as left the premises.
b. - Only electric lights shall be 'used in the audit-
and stage section, except that gas fixtures having not larger
than "l foot" burners may be used in dressing rooms, These
shall have soldered to the fixture strong wire guards or
screens not less than lO inches in diameter so constructed a
that any material in Qontact therewith s. hall be out of reach
of the flames.
c. -Where electric current from two separate street~
mains is available, two separate and distinct services must
be installed; one service to be of s~fficient capacity to ··
supply current for the enti~e equipment ·~f the theatre, while
the other service must 'be' at least'sufficient ~0 supply cur-
rent for all emergency lights,·including the exit lights or
'signs, and all lights in outside courts, lobbies, stairways,
-corridors, and other portions of theatre which are no.~mally
kept lighted during"the performance.
form' a street main'is available .the". connections use~ exclusive.-.. ' ' '
ly for emergency .lights must be. taken from-a point "'on the. street
· .. .' -~...~..~ '~'~.-~j:~.~.~ .. ....
'Where only~ on'~
side of the main service fuses. W~en the s~urce of s~pply'is
an isolated pla~t on the same. premises, an auxiliary service :"!:'
at least sufficient to Supply all e~e~gency lightsjshall be con-
n~cted with some outside source,. or'a'suitaB'le storage ·battery
within the premises'may be considered the'equivalent of such
d. - Where illuminated Signs are' not provided there
service.
shall be at least one' green light over each exits.and entrance
opening from 'the auditorium an~ stage section.
e~.- All emergency lights shall be ·controlled·by a
special switch located in the lobbyand accessible .only to
authorized persons.
f.'vThe stage switchboard shall have a meta~ hood over the
top, running the full length of the board and fully Protecting
same from anything. falling from above..
AUTOMATIC SPRINIG~ER EQUIPMENT.
SECTION 246.
a. - A standard wet-pipe system of approved automatic sprin-
klers shall.be installed throughout the theatre, except in the
-auditorium~ foyers and lohbie~'. sprinklers shal~ :not be permit-
ted over dynamos and s~itchboards or above the fusible links:
immediately under the automatic ventilators over stage.
b. - Sprinkler equipments shall be installed in accordance
with the requirements of the Fire Underwriters.
STANDP IPES.
a. - Standpipes conforming to the requirements of
the Fire Underwriters shall be provided with hose connections
located as.follows.:. One on each.side of the stage'on. each
:.. :...:f.~ ..
~ier, one readily ~ccessi'ble from the property room, the ca~pen-
.ter shop, scenery storage rooms, lobbies and elsewhere as ~ay
be required by the InspeCtor of Buildings.
b. - A sufficient quantity of approved'linen hose,
.1½ inches in.diameter, in 50-foot lengths or enough to cover
floor area, shall be kept attached to each hos.e connection;
25-foot lengths will be permitted in fly galleries.
MISCELLANEOUS FIRE APPLIANCES.
~=ECTION ~-48..
a. - There shall be on each side of the stage two 'axes,
one 20 foot, one. 15 foot, and one lO foot· i~ook, as designated
by the Fire· Department. On each side of the stage, under the
stage, on each fly gallery, also-in property and other store
rooms., and in each workwhop, there shall be k~pt in readiness
for immediate use one apprdved 2! gallon hand chemical fire
extinguisher and one 40 gallon cask filled with water and six
fire pails; said casks and buckets shall be painted red and
lettered "' For Fire Purposes Only ". T~ere shall also be pro-
vided at least three approved '2½ gallon hand chemical fire ex-
tinguishers for each-tier of the auditorim.
b. - All apparatus 'for' th'~ extinguishment
Department and be keot at all times in cor~ltio~" ~':'t-iS:faCto'ry
fire
SPECIAL. P__ROVISIONS RELATING TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF
MOVING PICTURE THEATRES HAVING CAPACITY OF SIX
HUNDRED PERSONS OR LESS.
· REQUIRE~ENTS FOR EXHIBITION' ROOMS.
SECTION 249.
a. - No motion picture machine shall be installed,
maintained or operated in any building.that does not abut dir-
ectly upon a street; nor shall any such machine be installed,
maintained or'operated in connection with any exhibition room
c. ontained in a building occupied as a hotel, tenement house,
or lodging house; nor in factories or workshops, ·except where
'the'exhibition room and motion picture machine. are separated
from the rest of the building by unpierced"fireproof walls
floors; in no case'shall the main floor of Such exhibition
room be more than'4 feet above or below the adjoining grade
level. To overcome any difference of level on·the· ground
floor gradients~ shall be employed of not over one foot in 10
feet; no steps shall be permitted. Exit doors shall be at
the same level as the sidewalk.
b. - If the walls of the auditorium contain wooden
studs, they shall be protected with metal lath and not less
· than 3/4 inch of cement Or cement-tempered plaster, or be
covered With ,-inch.plaster boards and plastered'with ,-inch
of p~a~te~'-~r covered with metal. 'The joints'shall be proper-
ly filled with ~ortar. The ceilings of all such auditoriums
having wooden construction, and the ceilings of any basement
or cellar which may exist under such auditoriums~, shall be
protected with metal lath and cement plaster orwith ~
. ~-inch
plaster board~ and covered with plaster or metal as above
specified for protection of walls. ..All metal lath used in
Such construction shall be of approved quality. .-
c. - All motion picture exhibition rooms shall be
provided with'at least two separate exits, one of which'shall
~e in the front and the other in the rear, both leading to
unobstruSted outlets~ on the street. The aggregate width in
feet Of' such exits shall be not less than one-twentieth of
the number of persons; to be accommodated thereby. NO exits
shall be less teen 8 feet in width, and there..shall be a
main exit not less than 10 feet in total width.
d. - If an unobstructed exit to a street cannot be
provided at the rear of such buildings,. as herein specified,
either an open cou~t or a fireproof passage-'~or corridor shall
be provided from rear exit to the street front, of at. least
4 feet in width for exhibition rooms accommodating 50 persons
or less, and (6) six inches additional for each additional
Elfty persons accommodated by such room. Such passage shall
be constructed Of fireproof material and shall. be at least
10 feet high in the clear. The walls forming such passage
shall be at least 8 inches thick, of brick or other approved
fireproof material, and if there be a basement the wall on
the auditorium side shall either extend 1 foot below the cel-
lar bottom or may be carried in the cellar on iron columns
and_girders! properly fireproofed.
The ceilingDf said pass-
ages, and if tbe~e be a basement the floor shall be of fire-
proof construction.
e. - If unobstructed rear exit~ or exits to'a street.
are provided, 'the said exit or exits shall be of the same
total width required'for 'the court or passage above mention-
ed, Said passages and exits' to the street shall be used for
no other purposes except for exit and entrance, and shall b.e
kept free and clear.
f. - The ].evel of 'the open court or passage where it
intersects the street shall be not greater than one step
above the level of the sidewalk, and the grade shall be not
more-than 1 foot in 10, with no perpendicular rises.
g. - All seats in any exhibition room for moving..
picture machines sha].l be not 'less than 32 inches from back
to back, measured horizontally, and securely fastened to the
floor; they shall'b~ so arranged that there will be not more
than 10 seats in a line between aisles, nor.more tha~=f.oUr
between any seat and an aisle. All aisles shall lead directly
to exits and all exits shall be directly accessible to aisles.
No aisles shall be less than 3 feet in width where it begins,
and shall increase in width toward the exits 3 inches for
every 10 feet in.length. All exit doors shall be arranged to
swing outward and be provided with fastenings that can be
opened readily from the inside, without the use of keys or
an~ special effort. Such doors shall not be locked ~hen the
room is open to the public.
h. - All the requirements.of this section relating
'to seats, aisles, passageways, exits and doors shall apply
in connection with open air motion picture exhibition.
i. -. Every'exit doorway from exhibition rooms shall
.have over'the same.On the auditorium.' side, the word "EXIT" ...... ~i.."'~
=~.~ letters not-less than 6 inches .bigh~ or an illuminated
Where illuminated
= gn with letters .Of the same '~eight, . :- ........
sighs are not provided there shall be at least one green ...~....I...:..
light over each exijt dperway. The exi~ doorways: shall be ~.number- ~..
ed.with figures not ~ess than 6 inches high. Lights used in
· marking exits or lighting passageways, stairways'or incline~
leading from them shall not depend upon or be controlled by
wires, switches, or fuses located in the room, tompatient,
booth or enclosurescontaining motion picture.machines, but
shall be controlled from ticket office.
j. ~ Construction of Booth - Every picture.machine
shall before being operated be installed in a booth or room,
either constructed entirely of fireproof materials or render-
e-~.proof against fi~e by having. its ceiling and walls'prot~t-
.ed With asbestos board , inch thick'co~ered with sheet iron
not less than 26 B. & S. gauge. The floor may be of concrete
.but if of combustible material must be protecto'S:with 20 B.'&S.
gauge sheet iron covered with rubber or cork matting.
The door Shall, if of wood.,. be at least 3/4 of an inch
in thickness, clad with at least No. 28 gauge sheet metal.
*he door shall swing outward and close automatically either
by means of a spring on the outside or by a metal rope and
we ight. .~
Openings for the operator!s view o~ for the projection
of the picture shall in no case be larger than 12" x 12" and
shall be provided with gravity doors of the same material as
specified for the booth. Such ·doors shall~be held open by
· fusible links and shall not be-blocked or held open in any ..... ~.. ~..~
other manner.
Each booth or room shall.be ventilated by a metal
ventilating p~Pe not less than 12 ·inches in 'diameter, extend-
ing outside of the.building.· In a private assembly hall
when the pic. t6~e machine is operated only occastonlly~and
fnP short periods-of time, 'the ventilating· pipe may.be om-
itted.
k, - Any motion picture exhibition room accommodating..
more than six hundred people, oP containing a gallery or gal-
leries shall be' built in compliance with the requirements fop
theatres
ASSEMBLY HALLS,
REQUIREMENTS FOR PUBLIC SAFE.~TY.
~ECTION 250.
a. - In all buildings or parts of bui'].dings occupied
for purposes of assembly, except theatres and moving picture
houses, Which are hereinbefore provided for, the halls, doors,
stairways, passagesways, and all other exit facilities shall
conform to the prov'isions of The Fire Underwriters 'Code.
b. -.All seats shall be spaced aS required for theatres
In computing the sea~ing capacity of any room or building-used
for purposes of.assembly in which the seats are not fixed, an
allowance Of 6 square feet of floor area shall be made for.
each person and. all space between the walls or partitions of
such room or building shall be measured in this computation.
Movable seats'are not permitted in balconies. and galleries'
having stepped floors.
c.. - Any assembly hall containing a stage shall com-
ply with the requirements for theatres, except that"stages the
area of which dO not exceed one-fifth the srea of the audit-
orium and having' no transient scenery other than especially
approved by the InSpector of Buildings may conform to the
following requirements': The prosceniumwall may be built
of masonry, reinforced concrete, gypsum blocks or solid
.... ~'l'*lath'and cement Plaste~.""Ali'Ellowed openings in the
Prosceniumwall'except the curtain opening ~hall be protected
'l~y agproved fire doors. Th~ Ourtain in such assemb~$~}i=l~j.~l~=".---:;:"
may be of asbestoS' instead of-~'L]=.~i6~d.. ~e].at~e ..8u.rtal~."'.'~nd' .
' ..' . ~r="....= . ' ~"."'" ' . '..'~. ~=r" ' ?" 'T "~.'. "
shall be .hUng on incombustible... supPoPts.. All sceneP.y, boPdePSs
"and ~ings shall be ~endered non-inflammable as he~einbefo~e
provided for under requirements for theatres.
- 186 .... '
· . :.~,--'~ ~. ~c,~. ' ... · '. · .
~-< ,... .... .. ~- ..... . .... .., ~-.~....~, .......
EANS OF EGRESS
EX S.
.'SECTION
Every building, excspt private dwellings and each floor
above the ·first shall be provided with at lea~t two (~) means
of egress r~mote from each other, one of which shall'b~_~n
· Yenclosed stairway. opening to a street or fireproof passage
leading to a'street. The other may open to a yard or other
space d~emed safe by the InSpector of Buildings.
· When exit doorways have a c:lear width of at least
forty (40) inches each, the aggregate widths of .doorways shall
be equal to the required ~idth of corridor Or stairway served
by same. When individual doors are less than forty (40) inch-
es wide, there shall be one doorway for each twenty-two ~'22)
inches of required width of corridor leading to'same. Every
doorway shall be at least twenty-eight (28) inches w~de in
the clear. All passageways and e~it:'doors shall swing in
the direction 'of exit travel.
DOORS TO OPEN· OUT.
The-entrance and exit doors of all hotels, churches,
lodge Halls, 8cUrt hbuSes,' ~ss~bly'~lls, th~atres~ opera
houses, colleges and public school houses, and other structur-
es where the hazard is deemed sufficient: by the Building In-
spector, and the entrance doors to all class and assembly
rooms in all public school buildings Shall open outward 'a~
shall not be fastened against exit or so the same Cannot be
easily opened from within.
~NUMBER OF DOORWAYS.
SECTION
Every room h~ving .an occupancy of more than seventy-
.' five (75) persons. shall have at least two doorways remote'
from each other leading to exits.
SECTION
· L'.
HALLWAYS AND CORRIDORS, WIDTH.
~tallways Or corridors at the street or cour.t level
furnishing exit from stairways, shall be not less in width
than tba ~ggregate width of the required sta~ays.::which
an exit for fifty (50) Or more persons 'sEa--.l']~'~':have at least
fortY-four· .(~) inches of width fop the first fifty (50) · .:. ,.~.~.._~::~....::r
persons a~:'ix (6) inches additional'fop each additional fifty
(5G) persons.· to 'be accommodated thereby. ..
"
PRIVATE GARAGES .'
CLASS IFICAT ION.
Private garages shall inclued all buildings or st~uc--
'tures or portions of the same in which are kept not to exceed
· ....$hr~.e. automobiles or motor trucks.
:'V..,..~,
PriVate' garages outside the fire limits ·covering not
to.exceed siX hundred ·square feet in area, or one story and
attic in height, and erected not less than ten feet from 'any
dwelling' house or five feet from any lot line., may be of frame
construc$ion.
· Private garages used for the keep of not to exceed'-one
automobile covering not to exceed three hundred square feet in
,~' area, n_ot over one story high, and erected not less than five
feet from any dwelling house or three feet from any lot line,
may be Of frame construction.
That. part of a dwelling that is to house an automobile
shall be separated from the rest of the house by walls, ceil-
· ing and doors· of incombustible material.
The walls shall be at least Six inches thiqk, if
made of brick, tile or concrete· or co~2rete blocks. Wood
_.~tud~...~i~k metal lath may be substituted_for-lthese..wall~, ....
and same shall be covered with a three-quarter inch coat
Of cement plaster on·both sides of walls. StUds for this
·-., .'-~'~Y""may he'.of 2 x' 4's ·with longest dimension at right angles
'to p~a..ne Of wall.
....
.Floors. above may be constru'cte't~..of':-W~.G~... loim,~s~. "but:"" "~<'=':"!>~'~' ' -
e s . . . : .~_.::.:
Doors leading into house s sll const cted
o~ incombustible material and approved by the. BUildin~ Inspector.
.SECT. ION 25V..
FLOORS-.
All floors on which 'automobiles are stored ~haI. t' .be of
concrete or other suitable incombustible material.
LUMBER YARD AND STORAGE'OF· LUMBER.
SECTION 2~58,.
LUMBER STORAGE WITHIN FIE 'LIMITS·.
No person, firm or corporation shall hereafter store
' i. i'~ '
any lumber in the open within the boundties known as the Fire
Limits on any plot or parcel of ground not used for that pur-
pose at the ~ime of this ordtnanee, and no existing lumber
piles within said Fire Limits shall be maintained at a greate~
height then fifteen (15) feet. ~
EIGHT OF L~BER PILES; SPACE BETWEEN; "LUMBER YARDS
FRONTING ON STREETS.
· T~ECT.ION 259 ....
It shall be unlawful to pile lUmber in any yard to
a greater height than thirty feet above the grade of the ad-
joining street or all. ey, and when piles of h~nb~ ~.~r.a-sitUat;'
........... · -.~,-., ~ .los shall'
ed adjacent to each other,'the space ··between the ~::.
~:~'. ~: .. .. !~:~.~-... ·
be kept entirely f~ee f~om ~efus.e,'' chips of blocks. W~...
lumbe~ 'yards. f~ont .'on a. street, a. tight fence not less' than
ei~t.feet hi~ shall be 'erected and maintained along the
street line~ such ·fences to be p~ovide~ wit~. gateways" not
le~s than·ten feet wide placed· at intervals of not ·more than
one hundred feet. .-
~en buildings o~ adjoinin~ p~emises a~e p~ovided'
· with dead walls adjacent to the i~be~' yards, the.'l~be~
.:.~: .:.
shall not be piled hi~e~ than t~ee feet belo~~' 'the'top of
such walls, but may be piled close to such wall.·
nea~e~ to a buildi~ upon adjoining p~Ope~ty, than one-half
the hoist o~ ~he lmb'e~ pile, and tin no case nea~e~ than ten
feet to adjoining premises unless such premises ~'e a oontigu-
ous Iumbe~ yard.
· WINDOWS AEE' MEOHANICAL VENTILATION.
SECT ION 260.
In every building hereafter erected or·converted to
the-purpose of a dwelling, tenement house or ~otel, the~ various
rooms' shall be ventilated by means of windows and courts-of at
least the minimum areas prescribed by the State Jousing Ac~s..
· .-- The air in any theatre or-moving picture theatre build--
ing hereafter erected or erected proir to the passage of this
Ordinance, shall be supplied by mechanical or other means at
- 19t-
the rate .of 1600 cubic feet per hour per person.
No 'part o£ the fresh air supplied in compliance with
the requirements of this section shall be taken from any
cellar .or basement.
~o persOn,.fir~n or corporation, eithe.~'.as owner, pro.-
pr'ietor', lessee', manager or superintendent of any factory,...
mill, workshop, or any other bullding where one Or m~ Persons
are employed, shall cause, permit, or allow the~same or any
portion or apartment of any such factory, mill, or workshop
to maintain faulty or insufficient light or ventilation in
violation of the rules and regulations of the State Industrial
Accident Co~nmission.'
SECTYON 2~61,
BUIX~DING M~TERIALS IN STREETS..
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation
to 'deposit or maintain,'or cause or permit to.be deposited or
maintained any building' material of any kind whatsoever, or any
debris from any building or excavation, in'or. lupon any public·
street,alley or other public place· without. first applying for
and receiving a permit in'~writing from the Superintendent of
Streets so to d8 and making a deposit to cover the cost of in-
spection, and of restoring such public street, alley or other
public place to its original condition together with the inei-
~e~a~ expenses..in connection therewith as p~ovided in .Ordinance
No. ~ New Series regulating. the use of Public Streets.
%.'.
SECTION 262.
C. ON8~~ ITUT IONALUTY.
If any section, subsection, sentence, clause of phrase
of this Ordinance is for any reason held to be unconstitutional
or invalid, such decision shall not affect the rematni.ng portion
of this Ordinance. .The City Council hereby declares .that it
would have passed this Ordinance and each section and subsection
thereof irrespective of the fact that' any one or .more of the
sections, subsections, sectsnoes, clauses. or phrases be declar-
ed unconstitutional or invalid.
PENALTY.
SECTION
Any ·perSon, firm, company 'or corporation that violates,
disobeys, omits, neglects or refuses to comply with, or.that
resis_~s or opposes the execution of any of the provisions of
this Ordinance, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and
upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine not exceed-
ing five hundred ($500) dollars!, or by imprisonment in the"
County Jail for not more than six (6) months.or by both such
· fine and imprisonment.
Every such person, firm, company or corporation shall
be deemed guilty of a separate offense for every day such vio-
lation, disobedience, omission, neglect or refusal shall con-
.... ~'--' tinu~a-ndjs~a=ll be subject to'the penalty'imposed by 'tHis's6c-.
tion for each and every separate offense; and any builder or
contractor who'shall construct any building in violation of any
of the provisions of this Ordinance, and nay.architect having'
charge of. ·such building, who shall perknit it to be so construct-
.'ed shall be liable to the penalties provided. and imposed by this
section.
SEG~ION.264,
REPEALING ORDINANCES.
That.ordinances number 179, 197, 276, 311, 323, 347, 395,
and Ordinance No. 32'New Series and all Ordinances and parts of
Ordinances of the City.of Bakersfield, in conflict herewith are
hereby' expressly repealed.
-I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing Ordinance was regular-
· ly introduced,- passed and adopted by the Council 'of the City of
Bakersfield,.on the ·~//~ day of~·, 19 85 by the
following-vote:.
~XyeS: Carlisle, GrOWth, Hare, I~ougham, Nelson, Robinson,
Nays ~ ............................: ..............·
Absen~ ~f130~. ..................· ..:
. "APPR ' ~ ~day of
' ' ' i.. ~ ..19~~,
. MAYOR' of the city ield'
City Clerk and ex-officio .Clerk of
· the Council of the City of Bakersfield.