Mount Vernon, N.Y., Code of Ordinances ch. 211 § 211-12

A. No license shall be issued unless the application establishes that the rooming house complies with the following minimum standards, and it shall be a violation of this chapter for any licensee not to comply with each of the following: (1) Every room occupied or used for sleeping purposes shall contain a minimum gross floor area of 90 square feet for each adult occupant, as hereinbefore defined, and when occupied or used by more than one adult occupant, it shall contain an additional minimum gross floor area of 70 square feet for each additional adult occupant thereof. (2) Every occupied room shall have a minimum ceiling height of seven feet six inches over 90% of the floor area and only over 50% where located in an attic. (3) No space in any cellar shall be used or occupied for sleeping or living purposes. (4) Every room shall have at least one window or skylight facing directly to the outdoors. The minimum aggregate area available for unobstructed light shall be not less than 10% of the floor area of such rooms. (5) Every room shall be ventilated either by openable areas equal to 45% of the required window area or by equivalent mechanical ventilation. (6) Every bathroom shall be adequately ventilated either by openable areas the total of which shall not be less than 1 1/2 square feet facing open space or by equivalent mechanical ventilation. (7) Every licensee shall be responsible for maintaining in a clean and sanitary condition the shared or public areas of the licensed premises. (8) There shall be provided for each six adult persons who are lawful occupants of licensed premises at least one bathroom and one additional bathroom for any remainder of less than six adults. Every bathroom shall be maintained in a sanitary condition and the facilities therein in a state of good repair. (9) Each such required bathroom shall be so arranged and located that each occupant for whom same is required shall have ready access thereto without passing through any portion of any room or rooms rented to or exclusively occupied by any other occupant or roomer. (10) No room shall be occupied unless such room shall have free and unobstructed access to each required means of egress from the premises without passing through any other sleeping room or bathroom. (11) All doors opening from any room to any hall or passage shall be self-closing, and all transoms shall be permanently sealed with fire-retardant material of at least one hour's rating. (12) Every hall or passage shall be unobstructed and well lighted at all times. (13) Any room rented for single occupancy and all furniture and bedding therein shall be thoroughly cleansed before occupancy and every sleeping room at least once a week thereafter. When bed linens are provided, they shall be changed at least once every week. When the rent includes the use of towels, at least one bath towel and two hand towels shall be provided every week for each occupant. Such cleaning and services shall be the exclusive obligations of the licensee. (14) There shall be a central heating system adequate to heat every sleeping room in conformity with the requirements of the Sanitary Code. (15) There shall be centrally supplied hot water as hereinbefore defined in § 211-1 . (16) The walls and ceiling of every entrance hall, stair hall or other public hall, every hall or passage not within a room or rooms used for single occupancy, and every dumbwaiter, elevator and every other shaft, including stairs, connecting more than two successive stories, shall be sealed off from every other portion of the premises with fire-retarded materials, or, in lieu thereof, except in the case of elevator shafts, shall be equipped with an automatic sprinkler system. A fire-detecting system shall not be acceptable for any of the requirements of this section. (17) Electric wiring and equipment shall be designed and installed so as not to be a potential source of ignition of combustible material or a potential source of an electrical hazard. (a) All electrical installations and repairs shall be made by an electrician duly licensed by the City, who, upon completion, shall file with the Commissioner a certificate of the New York Board of Fire Underwriters. (b) All branch circuits shall have a minimum capacity of 15 amperes, with wiring no smaller than No. 14 wire as defined by the National Electrical Code. (c) The rating of the overcurrent protective devices shall not exceed the current-carrying capacity of the branch circuits' conductors as defined by the National Electrical Code. (d) Every branch circuit may supply lighting outlets, receptacle outlets or permanently connected appliances or any combination of such loads, but shall not be used to supply any appliance rated at more than 1,200 voltamperes, and not more than 10 outlets shall be supplied through any 15-ampere branch circuit. (e) Every fixed electrical appliance shall be provided with a separate branch circuit of sufficient capacity to carry the nameplate ampere rating of the device. (f) Each room shall contain a minimum of two receptacle outlets. (g) The conductors and equipment for delivering electrical energy from the main or feeder to the wiring systems of the premises shall be adequate for the proper and safe use of the electrical equipment, fixtures and appurtenances therein. B. The licensee, unless otherwise expressly provided for in this chapter, shall not be relieved of any of the duties and obligations to provide the services and facilities required by the Sanitary Code.