Evening star., 1942-01-02
District Adopts New
Control Regulations
For Rooming Houses
.RuhIond Sponsors
Rules to Protect
Health of Residents

Stringent new regulations gov
erning the operation of lodging,
rooming and boarding houses in the
District were adopted this afternoon
by the Commissioners on recon-
merdation by Health Offlcer George
C. Rutland, after a legal check had
been made by Corporation Counsel
Richmond B. Keech. The regula-
tions will become effective In 80
days.
Need for more rigorous control
over such facilities was cited recent
ly after District authorities had
waived certain restrictions on board
ing and >rooming houses in the in
terest in providing quarters for some
of Washington's expanding popula-
ton.
The new rules, designed to pro-
tect the health, welfare and morals
Of Washington defense workers and
normal residents, give the health
ofYicer or his agents the right to
enter any lodging. rooming or board
ing house, at all reasonable hours
for inspection purposes.
Covers Many Phases.
The rules cover minimum stand
ards as to overcrowding, lighting
heating. ventilation, screening. bed
ding, vermin control, toilets, bath
rooms and lavatories, Railways and
stairs and general safety conditions
Under the authority of the Dis
trict's license law, owners or man.
ayers of lodging houses In which
sleeping quarters are provided to &C
commodate four or more transients
and less than 10, are required to OBJ
tain an annual license At $40. and
owners or managers Of all roomine
houses having sleeping accommoda-
tions for four or more permanent
Yoomers, and all boarding houses
containing sleeping accommodation
for four or more persons are re-
qWred TO obtain an annual 8
license.
Among the new rules were the
following requirements:
Overcrowding: No room shall b'
used for sleeping purposes unless II
has at least 400 cubic feet OF ali
space per person.
Lighting: No room shall be uset
for habitation unless it has one
or more windows opening to outside
air and equivalent in glass area tc
at least 1914 per cent of the fool
area of the room. Such rooms must
be provided with artificial lighting
reasonably uniformly distributed sc
as to provide illumination Of an in
tensity of 6-foot candles for general
habitation and 10-foot candles fol-
reading or similar tasks, measured al
a distance Of 80 to SO inches above
the noor
70 Degrees Of Heat.
Heating: No room shall be used
for habitation that is not maintained
at a temperature Of at least 10 de-
grees between am. and 10 pm
whenever occupied.
Ventilation: No room shall be
used for habitation that is not pro-
vided with an openable window area
for ventilation purposes Of at least
g.. per cent of the floor area, except
that mechanical or positive" venti-
lation systems may be substituted
for or supplement natural ventila-
ton using openable windows. When
mechanical ventilation systems are
used rooms shall be provided with
facilities for at least three air
changes per hour.
Screening: No room shall be used
that is not provided, during the fly
and mosquito breeding season with
screens of at least 16 meshes to the
inch. SO maintained as to prevent
effectively the entrance into the
building of flies and mosquitoes and
the dwelling shall be provided with
outside screen doors which shall
open outwardly and be self-closing
except that an effective means other
than a screen may be substituted if
approved specifically by the health
officer.
Bedding: No room shall be used