Evening star., 1943-05-30
Commissioners Ease
Rules for BOARDING
And Rooming Houses
Recognize Scarcity
OF Materials Needed
For Safety Alterations

Temporary and relaxed reg
ulations governing boarding
rooming, lodging and apart
ment houses which recognize
scarcity of materials but still
provide "a reasonable standard
of minimum safety require
ments" were adopted yesterday
by the Commissioners.
They are effective at once and
are limited to period not to exceed
Xix months after the war emergency
It was announced District officials
now are at work Oh new and per-
manent building cooe which Will be
submitted in draft form, before
adoption, to interested associations
for comments and suggestions.
The temporary code was prepared
as result of recent public hearings
on fire escapes and housing prob
lens where rooning house pro-
prietors protested they could not
comply with existing fire safety
rules, and challenged the need for
many of the old rules.
Chief Notifications.
Among the principal notifications
are the following:
!. No fire protective appliances
will be required for existing board
ing. rooming and lodging houses
where the building is not in excess
of three stories high. Existing
exits are to be considered 'as suffi-
cient and suitable means of egress. -
The Commissioners abandoned their
earlier plan to prosecute landlords
VINO operated without license after
the War Production Board withdrew
priorities for fire escapes and said
it could not provide fire extinguish-
ers or fire gong5.
2. The basement or cellar of a
building is not &c be counted as a
story.
3. If a boarding, rooming or
lodging house is four stories high.
but no part of the fourth story is
used for habitation, such a build
ing also is exempted, if the occu-
pant makes affidavit the top floor
will remain unoccupied.
4. On apartment houses of three
stories or less, where the building
code requires one or more fire
escapes, such escapes may be of
wood, Of a design approved by the
inspector of buildings An apart
ment is defined for this purpose as
being a separate household unit
with bath and kitchen exclusively
for the use of occupants of the
unit.
Hope to Reduce Fire Hazard.
5. Easements in lodging, rooming
and boarding houses, that comply
with all other regulations, may be
used for habitation except for Sleep
ing purposes. if the ceiling height
is not less than feet inches. and
II the basement has two means of
egress.
Col. Joseph D. Arthur, jr., the
assistant engineer commissioner
who played major role in draft
ing the temporary regulations, ex-
planned the new rules require no
additional means of exit in three
story buildings, whereas the old
regulations required a fire escape
OF occupancy above the first floor
exceeded nine persons. He said:
The Commissioners believe the
health requirements of not less than
50 square feet of floor space per
person adequately will prevent over
crowding and thereby reduce the
fire hazard.
Because there has been consider
able misunderstanding on the part
Of the general public as to whether
building was three story build
Ing, or more, they have decided that
no basement or cellar shall be
counted as story, no matter what
portion Of it extends above the
ground level"
Baths and Toilets
The present boarding, rooming
and lodging house regulations re-
qulre bath and toilet for each ten
tenants. On this point, Col. Arthur
said
ut is recognized that in many
cases, the installation of such facil-
tiles will require materials which are
difficult, If not impossible, to obtain.
For this reason, the Commissioners
have adopted as policy a recon-
mendatlon that this requirement be
waived for the period of the emer-
gency only for those buildings not
now supplied with inside water and
sewer connections.
They also have called upon the
Health Department for a report on
another suggestion that. in enforc-
N'AS VANS ASS COSlllLdIlCe De
taken of separate toilets and inside
wash basins. The necessary modi-
f1cations of the regulations will be
issued in the near future"
The old regulations required that
fire escapes must provide access di-
rectly from occupied rooms. The
temporary rules permit access from
two connecting rooms if the con-
Meeting door is fitted with a glass
panel which may be broken in case
of emergency, and if the door is
left unobstructed at all times.
Old Rules Revised.
The old rules required consider
able structural changes in build
ing if it was converted into apart
mefts, above the main floor. The
new regulations permit the use OF
a ceiling under such floors of gyp.
sum plaster board and plaster. The
rule that doors leading to public