reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 287 (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 3 - Virgin Islands Zoning and Subdivision Law|Subchapter III - Conservation and Preservation of Historic and Cultural Assets|§ 287. Appeals; enforcement; penalties

 (a) Any applicant or property owner aggrieved by a determination of the Historic Preservation Commission may, within thirty days of receiving notice of such a decision by the Historic Preservation Commission, file a written notice of appeal with the Board of Land Use Appeals, and thereafter to the District Court in accordance with the procedure set forth in section 270 of this title. (b) Any building or structure located in any Control District or listed in the Registry which is set up, erected, constructed, altered, enlarged, converted, moved, or maintained contrary to the provisions of this subchapter, is unlawful and a public nuisance. (c) Any person who has been notified of a violation of the provisions of this subchapter by the Commissioner of Planning and Natural Resources or the Historic Preservation Commission and has been ordered to comply with the same, shall be allowed a period of thirty (30) days within which to comply with the order of the Commissioner or the Historic Preservation Commission. Any person who has been so notified and has wilfully failed to comply shall upon conviction of the same be fined not more than $25. Each seven day period of continuing violation after such conviction shall constitute a separate offense and shall be punishable by a similar fine. (d) The Attorney General shall prosecute all actions required for the enforcement of the provisions of this subchapter. (e) If any building or structure is erected, constructed, reconstructed, altered, repaired, converted, or maintained, or any building, structure, or land is used in violation of this subchapter, the Attorney General, in addition to other remedies, may institute any appropriate action or proceedings to prevent such unlawful action, to restrain, correct, or abate such violation, or to prevent the occupancy of the building, structure, or land or any illegal act or use in or about such premises.
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 288 (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 3 - Virgin Islands Zoning and Subdivision Law|Subchapter III - Conservation and Preservation of Historic and Cultural Assets|§ 288. Construction

 This subchapter, being designated for the public welfare and the perpetuation of those structures and areas which have a close and immediate relationship to the cultural heritage of the Virgin Islands, shall be broadly construed in order to accomplish the purposes herein set forth.
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 291 (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 5 - Building Code|Subchapter I - Title and General Provisions|§ 291. Title

 This chapter and the regulations issued pursuant to the authority hereinafter granted by this chapter shall be known and referred to as the Virgin Islands Building Code.
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 298 (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 5 - Building Code|Subchapter IV - Supervision|§ 298. Supervision and certification

 (a) The construction of every new building shall be made under the supervision of an engineer, architect or contractor duly authorized to practice his profession in the Virgin Islands, provided, however, that such supervision is optional on the part of the owner of the building in the following cases: (1) Wood frame building. (2) Dwellings of less than three stories. (3) Business buildings of less than two stories except factories. (4) Stores and public buildings of less than two stories in height and having a capacity of less than 100 persons. (5) Government buildings where generally continuous inspection during construction is performed by Government Personnel. (b) Upon completion of the work, the engineer, architect or contractor under whose supervision it was undertaken, shall submit to the Commissioner a certificate stating that such work was done under his supervision and that in its construction all the provisions of the Building Code and of the building permit issued for that work were complied with. (c) The above mentioned certificate and copies of the record of the supervision shall be a requisite for the issuance of the Certificate of Use and Occupancy for such building or structure.
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 302 (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 5 - Building Code|Subchapter VI - Excavations|§ 302. Excavations affecting adjoining properties

 When an excavation is to be made to any depth whatsoever, the architect, engineer, contractor or other person causing the excavation to be made shall make sure that all the necessary precautions are taken to protect the adjoining property against any damage and shall, when necessary, provide adequate shoring and/or underpinning. The backfill shall be properly compacted in order to prevent lateral displacements of the soil of the adjoining properties after the removal of the shoring or other protections used during the performance of the excavation work.
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 303 (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 5 - Building Code|Subchapter VII - Foundations|§ 303. Foundation standards

 (a) General requirements. Foundation walls or other permanent supports shall rest on solid ground or on piles when solid earth or rock is not found. Such foundation walls shall not be required in one-story buildings if the floor area does not exceed 750 square feet and the buildings are of wood frame construction. In such cases piers may be used. Footings shall consist of masonry or reinforced concrete. Where metal is incorporated in or forms part of a foundation, except reinforcements in concrete, it shall be protected from rust by paint, asphalt, or concrete. (b) Bearing capacity of soil. Whenever the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, upon inspection of the site deems it necessary to establish the assumed bearing capacity of the soil, applications for building permits for the construction of a permanent structure or for the alteration of a permanent structure involving an increase in load on the foundation shall be accompanied by a statement from the designer as to the type of soil on which the foundation will rest and the assumed bearing capacity of this soil. (c) Soil bearing values. Footings shall be designed so that the maximum allowable pressure on the supporting soil shall not exceed the values as set forth in the following table: Soil Bearing ValuesType of SoilTons per Square FootClay, soft1.0Clay, medium soft2.0Sand, fine loose (if confined)1.0Sand, coarse, loose; compact fine sand;  loose sand and gravel mixture2.0Gravel, loose; compact coarse sand3.0Sand-gravel mixture, compact6.0Hardpan and exceptionally compacted or  partially cemented gravel10.0Sedimentary rocks such as shales,  sandstone15.0Foliated rocks, bedded limestone  schist or slate40.0Massive bedded rocks, granite100.0 (d) Variation in the types of soil. Where footings are supported by soils of widely different bearing capacity, the allowable bearing value of the more yielding soil shall be reduced or special provisions made in the design to prevent serious differential settlements. (e) Footing design. Footings shall be so designed that the pressure on the soil per unit of area shall be so far as possible uniform under all parts of the building or structure. The area of footings shall be in proportion to the full dead loads, including the weight of the footings. In no case shall the dead loads plus the live loads cause a pressure under the footing exceeding the permissible soil bearing capacity. (f) Foundation walls. Foundation walls shall be of adequate strength and thickness to resist lateral pressures from adjacent earth and to support their vertical loads, but the thickness shall not be less than the actual thickness of walls supported by them.
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 308 (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 5 - Building Code|Subchapter VIII - Water Supply|§ 308. Water supply, cisterns, gutters, downspouts, wells

 (a) General. After May 1, 1964, no building; except commercial developments dwellings and single unit apartments with connected access to the potable water system, shall be constructed, enlarged, or moved unless the owner thereof shall make provision for a self-sustaining water supply system. This system shall consist of a well or rainwater collection area and cistern. (b) Cistern capacity.  (1) Cisterns for dwellings, apartments and hotels shall have a minimum usable capacity of 10 gallons for each square foot of roof area for buildings of one story and 15 gallons for each square foot of roof area for buildings of two or more stories. If a dwelling shall have access to the potable water system and is verified by appropriate WAPA officials and service is installed, no cistern will be required. (2) All other buildings shall have cisterns with a minimum usable capacity of 4 ½ gallons for each square foot of roof area except that churches and warehouses shall not be required to conform to this standard. If at any time buildings formerly used for churches and warehouses are converted to other uses compliance shall be required. (3) Where a building has combined occupancy, such as apartment and store, required cistern capacity shall be 10 gallons for each square foot of roof area. (4) One cistern may serve several buildings provided that its capacity is at least equal to the sum of the minimum required capacities for each building according to its use. (c) Cisterns—Specifications.  (1) Cisterns shall be constructed of metal, masonry, concrete or other materials approved by the Commissioner and be maintained in a watertight and mosquito and rodent proof condition at all times. Metal cisterns shall be placed above ground level unless approved for underground installation in the building permit. (2) Cisterns shall be located at a point free from flooding. (3) An overflow of cross-section area at least equal to the combined cross-section areas of all inlets shall be provided on each cistern. (d) Gutters and downspouts. Adequate gutters and downspouts shall be installed on all buildings for conducting water into cisterns. Gutters and downspouts shall be kept in good repair and free of dirt and debris at all times. (e) Wells. A well supplying a safe, palatable, continuously adequate water supply may be used in lieu of a cistern. Such a well shall be dug and its compliance with the above requirements demonstrated to the Commissioner before a permit may be issued for the construction of a building without a cistern. The Department of Health shall certify as to the safety of the water for drinking purposes. If at any time after approval, the well shall no longer furnish a safe, palatable, and continuously adequate water supply, the owner of the building shall build a cistern of capacity as elsewhere specified in this chapter.
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 309 (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 5 - Building Code|Subchapter VIII - Water Supply|§ 309. Public housing projects; fire prevention

 Effective July 1, 1973, no public housing project of 30 units or more shall be undertaken in the Virgin Islands unless the plans therefor include plans and specifications for the installation of sufficient waterlines and fire hydrants within such housing project as shall be approved by the Commissioner as sufficient for fire prevention purposes. The Commissioner, shall promulgate in consultation with the Police Commissioner, guidelines to be followed by developers of public housing projects in complying with the provisions of this section.
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 312 (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 5 - Building Code|Subchapter XI - Administration and Enforcement|§ 312. Administration and enforcement

 (a) Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, the Commissioner shall administer and enforce the provisions of this chapter and the decisions of the Board of Zoning, Subdivision and Building Appeals rendered on the subject matter of this chapter. (b) After notice and hearing, the Commissioner shall promulgate regulations pursuant to title 3 Virgin Islands Code chapter 35 to carry out the purpose of this chapter, including regulations governing the construction, reconstruction, alteration, maintenance, use and occupancy, safety, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing equipment, wireless facilities, inspection of buildings and structures in the Territory, and reasonable administrative fees. (c) In the administration of this chapter the Commissioner shall require compliance with the Fire Prevention Code set out in Chapter 9 of Title 23 and the regulations of the Police Commissioner issued thereunder. (d) In the administration of this chapter the Commissioner shall require compliance with the relevant provisions of Chapters 53 and 55 of Title 19, Virgin Islands Code, and the rules and regulations of the Commissioner of Health issued thereunder. (e) Any person who has been served written notice of a violation of the provisions of this chapter by the Commissioner and shall have been ordered in writing to comply with the same, shall be allowed a period of forty-five (45) days to comply with the order of the Commissioner. Whoever having been so notified and shall have wilfully failed to comply with said order shall upon conviction of the same be fined not more than $500. Each day of wilful violation after such conviction shall constitute a separate offense and shall be punishable by the same fine. (f) The Attorney General shall prosecute all actions required for the enforcement of provisions of this chapter. (g) In case any building is erected, constructed, reconstructed, altered, repaired, converted, or maintained, or any building or structure is used in violation of this chapter, the Attorney General, in addition to other remedies, may institute any appropriate action or proceeding to prevent such unlawful action, to restrain, correct, or abate such violation or to prevent the occupancy or use of the building or structure or any illegal act or use in and about such premises. (h) [Deleted.] (i) The Commissioner may advise, consult, cooperate, contract and enter into agreements, subject to all applicable Virgin Islands procurement statutes, with agencies of the federal and territorial governments, interstate agencies and with other persons, as necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter.
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 330 (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 6 - Housing Code|Subchapter I - Title and General Provisions|§ 330. Title

 This chapter and the regulations issued pursuant to the authority hereinafter granted by this chapter shall be known and referred to as the Virgin Islands Housing Code.
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 331 (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 6 - Housing Code|Subchapter I - Title and General Provisions|§ 331. General purposes, application

 (a) The purpose of this chapter is to promote public safety, health and general welfare through the establishment and enforcement of minimum standards of occupancy, sanitation, light and ventilation, and safety to life and property incident to the use and occupancy of places of residence. (b) Application  (1) General—The provisions of this chapter shall apply to the maintenance of all dwellings, hotels, apartment houses, apartments and rooming houses; that is, to any building or part thereof used as a place of residence and shall include any appurtenances belonging thereto or usually enjoyed therewith. This chapter does not cover the occupancy or use of a building or structure or any portion thereof by persons harbored or detained to receive medical, charitable, or other care or treatment, or by persons involuntarily detained under legal restraint. (2) Where existing dwellings are used for rental occupancy and do not meet the requirements of the Building Code with reference to sanitary facilities, light and ventilation, and minimum space requirements for habitable rooms, the owners shall be allowed three years to make the required rehabilitation in order to conform or to withdraw the dwelling from the rental market. (3) In the case of existing buildings that are occupied and used by the owner exclusively for residential purposes, and which do not meet the requirements of the Building Code with reference to sanitary facilities, light and ventilation and minimum space requirements for habitable rooms, the owners will be allowed five years to make the required rehabilitation in order to conform to the requirements of the Building Code. (4) The extension of time granted in paragraphs (2) and (3) in this section is not intended to relieve the owner from compliance with applicable sections of the Building Code. (5) If through no fault of the owner, rehabilitation of structures as required in paragraphs (2) and (3) of this section is not possible, additional time may be granted to the owner upon application to the Commissioner. (6) The requirements of this chapter shall not apply to owneroccupied dwellings located in rural areas having a floor area of less than 600 square feet.
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 339 (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 6 - Housing Code|Subchapter II - Virgin Islands Visitable Housing Design and Incentive Program|§ 339. Short title

 This subchapter may be cited as The Virgin Islands Visitable Housing Design and Incentive Act.
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 340 (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 6 - Housing Code|Subchapter II - Virgin Islands Visitable Housing Design and Incentive Program|§ 340. Definitions

 As used in this subchapter, the term— (1) “Commissioner” means the Commissioner of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources or the Commissioner's designee. (2) “Department” means the Department of Planning and Natural Resources. (3) “Dwelling” means any building, structure or portion of a building or structure which is occupied as, designed as, or intended for occupancy as a residence by one or more families; (4) “Family”, includes a single individual. (5) “Physical disability” means a physical impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of an individual. (6) “Visitable housing” means one-to-four family residential dwelling units that include basic architectural features to allow persons with physical disabilities to live in or visit easily.
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 341 (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 6 - Housing Code|Subchapter II - Virgin Islands Visitable Housing Design and Incentive Program|§ 341. Construction and applicability

 (a) This subchapter may not be construed as a requirement on any real property owner unless the tax incentives provided under section 344 are being claimed. (b) This subchapter applies to real property owners that after the effective date of this subchapter: (1) construct visitable housing; or (2) renovate one-to-four family dwellings that were constructed before the effective date of this subchapter.
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 342 (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 6 - Housing Code|Subchapter II - Virgin Islands Visitable Housing Design and Incentive Program|§ 342. Visitability Certification Program

 Subject to appropriation the Department shall establish a Visitability Certification Program. Through the program, the Department shall provide a single point of contact for each territorial district, for any person wishing to submit an application for a Visitability Certificate. The Commissioner shall promulgate regulations for this program no later than one (1) year from the date of enactment.
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 343 (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 6 - Housing Code|Subchapter II - Virgin Islands Visitable Housing Design and Incentive Program|§ 343. Incentive application; architectural features

 (a) A real property owner who wishes to participate in the Visitable Housing Design and Incentive Program shall submit an incentive application to the Department in accordance with regulations promulgated by the Commissioner. (b) Every dwelling for which a real properly owner is eligible to receive a tax incentive under this subchapter must include the following architectural features: (1) The dwelling unit must have at least one no-step exterior entrance, with a 36-inch-wide entrance door to allow for wheelchair access into the dwelling; (2) The entrance must be located on a continuous and unobstructed path from the public street or driveway; (A) The pathway to the entrance must have a width not less than thirty six inches and may include curb ramps, parking access aisles, walks and ramps, but must not contain any steps; (B) The pathway to the entrance must not exceed one inch rise for every twelve inches in length; (3) All interior passage doors in the dwelling must allow at least 32 inches of clearance in width; (4) In each bathroom or other room containing a toilet, bathtub, shower stall, or shower seat, the walls adjacent to those fixtures must all be reinforced in a manner that will allow the later installation of grab bars around those fixtures, In addition at least one bath room must be on the first floor and must have: (A) Clear floor space of thirty by forty-eight inches centered on the sink; (B) Space to allow a person with a wheelchair to enter and exit the bathroom and open and close the bathroom door; (C) Space to use bathroom fixtures; (D) Space that is not encroached by the swing of the bathroom door; (E) A sink and a toilet that allow for a parallel or head-on approach by a person in a wheelchair; and (F) Bathroom walls reinforced to be capable of supporting grab bars that resist shear and bending forces of a minimum of three hundred pounds.
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 344 (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 6 - Housing Code|Subchapter II - Virgin Islands Visitable Housing Design and Incentive Program|§ 344. Certificate of visitability

 (a) Upon completion of renovation or construction of a visitable dwelling, if the requirements of section 343 are met, the Commissioner shall issue a Certificate of Visitability to the property owner-applicant at the time of issuance of the Certificate of Occupancy. (b) A Certificate of Visitability entitles the property owner that renovates or constructs the visitable dwelling to the tax credit established in section 2305a of this title, and to such building permit fee waivers or reductions as the Commissioner may establish by regulations. (c) The Certificate of Visitability is nontransferable and subject to such other limitations and condition as may be provided by regulations.
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 345 (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 6 - Housing Code|Subchapter II - Virgin Islands Visitable Housing Design and Incentive Program|§ 345. Regulations

 The Commissioner, by regulations, shall provide procedures for application, inspection, certification, reporting and publicizing of the Visitable Housing Design and Incentive Program.
V.I. Code tit. 29, § 346 (2019)
2019 US Virgin Islands Code|Title 29 - Public Planning and Development|Chapter 6 - Housing Code|Subchapter II - Virgin Islands Visitable Housing Design and Incentive Program|§ 346. Education about Program

 The Commissioner shall educate the public, including all applicants for building permits, building contractors, developers and the general public, on the Visitable Housing Design and Incentive Program through the dissemination of written material, by information on its website and by such other methods as the Commissioner considers appropriate to explain the Visitability design standards and the advantages of participating in the incentive program.