Chapter 156 – Housing Code

8. Communal Dining Rooms. Every dwelling or rooming house within which the occupant of any rooming unit is permitted to prepare meals or cook within a communal kitchen containing less than 100 square feet of floor area, as provided in subsection 7 of this section, shall contain a communal dining room which complies with all of the following requirements: A. Every communal dining room shall be located on the same floor of the rooming house as the communal kitchen, and such dining room shall be as nearly adjacent to the communal kitchen as is practicable. B. Every communal dining room shall be located within a room accessible to the occupants of each rooming unit sharing such dining room, without going outside the dwelling and without going through a dwelling unit or rooming unit of another occupant. C. It shall contain a table and adequate chairs for the normal use of the facilities. D. Every communal dining room shall contain not less than 70 square feet of floor area. 9. Shades, Draperies and Window Coverings. A. Every window in rooms used for sleeping purposes in rooming units and furnished dwelling units shall be supplied with shades, draperies, or other devices or materials which, when properly used, will afford privacy to the occupants. B. Every window in rooms used for sleeping purposes in unfurnished dwelling units shall be supplied with hardware necessary to support shades, draperies, or other devices or materials which, when properly used, will afford privacy to the occupants. 10. Kitchen Stoves and Refrigerators. Kitchens or kitchenettes in multiple dwellings, rooming houses, and duplexes shall be supplied with a stove or range and a refrigerator by the owner or operator. 11. Tie-Downs. In the case of manufactured housing, the housing shall be securely anchored by a tie-down device which distributes and transfers the load posed by the unit to appropriate ground anchors so as to resist wind overturning and sliding. 156.19 RESPONSIBILITIES OF OWNERS. 1. Maintenance of Structure. A. Structure. (1) Every foundation, roof, floor, wall, ceiling, stair, step, elevator, handrail, guardrail, porch, sidewalk, and appurtenance thereto shall be maintained in a safe and sound condition and shall be capable of supporting the loads that normal use may cause to be placed thereon. (2) Every structure shall be maintained in compliance with Section 661, Chapter 5 of the Iowa Administrative Code (State Fire Code), as amended, and the building codes in effect at the time the building was constructed. If the use or occupancy is changed, compliance with currently adopted codes is required. (3) The required occupancy separations shall be provided and maintained in all structures having mixed or multiple occupancies. The one-hour occupancy separation between dwellings and garages shall be provided regardless of the date of construction and may be limited to the installation of materials approved for one-hour fire-resistive construction on the garage side and a tight fitting, 20- minute rated door or approved equivalent opening protection.