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SEC. 27-11. MINIMUM STANDARDS; RESPONSIBILITIES OF OWNER.
(a)
Property standards. An owner shall:
(1) eliminate a hole,
excavation, sharp protrusion, and any other object or condition that
exists on the land and is reasonably capable of causing injury to a
person;
(2) securely cover or close a
well, cesspool, or cistern;
(3) provide solid waste
receptacles or containers when required by Chapter 18 of this code;
(4) provide drainage to prevent
standing water and flooding on the land;
(5) remove dead trees and tree
limbs that are reasonably capable of causing injury to a person; and
(6) keep the doors and windows
of a vacant structure or vacant portion of a structure securely
closed to prevent unauthorized entry.
(b) Structural standards. An owner
shall:
(1) protect the exterior
surfaces of a structure that are subject to decay by application of
paint or other coating;
(2) fill hollow, masonry
supporting piers, if used, with concrete and anchor the piers to
concrete footings with a 5/8 inch steel dowel;
(3) provide and maintain
railings for stairs, steps, balconies, porches, and elsewhere as
specified in the Dallas Building Code;
(4) repair holes, cracks, and
other defects reasonably capable of causing injury to a person in
stairs, porches, steps, and balconies;
(5) maintain a structure
intended for human occupancy and a structure used as an accessory to
a structure intended for human occupancy in a weather-tight and
water-tight condition;
(6) maintain floors, walls,
ceilings, and all supporting structural members in a sound
condition, capable of bearing imposed loads safely;
(7) provide cross-ventilation
of not less than 1-1/2 square feet for each 25 lineal feet of wall
in each basement, cellar, and crawl space;
(8) repair or replace chimney
flue and vent attachments that do not function properly;
(9) repair holes, cracks,
breaks, and loose surface materials that are health or safety
hazards in or on floors, walls, and ceilings; and
(10) maintain any fence on the
property in compliance with the following standards:
(A) maintain a fence so
that it is not out of vertical alignment more than one foot from
the vertical, measured at the top of the fence, for a fence over
four feet high, or more than six inches from the vertical,
measured at the top of the fence, for a fence not more than four
feet high, except that this provision does not apply to a
masonry wall unless the wall encloses:
(i) a multi-tenant
property; or
(ii) a single-family or
duplex property where the wall is not shared with another
property;
(B) repair or replace
rotted, fire damaged, or broken wooden slats and support posts;
(C) repair or replace
broken or bent metal posts and torn, cut, bent, or ripped metal
fencing materials; and
(D) repair or replace loose
bricks, stones, rocks, mortar, and similar materials on any
masonry wall that encloses:
(i) a multi-tenant
property; or
(ii) a single-family or
duplex property where the wall is not shared with another
property.
(c) Utility standards. An owner
shall:
(1) provide and maintain in
operating condition connections to discharge sewage from a structure
or land into a public sewer system where available;
(2) provide and maintain in
operating condition a toilet connected to a water source and to a
public sewer, where available, in each structure intended for human
habitation;
(3) provide and maintain in
operating condition connections and pipes to supply potable water at
adequate pressure to a structure intended for human occupancy;
(4) provide and maintain in
operating condition a device to supply hot water of a minimum
temperature of 120°F. within each structure intended for human
habitation;
(5) provide and connect a
kitchen sink, bathtub or shower, and lavatory to a cold and hot
water source in each structure intended for human habitation;
(6) connect plumbing fixtures
and heating equipment that the owner supplies in accordance with the
Dallas Plumbing Code and Dallas Mechanical Code;
(7) provide and maintain
heating equipment in operating condition so that it is capable of
maintaining a minimum inside temperature of 68°F. from November 16
through March 15 in each room of a structure intended for human
occupancy;
(8) if screens are not provided
as required in Subsection (d)(2), provide and maintain in operating
condition, from April 1 through November 1, refrigerated air
equipment capable of maintaining a maximum inside temperature that
is 20 degrees lower than the outside temperature or 85°F., whichever
is warmer, in each room of a structure intended for human occupancy;
(9) provide and maintain in
operating condition supply lines for electrical service to each
structure intended for human occupancy if electrical service is
available within 300 feet;
(10) connect each heating and
cooking device that burns solid fuel to a chimney or flue; and
(11) provide and maintain in
operating condition electrical circuits and outlets sufficient to
safely carry a load imposed by normal use of appliances and
fixtures.
(d) Health standards. An owner
shall:
(1) eliminate rodents and vermin in or on the land;
(2) provide a structure intended for human habitation with a screen for
keeping out insects at each opening of the structure if the structure is
not cooled with refrigerated air;
(3) maintain the interior of a vacant structure or vacant portion of a
structure free from rubbish and garbage; and
(4) keep the interior of a structure free from insects, rodents, and
vermin, except as specified in Section 27-12(b).
(e) Security standards. An owner or operator of a multifamily property,
other than one exempt from registration under Section 27-30(b)(2) of
this chapter, shall:
(1) provide and maintain security devices in each dwelling unit as
required by Sections 92.153, 92.154, and 92.155 of the Texas Property
Code, as amended; and
(2) if the multifamily property has 20 or more dwelling units, provide
security lighting that adequately illuminates all parking areas,
walkways, stairs and steps, doorways, and garbage storage areas so that
persons moving in or around those areas can be easily seen.
(f) It is a defense to prosecution under Subsection (a) of this section
that the premises concerned is the site of new construction and
reasonable and continuous progress is being made to complete the
construction.
(g) It is a defense to prosecution under Subsection (d)(4) of this
section that the structure was treated to eliminate insects, rodents,
and vermin by a person licensed under the Texas Structural Pest Control
Act once within the preceding six months.
(h) An owner shall provide a tenant with alternative housing that meets
the minimum standards required by this section when:
(1) after being issued a notice or citation for violation of Subsection
(c)(7) of this section, the owner fails to repair heating equipment
within 72 hours after receiving such notice or citation and the
overnight low temperature, as measured by the National Weather Service
at Dallas Love Field, is below 40°F. for three consecutive days after
receiving such notice or citation; or
(2) after being issued a notice or citation for violation of Subsection
(c)(8) of this section, the owner fails to repair refrigerated air
equipment within 72 hours after receiving such notice or citation and
the daytime high temperature, as measured by the National Weather
Service at Dallas Love Field, is 95°F. or above for three consecutive
days after receiving such notice or citation.
(i) It is a defense to prosecution under Subsections (c)(7) and (c)(8)
of this section and to the alternative housing requirements of
Subsection (h) of this section that:
(1) failure to maintain heating and refrigerated air equipment in
compliance with those subsections was the direct result of an act of
nature or other cause beyond the reasonable control of the owner; or
(2) the owner is making diligent efforts to repair the heating and
refrigerated air equipment in compliance with those subsections; if the
owner demonstrates to the director that diligent efforts to repair are
being made, the director will not issue a notice or citation for a
violation of Subsection (c)(7) or (c)(8) of this section.
(j) It is a defense to prosecution under Subsection (c)(7) of this
section and to the alternative housing requirements of Subsection (h)(1)
of this section that a written contract is in effect requiring the
tenant to provide and maintain heating equipment and the owner has
provided utility connections for heating equipment in compliance with
the Dallas Mechanical Code, as amended, in each room of the structure
intended for human occupancy.
(k) It is a defense to prosecution under Subsection (c)(8) of this
section and to the alternative housing requirement of Subsection (h)(2)
of this section that the structure is provided with exterior windows and
doors that are easily openable to provide air ventilation and covered
with screens in compliance with Subsection (d)(2) of this section. (Ord.
Nos. 15198; 15372; 15919; 16473; 19234; 20578; 24481)
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