Minimum Housing Standards By-law

Victoria, Nova Scotia

This is the exact embedded text of the captured official document. Snapshot f82ba94d98ec · verified 2026-06-05 · original document · archived snapshot · unofficial consolidation, the official version is held by the municipal clerk.

· MINIMUM !IOUSii-:G /lt!D Mi1HITH!/ltlCE STJ,iW/\HD.3 l3Y-L/\H I..._. PP.r11' l: TITLE This by-law may be cited as tile, "l·linimucn Standards By-La:-:" of the Mun.icipality of. the County of Victoria. PART 2: DEFINITIONS In th.i.s By-law tile word "shall" is mandatory and not permissive. Words used in the present tense shall include the future. \-lords used in the singular number shall include the plural, and words used in the plural nul'lber shall include the singular. All other words shall carry tl1eir customary meaning except those defined hi,reinaftcr. 2 .1 "acct=ssory building" mE:ans a subordinate building or structure on the same lot as the main building and devoted exclusively to an accessory use, but does not include a building attached in any way Lo tile main buildin[;. 2.2 "alteration" means any change to the structural component of a building or any increase in the volume of a building. 2.3 "building" includes any structure placed on, over or under land, am:: every part of the same, and any external chimney, stairway, porch or ot.l1er material used in connection with a -buildins whether affixed to the realty or not. 2. 11 "building inspector" means the building inspector of tile Mun.i.cipality. 2.5 "dwcllinc; unit" means a suite operated as a housekeeping unit, used or intended to be used as a domicile by 1 or more persons and usually containing cooking, sleeping and sru1itary facilities. 2.6 "exclusive possession" ml)ans the occupancy of a dwelling by other than the mmer· by virtue of' a written lease or by vi.rtue of the consent of' the owner. 2.7 "habitable room" means any room in a dwelling unit used or intended to be used for living, sleeping, cooking or- eating purposes. 2.8 "non-habitable room" means an area of a building othe,· than a habitable room in a dwelling uni. t and includes the follc:l\·1ing: ( i) a bathroom or shmver room; ( i j ) a toilet room; ( iii) a laundry room; ( iv) a boiler or Curnacc r0om; ( V) a pantry; ( vi ) a closc,L; This electronic version of this By-law is provided by the Clerk of the Municipality of the County of Victoria for your convenience and personal use only. Formatting of this electronic version may differ from the official, printed version. Where accuracy is critical, please consult the Clerk's office. \....- (vii) a corridor or hall; (viii) a foyer; (ix) a stairway; (xi a lobby; - 2 - , (xi) a recreation room used as a common room for all tenants in a- building,. or other space used for access, service or maintenance of the dwellins; 2.9 "occupant" means any person in exclusive possession of the property. 2.11 "repair" includes the taking of such action to bring any ··property under the jurisdiction of this by-law up to the standards set by this by-law; 2.12 "yard" means any unoccupied space on the same lot as a buildin,;, exter.ding along the length of the street, rear lot or side lot lines. PART 3: APPLICATION The provisions of this by-law shall apply to all dwellings and to all family dwelling units in the Municipality of Victoria County whether heretofore or I - - hereafter erected or converted to dwelling purposes and whether occupied by the owner or by a tenant or tenants or partly by both. 3 .J Where the provisions of this By-law conflict with those of any other municipal or provincial regulations, by-laws, or codes, the higher or more stringent requirements shall apply. PART 5: STI\NDI\RDS FOR YI\HDS /IND ACCESSORY BUILDillGS 5.1 YARDS Yards shall be kept clean and free from garbage and debris. 5.2 ACCESSORY BUILDINGS Accessory buildings shall be maintained in good repair and free from structural hazards 01· conditions which r.ay affect health or cause fire 01· accidents. P /\RT 6: ST AND/\RDS FOH nu IL.DINGS 6 .1 FOUND/\TIOtJS . Foundation:, "hall t,,,, - 3 - (al constructed of masonry, concrete or other acceptabale material; (bl designed to adc_quately support the loads imposed on them; ~ 6.2 D/\SEMENTS /IND UNHEIITED CH/\HL SPACES Every basement,. cellar, crawl space and similar space shall be adequately drained - 6.3 STRUCTURAL SOUNDNESS Stru_ctural components of a building shall be; (al free from serious deterioration, loose jointing, sagging or bulging; (bl capable of sustaining safely the weight of the dwelling unit and any load to ,which it may, be normally subj ec;ted. 6.4 ENCLOSED SPACE ACCESS - /\CCESS /IND VENTING I (a) An access opening of at least one foot eight inches {1'8"l by two feet four inches. ( 2' 4 11 l shall be provided, to attics, crawl spaces and other enclosed spaces; (bl Where mechanical equipment is enclosed tile acces;, opening shall be sufficiently large to permit the removal and replacement of equipment; ' {cl Enclosed attic, roof and crawl spaces shall be vented to the exterior. 6.5 FLOORS I -- I I I I I I I .. I Every floor shall be reasonably_level and smooth and maintained in good condition. I 6.6 6.7 EXTERIOR W/\LLS ( al Exterior walls and their components shall. be adequate to support the loads imposed upon them and shall be maintained to prevent their deterioration due to tile weather or insects; (bl /Ill exterior walls shall have a cladding or covering, free of holes, cracks, or excessively worn surfaces, to prevent the entry of'moisture into the structure and provide 1·easonable durability. INTERIOR H/\LLS AND CEILINGS ( a) Every interior 1-mll ,me! ceilinc; "11<1.ll he maintained in n clean concU.tion free from holes, loose coverin,;s or other materials or defects which mny increase the sprencl of' fin~; I I I I I ._ I - t, - (b) Where required fire resisLent walls exist between separate clwellinc; units, they shall be maintained in a ccfncli.tion which retains their fire resistent quality; (c) Load bearing walls or columns shall be adequate to support the loads imposed upon them. 6.8 ROOFS (a) All roof construction components shall provide adequate support for all probable loads, and form a suitable base for the roof. covering; ,: l . ( b) A roof includi.nc; the facia board, soffit, cornice and flashing shall be maintained in a watertight condition so as to prevent leakage of water into the dwelling. ' . 6. 9 DOORS (a) Doors and doorframes shall be in sound condition and operate satisfactorily; (b) Entrance or exterior-doors in dwelling units shall be capable of being locked from both inside and outside . 6.10 WINDOWS (a) All windows, window sashes, and window frames shall be maintained in sound condition with no loose e;lass, defective putty or defective hardHare·. 6.11 PORCHES, STAIRS AND BALCONIES ( a) Every porch, stairway or balcony in or appurtenant to a building shall be maintained in good repair, free from holes, cracks, excessive wear and defects which constitute a safety hazard; ( b) Stairs and balconies shall have handrails or safety rails at least three feet hie;h. 6.12 EGRESS Every dwelling unit with.in a building shall have a safe, continous, nnd unobstructed passage from the interior of the dwelling unit to the exterior and shall not pnss through a room contained in nnott1cr r!wo.llinr, unit. - 7 - 7 .2 · FIRE PROTECTION ( a) All construction materials i.n renovations, alterations, or repairs shall satisfy the requirements of the National Building Code currently in force I in the Municipality, in order to retard the spread of fire and prevent the passage of flame, smoke, and hot gasses through open or concealed spaces with the building. (b) Sufficient exits from the building shall be provided to assure safe egres_s in case of fire. PART 8: OCCUPANTS STANDARDS 8.1 All parts of a building which are occupied by a person other than the owner as defined herein and which are in exclusive possession of the occupant as defined herein, shall be kept free from rubbish, garbage and other debris, objects and conditions that are health, fire or accident hazards; 8.2 The occupant of a dwelling unit shall maintain a safe, continous and undisturbed passage from the interior of the dwelling unit to the exterior of the dwelling unit. 8.3 Cooking, heating and domestic hot water equipment owned and installed by the occupant shall be maintained in good working order and repair. 8.4 The occupant shall not use any area of the dwelling unit under his care or control for sleeping purposes which is a non-habitable room. 8.5 The occupant shall not prepare or store food in a room containing a urinal or water closet. PART 9: ENFORCEMENT 9.1 Whenever the building inspector determines that there are reasonable grounds to believe. that there has been a violation of any of the provisions of this by-law, the inspector shall give written notice of such alleged violation to the owner or occupant of the property containing such violation. Such notice shall, la) contain a statement of the point or points of non-compliance with this by-laH (b) fix a period of time in which such oHner or occupant must complete whatever remedial action is necessary to eliminate, the point or points on non-compli<lll- with this by-Jaw and if lhe r·cmeclbl <lCtion is completed within the reqnin,d time, then the non-complinnce 1-,it.h this by-lnw shall not be an offense; mid 9.2 If U1e rcpnirs 01·clcn,cl pursucmt lo ~uli:cr.ction 9.1 arc not mndc within the time, provided for by the ot·cler cir t.110 Ji'lildi11f~ !1-··r''("frw und"'t' ~-1t,~·.r-ctiPt1 0.1 lh" M:mi.cip;il lt.y 1:1.-1y r' ,, ,,,. r·",.,, ,,, , comply \-:it.11 tL,. <'! '-r- :,' t- , , .I t I - -r-: 1~,- ''""',r---··, t- ...... 1,,,, ti., / or airwell; ( iii) by means of a separate duct or noncombustible material not less than twelve square inches in~cross-section, which extends independently of any duct used for other purposes, to and through tbe roof; or . (iv) ( V) by a ventilating sky light; or by such other approved means of mechanical ventilation as design_ed and constructed in accordance with the National Building Code. ( c) The aggregate area of glass In windows required in all rooms shall not be less than five percent of the floor area of the building. (d) All windows required by this By-Law for purposes 9f ventilation shall be capable of being opened to an extent of at least thirty percent of the glass area required for such windows. Nothing in this clause, however, shall be deemed to require double windows or storm windo11s to be installed so as to permit them to be open as herin provided, unless such ventilation is required in accordance with the National Building Code. 6.18 BEDROOMS ( a) No part of a dwelling unit except a habitable. room sha-ll be used for sleeping purposes; (b) No room used for sleeping purposes shall have a floor area of less than 60 square feet; ( c) No room used for sleeping purposes shall have a floor area of less than 40 square feet per person using the room for such purposes. 6.19 PESTS All buildings shall be kept free of rodents, vermin, and other insects and appropriate extermination measures shall be taken as necessary. PART 7: GENERAL 7.1 SHARED FACILITIES Where a build inc; contains more tt,an one dwell ine unit in 1-1ilicil heating, storage, refuse disposal and/or other facili.ties are shared, renovations, alterations ,md repairs shall satisfy the requirements of l.hc National Iltiilding Code currently in force in the Municipali\.y. / - 5 - 6 .13 lll~A TING ( ar Every dwelling unit ;,hall be equipped with a suitable heatin"' . . a system capable of maintainin~ an indoor temperature of 20°c. ( b) The heating system shall be maintained in good working condition so as to be capable of heating the dwelling unit safely to the required standard. (c) Where a heating system or part thereof or any auxillary heating system or unit burns solid or liquid fuel, a place or receptable for storage of the fuel shall be provided and maintained in a convenient and safe location free from fire and acc_ident hazards. (d) Fuel fired heating appliances_ shall be located in areas and locations so as not to creat_e a fire or accident hazard or obstruct an egress from a dwelling or dwelling unit. (e) Chimneys, smoke pipes, and connections shall be maj_ntaincd in good working order and be capable of conveying spent gases to the exterior of the building safely. 6.14 ELECTRICAL SERVICES ( a) All electrical wire and electrical equipment shall be maintained in safe condition. 6 .15 PLUMBING ( a) All plumbing, pipes and related fixtures, shall be maintained in sound condition. ( b) All water pipes and appurtenances thereto shall be protected from freezing. 6.16 LIGHT AND VENTILATION ( a) ( b) Every habi t?ble room shall be provided with one or more windmas facing directly on a street, yard or court, or a system of mechanical ventilation designed and constructed in accordance with the National Building Code. Every bathroom or room cont.ninin(; n toilet or urinal shall be provided with ventilation by means of": ( i) I I I (ii) one or more windo·.·iS fnc.i.nr, upon a str·cet or cour·t. er yard or· ni1~well, or by means of one 01· r:1nt·r-· wincl,.1~-1~: rpr-ninr; into ~ V"nt, ~!1:-,fl. ._ 'w-!hirh (-vt,-11 1·: ,,, ·» -I t 1 - "··~- -~ -~, ..... , ,-r- \nt,., , , '"'"-'- \" ·' I - 8 - If the repai_rs ordered are not: made within the time provided for by the order of the Building Inspector the Municipality may do, or cause to be clone the repairs necessary to make the building comply with Lhis By-La;-1 at tile expense of the occupant. The Municipality may recover the expense incurred in making such repairs with costs by action in any court of competent· jurisdiction. .;..-.·~--·······--·-·-~-- .· -----· ·-· . ' pFF 1.~1rHr,;trrr O:-'· Hilr~i'2!P{-d_ /\i·FJ\!\\;-; -------------········-- .--. .1:111r;1,·ri- 1-·r:· ~., - ~ ,.,·.~·010 ·' ' ' :: -~;::.-.::.;r ~- . ... . . --- <-~~-._c:✓~- . .--- - . ,, -- ,. '-' 'J' ..... , ., -----.· .. · . ..:;:.-:"::·.:-..:.::...·-'. .. : ~.:-:·.s;:;.,, ,_, _____ -- ...... , .. ~ - - . .., yd_ "t.,.., ... ': -,; .. 1 r1,;. ...::i .1dy ,.., , t ./ , ·-·- .1, ,:::, . U. ,Jf .. O"\~_be., ...... j'l %.C. -~c!:1SC--rJ~ ·~--1!,;1~: .. : .:,. '--·. -,'\·,- ~.',,1-, . ' ( THIS IS TO CERTIFY that the by-law of which the foregoing is a true copy was· duly passed at a duly called meeting of the Municipal Council of Victoria County held on the 11 day of /J,._,7,, s F A. D., 1986. GIVEN under the har1d of the Municipal Clerk and under the corporate seal o_fo< the Municipality of Victoria this ,.,, - day of SL/'"'~' b,·,( -A.O., 1986. ( j ' .. .- . ;- 1. ti;.)> ( Jl/,.,,{,.i c,;.(/,·u,(C,'~,L-1''-'-...,,.. 'RtiN!ClPAL CLERK