J & N REALTY, INC.

Statutes & Regulations Pertaining to Rental & Multi-Housing Properties II.  

California Code of Regulations Title 25 

42 Caretaker, manager 

A manager, janitor, housekeeper, or other responsible person shall reside upon the premises and shall have charge of every apartment house in which there are 16 or more apartments, and of every hotel in which there are 12 or more guest rooms, in the event that the owner of any such apartment house or hotel does not reside upon said premises.   

Only one caretaker would be required for all structures under one ownership and on one contiguous parcel of land.  If the owner does not reside upon the premises of any apartment house in which there are more than four but less than 16 apartments, a notice stating his name and address, or the name and address of his agent in charge of the apartment house, shall be posted in a conspicuous place on the premises. 

Note:    If the premises consist of 16 or more units, a person responsible for the property must reside on the property. 

Uniform Building Code 

310.9.1 Smoke detectors 

310.9.1.1 General 

Dwelling units, congregate residences and hotel or lodging houseguest rooms that are used for sleeping purposes shall be provided with smoke detectors.  Detectors shall be installed in accordance with the approved manufacturer's instructions. 

310.9.1.2 Additions, alterations or repairs to Group R Occupancies 

When the valuation of an addition, alteration or repair to a Group R Occupancy exceeds $1,000 and a permit is required, or when one or more sleeping rooms are added or created in existing Group R Occupancies, smoke detectors shall be installed in accordance with Sections 310.9.1.3, 310.9.1.4 and 310.9.1.5 of this section. 

Exception:  Repairs to the exterior surfaces of a Group R Occupancy are exempt from the requirements of this section. 

310.9.1.3 Power source 

In new construction, required smoke detectors shall receive their primary power from the building wiring when such wiring is served from a commercial source and shall be equipped with a battery backup.  The detector shall emit a signal when the batteries are low.  Wiring shall be permanent and without a disconnecting switch other than those required for overcurrent protection.  Smoke detectors may be solely battery operated when installed in existing buildings; or in buildings without commerical power; or in buildings which undergo alterations, repairs or additions regulated by Section 310.9.1.2. 

310.9.1.4 Location within dwelling units 

In dwelling units, a detector shall be installed in each sleeping room and at a point centrally located in the corridor or area giving access to each separate sleeping area.  When the dwelling unit has more than one story and in dwellings with basements, a detector shall be installed on each story and in the basement. 

In dwelling units where a story or basement is split into two or more levels, the smoke detector shall be installed on the upper level, except that when the lower level contains a sleeping area, a detector shall be installed on each level.  When sleeping rooms are on an upper level, the detector shall be placed at the ceiling of the upper level in close proximity to the stairway. 

In dwelling units where the ceiling height of a room open to the hallway serving the bedrooms exceeds that of the hallway by 24 inches (610 mm) or more, smoke detectors shall be installed in the hallway and in the adjacent room.  Detectors shall sound an alarm audible in all sleeping areas of the dwelling unit in which they are located. 

310.9.1.5 Location in efficiency dwelling units, congregate residences, and hotels 

In efficiency dwelling units, hotel suites and in hotel and congregate residence sleeping rooms, detectors shall be located on the ceiling or wall of the main room or each sleeping room.  When sleeping rooms within an efficiency dwelling unit or hotel suite are on an upper level, the detector shall be placed at the ceiling of the upper level in close proximity to the stairway.  When actuated, the detector shall sound an alarm audible within the sleeping area of the dwelling unit or congregate residence, hotel suite, or sleeping room in which it is located. 

310.10 Fire Alarm Systems  

Group R, Division 1 Occupancies shall be provided with an approved manual and automatic fire alarm system in apartment houses three or more stories in height or containing 16 or more dwelling units, in hotels three or more stories in height or containing 20 or more guest rooms and in congregate residences three or more stories in height or having an occupant load of 20 or more in accordance with the California Fire Code and the California Electrical Code.  A fire alarm and communication system shall be provided in Group R, Division 1 Occupancies located in a high-rise building. 

Exceptions: 

(1) A manual fire alarm system need not be provided in buildings not over two stories in height when all individual dwelling units and contiguous attic and crawl spaces are separated from each other and public or common areas by at least one-hour fire-resistive occupancy separations and each individual dwelling unit or guest room has an exit directly to a public way, exit court or yard. 

(2) A separate fire alarm system need not be provided in buildings that are protected throughout by an approved supervised fire sprinkler system having a local alarm to notify all occupants. 

(2a)  A separate fire alarm system need not be provided in buildings which are protected throughout by an approved supervised fire sprinkler system having a local alarm system for the notification of all occupants.  Occupant notification shall result from actuation of any flow of water or the operation of any manual station.  At least one manual station shall be installed at a location approved by the authority having jurisdiction.  All initiating and indicating devices shall be electrically supervised. 

The alarm signal shall be a distinctive sound which is not used for any other purpose other than the fire alarm.  Alarm-signaling devices shall produce a sound that exceeds the prevailing equivalent sound level in the room or space by 15 decibels minimum, or exceeds any maximum sound level with a duration of 30 seconds minimum by 5 decibels minimum, whichever is louder.  Sound levels for alarm signals shall be 120 decibels maximum. 

For the purposes of this section, area separation walls shall not define separate buildings. 

310.14.12.1 General 

Every apartment house three or more stories in height or containing more than 15 apartments, every hotel three or more stories in height or containing 20 or more guest rooms, shall have installed therein an automatic or manually operated fire alarm system.  Such fire alarm systems shall be so designed that all occupants of the building may be warned simultaneously and shall be in accordance with the California Fire Code.  See Sections 1403 and 603.6 for special requirements in buildings over 75 feet (22 860 mm) in height. 

Exception: 

A fire alarm system need not be installed provided such apartment house or hotel is separated by an unpierced wall of not less than four-hour fire resistance in buildings of Type I, Type II-F.R., Type III or Type IV-H.T. construction and two-hour fire resistance in buildings of all other types of construction provided: 

(1) Areas do not exceed the number of apartments or guest rooms stipulated. 

(2) The fire-resistive wall conforms to the requirements of Section 504.5. 

(3) The wall complies with all other applicable provisions of the U.B.C. 

(4) The wall extends to all outer edges of horizontal projecting elements, such as balconies, roof overhangs, canopies, marquees, or architectural projections. 

(5) No openings are permitted for air ducts or similar penetrations, except that openings for pipes, conduits and electrical outlets of copper, sheet steel or ferrous material shall be permitted through such wall and need not be protected, provided they do not unduly impair the required fire resistance of the assembly. 

(6) Tolerances around such penetrations shall be filled with approved noncumbustible materials. 

310.14.12.2 Installation 

The installation of all fire alarm equipment shall be in accordance with the California Fire Code.