Section 810.110  Housing

a)         Structural Soundness.  Permanent buildings shall be structurally sound.  Every foundation, floor, wall, ceiling, roof, and stairway shall be sound and capable of supporting the load that normal use may cause to be placed thereon.

b)         Protection from the Elements.  Every roof and exterior wall shall be constructed and maintained to keep rain, sleet, and snow from the interior of permanent buildings used for living or sleeping purposes.

c)         Location.  Permanent buildings shall be separated by at least 10 feet from other permanent buildings and at least 25 feet from any public road.

d)         Space Requirements.

1)         At least one-half of the floor area in each room used for living or sleeping purposes in a permanent building shall have a minimum ceiling height of seven feet.

2)         Sleeping rooms in permanent buildings shall contain a minimum of 40 square feet of floor space and a minimum of 300 cubic feet of air space per occupant where single deck bunks are used.

3)         Sleeping rooms in permanent buildings shall contain a minimum of 30 square feet of floor space and a minimum of 300 cubic feet of air space per occupant where double deck bunks are used.

4)         No less than 30 inches of clear space shall be provided above any occupied bunk or bed. Bunks and beds shall be placed no closer than 30 inches side to side and 30 inches end to end.

e)         Windows.

1)         Each room used for living or sleeping purposes in a permanent building shall have at least one window or skylight opening directly to the outdoors.

2)         Total window or skylight area in a room used for living or sleeping purposes in a permanent building shall equal at least ten percent of the usable floor space in the room.

3)         In a room used for living or sleeping purposes in a permanent building, the total openable window area shall equal at least 45 percent of the minimum required window or skylight area required for the room except where comparable mechanical ventilation is provided.

4)         Doors and openable windows used for ventilation in permanent buildings in rooms used for sleeping, food preparation or eating shall be screened.

f)         Exits.

1)         No building containing two or more sleeping rooms shall have arrangements such that access to a sleeping room or access to toilet facilities requires the occupants to pass through another sleeping room.

2)         All buildings of more than one story where sleeping or living quarters are located on a floor above ground level shall have at least two means of exit from the upper floor to the outside of the building and shall have at least one easily accessible fire extinguisher (i.e., located not more than five feet off of the ground with no objects placed in front of the extinguisher that block access to it) in working order on each floor.

3)         Each room used for living or sleeping purposes that does not have a door opening to the outdoors shall have at least one openable window with opening dimensions of at least eighteen inches by two feet to allow emergency egress to the outdoors.

4)         Each room used for living or sleeping purposes that houses fifteen or more persons shall have at least two openable windows with opening dimensions of at least eighteen inches by two feet to allow emergency egress to the outdoors or at least two doors that lead to the outside of the building.

g)         Heating and Lighting.

1)         Each room used for living or sleeping purposes in a permanent building operated between September 15 and June 1 shall be provided with safe, operable heating equipment capable of maintaining a minimum temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit in the room.

2)         Fireplaces, stoves, furnaces and space heaters using combustible fuel within buildings shall be vented to the outside and shall have provisions for supply of combustion air from the outside.

3)         Each room used for living or sleeping purposes occupied between sunset and sunrise hours in a permanent building shall be provided with artificial lighting equal to or greater than the equivalent of one 25 watt incandescent bulb per 100 square feet of usable floor area.

h)         Cleanliness.  All buildings used for sleeping, living, food preparation, or eating shall be kept clean and free of insects, vermin and rodents.  Restrooms shall be maintained in a clean condition and in good repair in accordance with the Public Area Sanitary Practice Code.

i)          Smoke Detectors.  Each floor level of all permanent buildings used for sleeping shall be provided with a minimum of one smoke detector constructed, installed and operated in accordance with the National Fire Protection Association's Life Safety Code (NFPA 101), 2021 edition.  Battery operated smoke detectors in buildings not occupied for three or more months shall be removed and stored in containers until the next occupancy to prevent dust and insects from damaging the units.

(Source:  Amended at 47 Ill. Reg. 5205, effective March 21, 2023)