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Housing Standards Ordinance
The Town of Durham adopted the Housing Ordinance (Chapter 72) in 2013 to provide a minimum level of safety and standard for housing. The inspection and enforcement of the program is administered by the fire department. Rental properties throughout town are required to undergo routine inspections to verify compliance with the provisions. A Certificate of Inspection is issued to properties that have successfully passed the inspection and corrected any issues found.
Update on Secondary Means of Escape - Egress Windows and Doors - August 2019
The State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFMO) recently released ‘Informational Bulletin 2019-01’, a document that supersedes a previous document from 2009 and provides clarification on the office’s interpretation of the State Fire Code’s requirements for escape windows. Owners of properties that contain rented dwelling units may be familiar with the previous document, as it is often discussed during housing standards inspections. In short, the SFMO’s new interpretation of the escape window requirements is more relaxed in most cases. For example, the previous interpretation suggested that existing windows of less then 4.5 square feet clear opening in a double hung-style window was an imminent danger. The new interpretation indicates that existing windows that are a minimum of 20 inches by 24 inches, and providing a minimum of 3.3 square feet clear opening when opened normally, would be an acceptable secondary means of escape. Owners of rental dwelling units that have been previously cited as having a escape windows that do not meet the previous interpretation, and have not replaced their windows yet, should measure their current windows to determine if they may meet the provisions described in the new bulletin. If they do, or if the owner is unsure, they are urged to contact the fire department at (603) 862-1426 to schedule a time to discuss their situation. The fire department will be reviewing its records in the coming weeks to identify properties with rental dwelling units that have outstanding escape window violations, and plan to reach out to the owners to discuss this further.
