Municipal Ordinances
Chapter 20 - Housing
Chapter Contents:
ARTICLE I. PROPERTY MAINTENANCE CODE
ARTICLE II. DISCRIMINATION
ARTICLE I. PROPERTY MAINTENANCE CODE
Sec. 20-1. International Property Maintenance Code - Adopted.
(a) That for the purpose of establishing minimum standards governing the condition and maintenance of all property, buildings and structures; by providing the standards for supplied utilities and facilities and other physical things and conditions essential to insure that structures are safe, sanitary and fit for occupation and use; and the condemnation of buildings and structures unfit for human occupancy and use and the demolition of such structures; known as "International Property Maintenance Code" of the City of Rolla, Missouri, and each and all of the regulations of the International Property Maintenance Code, are hereby referred to, adopted and made a part hereof, as if fully set out at length herein. (Ord. 2271-A, §1; Ord. 2596, §2-3; Ord. 2927, §2; Ord. 3151, §2; Ord. 3549, §2; Ord. 4454, §2)
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Sec. 20-2. Same - Amendments.
101.1 Title, is hereby amended by inserting the words "City of Rolla, Missouri".
106.4.3 Expiration. Every permit issued shall be valid for one year after issuance unless work authorized by the permit is not commenced within 180 days after it's issuance, or if the authorized by the permit is not commenced within 180 days after its issuance, or if the authorized work is suspended or abandoned for a period of 180 days after the time the work is commenced. At that time the permit would become void and re-application would need to be made.
106.4.4 Extensions. A one-time, one-year extension of a permit may be obtained at a cost of one half of the original permit fee.
106.5.2 Fee schedule. Refer to fee schedule provided in Section 108.7 of the International Building Code.
106.5.3 Fee refunds. Delete.
108.4 Violation Penalties. Any person who shall violate a provision of this code or shall fail to comply with any of the requirements thereof or who shall erect, construct, alter or repair a building or structure in violation of an approved plan or directive of the code official, or of a permit or certificate issued under the provisions of this code, shall be guilty of a Misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not more than $500.00, or by imprisonment not exceeding 90 days, or both such fine and imprisonment. Each day that a violation continues after due notice has been served shall be deemed a separate offense.
108.5 Unlawful Continuance. Any person who shall continue any work in or about the structure after having been served with a stop work order, except such work as that person is directed to perform to remove a violation or unsafe condition, shall be liable to a fine of not less than $50.00 or more than $500.00.
(c) This Ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after January 1, 2019. (Ord. 2596, §3; Ord. 2927, §2; Ord. 3549, §2; Ord. 4454, §2)
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Secs. 20-3 to 20-7. Reserved.
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ARTICLE II DISCRIMINATION
Sec. 20-8. Declaration of policy.
The city council of the City of Rolla hereby declares it to be the public policy of the City to eliminate discrimination and safeguard the right of any person to sell, purchase, lease, rent or obtain real property without regard to race, sex, color, religion, religious affiliation, handicap, familial status, national origin or ancestry. This ordinance shall be deemed an exercise of the police powers of the City of Rolla, Missouri, for the protection of the public welfare, prosperity, health and peace of the people of Rolla. (Ord. 2896, §2)
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Sec. 20-9. Definitions.
For the purpose of this ordinance the following terms, phrases, words and their derivations shall have the meaning given herein unless the context otherwise indicates.
- Person shall include any individual, form partnership or corporation.
- Aggrieved Persons shall include any person who is attempting to provide housing for himself and/or his family in the City of Rolla, Missouri.
- Discriminate shall mean distinctions in treatment because of race, sex, color, religion, religious affiliation, handicap, familial status, or national origin of any person. (Ord. 2896, §2)
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Sec. 20-10. Discriminatory practices.
It shall be a discriminatory practice and a violation of this ordinance for any person to:
- Refuse to sell or rent after the making of a bona fide offer, or to refuse to negotiate for the sale or rental of, or otherwise make unavailable or deny, a dwelling to any person because of race, sex, color, religion, religious affiliation, handicap, familial status or national origin.
- To discriminate against any person in the terms, conditions, or privileges of sale or rental of a dwelling, or in the provision of services or facilities in connection therewith, because of race, sex, color, religion, religious affiliation, familial status, handicap, or national origin.
- Make, print, or publish, or cause to be made, printed or published any notice, statement, or advertisement, with respect to the sale or rental of a dwelling that indicates any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on race, sex, color, religion, religious affiliation, handicap, familial status, or national origin, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination.
- Represent to any person because of race, sex, color, religion, religious affiliation, handicap, familial status or national origin that any dwelling is not available for inspection, sale, or rental when such dwelling is in fact so available.
- For profit, to induce or attempt to induce any person to sell or rent any dwelling by representations regarding the entry or prospective entry into the neighborhood or a person or persons of a particular race, sex, color, religion, religious affiliation, familial status, handicap, or national origin.
- Bars discrimination in the sale or rental of housing on a basis of a handicap, and requires the design and construction of new multifamily dwelling with four (4) or more units to meet certain adaptability and accessibility requirements.
- Bars discrimination in the sale or rental of housing because a family has children, but exempts certain types of buildings that house older persons, e.g. Section 202 housing. (Ord. 2896, §2)
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Sec. 20-11. Discrimination in the financing of a house.
It shall be unlawful for any bank, building and loan association, insurance company or other corporation, association, firm or enterprise whose business consists in whole or in part in the making commercial real estate loans, to deny a loan to a person applying therefore for the purpose of purchasing, constructing, repairing, or maintaining a dwelling or to discriminate against him in the fixing of the amount or conditions of such loan, because of the race, sex, color, religion, religious affiliation, handicap, familial status, or national origin of such person or of any person associated with him in connection with such financing. (Ord. 2896, §2)
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Sec. 20-12. Exemptions.
The provisions of this ordinance, and particularly Section 20-11 hereof, shall not apply to the following:
- A rental or leasing of a dwelling unit in a building which contains housing accommodations for not more than two (2) families living independently of each other, if the owner or members of his family reside in such dwelling unit.
- A rental or leasing to less than five (5) persons living in a dwelling unit by the owner if the owner or members of his family reside therein.
- Any single family house sold or rented by an owner provided that such house is sold or rented:
- without the use of sales or rental facilities or services of real estates brokers, agents, salesmen, or persons in the business of selling or renting dwelling, and without the publication, posting or mailing of any advertisement in violation of Section 20-10(c) of this ordinance, provided however, that nothing in this provision shall prohibit the use of attorneys, escrow agents, abstractors, title companies, and other such professional assistance as necessary to effect or transfer the title, and that any such private individual owner does not own any interest in, nor is there owned or reserved on his behalf, under any express or voluntary agreement, title to or any right to all or a portion of the proceeds from the sale or rental of more than three such single family houses at any one time.
- For the purposes of subsection 20-10(d), a person shall be in the business of selling or renting dwelling if:
- he/she has, within the preceding twelve months, participated as principal in three or more transactions involving the sale or rental of any dwelling or any interest therein, or
- he/she has, within the preceding twelve months, participated as agent, other than in the sale of his own personal residence in providing sales or rental facilities or sales or rental services in two or more transactions involving the sale or rental of any dwelling or any interest therein, or
- he/she is the owner of any dwelling designed or intended for occupancy, by or occupied by five or more families. (Ord. 2896, §2)
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Sec. 20-13. Administration.
- There is hereby created a Fair Housing Committee whose membership shall consist of the mayor of the City, and the city council.
- Every complaint of a violation of this ordinance shall be referred to the Fair Housing Committee. The Fair Housing Committee shall forthwith notify the person against whom the complaint is made. The identity of the aggrieved person shall be made known to the person against whom the complaint is made at that time. If the Fair Housing Committee, after investigation, finds there is no merit to the complaint, the same shall be dismissed. If the Fair Housing Committee finds that there is merit in the complaint, in their opinion, then and in that event, the Fair Housing Committee will endeavor to eliminate the alleged discriminatory practice by conference and conciliation.
- If the Fair Housing Committee is unable to eliminate the alleged discriminatory practice by a conference and conciliation, then and in that event, the Fair Housing Committee shall forward said complaint to the city attorney for handling. The final determination of whether or not to prosecute on said complaint shall be left to the city attorney. (Ord. 2896, §2)
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Sec. 20-14. Enforcement.
- Any person convicted of a violation of this ordinance shall be punished by a fine of not more than two hundred dollars ($200.00) or by imprisonment for not more than thirty (30) days, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
- The city attorney, instead of filing a complaint in municipal court of said city, may, as an alternative remedy, seek to have the alleged discriminatory practices abated by an action for an injunction to be maintained in the appropriate circuit court of the State of Missouri. (Ord. 2896, §2)
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Sec. 20-15. Severability.
If any section, subsection, paragraph, sentence, clause, or phrase of these standards shall be declared invalid for any reason whatsoever, such decision shall not affect the remaining portions of this ordinance which shall continue in full force and effect. To this end the provisions of this ordinance are hereby declared to be severable. (Ord. 2896, §2)
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Sec. 20-16. Savings clause.
This ordinance shall not affect violations of any other ordinance, code or regulation of the City of Rolla existing prior to the effective date hereof. Any such violations shall be governed and shall continue to be punishable to the full extent of the law under the provisions of those ordinance, codes or regulations in effect at the time the violations was committed. (Ord. 2896, §2)
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Secs. 20-17 to 20-20. Reserved.
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