105 Mass. Reg. 410.020

Current through Register 1520, April 26, 2024
Section 410.020 - Definitions

Asbestos means:

(1) chrysotile, amosite, crocidolite; or

(2) in fibrous form, tremolit-asbestos, anthophyllite-asbestos, or actinolite-asbestos.

Asbestos Material means asbestos or any material containing asbestos.

Board of Health means the appropriate and legally designated health authority of the city, town, county, or other legally constituted governmental unit within the Commonwealth having the usual powers and duties of the board of health of a city or town, or his or its authorized agent or representative.

Chronic Dampness means the regular and/or periodic appearance of moisture, water, mold or fungi.

Compliance means meeting all the requirements of 105 CMR 410.000. It shall also mean correcting any violations of 105 CMR 410.000 in a work-personlike fashion and restoring all parts of the dwelling, or unit thereof, to the condition they were in before occurrence of any such violations. Compliance shall also mean in those cases where licenses or permits are required to perform work necessary to correct the violations, such as, but not limited to building, plumbing and wiring that the appropriate official certifies that the work has been completed in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

Compostable Material means an organic material excluding waste water treatment residuals which has the potential to be composted and which is pre-sorted and is not contaminated by significant amounts of toxic substances, as those terms are or may be defined by 310 CMR 19.00: Solid Waste Management.

Composting means a process of accelerated biodegradation and stabilization of organic material under controlled conditions yielding a product which can safely be used, as those terms are or may be defined by 310 CMR 19.00: Solid Waste Management.

A Condition Making a Unit Unfit for Human Habitation is a condition meeting the standard set forth in the Massachusetts General Laws under which a board of health may justify closing down, condemning, or demolishing a dwelling or dwelling unit. It shall mean a violation which poses such immediate harm or threat of harm to an occupant or to the public that other legal remedies cannot be reasonably expected to bring about removal of the condition with sufficient speed to prevent the serious harm or injury to the occupants or to the public.

A Condition Which May Endanger or materially impair the health or safety and wellbeing of an occupant means the existence of a condition, listed in 105 CMR 410.750 or any other condition so certified by the board of health to be a violation, which may expose or subject to harm, the health or safety, and the well-being of an occupant or the public.

Dwelling means every building or shelter including but not limited to rooming houses and temporary housing used or intended for human habitation and every other structure or condition located within the same lot line whose existence causes or is likely to effect noncompliance with the provisions of 105 CMR 410.000.

Dwelling Unit means the room or group of rooms within a dwelling used or intended for use by one family or household for living, sleeping, cooking and eating. Dwelling unit shall also mean a condominium unit.

Entry Door of a Dwelling means any door of a dwelling which provides access to the common areas of the dwelling from the exterior of the dwelling except that when there are two doors which enclose an entryway between the common areas of the dwelling and the exterior of the dwelling it shall mean either of the doors.

Entry Door of a Dwelling Unit means any door of a dwelling unit which provides access to the common areas of the dwelling or access to the outside of the dwelling.

Exterior Openable Window means any window designed and installed to open which opens to the common interior areas of the dwelling or to the outside of the dwelling.

Exterminate means to eliminate insects and rodents.

Garbage means the animal, vegetable or other organic waste resulting from the handling, preparing, cooking, consumption or cultivation of food, and containers and cans which have contained food unless such containers and cans have been cleaned or prepared for recycling.

Habitable Room means every room or enclosed floor space used or intended to be used for living, sleeping, cooking, or eating purposes, excluding rooms containing toilets, bathtubs or showers and excluding laundries, pantries, foyers, communicating corridors, closets and storage spaces.

Historic building means any building covered by 105 CMR 410.000 which meets the definition of historic building as defined in 780 CMR 3409.0.

Infestation means the recurrent presence of insects and/or rodents.

Legal remedy means any common law and other rights guaranteed by judicial decision, or the laws or regulations of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts which are intended to protect the rights and interests of the occupants affected by violations of 105 CMR 410.000 whether such provision authorizes an affirmative civil action, criminal penalties, a defense to an action or claim by another.

Means of Egress means a continuous and unobstructed path of travel from any point in a dwelling to an abutting public way (See 780 CMR 1002.0) .

Mobile Dwelling Unit means a dwelling unit built on a chassis and containing electrical, plumbing, and sanitary facilities and designed to be installed on a temporary or permanent foundation for permanent living quarters.

Occupant means every person living or sleeping in a dwelling.

Owner means every person who alone or severally with others:

(1) has legal title to any dwelling, dwelling unit, mobile dwelling unit, or parcel of land,vacant or otherwise, including a mobile home park; or

(2) has care, charge or control of any dwelling, dwelling unit, mobile dwelling unit or parcel of land, vacant or otherwise, including a mobile home park, in any capacity including but not limited to agent, executor, executrix, administrator, administratrix, trustee or guardian of the estate of the holder of legal title; or

(3) is a mortgagee in possession of any such property; or

(4) is an agent, trustee or other person appointed by the courts and vested with possession or control of any such property; or

(5) is an officer or trustee of the association of unit owners of a condominium. Each such person is bound to comply with the provisions of these minimum standards as if he were the owner. Owner also means every person who operates a rooming house.

Person means every individual, partnership, corporation, firm, association, or group, including a city, town, county or other governmental unit, owning property or carrying on an activity regulated by 105 CMR 410.000.

Provide means to supply and pay for.

Representative or Occupant's Representative means any adult person designated and duly authorized to act on the occupant's behalf, including, but not limited to, any person or group designee from a tenant's organization or other community group.

Rooming House means every dwelling or part thereof which contains one or more rooming units in which space is let or sublet for compensation by the owner or operator to four or more persons not within the second degree of kindred to the person compensated. Boarding houses, hotels, inns, lodging houses, dormitories and other similar dwelling places are included, except to the extent that they are governed by stricter standards elsewhere created; provided that the provisions of 105 CMR 410.000 shall not apply to any hospital, sanitorium, convalescent or nursing home, infirmary or boarding home for the aged licensed by the Department of Public Health in accordance with the provisions of M.G.L. c. 111, § 51 or 71.

Rooming Unit means the room or group of rooms let to an individual or household for use as living and sleeping quarters but not for cooking, whether or not common facilities for cooking are made available; provided, that cooking facilities shall not be deemed common if they can be reached only by passing through any part of the dwelling unit or rooming unit of another.

Rubbish means combustible and noncombustible waste materials, except garbage, and includes but is not limited to such material as paper, rags, cartons, boxes, wood, excelsior, rubber, leather, tree branches, yard trimmings, grass clippings, tin cans, metals, mineral matter, glass, crockery, dust, and the residue from the burning of wood, coal, coke and other combustible materials.

Stairway means any group of stairs consisting of three or more risers.

Temporary Housing means any tent, mobile dwelling unit, or other structure used for human shelter which is designed to be transportable and which is not attached to the ground, to another structure, or to any utility system on the same premises for more than 30 days.

Use Group R-3 means all buildings arranged for occupancy as one or two family dwelling units, including not more than five lodgers per family and multiple single family dwellings where each unit has an independent means of egress and is separated by a two-hour fire separation assembly.

Exceptions:

(1) In multiple single-family dwellings that are equipped throughout with an approved sprinkler system installed in accordance with 780 CMR 906.2.1 or 906.2.2, the fire resistance rating of the dwelling unit separation shall not be less than one hour. Dwelling unit separation wall shall be constructed as fire partitions.

(2) In multiple single-family dwellings that are equipped throughout with an approved automatic sprinkler system installed in accordance with 780 CMR 906.2.3, a two hour fire separation assembly shall be provided between each pair of dwelling units. The fire resistance rating between each dwelling unit shall not be less than one hour and shall be constructed as a fire partition (780 CMR 310.5) .

Use Group R-4 means all detached one and two family dwellings not more than three stories in height and all accessory structures (780 CMR 310.6) .

Violation means any condition in a dwelling, dwelling unit, mobile dwelling unit, or rooming house or upon a parcel of land which fails to meet any requirement of 105 CMR 410.000.

Water Conservation Device means for all showers, shower stalls, shower compartments or shower baths, a low-flow showerhead which shall have a maximum flow rate not exceeding 2½ gallons of water per minute, for all faucets a maximum flow rate not exceeding two and 2/10 gallons of water per minute and for all water closets, ultra-low-flush water closets not exceeding one and 6/10 gallons of water per flush, contained within a dwelling unit.

Water Submetering means the use of a meter by an owner who receives water from a water company, as defined in M.G.L. c. 186, § 22, which meter measures water supplied to a dwelling unit to enable the owner to charge the tenant of the dwelling unit separately for water usage, or which meter measures water supplied to a common area.

105 CMR 410.020