Permits. Par. 1. - No building, structure or foundation shall be constructed or altered without a permit, and such work shall be done in accordance with drawings bearing the approval of the commissioner.

Excavations to be Supported

Par. 2. - Every structure in process of construction, alteration, repair or removal, and every neighboring structure or portion thereof affected by such process or by any excavation, shall be sufficiently supported during such process.

Par. 3. - The commissioner may take such measures as the public safety requires to carry these provisions into effect.

Leaders

Par. 4. - All buildings shall have leaders sufficient to discharge the roof water in such a manner as not to flow upon any public way or any neighboring property. Such leaders may project into a public way not over seven inches.

Chimneys - Height Above Roof

Par. 5. - Every chimney flue shall be carried to a height sufficient to protect adjoining buildings from fire and smoke, and, unless the roof is covered with incombustible material, shall extend at least four feet above the highest point of contact with the roof.

Egress to Roof

Par. 6. - Every permanent building more than twenty feet high having a flat roof shall have permanent means of access to the roof from the inside by an opening not less than two feet by three feet, with a fixed stepladder.

Egress Required

Par. 7. - Every building shall have, with reference to its height, condition, construction, surroundings, character of occupation and number of occupants, reasonable means of egress in case of fire, satisfactory to the commissioner, except that in all factories or workshops hereafter built or altered, of second class construction, where ten or more persons are employed above the second floor, one exit shall consist of a fireproof stairway enclosed in incombustible material. No building hereafter erected shall be occupied or permitted to be occupied until said means of egress have been provided in accordance with plans and drawings approved by the building commissioner.

[1912, c. 369, sect. 1.] Par. 8. - Water pipes in every building shall be properly protected from frost.

Chimney, Walls and Lining of

Par. 9. - All chimneys of masonry construction shall have walls at least eight inches thick, or be constructed of four-inch brick walls with a suitable flue lining.

Water-Closets

Par. 10. - Every building used for habitation shall have such number of water-closets as the board of health may require; every building where persons are employed shall have at least one water-closet for every twenty persons therein employed, and in any building where both sexes are employed, separate accommodations shall be furnished for men and women. Every enclosure containing one or more water-closets shall be provided with adequate ventilation to the outer air either by window or by suitable light shaft.

Outside Finish

Par. 11. - In every first and second class building all of the outside finish shall be of incombustible material, except window and door frames, and except finish about show windows in the first story. Where store fronts are carried up more than one story the columns and lintels shall be of, or finish with, incombustible material; but in no case shall store fronts be carried more than two stories, unless the same are constructed and finished throughout with fireproof material, except window and door frames.

Par. 12. - Every ventilating flue shall be constructed of, or lined with, incombustible material.

Floor Ties

Par. 13. - Every floor in second class buildings shall have its beams tied to the walls and to each other with wrought-iron straps or anchors at least three eighths of an inch thick by one and one half inches wide and not less than eighteen inches long, so as to form continuous ties across the building not more than ten feet apart. Walls running parallel, or nearly parallel, with floor beams shall be properly tied once in ten feet to the floor beams by iron straps or anchors of the size above specified.

Wooden Headers and Trimmers

Par. 14. - Every wooden header or trimmer more than four feet long, carrying a floor load of over seventy pounds per square foot, shall, at connections with other beams, be framed or hung in stirrup irons, and joint-bolted. All tail beams and similar beams of wood shall be framed or hung in stirrup irons.

Windows on Fire Escapes, Kitchenettes. Sprinklers

Par. 15. - All walls, piers and columns acting as supports below the first floor of all buildings hereafter built shall be of masonry or metal. In all buildings hereafter erected, where outside means of egress are to be constructed, the building commissioner may order, when he deems it necessary, all the window openings in the same to be protected by metal frames and sash and wire glass, and all doors leading to such outside means of egress and the frames of the same to be of metal or metal covered. If doors are glazed, they shall be glazed with wire glass. Every kitchen, kitchenette or room used or adapted to be used for cooking purposes, either by coal, electric, gas or oil stoves, in every building hereafter erected, remodelled or enlarged, shall be not less than six feet in the least dimension, and have a floor area of not less than forty-eight square feet. Every such kitchen, kitchenette or room to be used or adapted to be used for cooking purposes shall be lighted and ventilated by window openings in an external wall direct to the open air, or if such kitchen, kitchenette or room is of not more than seventy square feet in area upon a vent shaft, as defined in section forty-two and any acts amending or affecting the same, with no opening from any toilet room into said vent shaft, and such window openings shall equal in size in the aggregate at least one eighth of the area of the floor of such room. When gas, coal or oil stove ovens, broilers or water heaters are connected to a ventilating flue, the flue shall be constructed of brick walls not less than eight inches thick, or with walls four inches thick lined with terra-cotta flue lining at least one inch thick. The building commissioner may order the basements of any mercantile building hereafter erected to be provided with a system of automatic sprinklers, approved by him as to location, arrangement and efficiency. Any alteration shall conform to the requirements of this act for new buildings only to the extent of the alteration made.

[1914, c. 782, sect. 2.] [1921, c. 289, sect, l.]