Section 3 – Facilities and Equipment
| 3.1 | Plans for construction, remodeling
Before any person begins the construction or extensive remodeling of a public accommodation facility that requires a building permit, he must submit the plans to the appropriate Health Authority for review and approval. |
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| 3.2 | Exemption of existing facilities, equipment from design, construction requirements
If any facility or equipment being used by the operator of a public accommodation facility one year from the implementation date of these Regulations does not meet the requirements for design and construction established in this chapter, the operator is exempted from those requirements and may continue to use the facility or equipment if it is in good repair, is capable of being maintained in a sanitary condition and does not create a health hazard. |
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| 3.3 | Certain areas prohibited from use as quarters for living or sleeping
It is unlawful for any person to use, or to permit another person to use, any of the following portions of a public accommodation facility for living or sleeping purposes: |
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| 3.3.1 | Any kitchen, cellar, hallway, water closet, bath, shower compartment, or slop-sink room. | ||
| 3.3.2 | Any other room or place which does not comply with the provisions of this chapter, or in which, in the judgment of the Health Authority, living or sleeping is dangerous or prejudicial to life or health by reason of an overcrowded condition, a want of light, windows, ventilation or drainage, dampness, or offensive or obnoxious odors or poisonous gases in the room or place, or a lack of exits as required by the version of the Uniform Building Code being used by the agency of jurisdiction. | ||
| 3.4 | Air space, floor area and ceiling height of rooms
No room for sleeping purposes shall have less than 500 cubic feet of air space for each occupant. The floor area of each sleeping room must be at least 80 square feet and at least 7 feet in width. All rooms must have a ceiling height of at least 8 feet. |
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| 3.5 | Floors | ||
| 3.5.1 | Every floor and every floor covering, such as carpeting, must be kept clean and in good repair, sanitized or replaced so that it will not become a hazard to safety or health. | ||
| 3.5.2 | The floors in areas used for washing and sanitizing tableware and in laundry areas, kitchenettes, and in areas in bathrooms and toilet rooms, which are next to the tub, shower or toilet, must be constructed of smooth, durable, nonabsorbent and easily cleanable material. | ||
| 3.5.3 | The floors must not be covered with carpeting in areas used for washing and sanitizing tableware, in laundry areas, in kitchenettes, and in areas in bathrooms and toilet rooms, which are next to the tub, shower, or toilet. The appropriate Health Authority may prohibit the use of carpeting in any other area, which it deems would be made unsanitary by the use of carpeting. | ||
| 3.5.4 | Every concrete, tile, ceramic and vinyl floor installed in a bathroom, toilet room, laundry room or kitchenette must be coved at the junctures between the floor and the walls. All material used to cove the junctures must be fitted snugly to the floor and the walls so there are no openings large enough to permit the entrance of vermin. | ||
| 3.6 | Walls, ceilings and closures | ||
| 3.6.1 | All walls, ceilings, doors, windows, skylights, other closures, fixtures and decorative material must be kept clean and in good repair. | ||
| 3.6.2 | The walls of bathrooms, toilet rooms, rooms for washing tableware, and kitchenettes must be smooth and easily cleanable. | ||
| 3.6.3 | The materials used in constructing the walls and ceilings must be joined along their edges so as to leave no open spaces or cracks. | ||
| 3.6.4 | Studs, joists, rafters and beams must not be left exposed in bathrooms, toilet rooms, laundry rooms or kitchenettes. If left exposed in other areas, these structural members must be suitably finished and be kept clean and in good repair. | ||
| 3.7 | Furniture
All furniture must be kept in good repair, cleanable, and maintained in a clean and sanitary condition. |
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| 3.8 | Lighting | ||
| 3.8.1 | At least 50 foot-candles of light must be provided in each area for washing tableware and in each kitchenette. | ||
| 3.8.2 | At least 20 foot-candles of light at a distance of 30 inches (76.2 cm) from the floor must be provided in each laundromat area for guest use, toilet room, bathroom and in each other area during cleaning. | ||
| 3.8.3 | At least 15 foot-candles of light must be provided in any area used for living or sleeping. | ||
| 3.9 | Smoke Alarms | ||
| 3.9.1 | Each guest room must be equipped with at least one working smoke alarm, which is installed, maintained, and tested according to existing fire codes. | ||
| 3.9.2 | The smoke alarm must be free of foreign matter such as tape or paint that could impair its proper function. | ||
| 3.10 | Heating and ventilating systems | ||
| 3.10.1 | All bathrooms and toilet rooms must be adequately ventilated so that excessive moisture is removed from the room. | ||
| 3.10.2 | Each system for heating, cooling or ventilation must be properly maintained and operational at all times that guest rooms are occupied. | ||
| 3.10.3 | All sleeping rooms, bathrooms and toilet rooms must be capable of being maintained at a temperature between 68°F (20°C) and 80°F (26.7°C) while being used by guests. | ||
| 3.10.4 | The use of portable space heaters is prohibited in guest rooms. | ||
| 3.11 | Baths, showers, toilets and lavatories | ||
| 3.11.1 | Common bathrooms servicing guest rooms are prohibited in all hotels and motels newly built or remodeled one year after the effective date of these regulations. | ||
| 3.11.2 | Each guest room in a public accommodation facility newly built one year after the effective date of these regulations must contain, at a minimum, one toilet, one lavatory, and one shower and/or bathtub, which may include a bathtub/shower combination. | ||
| 3.11.3 | All baths, showers, toilets and lavatories must be kept in good repair. | ||
| 3.11.4 | While being used by guests, the floors of the bathrooms and toilet rooms must be sanitized each day, unless the guest has declined regular guest room services. If a guest declines regular guest room services, the public accommodation facility must ensure that these surfaces are cleaned and sanitized at least once per week and between guests. | ||
| 3.11.5 | While being used by guests, every surface of a bathtub, shower, shower enclosure, toilet and lavatory, which may come in contact with a person’s body, must be sanitized each day, unless the guest has declined regular guest room services. If a guest declines regular guest room services, the public accommodation facility must ensure that these surfaces are cleaned and sanitized at least once per week and between guests. Guidance on recommended cleaning and sanitizing of specialty bath equipment such as fill-and-drain whirlpool spa bathtubs can be found in Appendix F. PDF (62 KB) | ||
| 3.11.6 | Cloths used for cleaning and sanitizing dirty environmental surfaces of the guest room shall be used in one guest room only, and then be placed in the dirty compartment of the housekeeping cart when the guest room attendant has completed cleaning that room. | ||
| 3.11.7 | All other surfaces of the bathroom must be cleaned and sanitized when visibly soiled or dirty but at least once a week, unless the guest has declined regular guest room services. If a guest declines regular guest room services, the public accommodation facility must ensure that these surfaces are cleaned and sanitized at least once per week. In the event that the guest room remains vacant, the public accommodation facility must ensure that the guest room is cleaned and sanitized prior to use by the next guests. | ||
| 3.11.8 | All under-the-counter cabinets must be maintained in a clean, dry, and structurally sound condition. The cabinets must be replaced if the understructure shows warping, peeling and/or rotting. | ||
| 3.12 | Sanitation of guest room following occupation by guest having a communicable disease | ||
| 3.12.1 | Whenever the responsible person knows or suspects that a guest room has been occupied by a person with a reportable infectious illness, the guest room shall be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized, including fumigation, as needed, depending on the suspected or known pathogen, according to the public accommodation facility’s “Guest Room Clean-up Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).” An example SOP can be found in Appendix G. PDF (67 KB) | ||
| 3.12.2 | All linens, towels, and bedding from the contaminated guest room shall be thoroughly laundered, dried and disinfected before reuse. | ||
| 3.12.3 | The guest room shall not be occupied by new guests until the timeframe recommended by the manufacturer of the treatment substance, such as a fumigant, has passed. | ||
| 3.13 | Water supply | ||
| 3.13.1 | The potable water supply for each public accommodation facility must be from a source approved by the State of Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Safe Drinking Water and must meet all NRS 445A requirements. | ||
| 3.13.2 | Each public accommodation facility must be supplied with a hot and cold potable water supply that meets all sanitary purposes, including water for culinary, bathing, lavatory, and laundering. | ||
| 3.13.3 | Anytime the responsible person receives a water quality-related complaint in which two or more persons report similar illness within 24 hours of each other, the responsible person shall obtain the name, address, phone number (room number if the affected individual is a guest), along with a list of the reported symptoms and name of the medical facility to which the ill persons are being transported, if medical attention is sought. The responsible person shall then report the alleged illnesses to the Health Authority immediately via the Health Authority’s 24-hour telephone line. (See Health Authority contact information in Appendix E PDF (65 KB) ) | ||
| 3.14 | Plumbing | ||
| 3.14.1 | The potable water system must be installed and maintained in such a manner that there is no cross connection between it and any other system. | ||
| 3.14.2 | Every room with laundry facilities must have a drain in the floor of the room. The floor must be sloped to provide proper drainage. | ||
| 3.14.3 | Each washing machine, dishwasher or sink used for washing laundry, tableware or utensils, and all ice machines, must drain through an approved air gap to a floor sink. | ||
| 3.14.4 | A device used to prevent backflow or back siphonage that is installed on a potable water system must comply with the standards for the construction, installation, maintenance, inspection, and testing of the Plumbing Code (PC) for that specific application and type of device, including the Southern Nevada 1997 Plumbing Code Amendments, unless a more stringent code is adopted by the agency of jurisdiction. | ||
| 3.14.5 | The written results of annual backflow prevention device testing must be made available at the public accommodation facility for Health Authority review. | ||
| 3.15 | Water damage evaluation | ||
| 3.15.1 | Whenever evidence of significant water/moisture intrusion from any source is found within or on the walls, ceilings, attic spaces, crawl spaces, floors, carpeted surfaces, ventilation ducts, insulation, or other materials or areas which may promote the growth of mold, the source of the water or moisture must be identified and stopped to prevent or reduce mold growth. | ||
| 3.15.2 | Whenever a need arises to conduct a large-scale mold remediation affecting more than 1,000 square feet within a public accommodation facility, the Health Authority must be notified in writing of actions taken. For guidance, see Appendix H: Mold Remediation Guidelines PDF (75 KB) | ||
| 3.16 | Solid waste disposal | ||
| 3.16.1 | Each public accommodation facility must have solid waste containers of sufficient number and size to store all the solid waste in a manner that does not exceed the waste containers’ capacities until the solid waste is removed. | ||
| 3.16.2 | If the solid waste is not being removed in a manner that prevents a public health nuisance or danger, the Health Authority shall direct the responsible person at the public accommodation facility to increase their solid waste container capacity and/or increase the frequency of scheduled pickups until adequate removal of the solid waste is achieved. | ||
| 3.16.3 | The solid waste containers must be: | ||
| 3.16.3.1 | Kept at locations approved by the Health Authority. | ||
| 3.16.3.2 | Emptied at least twice weekly. The frequency of solid waste removal must be at an interval, which prevents putrescible waste from becoming a nuisance even if such frequency is more often than twice weekly. | ||
| 3.16.3.3 | Kept covered and closed with a tight fitting lid at all times except when being filled, emptied, or cleaned, unless the equipment is specifically designed to be operated as an open dumpster or trash compactor. | ||
| 3.16.3.4 | Kept clean. Facilities for washing them must be provided and operated in a sanitary manner or appropriate contracts with a solid waste disposal company must be in place to clean and/or replace waste containers that become excessively dirty. | ||
| 3.16.4 | Wastewater generated from cleaning the containers must be disposed of as sewage in the public sewerage system or in an Individual Sewage Disposal System (ISDS) approved by the Health Authority. | ||
| 3.16.5 | Wastewater generated during cleaning of solid waste containers shall not be discharged into the storm drains or onto public thoroughfares. | ||
| 3.17 | Sewage disposal | ||
| 3.17.1 | All sewage carried by water must be disposed of by means of public sewerage or by a system for disposal such as an ISDS, which is approved by the Health Authority. | ||
| 3.17.2 | If the public accommodation facility intends to discharge its sewage to an ISDS, the facility must submit plans for review and approval and obtain a permit for the ISDS from the Health Authority for that purpose. | ||
| 3.17.3 | Any sewage discharge, sewer pipe leaks, spills, or backflow onto the ground must be stopped and/or contained within four (4) hours or the facility may be subject to closure by the Health Authority. | ||
| 3.17.4 | All sewage spills must be remediated in a manner that eliminates potential disease transmission, offensive odors, sewage solids, and sewage litter. | ||
| 3.18 | Outdoor areas
All outdoor areas including, but not limited to, parking areas, walkways, landscaped areas, storage areas, service buildings, and undeveloped grounds must have sufficient drainage to prevent water from collecting and stagnating in pools, and must be kept clean and free of any health hazards. |
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Updated on: January 15, 2019