44-110.01. General conditions.
(a) An ALR shall meet applicable zoning, building, housing, sewer, water, fire prevention
codes, rules, and regulations of the District of Columbia.
(b) An ALR shall maintain all structures, installed equipment, grounds, and individual living
units in good repair and operable.
(c) An ALR may be classified as a residential occupancy and may be located in a single or
multi-family dwelling.
44-110.02. Fire safety.
An ALR shall comply with the Life Safety Code of the National Fire Protection Association, NFPA
101, 1997 edition as follows:
(1) An ALR shall be in compliance with Chapter 22, New Residential Board and Care
Occupancies, Life Safety Code of the National Fire Protection Association; and
(2) An existing community residence facility that is converting to an ALR shall be in
compliance with Chapter 23, Existing Residential Board and Care Occupancies, of the Life
Safety Code of the National Fire Protection Association.
44-110.03. General building exterior
(a) An ALR shall ensure that the exterior of its facility, including walkways, yards, porches,
chimney, gutters, downspouts, paintable surfaces, and accessory buildings are maintained
structurally sound, sanitary, and in good repair.
(b) An ALR that provides services to wheelchair-bound residents, shall make reasonable
accommodations to render the ALR accessible to residents who are wheel-chair bound through
the installation of a chair lift, curbcuts, an exterior ramp, or like accommodations.
44-110.04. General building interior
(a) An ALR shall ensure that the interior of its facility including walls, ceilings, doors, windows,
equipment, and fixtures are maintained structurally sound, sanitary, and in good repair.
(b) An ALR shall ensure that floors and stairways provide a clean, slip-resistant, and safe
surface, free of tripping hazards.
(c) An ALR shall install and maintain assist handrails or grab bars, whenever practicable, on
each side of interior stairways and on one side of corridors and in bathrooms.
(d) An ALR shall provide common areas for social and recreational use totaling at least 35
square feet per resident for living, dining, therapy, and recreational activities.
44-110.05. Accessibility
An ALR that provides services for wheelchair-bound residents, shall insure that:
(1) Doorways and hallways provide a clear opening of at least 32 inches; and
(2) Thresholds exceeding 1/2 inch are modified to provide a 1:12 maximum slope.
44-110.06. Bathrooms.
(a) An ALR shall ensure that there is one full bathroom, for every 6 residents, including live-in
family or staff. Additional full or half baths shall be available to non-live-in staff. No resident
shall be required to traverse more than one flight of stairs to access a bathroom and
appropriate accommodations shall be made for residents who are unable to climb stairs.
(b) When applicable, bathrooms shall contain adequate space and strategically located grab
bars to allow wheelchair-bound residents to utilize toilets, tubs, showers, and wash basins
without traversing a stair way.
(c) An ALR shall insure that the temperature of the hot water at all taps to which residents
have access is controlled by the use of thermostatically controlled mixing valves or by other
means, including control at the source, so that the water temperature does not exceed 110
degrees Fahrenheit.
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44-110.07. Health, light, and ventilation.
(a) An ALR shall ensure that each facility is lighted and ventilated in accordance with Title 12
of the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations (District of Columbia Construction Codes
Supplement of 1992). Artificial night lights for corridors and exterior security lighting shall be
installed.
(b) Each room shall have either a functioning ceiling light fixture or another source of artificial
light.
(c) An ALR shall ensure that heating and air conditioning equipment is maintained to ensure
that:
(1) During waking hours, an interior temperature throughout the facility of at least 72 degrees
Fahrenheit when outside temperatures are 65 degrees Fahrenheit or below, is maintained
throughout the facility;
(2) During sleeping hours, an interior temperature of at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit, when
outside temperatures are 65 degrees Fahrenheit or below, is maintained throughout the
facility;
(3) For individual units, heating and air conditioning shall be maintained at a temperature
which is comfortable for the individual resident, whenever practicable; and
(4) When inside temperature exceeds 85 degrees Fahrenheit, mechanically cooled air shall be
used in areas of the building used by residents with no inside area used by the residents
allowed to exceed 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
44-110.08. Bedrooms.
(a) An ALR located in an existing building shall ensure that bedrooms provide at least 70
square feet of habitable space for single occupancy resident units and 100 square feet of
habitable space in double occupancy resident units. Each bedroom shall have adequate
dresser and closet or wardrobe space for residents’ seasonal clothing and personal belongings.
A secure storage space in a resident’s unit shall be made available if requested by the
resident.
(b) Any ALR located in a building newly constructed or renovated after June 24, 2000 shall
ensure that bedrooms provide at least 80 sq. ft. of habitable space for single occupancy and
120 sq. ft. of habitable space for double occupancy.
(c) An ALR shall ensure that each resident has an adult size bed with clean comfortable
mattress and extra linens. Additional furnishings, such as night stand, desk, chair, mirror,
waste basket, etc., shall be made available, subject to residents wishes and tastes. Beds in
double occupancy bedrooms must be at least 3 feet apart. Residents may choose to provide
their own furnishings after being made aware of the furnishings that the facility is required to
provide. All furnishings must meet the Fire Safety Code and be maintained in good repair.
44-110.09. Kitchen.
An ALR shall provide a kitchen that has the following:
(1) Storage, refrigerator, or freezer space for perishable and nonperishable foods;
(2) Food preparation areas with cleanable surfaces;
(3) Equipment to prepare and serve food at safe and palatable temperatures; and
(4) Sufficient equipment and staffing to be in compliance with section 1116 of Title 14 of the
District of Columbia Municipal Regulations, as those regulations are applicable to boarding
houses.
44-110.10. Laundry.
An ALR shall provide an on-site laundry facility for use of staff for residents’ personal laundry.
All laundry shall be processed and handled in a manner to prevent the spread of infection by:
(1) Separate processing and storage of incontinent items; and
(2) Sanitizing by hot water and appropriate chemical agents.