Operation regulations.
El Paso City Code § 17.08.140
in effect17.08.140 - Operation regulations.
Every lodginghouse shall be operated in accordance with the following regulations:
A. One shower or tub, one lavatory and one commode, shall be provided for each ten sleeping rooms or fraction thereto (or each sixteen persons, if accommodations for more than one person are provided in one room) for the free use of lodgers at all times.
B. An adequate supply of clean individual towels shall be provided for lodgers free of charge.
C. Lodginghouses and all furnishings, fittings, fixtures and plumbing therein shall be maintained in a clean condition and shall at no time become a public or private nuisance and shall comply with the plumbing, building, electrical, garbage and all other ordinances of the city and laws of the state for the protection of public health or safety.
D. All floors shall be sprinkled and swept once a day.
E. Beds shall be at least two feet apart in a horizontal direction and so arranged that the air shall circulate freely under and around each bed. Except where air conditioning is provided, all windows shall be open at least three hours each day; at least ten square feet of window space, having unobstructed access to the open air, shall be provided for each room and for each one hundred square feet of floor space; and at least one-half of each window space will be available for ventilation.
F. All beds, bedclothing, mattresses and pillows shall be kept free from vermin.
G. Each bed shall be provided with a pillow slip for each pillow and two white linen or cotton sheets ninety-nine inches long after being washed, and sufficiently wide to cover the mattress and springs. Sheets and pillow slips shall be changed every eight days, and for each new guest or occupant.
H. Partitions and ceilings, whether put in before or after the effective date of the building code of the city, shall conform to the type of construction of the building, as classified in such code with reference to fire protection, but in no case are combustible partitions or ceilings permitted, except that in a building of ordinary construction partitions may be two by four inch stud walls covered on both sides with metal or gypsum lath and three-fourths of an inch of gypsum plaster, and ceilings may be metal or gypsum lath and three-fourths of an inch of gypsum plaster, or better. All partitions throughout their entire length shall extend from the floor to the ceiling. Provided, however, in cases of construction done within the then city prior to May 20, 1936, and in cases of construction done in areas annexed since such date where the construction was completed prior to annexation, this provision shall not apply to open beam ceilings of wooden deck construction nor to ceilings constructed of noncombustible material.
(Prior code § 13-11)
Source: City of El Paso, City Code and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/tx/el_paso/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT17HO_CH17.08LOTEHOHOMO_ARTIIILO_17.08.140OPREFetched: 10/28/2026