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Lodginghouses

El Paso City Code tit. 17, ch. 17.08, art. III
in effect

El Paso City Code § 17.08.120 License—Required—Term—Fee—Display.

17.08.120 - License—Required—Term—Fee—Display. A. No person shall operate a lodginghouse without a license as provided in this article. Applications for such license shall be made to the city license collector in writing, stating: 1. The name and residence address of the operator of the business, of all partners if a partnership, and of all officers if a corporation; 2. The name under which and the address at which the lodginghouse is to be operated; and 3. The kind and number of accommodations offered. B. Licenses shall be issued for one year, and may be renewed from year to year without refiling the application. C. The fee for the license shall be forty-five dollars per year, payable in advance. This fee is not levied for revenue, but to pay a part of the cost of regulation under the police power, and the city council finds that the fee bears a reasonable relation to such costs. D. The operator shall immediately give written notice to the license collector of any change in the facts stated in the application. E. The license collector shall inform the director of the city-county health unit and the chief of the fire department of all original licenses issued, and all cancellations, suspensions or expirations. F. The license shall be kept posted on the premises in a place where it will be readily visible to persons seeking accommodations. (Ord. 15752 § 1, 2004: Ord. 12118 § 1, 1994; Ord. 9000 § 1, 1987; prior code § 13-9)

El Paso City Code § 17.08.130 License—Suspension and revocation.

17.08.130 - License—Suspension and revocation. The director of the city-county health unit may, after reasonable notice and opportunity to be heard, revoke or suspend any license issued under this article, for failure of the owner, operator, manager or caretaker to comply or to see that his servants comply with any requirement of Sections 17.08.120 and 17.08.140. The licensee may appeal from such revocation or suspension to the sanitation board of the city by giving to the director of the city-county health unit written notice of appeal; and in such case the board shall, after reasonable notice to the director and to the licensee, hear the case and affirm, rescind or modify the order. If such appeal is taken the director's order shall not be enforced pending action by the board. (Prior code § 13-10)

El Paso City Code § 17.08.140 Operation regulations.

17.08.140 - 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)

El Paso City Code § 17.08.150 Violation—Penalty.

17.08.150 - Violation—Penalty. A. Any person who shall operate a lodginghouse before obtaining a license as required in this article, or after such license has been revoked, or while it is suspended, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and punished by a fine as provided in Sections 1.08.010 through 1.08.030. Each day's operation shall constitute a separate offense. B. Any owner, operator, manager or caretaker of a lodginghouse who shall fail to comply with any of the requirements of Sections 17.08.120 and 17.08.140 shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and punished by a fine as provided in Sections 1.08.010 through 1.08.030. Each day's violation shall constitute a separate offense. (Prior code § 13-12)
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_ARTIIILOFetched: 10/28/2026

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