And, further, to perform such other duties as are herein required of him. He shall also have a general supervision and direction over the subordinate officers of the department. spectors to at premises on fire. SECT. 8. The assistant inspectors of buildings, if such officers are Assistant inappointed, shall, under the direction of the inspector of buildings, tend fires and reattend all fires occurring in the districts to which they are respectively port condition of assigned, and report to the chief or assistant-engineer of the fire department present all information they may have relative to the construction and condition of the premises on fire, and also any such information relating to the adjoining buildings. examine build buildings re SECT. 9. The inspector or assistant-inspectors shall examine all Inspectors to buildings in the course of erection, alteration, or repair, throughout the ings in course of city, as often as practicable, and shall make a record of all violations erection; of any of the several divisions of this act, together with the street and number where such violations are found, the names of the owner, lessee, occupants, architect and master mechanics, and all other matters relative thereto. It shall also be the duty of the inspector or to examine assistant-inspectors to examine all buildings reported dangerous, or ported dandamaged by fire or accident, and to make a record of such exami- gerous. nations, including the nature and amount of such damage, with the name of the street and number of the building, the names of the owner, lessee, and for what purpose occupied, and, in case of fire, the probable origin thereof; to examine all buildings under application to raise, enlarge, alter, or build upon, and to make a record of the condition of the same. Said records shall always be open to the in- Records subject spection of the engineers of the fire department, or any officer of the city. SECT. 10. In the absence of the inspector of buildings, one of the assistant-inspectors may be appointed by him to act as his deputy, with the same powers exercised by him. to inspection of engineers. If inspector is may be appoint absent, assistant ed his deputy. enter any build SECT. 11. All the officers appointed under this act shall, so far as Officers may may be necessary for the performance of their respective duties, have ing the right to enter any building or premises in the city of Boston. SECT. 12. The compensation of the officers appointed under this Compensation. act shall be fixed by the city council of Boston. REGULATION AND SUPERVISION OF BUILDINGS. SECT. 13. The following buildings and works shall be exempt Buildings exfrom the operations of this act : Bridges, quays, wharves. Buildings belonging to, or occupied by, the government of the United States and the commonwealth of Massachusetts. empt. ings provisions SECT. 14. With the exceptions hereinbefore or hereinafter men- To what build. tioned, this act shall apply to all buildings hereafter erected within apply. the building limits of the city of Boston, and to all tenement or lodging-houses, and all buildings built of brick, stone, or other noncombustible material, outside of the said limits, but within the city of Boston. additions to SECT. 15. Any work of alteration or addition made or done for Alterations or any purpose in, to, or upon, any building, except that of necessary buildings. repairs not affecting the construction of the external or party-walls, chimneys. or stairways, of a building, shall, to the extent of such work of alteration or addition, be subject to the regulations of this act. SECT. 16. [No wooden or frame building shall hereafter be built No wooden or within the said building limits of the city of Boston; and no wooden to be hereafter addition shall be made to any building within said limits which shall erected. exceed fifteen feet in height from the ground. frame building Substitute, 1872, 280, § 1. No wooden building to be ings outside of Repairs may be made upon No wooden building shall be moved from any lot outside of the said limits to any lot within the said limits. The city council of the city of Boston may authorize the erection of wooden buildings outside of said limits, but within said city, upon such terms and conditions and subject to such limitations and restrictions as they may deem expedient.] SECT. 17. It shall, however, be lawful for the owner, or other wooden build party interested, to make any necessary repairs upon any wooden or frame building already built, provided that the height of said building shall not be increased. ings already built. Permit for building to be ob tained of inspector. Alterations. Grade. Buildings for public assem blies. If inspector prohibits, owner may appeal to committee of experts. Every building to be built of iron. It shall also be lawful to substitute for a pitch roof, a flat roof covered with metal or other non-combustible material. No building now erected, or hereafter to be erected, shall be altered, raised, roofed, enlarged, or otherwise built upon in any manner contrary to the terms of this act. SECT. 18. No building shall be erected hereafter in any part of the city of Boston, without a permit being first obtained from the inspector of buildings; and no addition or alteration to any building, subject to the regulations of this act, shall be made without a permit from said inspector; and said inspector shall designate, in all permits for the erection of new buildings, the grade below which the floor of the basement story of said building shall not be laid. SECT. 19. The inspector of buildings shall not give a permit for the erection of any building to be used for public assemblies, until he has carefully inspected the plans and specifications thereof, and ascertained that the building has sufficient strength, and that the means of ingress and egress are sufficient; and a copy of said specification shall be deposited in the office of said inspector. If in any case the inspector shall see fit to prohibit the erection or alteration of any building according to the plan as submitted, and such decision shall appear to the owner or architect to be unreasonable, the owner or architect shall have the right of appeal to a committee of five experts, who shall be architects, engineers, or master-builders, two of whom shall be chosen by the said owner or architect, and two by the inspector of buildings, the fifth one to be chosen by the other four, and their decision shall be final. SECT. 20. Every building shall be built of brick, stone, iron, or brick, stone, or other hard and incombustible material, and with foundations resting upon the solid ground, not less than four feet below the surface exposed to frost, or upon concrete, piles, or other solid substructure. Every wall constructed of brick, stone. or other similar substance, shall be properly bonded and solidly built with mortar or cement. The thickness of every wall, as hereinafter determined, shall be the minimum thickness, as applied to solid walls. Dimensions of foundation walls for dwelling. houses. The height of every external or party-wall, as referred to in this act, shall be measured from the level of the top of the foundation wall to its highest point. [SECT. 21. For dwelling-houses not exceeding thirty-five feet in height, foundation walls, laid with block stone in horizontal courses, or in brick laid in cement, shall not be less than sixteen inches thick, and external and party-walls of brick shall not be less than eight inches thick. For dwelling-houses exceeding thirty-five and not exceeding fiftyfive feet in height, foundation walls laid with block stone in horizontal courses shall be not less than eighteen inches thick; if of brick the foundation must be sixteen inches thick and laid in cement. External brick-walls shall be not less than twelve inches thick; partywalls of brick not less than twelve inches thick to the top of the 1 Substitute adopted, 1872, 371, § 2. second floor above the street, and not less than eight inches thick for the remaining height. For dwelling-houses exceeding fifty-five feet in height, foundation walls laid with block stone in horizontal courses, or brick laid in cement, shall be not less than twenty inches thick, the external and party-walls not less than twelve inches thick for the entire height. The thickness of foundation walls laid with irregular rubble work shall be one-fourth greater than the thickness given for block stone walls]. SECT. 22. [Buildings other than dwelling-houses shall have walls Dimensions of of the following thickness: foundation walls for build. dwelling For buildings not exceeding thirty-five feet in height the founda- ings other than tion walls, laid in block stone in horizontal courses, shall not be less houses. than eighteen inches thick. The external and party-walls not less than twelve inches thick to the top of the upper floor, and not less than eight inches for the remaining height. 1872, 371, § 1. For buildings exceeding thirty-five and not exceeding fifty-five feet Repealed by in height the foundation walls, laid in block stone, shall not be less 182, 260, § 3; than two feet thick. The external and party-walls not less than sixteen inches thick to the top of the highest floor, and not less than twelve inches thick for the remaining height. For buildings exceeding fifty-five feet in height the foundation walls, laid with block stone in horizontal courses, shall be not less than thirty inches thick. External and party-walls not bearing floor timbers, not less than sixteen inches thick to the top of the highest floor, and not less than twelve inches thick for the remaining height. External or party-walls, bearing floor timbers, not less than twenty inches thick to the top of the second floor above the street, and not less than sixteen inches thick from the top of the second floor above the street to the top of the highest floor, and not less than twelve inches thick for the remaining height. The bottom course for all foundation walls resting upon the ground shall be, at least, twelve inches wider than the thickness above given for the foundation walls.] supporting SECT. 23. Piers or columns supporting walls of masonry shall Piers or columns have for a footing course a broad leveller, or levellers, of block stone walls of masonnot less than sixteen inches thick. and with a bearing surface equal ry. in area to the square of the width of the footing course, plus one foot required for a wall of the same thickness and extent as that borne by the pier or column. And if the foundation of such piers or columns rests upon piles a sufficient number shall be driven to insure a proper support. SECT. 24. Where piles are driven for a foundation, they shall be Piles for founda of suitable stock, and driven to a firm and solid bearing upon "hard pan," to be ascertained by boring. The tops of the piles shall be cut off on a level below the natural level of the water, as it stands in the ground during the summer months. It shall be the duty of the inspector of buildings to give the grades at which piles may be cut off. Buildings exceeding thirty-five feet in height shall have not less. than two rows of piles under all external and party-walls, and the piles shall be spaced not over three feet on centres in the direction of the length of the wall. tion. openings in SECT. 25. Recesses and openings may be made in external walls, Recesses and provided the thickness of the backs of such recesses be not less than walls. eight inches, and provided the whole area of all the recesses and openings in any wall do not exceed one-half of the area of said wall. Door way to be closed with iron doors. Enclosing walls to be tied by wall irons. Party-walls above the roof. To be four inches of brickwork between Whenever it becomes desirable to cut a door-way through any party-wall separating two buildings, a notice of the intention to do so shall be filed with the inspector of buildings. Any such door-way shall not exceed ten feet in height by eight feet in width, and shall have top, bottom, and sides, of stone, brick, or iron. The said door-way shall be closed by two sets of wrought-iron or metal-covered doors, hung to rebated iron frames, and separated by the thickness of the wall. And whenever such door-way ceases to be used it shall be immediately filled up with masonry. No continuous vertical recess of more than four inches in depth shall be made in any twelve-inch party-wall, and no recess of any kind shall be made in any eight-inch party-wall. SECT. 26. All the enclosing walls of a building shall be tied in by means of wall irons, built into the wall, and turned up back, not less than eight inches of brick-work, and fastened to the floor so that there shall be a continuous tie every ten feet across the building on each floor, as far as practicable. SECT. 27. All party-walls shall be built up, at least, six inches above the flat of the roof of the highest building of which such wall forms a part, for the full extent of the flat. And where there is a mansard or pitch roof the party-wall shall be built up to the under side of the roof covering, which shall be laid and imbedded in mortar upon said wall. SECT. 28. In all buildings hereafter built there shall be not less than four inches of solid brick-work between the floor timbers built floor timbers in into the same party-wall from opposite sides. same wall from opposite side. Exterior walls faced with stone. Stone cornice. Buildings to be roofed with slate or tin. Chimneys. Hearths of fireplaces. SECT. 29. Exterior walls, faced with stone, shall have a backing of not less than eight inches of hard brick-work, laid in mortar. But in no case shall the thickness of stone and backing, taken together, be less than the thickness required for a brick wall of the same height. The stone facing of a wall shall always be securely tied to the brick backing by means of metal clamps. All brick facings must be securely tied to the backing at least every tenth course. In all cases where a wall is finished with a stone cornice, the greatest weight of material of such cornice shall be on the inside of the face of the wall, so that the cornice shall firmly balance upon the wall. SECT. 30. All buildings hereafter built shall be roofed with slate, tin or other non-combustible roofing material, and all buildings shall have a scuttle not less than two by three feet, with a permanent step-ladder or flight of stairs thereto. SECT. 31. All chimneys shall be built of brick, stone, or other fire-proof non-conducting material. All brick flues shall be smoothly plastered inside with mortar from top to bottom and outside below the roofing. Brick flues, not starting from the foundation walls, shall be securely built into the brick-work of the walls to which they are hung. In no case shall chimneys rest upon any flooring without a footing of masonry or iron supported by iron beams, having a secure bearing on masonry or iron at either end. All flues shall be topped out at least four feet above the roof of the building to which they belong. The brick topping out of chimneys shall not have more than two inches projection, unless covered by a cap of metal or stone properly secured. Hearths of fireplaces or grates shall be laid upon brick or other trimmer arches, or upon bars of iron supporting a bed of brick-work. No wood-work of any kind shall be placed at a less distance than one inch from the outside brick-work of any fluc. nail be driven into the masonry of any flue. In no cases hall a city sewer. SECT. 32. All buildings hereafter built within the above limits Draina to enter shall have proper brick, iron, or tile, drains laid with air-tight joints, with a proper pitch to the city sewer, and shall be properly entered therein. made land to with concrete of SECT. 33. All buildings built upon filled or made land shall have Buildings on a bed of concrete, made of hydraulic cement and gravel, or tar and have cellar botgravel, spread over the cellar bottom, or shall be paved with brick tom covered laid in cement throughout the whole extent of the building; and paved with where there is a basement floor over the cellar bottom, leaving an cement. air-space between the concrete and said floor, the air-space shall be ventilated by an opening into a flue in the chimney of the building. brick laid in TENEMENT OR LODGING HOUSES. visions are com SECT. 34. No house, building, or portion thereof, in the city of Tenement or lodging houses Boston, used, occupied, leased, or rented for a tenement or lodging not to be occuhouse, shall continue to be so used. occupied, leased, or rented, unless pied unless prothe same, on the requisition of the board of health, shall conform in plied with. its construction and appurtenances to the provisions of this act. And the inspector of buildings shall see that the requisitions of the board of health in regard to the repair and alterations of tenement or lodging houses are properly carried out; and shall approve all plans for the construction of new tenement or lodging houses. If in any case the inspector shall see fit to prohibit the erection of the building according to the plan, the owner or architect shall have the right of appeal, as provided in section nireteen. of tenement SECT. 35. The exterior walls of all tenement or lodging houses Exterior walls hereafter erected shall be of brick or stone; and those hereafter houses to be of erected on streets not more than twenty feet in width shall not exceed brick or stone. thirty feet in height. tenement and SECT. 36. Every house, building, or portion thereof, in the city Ventilation of of Boston, designed to be used, occupied, leased, or rented, or which lodging houses. is used, occupied, leased, or rented, for a tenement or lodging house, shall have in every room which is occupied as a sleeping-room, and which does not communicate directly with the external air, a ventilating or transom window, having an opening or area of three square feet over the door leading into and connected with the adjoining room, if such adjoining room communicates with the cxternal air; and also a ventilating or transom window, of the same opening or area, communicating with the entry or hall of the house, or where this is, from the relative situation of the rooms, impracticable, such lastmentioned ventilating or transom window shall communicate with an adjoining room that itself communicates with the entry or hall. Every such house or building shall have in the roof, at the top of the hall, an adequate and proper ventilator, of a form approved by the inspector of buildings. SECT. 37. Every such house shall be provided with a proper fire- Fire-escape. escape, or means of escape in case of fire, to be approved by the inspector of buildings. Roof to be kept tight. SECT. 38. The roof of every such house shall be kept in good repair and so as not to leak, and all rain-water shall be so drained or conveyed therefrom as to prevent its dripping on ground or causing dampness in the walls, yard, or area. All stairs shall be provided with proper balusters or railings, and shall be kept in good repair. SECT. 39. Every such building shall be provided with good and Water-closets, sufficient water-closets, earth-closets, or privies, of a construction ap- and privies. proved by the inspector of buildings, and shall have proper doors, earth-closets |