Unified Development Ordinance, 32nd Supplement, July 2024

Article 11.6. ​Housing Code | CHAPTER 11. ​BUILDING AND HOUSING CODE

f. Chimneys shall have no loose bricks or mortar; flues shall have no holes. g. Gas appliances shall not be located in, or obtain combustion air from, sleeping rooms, bathrooms, toilet rooms or storage closets. This shall not apply to: i. Direct vent appliances that obtain all combustion air directly from the outdoors; ii. Vented room heaters, wall furnaces, vented decorative appliances and decorative appliances for installation in vented solid fuel-burning fireplaces; provided that the room is not a confined space and the building is not of unusually tight construction; iii. A single wall-mounted unvented room heater equipped with an oxygen depletion safety shutoff system and installed in a bathroom, provided that the input rating does not exceed 6,000 BTU per hour and the bathroom is not a confined space; and iv. Appliances installed in a dedicated enclosure in which all combustion air is taken directly from the outdoors. Access to such enclosures shall be through a solid door that is weather-stripped and equipped with an approved self-closing device. h. There shall be no hanging masonry chimneys. i. Thimbles shall be grouted in tight. j. Thimbles shall be installed high enough for the stovepipe to rise ¼ inch per foot minimum. k. Fireplaces shall be used only for supplemental heat and not for basic heating. l. Hearth extension shall be at least 16 inches deep and 8 inches beyond each side of the fireplace opening. m. Combustible materials shall not be within 6 inches of either side of the fireplace opening or within 12 inches above the fireplace opening. n. If the fireplace opening is closed, the closure shall be of noncombustible material and airtight. o. Any stove shall be within 6 feet of the thimble serving it. p. No stovepipe shall be routed through combustible walls unless specifically approved for installation in combustible walls.

q. No combustible materials shall be within 12 inches of the stovepipe. r. All mechanical appliances, fireplaces, solid-fuel burning appliances, cooking appliances and water heating appliances shall be properly installed and maintained in a safe working condition, and shall be capable of performing the intended function. s. A supply of air for complete combustion of fuel and for ventilation of the space containing the fuel-burning equipment shall be provided for the fuel-burning equipment. t. Dryer exhaust ducts for clothes dryers shall terminate on the outside of the building and shall be equipped with a back-draft damper. Screens shall not be installed at the duct termination. Ducts shall not be connected or installed with sheet metal screws or other fasteners that will obstruct the exhaust flow. Clothes dryer ducts shall not be connected to a vent connector, vent or chimney. u. Portable heaters are not acceptable as a permanent source of heat but they may be used as a supplementary unit in one- and two-family dwelling units. No owner shall be held to be in violation of this UDO when an occupant is using a portable heater as a source of heat as long as the owner has complied with paragraph c. above. 15. Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors a. Every owner of a rental residential dwelling unit shall comply with G.S. 42-42 for smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors and shall install a smoke detector mounted on the ceiling or wall on every level, at a point centrally located in the corridor or area giving access to each group of rooms used for sleeping purposes and in common stairwells in each dwelling unit as provided in §5-2041 of the Raleigh City Code. b. Every owner of an existing residential dwelling shall comply with North Carolina Residential Code Section 313. In existing dwellings, where interior alterations, repairs, fuel-fired appliance replacements, or additions requiring a permit occurs, or where one or more sleeping rooms are added or created, carbon monoxide alarms shall be installed outside of each separate sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms as directed by the alarm manufacturer. c. The owner of every residential dwelling unit where a smoke detector is installed pursuant to §5-2041 shall maintain and insure that the smoke

11 – 25 Published July 2024

Part 10: Unified Development Ordinance City of Raleigh, North Carolina

Supp. No. 32