IOWA STATUTES AND CODES
138.13 - CONDITIONS FOR PERMIT.
138.13 CONDITIONS FOR PERMIT.
To be eligible for a permit, a migrant labor camp, or portion
thereof, shall meet each and all of the following requirements:
1. Site.
a. Sites for migrant labor camps shall be adequately drained.
Such sites shall not be subject to periodic flooding, nor located
within two hundred feet of swamps, pools, sinkholes, or other
quiescent surface collections of water unless the water surfaces can
be subjected to mosquito and pest control measures. Sites shall be
located so that drainage from and through the camp will not endanger
any domestic or public water supply. Sites shall be graded, ditched,
and rendered free from depressions in which water may collect and
become a nuisance.
b. Sites shall be adequate in size to prevent overcrowding of
necessary structures and to minimize the hazards of fire. Housing
shall not be subject to, or in proximity to, conditions that create
or are likely to create offensive odors, flies, noise, traffic, or
attract rats or other rodents, or any other similar conditions.
c. The grounds and open areas surrounding the shelters,
buildings, or structures, shall be maintained in a clean and sanitary
condition free from rubbish, debris, wastepaper, garbage, and other
refuse.
d. All camps shall provide space for recreation, commensurate
with size of the camp and type of occupancy.
e. Whenever a camp is permanently closed or closed for the
season, all garbage, manure, and other refuse shall be collected and
disposed of to prevent a nuisance. All abandoned privy pits shall be
filled with earth and the grounds and buildings left in a clean and
sanitary condition. If privy buildings remain, then such buildings
shall be locked or otherwise secured to prevent entrance.
2. Shelter.
a. Shelters shall be structurally sound and shall provide
protection to the occupants.
b. At least one-half of the floor area in each living unit
shall have a minimum ceiling height of seven feet. No floor space
shall be counted toward minimum requirements where the ceiling height
is less than five feet.
c. Sleeping facilities shall be provided for each person.
Such facilities shall consist of comfortable beds, cots, or bunks,
provided with clean mattresses.
d. Any bedding provided by the camp operator shall be clean
and sanitary.
e. Triple deck bunks shall not be allowed.
f. The clear space above the top of the lower mattress of a
double deck bunk and the bottom of the upper bunk shall be a minimum
of twenty-seven inches. The distance from the top of the upper
mattress to the ceiling shall be a minimum of thirty-six inches.
g. Beds used for double occupancy may be provided only in
family accommodations.
h. Floors of buildings used as living quarters or shelters
shall be constructed of wood, asphalt, concrete, or other comparable
material. Wooden floors shall be of smooth and tight construction
and shall be elevated not less than one foot above the ground level
at all points to prevent dampness and to permit free circulation of
air beneath. Floors shall be kept in good repair.
i. Nothing in this chapter shall prohibit banking with earth
or other suitable material around the outside walls of shelters and
other structures in areas subject to extremely low temperatures.
j. Living quarters of shelters shall be provided with windows
and doors which shall be in total area not less than one-tenth of the
floor area. At least one-half of each window shall be constructed so
that it can be opened for purposes of ventilation.
k. Exterior openings shall be effectively screened with
sixteen mesh material. Screen doors shall be equipped with
self-closing devices.
l. In a room where people cook, live, and sleep, a minimum of
sixty square feet per occupant shall be provided. Sanitary
facilities shall be provided for storing and preparing food.
m. When a camp is operated during a season requiring
artificial heating, living quarters with a minimum of one hundred
square feet per occupant shall be provided and such living quarters
or shelters shall, also, be provided with properly installed heating
equipment of adequate capacity to maintain a room temperature of at
least 70 degrees F. A stove or other source of heat shall be
installed and vented in a manner to avoid both a fire hazard and a
concentration of fumes or gas within such living quarters and
shelters. In a room with wooden or combustible flooring, there shall
be a concrete slab, metal sheet, or other fire-resistant material, on
the floor under each stove, extending at least eighteen inches beyond
the perimeter of the base of the stove. Any wall or ceiling not
having a fire-resistant surface, within twenty-four inches of a stove
or stovepipe, shall be protected by a metal sheet or other
fire-resistant material. Heating appliances, other than electrical,
shall be provided with a stovepipe or vent connected to the appliance
and discharging to the outside air or chimney. The vent or chimney
shall extend above the peak of the roof. Stovepipes shall be
insulated with fire-resistant material where they pass through walls,
ceilings, or floors.
3. Water supply.
a. An adequate and convenient water supply, approved by the
department, shall be provided in each camp for drinking, cooking,
bathing, and laundry purposes.
b. Each water supply shall be inspected at the time of
occupancy of the camp and as frequently thereafter as is necessary to
insure its continued suitability.
c. Distribution lines shall be capable of supplying water at
normal operating pressures to all fixtures for simultaneous
operation. Water outlets shall be distributed throughout the camp in
such a manner that no shelter or living quarter is more than one
hundred feet from a yard hydrant if water is not piped to the
shelters.
d. A cold water tap shall be available within one hundred
feet of each individual living unit when water is not provided in the
unit. Adequate drainage facilities shall be provided for overflow
and spillage.
e. Common drinking cups shall not be allowed or permitted.
f. Wells or springs used as sources of water supply shall
have tight covers and be constructed and located to preclude
pollution by seepage from cesspools, privies, sewers, sewage
treatment works, stables or manure piles, or surface drainage. The
water from such sources shall be obtained by free gravity flow or by
an approved metal pump securely mounted on a concrete slab covering
the well or spring. If the pump is adjacent to the well or spring,
it shall be located and connected to prevent any pollution of such
water supply.
4. Toilet facilities.
a. Approved toilet facilities adequate for the capacity of
the camp shall be provided.
b. Each toilet facility shall be located so as to be
accessible to the inhabitants of the camp without any individual
passing through any sleeping room. Toilet rooms shall have a window
not less than six square feet in area opening directly to the outside
or shall otherwise be satisfactorily ventilated. All outside
openings shall be screened with sixteen mesh material. No water
closet, chemical toilet, or urinal shall be located in a room used
for other than toilet purposes.
c. A toilet room shall be located within two hundred feet of
each sleeping room. No privy existing on May 23, 1969, shall be
nearer than fifty feet from any sleeping room, dining room, lunch
area, or kitchen. No privy constructed after May 23, 1969, shall be
nearer than one hundred feet from any sleeping room, dining room,
lunch area, or kitchen.
d. Separate facilities shall be provided for men and women
and such facilities shall be clearly marked by signs printed in
English and in the native language of the persons occupying the camp,
or marked with easily understood pictures or symbols, when men and
women, not members of the same immediate family, are housed in the
same camp.
e. Where toilet facilities are shared, the number of water
closets or privy seats provided for each sex shall be based on the
maximum number of persons of that sex which the camp is designed to
house at any one time, in the ratio of one unit for each fifteen
persons, with a minimum of two units for any shared facility.
f. Urinals, constructed of nonabsorbent materials, may be
substituted for men's toilet seats on the basis of one urinal or
twenty-four inches of trough-type urinal for one toilet seat up to a
maximum of one-third of the required toilet seats.
g. Each toilet room or facility shall be lighted naturally,
or artificially, by a safe type of lighting at all hours of the day
and night.
h. An adequate supply of toilet paper shall be provided in
each privy, water closet, or chemical toilet compartment.
i. Toilet seats, privies, and toilet rooms or facilities
shall be kept in a sanitary condition and cleaned daily.
j. Each privy shall have a pit initially at least five feet
deep.
k. Privy pits shall be constructed and maintained so that
flies cannot gain access to the human waste.
l. A privy pit shall not be filled with human waste to a
point nearer than one foot from the surface of the ground; the human
waste in the pit shall then be covered with earth, ashes, lime, or
other similar material.
m. Seat openings in privies shall be covered with
tight-fitting, hinged lids.
5. Sewage disposal facilities.
a. In camps where public sewers are available, all sewer
lines and floor drains from buildings and shelters shall be connected
to the sewers.
b. All human waste, sewage, or liquid waste from camps not
discharged into public sewers shall be disposed of in accordance with
the provisions of this chapter or the rules of the department.
6. Laundry, handwashing, and bathing facilities.
a. Laundry, handwashing, and bathing facilities shall be
provided as follows:
(1) One handwash basin for each immediate family shelter or
dwelling for every fifteen individuals or fraction thereof in shared
facilities.
(2) One shower head for every fifteen or fraction thereof
individuals. Separate facilities for men and women shall be provided
in shared facilities.
(3) One laundry tray or tub for every twenty-five persons or
fraction thereof.
(4) One slop sink in each building used for laundry, handwashing,
or bathing.
b. Floors shall be of smooth finish but not of slippery
materials and they shall be impervious to moisture. Floor drains
shall be provided in all shower baths, shower rooms, or laundry rooms
to remove waste water and facilitate cleaning. Junctions of the
curbing and the floor shall be covered. Walls and partitions of
shower rooms shall be smooth and impervious to moisture to the height
of splash.
c. A supply of hot and cold running water conforming to the
provisions of this chapter or the rules and regulations of the
department shall be provided for bathing and laundry purposes.
d. Every service building used during periods requiring
artificial heating shall be provided with equipment capable of
maintaining a room temperature of at least 70 degrees F.
e. Facilities for drying clothes shall be provided.
f. Service buildings shall be kept clean.
g. Waste water shall be disposed of so as not to form pools
on the ground nor create a nuisance, nor pollute any drinking water
supply. Toilet drainage shall be carried through a covered drain
into a covered septic tank that conforms to standards established by
the department.
7. Lighting.
a. All housing sites, quarters, and shelters shall be
provided with electric service.
b. Each habitable room and common use rooms, and areas
including, but not limited to, laundry rooms, toilets, privies,
hallways, and stairways shall contain adequate ceiling or wall-type
light fixtures. At least one wall-type electrical convenience outlet
shall be provided in each individual living room.
c. Adequate lighting shall be provided for the yard area and
pathways to common use facilities.
d. All wiring and lighting fixtures shall be installed and
maintained in a safe condition.
e. Where electric service is not available, gas lighting will
be acceptable. Hallways and stairways to upper floors shall be
lighted at night. Electric lighting shall be provided in all camps
or additions to camps constructed after May 23, 1969.
8. Refuse disposal.
a. Durable, fly-tight, clean containers in good condition of
a minimum capacity of twenty gallons, shall be provided adjacent to
each housing unit or shelter for the storage of garbage and other
refuse. Such containers shall be provided in a minimum ratio of one
per fifteen persons or fraction thereof.
b. Provisions shall be made for collection of refuse at least
twice a week, or more often if necessary.
c. The disposal of refuse shall be in accordance with state
and local laws.
9. Construction and operation of kitchens, dining halls, and
feeding facilities.
a. Every camp shall be provided with adequate gas stoves or
electrical stoves for cooking.
b. Utensils in which food is prepared or kept, or from which
food is to be eaten, and implements used in the preparation and
eating of food shall be kept in a clean, unbroken, and sanitary
condition.
c. Adequate refrigeration for perishable foods, cooked or
raw, shall be provided in every kitchen or wherever food is prepared.
Tables, benches, or chairs shall be provided.
d. Cooking of meals by an immediate family unit within its
assigned living quarters may be permitted, provided that safe and
adequate areas are available, but a separate kitchen in each shelter
is desirable.
e. In camps where cooking facilities are used in common,
stoves, in ratio of one stove to ten persons or one stove to two
immediate families or fraction thereof, shall be provided in a
central kitchen room or building separate and distinct from sleeping
quarters and toilet facilities. Floors, walls, ceilings, tables and
shelves of kitchens, dining rooms, refrigerators and food storage
rooms shall be constructed so that they can always be maintained in a
clean and sanitary condition. Exterior wall openings of all rooms
shall be screened and rendered fly-tight at all times during the
period that the camp is in operation. Screen doors shall be
self-closing and installed to open outward from the area to be
protected.
f. In camps where meals are furnished by the operator,
manager, or concessionaire, the requirements of the department shall
be met.
g. No person with any communicable or venereal disease shall
be employed or permitted to work at preparation, cooking, serving, or
other handling of food, foodstuffs, or other materials, in any
kitchen or dining room operated in connection with a camp or
regularly used by persons living in a camp.
10. Insect and rodent control.
a. Effective measures shall be taken to control rats, mice,
flies, mosquitoes; bedbugs, and all other insects, rodents, and
parasites within the camp premises.
b. Pesticides and pest control equipment shall be stored and
used in a safe manner.
11. Safety and fire prevention.
a. No flammable or volatile liquids or materials shall be
stored in or adjacent to rooms used for living purposes, except for
those needed for current household use.
b. First aid facilities shall be provided and readily
accessible for use at all times. Such facilities shall be equivalent
to the sixteen unit first aid kit recommended by the American Red
Cross, and provided in a ratio of one per fifty persons or fraction
thereof.
c. Buildings and structures of a camp shall be maintained and
used in accordance with state and local law relative to fire
prevention.
d. Units of approved fire-extinguisher equipment shall be
located so that a person will not have to travel more than one
hundred feet from any point to reach the nearest unit, and at least
one unit shall be provided for each one thousand square feet of floor
space or fraction thereof.
e. Appliances of the type, number, and size indicated below
shall constitute one unit of fire-extinguisher equipment:
(1) Soda and acid. One appliance of two and one-half gallon
capacity, or two appliances of one and one-half gallon capacity in
each appliance.
(2) Foam. One appliance of two and one-half gallon capacity,
or two appliances of one and one-half gallon capacity in each
appliance.
(3) Water type. One stored pressure appliance of two and
one-half gallon capacity, or two pump-type appliances of five gallon
capacity.
f. Fire fighting equipment shall be maintained in good
operating condition so that it may be used instantly when the need
arises.
g. Adult occupants shall be properly instructed in fire
prevention and in the proper use of equipment.
h. Agricultural pesticides and toxic chemicals shall not be
stored in the housing area. Section History: Early Form
[C71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, § 138.13]