Chapter 14.65
FALLOUT SHELTERS
Sections:
14.65.010 Definitions.
14.65.020 Building permit.
14.65.030 Conformity to standards and regulations.
14.65.040 Design standards.
14.65.050 Location requirements.
14.65.060 Occupancy standards.
14.65.070 Blast shelter standards.
14.65.080 Sale of shelters.
14.65.010 Definitions.
As used in this chapter:
Fallout shelter means a shelter designed to protect the occupants from both gamma radiation and blast.
Shelter means a structure designed to protect human beings against the injurious effects of nuclear explosions. (1991 code § 10-13.1)
14.65.020 Building permit.
A. Required. No person may construct a fallout or blast shelter on private property in the city without a permit.
B. Application fee. An applicant for a building permit under this chapter shall submit two sets of plans, including a plot plan showing the location of the proposed shelter, sewer, gas, and water lines, drainage channels, easements and other buildings on the property. The application shall be accompanied by a building permit fee. The building permit fee is as set by city council resolution. (1991 code § 10-13.2)
14.65.030 Conformity to standards and regulations.
A. A shelter designed for emergency use only is considered Group J occupancy (Uniform Building Code); provided, that it does not exceed 200 square feet in gross floor area in the occupiable portion of the shelter. A shelter designed for an alternate use shall conform to the occupancy standards set forth in PHMC Chapters 14.05 through 14.25.
B. The provisions of this code relating to drainage regulation and grading apply to shelters. (1991 code § 10-13.3)
14.65.040 Design standards.
A. Load. The shelter shall be strong enough to withstand all necessary dead loads and superimposed live loads, including earth and fluid pressure in accordance with the appropriate requirements of the Uniform Building Code as adopted by this code.
B. Ventilation. The shelter shall have a ventilation intake and exhaust system capable of manual operation which will provide at least six cubic feet a minute, under service conditions, of external air for each shelter occupant. Each ventilation intake system shall be provided with a dust filter capable of screening out dust particles larger than 10 microns.
C. Shielding. The shelter shall be shielded by a ceiling and wall thickness density equivalent to 300 pounds per square foot. Three feet of compacted earth or two feet of normal density concrete are suggested. Every shelter shall have a radiation attenuation factor of at least 100 in the occupiable portion of the shelter. Entrances shall be adequately offset or baffled.
D. Drainage. The shelter shall be adequately protected against seepage of groundwater or flow of surface water into the structure. The shelter cover shall be graded, drained, or otherwise arranged so that water will not drain on adjacent property or cause erosion.
E. Exit. One exit from the shelter shall open to the outside without passing through a dwelling or other structure. An exit way shall be at least 24 inches in its minimum dimension and shall have an attached overlapping closure that shall be openable from inside the shelter without the use of a key. (1991 code § 10-13.4)
14.65.050 Location requirements.
A. Underground portions of a shelter, subject to structural requirements, may be located anywhere on a parcel of property. Moundcover or entrances or exits aboveground shall not be located within any required side yard if the aggregate width of the side yard and an adjoining side yard is 15 feet or less. Moundcover or accessory portions located in any required setback (front yard) shall not exceed 36 inches in height.
B. An aboveground shelter is subject to the zoning requirements for accessory structures, as set forth in the planning and land use ordinance, in addition to the requirements of this chapter.
C. The planning commission may grant a variance from the provisions of this section. (1991 code § 10-13.5)
14.65.060 Occupancy standards.
A. Capacity. Every shelter shall provide a minimum of 12 square feet of gross floor area and 80 cubic feet of volume, per design occupant. Ceiling height shall be at least six feet, six inches for rectangular construction or at the crown of arched construction.
B. Sewage disposal. Every shelter shall have a waste and sewage disposal system with a capacity of at least one gallon per design occupant a day for 14 days. This system shall be self-contained and not connected with any public sewer system.
C. Light and heat. No light source or heating appliance capable of depleting the oxygen content of air may be installed or used in a shelter. (1991 code § 10-13.6)
14.65.070 Blast shelter standards.
A. The blast shelter shall be designed to withstand a peak overpressure force of 30 pounds per square inch as an unbalanced load, applied to roofs, walls, floors and doors for a period of one minute on either exterior or interior surfaces of the structure.
B. Ventilation ducts on the blast shelter shall be capable of being sealed off from the inside and otherwise protected against a force of 30 pounds per square inch applied for a period of one minute. (1991 code § 10-13.7)
14.65.080 Sale of shelters.
A. No person offering for sale a shelter or a structure purporting to be a shelter, and no person offering to construct or install a shelter, shall present or advertise the shelter as an approved shelter unless he or she obtains a certificate of acceptance from the city and the county disaster office.
B. Every person offering to sell or construct a shelter shall include the following information in the plans, brochures, and advertising:
1. A statement of the radiation attenuation factor;
2. A statement of the design overpressure loads determined from review of the advertised plans submitted to the city and disaster office of the county;
3. A certificate of a registered civil engineer that the plans are structurally adequate for all necessary live and dead loads and earth or fluid pressures, and that the design conforms to structural requirements of county building regulations for loads, stresses and materials;
4. A statement of the design occupant capacity of the shelter according to PHMC § 14.65.030. (1991 code § 10-13.8)