University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER XXII.

SANITARY LAWS.

Sec. 351. Contagious and infectious diseases—duty of
occupants of houses.

Owners or occupants of all residences, tenements or rooms
within the city or within one mile thereof, where smallpox, diphtheria,
scarlet fever, scarlatina, measles or other highly contagious
or infectious diseases exist, shall, either directly or through their
physician, notify the Board of Health of the existence and character
of such disease, and under the supervision of the Board
of Health or its officers, shall place on the house door, porch or
fence, a card with the name of the disease printed thereon. The
necessary card shall be prepared by the Board of Health, at the
expense of the city and shall be furnished to the citizens without
cost, and shall be at least 10 or 12 inches, and the letters in which
the name of the disease is printed shall be at least an inch long,
and the colors of the cards shall be as follows: For smallpox, a
yellow card or flag; for diphtheria, a blue card; for scarlet fever
and scarlatina, a red card; for measles or other highly contagious
or infectious disease, a white card. All physicians having in
charge any disease, of the character above mentioned, shall at
once report it to the Board of Health. On receipt of the information
of the existence of such disease, the Board of Health shall
see that the infected residence, tenement or room is placarded
as above provided, and shall notify the Superintendent of Public
Schools, who shall prevent any teachers, scholars or employees
residing in such residence, tenement or rooms from attending the
public schools of the city, without a written certificate from the
physician in charge, that it is safe for such person to do so. And
no person shall knowingly sell, cause to be sold, or otherwise dispose
of in such manner as to cause said disease to spread any
clothing, bedclothing or any other article or articles which are
infected with such disease.

Any person violating the provisions of this section shall be fined
not less than $5 nor more than $50 for each offense.

Sec. 352. Contagious and infectious diseases—duty of
physicians.

All physicians practising their profession within the limits of
the city, or within one mile thereof, who shall have any cases of
contagious or infectious diseases within said limits, shall report
the same in writing to the Board of Health immediately after the
facts shall have come to their knowledge. For every failure to
comply with this ordinance, the penalty shall be $10.

Sec. 353. Contagious and infectious diseases—quarantine
of.

Immediately upon receipt of the information that any case of
smallpox, diphtheria, scarlet fever, scarlatina, measles or other
highly contagious or infectious disease exists in the city, or within
one mile thereof, it shall be the duty of the Health Officer to
visit the case and in his discretion establish a strict quarantine of
all persons on the premises, resorting to guards when necessary,
or remove the case to the city hospital, and persons remaining
shall be quarantined for ten days, if he deem it necessary. He
shall report the names of all cases and suspects to the Chief of
Police who shall cause the arrest and removal to a detention camp
of any person disobeying quarantine orders.

Sec. 354. Entering premises under quarantine.

Any persons entering the premises of any house under quarantine
shall be isolated as a suspect for ten days, more or less,
at the discretion of the Board of Health.

Sec. 355. Confinement of dogs and cats.

All dogs and cats on the premises where scarlet fever, diphtheria,
smallpox, or any other disease as designated, exist, shall
be killed or placed in a detention cage in charge of the Chief of
Police until such animals and such houses have been disinfected
in a manner satisfactory to the Board of Health. The owner may,
himself, make such detention and disinfection of said animals as
shall be satisfactory to the Board of Health.

Sec. 356. Bringing contagion into the city.

Any person or persons, who shall knowingly, bring into the
limits of the city any person having smallpox, scarlet fever, diphtheria

or any other severe contagious disease, or who shall knowingly
bring into the city the body of any person having died of
smallpox, scarlet fever, diphtheria or any other severe contagious
disease, shall be fined not less than $25 nor more than $50.

Sec. 357. Scholars in public schools to be vaccinated.

When the Board of Health shall so order, it shall be the duty
of the principal of each of the several public schools of the city
to see that each scholar, or those making application to enter such
school, shall be vaccinated, and shall require from such scholar
a certificate of vaccination by a practicing physician. Certificates
of vaccination shall be good for such length of time as may be
determined by the Board of Health.

Sec. 358. Marshy ground and stagnant water.

If, upon any ground in this city there be found a drain or running
water, the owner thereof, or abutting property owners, shall
be required to keep the same clean, free and unobstructed from
filth, garbage, or vegetation. If stagnant water, or a marshy place,
shall be found upon any premises in the city, the owner thereof
shall be required to drain such stagnant water or fill such marsh
within thirty days from notification by the Board of Health.

Upon failure to comply, the Mayor is hereby authorized to have
such stagnant water drained and such marshy place filled at the
expense of the city, and may collect the expense for so doing from
the owner or occupier of the property in like manner as taxes due
from him to the city would be collected, with twenty per centum
on such amount as a fine.

Sec. 359. Disobedience of sanitary orders of mayor or
board of health.

If any person, after being notified by the Board of Health, or
by the Mayor, to remove anything belonging to him or found on
premises owned or occupied by him, or any nuisance caused by
him, or to bury or destroy anything belonging to him, or found
on premises owned or occupied by him, shall fail to do do for
twenty-four hours after such notice, he shall forfeit $2 for each
hour of such failure after the expiration of the said twenty-four
hours; and it shall be the duty of the Mayor to have the same
done at the expense of the city, which expense shall be reimbursed

to the city by the person through whose default the same was
incurred, together with twenty per centum upon the amount as
a fine.

Sec. 360. Disinfecting street cars.

Every person, firm or corporation operating street cars on lines
wholly or partly in the city, shall cause every car operated within
the city limits to be thoroughly disinfected with formaldehyde,
at least once a week, till such person, firm or corporation is relieved
of his duty by further action of the Board of Health.

Any person, firm or corporation violating the provisions of this
ordinance shall be fined not less than $5 nor more than $25 for
each offense, and each week that such failure shall continue shall
be regarded as a separate offense.

Sec. 361. Discharge of water.

No discharge from any bath-tub, hydrant, or other water
fixture, shall be permitted to flow into the street, upon the sidewalk,
or upon the premises of an adjoining property owner, except
that such water, if conveyed across the sidewalk in a covered
sewer, may be emptied onto a paved gutter. Under no circumstances
shall the discharge from a water-closet, kitchen sink, or
slops from a kitchen, be turned into the street. Any one violating
this section shall be fined $2 for each day the same may continue
after notice from the Mayor or Health Officer to abate same.

Sec. 362. Garbage, slops, etc., on streets.

No garbage, swill, slops, kitchen refuse, or offensive matter of
any kind shall be carried upon any sidewalk in the city, nor shall
the same be carried upon any public street, except in such receptacles
as are provided with closely fitting covers, so as to prevent
the flying out of the contents or the escape of effluvia therefrom.
Any person violating this section shall be find not less
than $1 nor more than $2 for each offense.

Sec. 363. Cow stables—dairy.

The maintenance of cow stables or other conveniences for the
purpose of carrying on a dairy business within the city limits
shall be exercised only under the supervision of the Board of
Health, who may condemn the same as a nuisance, if not kept in

a cleanly manner, and upon such condemnation, said stable or
convenience shall be vacated forthwith and shall not again be
used for dairy purposes without permission from the Board of
Health.

Sec. 363a. Regulating sale of milk in city.

No person shall bring or send milk into the city for the purpose
of sale without a permit to do so from the Health Officer,
which permit shall be issued subject to the following conditions:

a. None but pure unadulterated milk shall be, with knowledge
of its impurity or adulteration, brought into the city.

b. In the management of the dairy or dairy farm upon which
the milk is produced, or the dairy or creamery at which the milk
is collected prior to shipment or sale, the applicant shall be governed
by the regulations of the Board of Health of Charlottesville
which will be furnished to applicants at the time permit
is granted. Any violation of this section shall be punished by
a fine of not less than $5.

Sec. 364. Stock pens.

No stock pen, or similar nuisance, shall be maintained within
one hundred yards of any dwelling in the city limits. Any person
violating this section shall be fined $1 per day for each animal
confined therein.

Sec. 365. Slaughter houses.

No slaughter house shall be conducted in the city limits, under
a penalty of $20 per day for each day they shall continue.

Sec. 366. Slaughter houses—regulation of.

All slaughter houses, abattoirs or places where animals, such as
cattle, sheep and hogs are killed for the purpose of regular sale
to the citizens of this city, shall be so constructed and operated
as to comply with the following conditions:

a. Shall be supplied with an abundant supply of pure water;

b. Shall be provided with granolithic water-tight floors;

c. Shall be provided with fly screens on doors and windows so
as to prevent the ingress of flies;

d. Such provision shall be made for the disposition of the offal,
blood, bones and hides as will be satisfactory to the Board of
Health;

e. Shall be kept in a cleanly and sanitary condition, and to this
end shall be disinfected at such intervals as may be necessary, or
as the Board of Health may require.

The owner or occupier of any such slaughter house or abattoir
failing to comply with any of the provisions of this section shall
be fined not less than $25 for each and every offense. Clauses
a, b and c of this section shall not take effect until sixty days
after the adoption of these ordinances.

Sec. 367. Privies, earth-closets, etc.

No privy, other than a water closet, shall be located within ten
feet of any street, or within the same distance of the line of
adjoining property unless the owner of such adjoining property
consent to its being located or remaining within such distance;
and no earth privy shall be permitted within the city, except in
cases where parties are excluded from water or sewer facilities.
Any one violating this section shall be fined $2 for each day the
offense continues, after being notified by the Mayor or Health
Officer to remove the same.

Sec. 368. Open vaults, sinks and cesspools.

All open vaults, sinks and cesspools shall be cleaned out, disinfected
and filled. No privy, vault, sink or cesspool shall hereafter
be made or rebuilt except in accordance with the regulations
adopted by the Board of Health, and pursuant to a permit issued
by it. Each privy or necessary house in this city shall be well
roofed, and so constructed as to prevent access by fowls, animals
and flies to the excrement, and provided with a box or proper
receptacle for excrement, so constructed that it shall be sufficiently
strong, perfectly tight, and adequately furnished with hoops and
handles; that the same shall be eighteen inches in depth and so
constructed that there shall be no leakage or rain water into the
same and to be filled to the depth of six inches with fresh, dry
earth, lime or ashes, and when filled within three inches of any
part of the top shall be covered with a layer of two inches of dry
earth or ashes thrown over the whole. Notice shall then be given

to the scavenger for the immediate removal. Any person violating
the provisions of this section shall be fined not less than $2 for
each offense.

Sec. 369. Privies, etc.—when cleaned.

All privies shall be cleaned out once a month from October 1,
to April 1, and for the remainder of the year, every two weeks,
or oftener if necessary, and the filth shall be disposed of in such
manner as not to be offensive to the neighborhood nor detrimental
to the health thereof. Any person who shall violate the provisions
of this section shall be fined not less than $2 for each
offense.

Sec. 370. Privies—location of.

Whenever any privy shall be so situated and arranged that it
is impracticable for the scavenger to gain access thereto for cleaning
purposes, the occupant of the premises to which the same belongs
shall be notified by the Mayor to make the same accessible;
and if, after three days' notice, he shall fail to remedy the evil
complained of, he shall be fined not exceeding $2 each day the
same shall thereafter continue.

Sec. 371. Cellars to be cleaned and limed annually.

Every person who shall be the owner and occupier, lessee or
occupant of any dwelling or business house within the city shall
cause the cellar thereof and the premises connected therewith to
be thoroughly cleaned and limed during the month of May of each
year. It shall be the duty of the sanitary inspector and of any
policeman to see that this section is enforced, and any violation
thereof shall subject the offender to a fine of not less than $1 nor
more than $5.

Sec. 372. City scavenger carts; outside cleaning.

The city scavenger carts shall not be allowed to go beyond the
city limits in removing the excrement from privies, etc., but, the
Board of Health, if they deem it proper, may make a contract
for the removal of excrement from privies beyond the city limits
but contiguous to said limits, for the preservation of the health
of the city, and such contract shall be for such length of time

and at such rate as may be agreed upon, but the charge for such
work shall be paid by the occupant of the lot on which said service
is rendered and be collected by the person contracting for said
work.

Sec. 373. Stables—care of, keeping and disposal of
manure.

a. No person owning, occupying or having use of any stable,
shed, pen, stall, or other place wherein animals of any kind are
kept shall permit such stable, shed, pen, stall, or other place to
become or remain filthy or unwholesome.

b. Every person owning or occupying any building or part of
a building wherein one or more horses, mules, cows, or similar
animals are kept, shall maintain in connection therewith a bin or
pit for the reception of manure, and, pending the removal from
the premises of the manure from the animal or animals aforesaid,
shall place such manure in said bin or pit. The bin or pit required
by this regulation shall be located at a point as remote as practicable
from any dwelling, church, school or similar structure,
owned or occupied by any person or persons in the neighborhood
of said bin or pit, other than the owner or occupant of the building
or part of building aforesaid, and as remote as practicable
from any public street or avenue; shall be so constructed as to
exclude rain water, and shall in all other respects be watertight;
shall be provided with a suitable cover, and constructed so as to
prevent the ingress and egress of flies.

c. No person owning or occupy any building or part of a building
in which any horse, mule, cow or similar animal is kept, shall
keep any manure, or permit any manure to be kept, in or upon
any portion of the premises other than the bin or pit provided
for that purpose; nor shall any person aforesaid allow any such
bin or pit to be overfilled or to be needlessly uncovered.

d. The provisions of paragraphs b and c shall not apply to the
keeping of manure from horses when such manure is kept tightly
rammed into well-covered barrels for the purpose of removal in
such barrels.

e. No person shall permit any manure to accumulate on premises
under his control in such manner or to such an extent as to

give rise to objectionable odors upon any public highway or upon
any premises owned or occupied by any person other than the
person owning or occupying the premises on which said manure
is located. Every person having the use of any manure bin or
pit and every person keeping any manure in barrels shall cause all
such manure to be removed from the premises at frequent intervals
or at such times as the Board of Health may deem necessary.

f. Any person violating any of the provisions of this section,
or failing to carry out the orders of the Board of Health as provided
for in paragraph e shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished
by a fine of not more than $10 for each offense.

Sec. 374. Regulations for the control of barber shops.

1. The owner and the manager of any barber shop, and each
of them, shall equip said shop and keep said shop equipped with
running hot and cold water and with all such appliances, furnishings
and materials as may be necessary to enable persons employed
in and about said shop to comply with the requirements of
these regulations.

2. No owner and no manager of a barber shop shall knowingly
permit any person suffering from a communicable skin disease or
from venereal disease to act as a barber in said shop.

3. No person who to his own knowledge is suffering from a
communicable disease or from a venereal disease shall act as a
barber.

4. Every manager of a barber shop shall keep said shop and all
furniture, tools, appliances and other equipments used therein
at all times in a cleanly condition.

5. Every manager of a barber shop shall cause all combs, hair
brushes, hair dusters and analogous articles to be washed thoroughly
at frequent intervals and to be kept clean at all times, and
shall cause all mugs, shaving brushes, razors, shears, scissors,
clippers and tweezers to be sterilized from time to time as hereinafter
provided.

6. No barber shall use for the service of any customer a comb,
hair brush, hair duster or any analogous article that is not thoroughly
clean, nor any mug, shaving brush, razor, shears, scissors,
clippers or tweezers that are not thoroughly clean or that have
not been sterilized since last used.

7. Every barber immediately after using a mug, shaving brush,
razor, scissors, shears, clippers or tweezers for the service of any
person, shall sterilize the same by immersing them in boiling water
for not less than a minute or, in the case of razors, scissors,
shears and tweezers, by immersing them for not less than ten
minutes in a five per cent. aqueous solution of carbolic acid, or in
alcohol of a strength not less than sixty-five per cent. or ten per
cent. formalin solution.

8. No barber shall use for the service of a customer any towel
or wash cloth that has not been boiled and laundered since last
used.

9. Every barber shall cleanse his hands thoroughly immediately
before serving each customer.

10. No barber shall, to stop the flow of blood, use alum or
other material unless the same be used as a powder or liquid and
applied on a clean towel or in a similar manner.

11. No barber shall permit any person to use the head rest of
any barber's chair under his control until after the head rest has
been covered with a towel that has been washed since having been
used before, or by clean, new paper.

12. No barber shall shave any person when the surface to be
shaved is inflamed or broken out, or contains pus, unless such
person be provided with a cup and lather brush for his individual
use.

13. No barber shall undertake to treat any disease of the skin.

14. Any person violating any of the provisions of these regulations
shall, upon conviction thereof be fined not more than $25.

15. The owner and the manager of any barber shop, and each
of them, shall keep a copy of these regulations, to be furnished by
the Health Officer, posted in said shop for the information and
guidance of persons working or employed therein.

16. The word "barber" as used in these regulations means any
person who shaves, or trims the beard, or cuts or dresses the hair
of any other person for pay, and includes "barbers' apprentices"
and shop boys. The word "manager" means any person having
for the time being control of the premises and of persons working
or employed therein.

Sec. 375. Stores, stalls, etc., to be kept in cleanly condition.

Any person owning, renting, leasing or occupying any stall,
room or stand where meats, milk, game, poultry, fish, vegetables,
fruits, groceries or other articles of food are prepared, kept, sold,
or offered for sale, shall not permit such place or appurtenance
thereto to be unnecessarily unclean or unwholesome. Violation
of this section shall be punishable by a fine of not less than $10.

Sec. 376. Hands and utensils in stores, dairies, etc., to
be clean.

Every manager of a store, market, dairy, cafe, lunch room, or
of any other place where a food, or a beverage, or confectionery,
or any similar article, is manufactured or prepared for sale, stored
for sale, offered for sale, or sold, shall equip said store, market,
dairy, cafe, lunch room, or other place, with running water, or
other proper water supply if running water be not available, and
with facilities and material for the proper washing, and shall cause
such washing to be done, of the hands of all persons employed
therein, and for the proper cleansing, and shall cause such cleansing
to be done, of said store, market, dairy, cafe, lunch room, or
other place, and of all apparatus, untensils, and materials used in
connection therewith. Any persons violating the provisions of
this regulation shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished by a
fine of not more than $25 for each and every such offense.

Sec. 377. Stores, cafes, etc., to be screened.

Every manager of a store, market, dairy, cafe, lunch room, or
any other place where a food, or a beverage, or confectionery, or
any similar article, is manufactured or prepared for sale, stored
for sale, offered for sale, or sold, shall cause it to be screened
effectually, or effectually protected by power-driven fan or fans,
so as to prevent flies and other insects from obtaining access to
such food, beverage, confectionery, or other article, and shall keep
such food, beverage, confectionery, or other article free from flies
and other insects at all times. Any person violating the provisions
of this regulation shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished by a
fine of not more than $25 for each and every offense.

Sec. 378. Food exposed for sale—protection of.

a. No person shall expose for sale, on any public highway or
in any open market, stand, or store in the city, candy, cake or
bread, dates or figs, or any other food of a kind not ordinarily
cooked, peeled or washed before being eaten, unless such candy,
cake, dates, figs or other articles of food is effectually wrapped,
or covered and enclosed, so as to protect it from dust and insects.

b. No such articles shall be wrapped or covered with newspapers
or with any other paper previously used for any other
purpose.

c. No person shall expose any article of food for sale, on any
public highway in the city, within twenty-four inches from the
surface of the ground, unless such article of food is covered or
enclosed to prevent access of dogs or is constantly in the immediate
presence of the owner of such article of food or of the
proper representative of such owner having custody thereof.

d. Any person violating any of the provisions of this section
shall be punished by a fine of not less than $1, nor more than $10
for each offense.

Sec. 379. Regulation requiring the registration of laundries.

That every person who commonly launders for pay on the
premises which he or she occupies, the clothing, or the sheets, pillow-cases,
table-cloths, napkins, or other similar articles, belonging
to any other person or persons, shall report that fact to the
Health Officer in writing within thirty days after this regulation
takes effect, giving his or her name and the location of his or
her premises, and the number of persons or families living independently
of one another whom he or she serves; and thereafter
every person laundering as aforesaid, shall report in like manner
his or her name, and the location of his or her premises, and the
number of persons or families whom he or she serves, within five
days after the beginning of his or her occupancy of such premises
and the use thereof for the purposes aforesaid. Any person
violating any of the provisions of this regulation shall, upon conviction
thereof, be punished by a fine of not more than $25.