Housing & Institutions – Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary-style flashcards summarizing key terms, regulations, pollutants, standards, and design criteria from the Housing & Institutions June 2025 lecture notes.

State Tenement House Act (1867)

First California statute to regulate overcrowded, unsafe tenement housing.

State Dwelling House Act (1917)

Early California law setting minimum standards for single-family dwellings.

State Housing Act (1923)

Merged earlier Tenement, Hotel & Lodging, and Dwelling House Acts into one housing statute.

State Housing Law (1961)

Replaced the 1961 State Housing Act; modern foundation of California local-housing regulation.

Commission of Housing & Community Development (1965)

State body created to write and enforce housing regulations.

Fair Housing Act (1968)

Federal law prohibiting discrimination in the sale or rental of housing.

Fair Housing Amendments Act (1988)

Extended Fair Housing Act protections to people with disabilities and families with children.

California Health & Safety Code, Division 13

Sections 17000-19997; main state code governing buildings used for human habitation.

Title 15 CCR

California Code of Regulations provisions covering adult institutions (jails, prisons, etc.).

Title 17 CCR

CCR title containing health and welfare regulations, including lead and indoor-air rules.

Title 24 CCR

California Energy Code—sets energy-conservation standards for buildings.

Title 25 CCR

CCR title regulating mobile-home and special-occupancy parks.

Substandard Building (HSC §17920.3)

Any building with conditions endangering life, limb, health, property, or welfare of occupants.

Sick Building Syndrome

Collection of nonspecific symptoms (headache, irritation, fatigue) linked to time spent in a building with poor indoor air quality.

Radon Gas

Colorless, odorless radioactive gas; lung-cancer risk above 4 pCi/L indoor concentration.

Asbestos

Fibrous mineral causing asbestosis and mesothelioma when inhaled; risk greatest when friable.

Carbon Monoxide (CO)

Colorless, odorless gas produced by incomplete combustion; binds hemoglobin, can cause fatal asphyxia.

Lead Paint

Lead-based coating banned in U.S. housing after 1978; causes neurologic, renal, and developmental harm.

Positive Air Flow

Ventilation strategy supplying air so room pressure is higher than adjacent spaces; used for non-infectious or immune-compromised patient rooms.

Negative Air Flow

Ventilation strategy exhausting more air than supplied; keeps infectious aerosols from escaping isolation rooms.

HEPA Filter

High-Efficiency Particulate Air filter removing ≥99.97 % of 0.3 µm particles; used in positive-pressure clean areas and exhaust from dirty areas.

Air Exchange Rate

Number of complete air changes per hour; typical housing target ≈0.35 ACH (33 % fresh air).

Uniform Housing Code §503(b)

Sets minimum dwelling size: at least one room 120 ft²; other habitable rooms ≥70 ft² with 7.5 ft ceiling.

Minimum Hot-Water Temperature

Housing standard requiring domestic hot water of at least 120 °F at fixtures.

ASHRAE Thermal Standard

Indoor comfort guideline: 70 °F measured 3 ft above floor at ~40 % relative humidity.

Temporary Residence Bed Spacing

Dorms/shelters: 40 ft² per bed, 3 ft between beds, beds not placed head-to-head.

Mass-Gathering Toilet Ratio

Event sanitation: 1 toilet per 100 people (40 % may be urinals).

Institutional Laundry Wash Cycle

Hot-water wash at 160–167 °F for ≥25 minutes with proper chlorine concentration.

Institutional Laundry Dry Cycle

Dry linens at approximately 170 °F to ensure pathogen reduction.

Smoke Detector Placement

Required in every sleeping room, outside each sleeping area, each floor, living room, near stairs, and basement; test monthly.

CO Detector Placement

Install near sleeping areas and any attached garage or fuel-burning appliance (15–20 ft away).

Chimney Termination Height

Flue must extend ≥24 in above highest roof point (≥3 ft above flat roof) for safe draft.

Maximum Stair Rise

Housing safety limit: each step shall not exceed 8.25 in height.

Mobile-Home Density

Park layout allowing max 25 trailers per acre with 10-ft clearance between units.

Trailer-Park Potable-Water Use

Design flow: 100 gal per day per space with direct connection; 50 gal/day for non-connected units.

Trailer-Park Sewage Flow

Treatment plant sized for 100 gal per space per day.

Water Connection Specification

Mobile-home standpipe 4 in above grade, ¾-in valve, minimum 20 psi pressure.

Sewer Connection Specification

Outlet 4 in above grade; building sewer buried ≥5 ft deep with 18-in vertical separation from potable lines.

Bed Height in Dormitories

Sleeping surfaces must be at least 12 in above the floor; no bunk beds for children under six.

Minimum Ventilating Window

Each sleeping room must have at least one operable exterior window for ventilation.

Potable-Water Back-flow Protection

Supply pipe must extend 2 in above sink rim to prevent contamination.

Vertical Structural Support

Load-bearing elements (columns, walls, pillars) that transfer building loads down to the foundation.

Horizontal Structural Support

Beams, girders, and floor systems that span between vertical supports, working in tension and bending.

Lead Action Level in Children

Blood-lead concentration of 10 µg/dL associated with adverse health effects; triggers interventions.

Formaledehyde Precaution

Use sealed materials and provide adequate ventilation to limit off-gassing in accommodations.

Positive-Pressure Immunocompromised Rooms

Use HEPA-filtered supply air and positive pressure to protect patients from airborne contaminants.