Bristol, Conn., Code of Ordinances ch. 12 § 12-22
Definitions
Operative Text
(a) [Generally.] The following definitions shall apply in the interpretation and enforcement of this chapter: Accessory building or structure. A detached building or structure in a secondary or subordinate capacity from the main or principal building or structure on the same premises. Appropriate authority. That person within the governmental structure of the city who is charged with the administration of the designated code. Approved. Approved by the local or state authority having such administrative authority. Ashes. The residue from the burning of combustible materials. Attic. Any story situated wholly or partly within the roof, and so designed, arranged or built as to be used for business, storage or habitation. Basement. A portion of a building located partly underground but having less than half its clear floor-to-ceiling height below the average grade of the adjoining ground. Building. A fixed construction with walls, foundation and roof, such as a house, factory or garage, which is either vacant or used for any type of occupancy or use. Bulk container. Any garbage, rubbish and/or refuse container which is equipped with fittings for hydraulic and/or mechanical emptying, unloading and/or removal. Cellar. A portion of a building located partly or wholly underground and having half or more than half of its clear floor-to-ceiling height below the average grade of the adjoining ground. Central heating system. A single system supplying heat to one (1) or more dwelling unit(s). Chimney. A vertical masonry shaft of reinforced concrete or other approved noncombustible, heat-resisting material enclosing one (1) or more flues for the purpose of removing products of combustion from solid, liquid or gaseous fuel. Dilapidated. No longer adequate for the purpose or use for which it was originally intended or decayed or rotted and beyond repair. Director of health. The legally designated health authority of the city or a representative authorized to act by said director. Dwelling. A house or building, or portion thereof, or any enclosed space wholly or partly used or intended to be used for living, sleeping, cooking and/or eating by one (1) or more families or households, provided that temporary housing, as hereinafter defined, shall not be classified as a "dwelling." Industrialized housing and modular construction which conform to nationally accepted industry standards and are used or intended for use for living, sleeping, cooking and eating purposes shall be classified as dwellings. Dwelling unit. A dwelling, or portion thereof, forming a single habitable unit with facilities used or intended to be used for living, sleeping, cooking and/or eating purposes. Emergency. A condition that poses an immediate threat to the life, health or safety of any occupant or the general public. Egress. An arrangement of exit facilities to assure a safe means of exit from a building. Extermination. The control and elimination of insects, rodents or other pests by eliminating their harborage places; by removing or making inaccessible materials that may serve as their food; by poisoning, spraying, fumigating, trapping or by any other recognized and legal pest elimination methods approved by the local or state authority having such administrative authority. Fair market value. A price at which both buyers and sellers are willing to do business. Family. One (1) or more individuals related by blood, marriage or legal adoption living together and sharing common living, sleeping, cooking and eating facilities. (See also "household.") Flush water closet. A toilet bowl which is flushed with water which has been supplied under pressure and which is equipped with a water-sealed trap above the floor level. Garbage. Putrescible animal and vegetable wastes resulting from the handling, preparation, cooking and consumption of food. Grade. The finished ground level adjacent to a required window. Guest. An individual who shares a dwelling unit in a nonpermanent status for not more than thirty (30) days. Habitable room. A room or enclosed floor space used or intended to be used for living, sleeping, cooking or eating purposes, excluding bathrooms, water closet compartments, laundries, furnace rooms, pantries, kitchenettes and utility rooms of less than fifty (50) square feet of floor space, foyers or communicating corridors, stairways, closets, storage spaces and workshops, hobby and recreation areas. Heated water. Water heated to a temperature of not less than one hundred ten degrees Fahrenheit (110° F.) at the outlet. Heating device. All furnaces, unit heaters, domestic incinerators, cooking and heating stoves and ranges and other similar devices. Household. One (1) or more individuals living together in a single dwelling unit and sharing common living, sleeping, cooking and eating facilities. (See also "family.") Infestation. The presence within or around a dwelling of any insects, rodents or other pests. Kitchen. Any room used for the storage and/or preparation of foods and containing the following equipment: sink and/or other device for dishwashing; stove or other device for cooking; refrigerator or other device for cool storage of food; cabinets and/or shelves for storage of equipment and utensils; and counter or table for food preparation. Kitchenette. A small kitchen or an alcove containing cooking facilities. Lead-based paint. Any paint containing more lead than the level established by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission as being the safe level of lead in residential paint and paint products. Litter. "Garbage," "refuse" and "rubbish" as defined in this section and all other waste material which, if thrown or deposited as herein prohibited, tends to create a danger to public health, safety and welfare. "Litter" shall not include clean excavated earth, unless the same may be objectionable by reason of dust or foul odors, or fill material approved by the director of public works. "Litter" shall not include sand, salt or other appropriate chemicals upon any icy or slippery condition. Multiple dwelling. Any dwelling containing more than two (2) dwelling units. Occupant. Any individual, over one (1) year of age, living, sleeping, cooking or eating in or having possession of a dwelling unit or a rooming unit, except that in dwelling units a guest shall not be considered an "occupant." Operator. Any person who has charge, care, control or management of a building, or part thereof, in which dwelling units or rooming units are rented. Ordinary summer conditions. A temperature ten degrees Fahrenheit (10° F.) below the highest recorded temperature in the locality for the prior ten-year period. Ordinary winter conditions. A temperature fifteen degrees Fahrenheit (15° F.) above the lowest recorded temperature in the locality for the prior ten-year period. Owner. Any person who, alone or jointly or severally with others, shall have: (1) Legal title to any premises, dwelling or dwelling unit, with or without accompanying actual possession thereof; or (2) Charge, care or control of any premises, dwelling or dwelling unit, as owner or agent of the owner, or an executor, administrator, trustee or guardian of the estate of the owner. Any such person thus representing the actual owner shall be bound to comply with the provisions of this chapter and of rules and regulations adopted pursuant thereto to the same extent as if he were the owner. Permissible occupancy. The maximum number of individuals permitted to reside in a dwelling unit. Person. Includes any individual, firm, corporation, association, partnership, cooperative or governmental agency. Plumbing. Includes all connections to water, sewer or gas lines. Premises. A platted lot or part thereof or unplatted lot or parcel of land or plot of land, either occupied or unoccupied by any dwelling or nondwelling structure, and includes any such building, accessory structure or other structure thereon, or any part thereof. The term "premises," where the context requires, shall be deemed to include any and all buildings, dwellings, parcels of land or structures contained within the scope of this chapter. Privacy. The existence of conditions which will permit an individual or individuals to commence and carry out an activity without interruption or interference, either by sight or sound by other individuals. Properly connected. Connected in accordance with all applicable codes and ordinances of the city as from time to time amended; provided, however, that the application of this definition shall not require the alteration or replacement of any connection in good working order and not constituting a hazard to life or health. Rat harborage. Any conditions or place where rats can live, nest or seek shelter. Ratproofing. A form of construction which will prevent the ingress or egress of rats to or from a given space or building or from gaining access to food, water or harborage. It consists of the closing and keeping closed of every opening in foundations, basements, cellars, exterior and interior walls, ground or first floors, roofs, sidewalk gratings, sidewalk openings and other places that may be reached and entered by rats by climbing, burrowing or other methods; by the use of materials impervious to rat gnawing; and by other methods approved by the director of health. Refuse. All putrescible and nonputrescible solid wastes (except body wastes), including garbage, rubbish, ashes, street cleanings, dead animals, abandoned automobiles and solid market and industrial wastes. Refuse container. Any container that is constructed of metal or other durable material impervious to rodents and that is capable of being serviced without hydraulic and/or mechanical emptying, unloading and/or removal, or such other containers as have been approved by the appropriate authority. Rubbish. Nonputrescible solid wastes consisting of both combustible and noncombustible wastes, such as paper, wrappings, cigarettes, cardboard, tin cans, yard clippings, leaves, wood, glass, bedding, crockery and similar materials, but shall not include properly maintained compost. Safety. The condition of being reasonably free from danger and hazards which may cause accidents or disease. Smoke detector. A device certified by a testing laboratory approved by the federal government, which device detects visible or invisible particles of combustion. Space heater. A self-contained device of either the convection type or the radiant type and intended primarily to heat only a limited space or area, such as one (1) room or two (2) adjoining rooms. Structure. That which has been or is built or constructed and which is or should be fastened, anchored or attached to or which rests on a building, foundation or on the ground, including any buildings, fences, fire escapes, railings, towers, sidewalks or stairways. Supplied. Paid for, furnished by, provided by or under the control of the owner, operator or agent. Temporary housing. Any tent, trailer, mobile home or any other structure used for human shelter which is designed to be transportable and which is not attached to the ground, to another structure or to any utility system on the same premises for more than thirty (30) days within any six-month period. Toxic substance. Any chemical product applied on the surface of or incorporated into any structural or decorative material which constitutes a potential hazard to human health at acute or chronic exposure levels. Variance. A difference between that which is required or specified and that which is permitted. (b) Meaning of certain words. Whenever the words "dwelling," "dwelling unit," "rooming units," "premises" and "structure" are used in this chapter, they shall be construed as though they were followed by the words "or any part thereof." Words used in the singular include the plural, and the plural the singular; the masculine gender includes the feminine and the feminine the masculine.
Bristol Code of Ordinances ch. 12, art. II § 12-22 establishes the foundational vocabulary used throughout Bristol's housing and property maintenance chapter. Each defined term — from "dwelling" and "dwelling unit" to "owner," "operator," and "occupant" — carries a specific legal meaning that governs how the rest of the chapter is interpreted and enforced. The definitions also clarify how certain words expand in scope, so that references to a "dwelling" or "premises," for example, are understood to include any part of that structure. These meanings apply uniformly to both the rights and obligations created elsewhere in the chapter.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Property owners and operators subject to Bristol's housing code should be familiar with the definitions set out in § 12-22, because terms like "owner," "operator," "supplied," and "properly connected" carry precise meanings that determine the scope of compliance obligations throughout the chapter. For instance, the definition of "owner" extends to agents, executors, and guardians who have charge or control of a property, binding them to the same duties as a titleholder. Operators who manage buildings where dwelling or rooming units are rented are similarly covered. Compliant operators generally use these definitions as a reference point when assessing whether their properties, systems, and practices align with the standards described in the broader chapter.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
For tenants, the definitions in Bristol Code of Ordinances ch. 12, art. II § 12-22 establish the baseline meanings that shape what protections and standards apply to their living situation. Key terms like "habitable room," "emergency," "infestation," and "permissible occupancy" define the conditions that the rest of the housing chapter is designed to address. Tenants who believe conditions in their home may fall short of the chapter's standards can reference these definitions to better understand whether a concern — such as pest infestation or inadequate heating — falls within the chapter's scope. Tenant-rights organizations and local housing authorities can help clarify how these definitions apply to a particular situation.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated November 11, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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