Spring Valley CHAPTER 11 RESIDENTIAL RENTAL PROPERTY § 3-11-2
DEFINITIONS
Operative Text
For the purpose of this chapter, the following shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning. CODE OFFICIAL: The building inspector or designee. DWELLING: A building, or a portion thereof, used exclusively for human habitation. DWELLING UNIT: One or more rooms containing individualized cooking, sleeping and sanitary facilities which is designed, occupied or intended for use by one household. HOTEL: A building in which lodging with accompanying bathrooms is provided and offered to temporary guests for compensation and in which ingress and egress to all rooms is provided through an interior lobby or office supervised by a person in charge at all hours. Maid service, linen laundering, telephone and secretarial or desk service are also provided for lodgers in contradistinction to a motel or a rooming house which are separately defined within this chapter. LANDLORD: Any person, firm, partnership, corporation or other legal entity owning, operating, maintaining, or offering to rent within the City of Spring Valley a rental residential property whether vacant or occupied. MOTEL: A building or group of buildings in which lodging rooms with accompanying bathrooms are provided and offered primarily for temporary guests for compensation in contradistinction to a hotel or a rooming house which are separately defined within this chapter. A motel also furnishes services such as maid service and linen laundering and provides secretarial and desk service. MULTIPLE-FAMILY RENTAL RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY: A rental residential property with two (2) or more dwelling units. PROPERTY AGENT: A person, operator, firm, partnership, corporation, or other legal entity designated in writing by the property owner to the Code official to manage a rental residential property including the authority to receive notices or citations. RENTAL RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY: Dwellings, dwelling units, rooming houses and rooming units let or intended to be let for rent or lease. ROOMING HOUSE: A building containing rooming units in which meals may or may not be served in contradistinction to a hotel or motel which are separately defined within this chapter. ROOMING UNIT: A room rented or leased as sleeping and living quarters, but without cooking facilities and with or without an individual bathroom. In a suite of rooms without cooking facilities, each room which provides sleeping facilities shall be counted as one rooming unit for the purpose of this chapter. SINGLE-FAMILY RENTAL RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY: Rental residential property with one dwelling unit. TENANT: Shall mean any adult lessee and/or adult occupant who is a resident of rental residential property other than a lessee who occupies the rental resident property pursuant to the lease of the lessee with the owner. (Ord. 1643, 10-10-2016; amd. Ord. 1842, 6-6-2022)
Section 3-11-2 of Spring Valley's Chapter 11 establishes the foundational vocabulary used throughout the residential rental property regulations. It draws clear distinctions between property types—such as dwellings, rooming houses, hotels, and motels—and defines the roles of key parties, including landlords, tenants, property agents, and the code official. These definitions govern how all other provisions in the chapter are interpreted and applied. When a term appears elsewhere in Chapter 11, its meaning traces back to this section unless context clearly calls for something different.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under § 3-11-2, a "landlord" includes any person, firm, or legal entity that owns, operates, maintains, or offers to rent residential property within Spring Valley—whether the unit is vacant or occupied. Operators who designate a property agent should do so in writing and formally notify the Code Official, as that designation carries legal weight for receiving notices and citations under the chapter. Correctly classifying a property—as a single-family rental, multiple-family rental, rooming house, or other defined type—is foundational to understanding which obligations apply throughout Chapter 11.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section 3-11-2 defines "tenant" as any adult lessee or adult occupant who resides in rental residential property in Spring Valley, a definition that shapes who holds rights and responsibilities under the broader chapter. Understanding whether one's residence qualifies as a dwelling unit, rooming unit, or another defined property type can affect which protections apply. Tenants who have questions about how these definitions apply to their living situation may find it helpful to consult a local tenant-rights organization or review the full text of Chapter 11 alongside this definitional provision.
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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