Chap. 229.—An ACT to regulate the conduct and equipment of hotels, to pro-
' vide for the inspection thereof, and penalties for violation of the provis-
jons hereof.
Approved March 15, 1910.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That a hotel,
within the meaning of this act, is any inn or public lodging house of more
than ten bedrooms, where transient guests are fed or lodged for pay in
this State.

, A transient guest is one who puts up for less than one week at such
otel.

2. Every hotel shall post in a conspicuous place in its office a list of
its charges for rooms and meals: provided, however, that hotels operated
on the European or a la carte plan shall not be required to post their
charges for meals so served.

3. Every hotel shall provide each floor with one or more fire extin-
guishers, to be kept in working order at all times. In every hotel having
fire escapes, notices shall be kept posted at the entrance to each hall,
stairway, elevator shaft, and in each bedroom above the ground floor,
directions how to reach the fire escapes.

5. The owner or proprietor, manager or person in charge of every
hotel now existing or hereafter constructed with an inside court or light
well inclosed on all sides and with sleeping rooms or lodging apartments,
the only windows of which open upon or into such court or light well,
unless the same extends to the ground floor, shall provide a proper
escape from such inside court or light well through a room or rooms, or
otherwise.

6. For the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this act, the
State board of health is authorized and required to inspect, through its
officers and agents, all hotels in the State once every year.

7. It shall be the duty of the State health commissioner to see that al]
of the provisions of this act are enforced and complied with. If upon
inspection of any hotel it shall be found that this law has been fully com-
plied with, and the inspection fee has been paid to the inspector, the
State health commissioner shall issue a certificate to that effect to the
person operating the same, and such certificate shall be kept posted in
plain view in some conspicuous place in said hotel. The inspectors of the
health department are hereby empowered and authorized to enter any
hotel at all reasonable hours to make such inspection, and it is hereby
made the duty of every person in the management or control of such
hotel to afford free access to every part of the hotel, and render all aid
and assistance necessary to enable the inspector to make a full, thorough
and complete examination thereof; but no inspector shall violate the
privacy of any guest in said rooms without his consent.

8. The owner, or proprietor, or manager of every hotel shall pay the
person making the inspection a fee of twenty-five cents per room: pro-
vided, however, that no inspection fee shall exceed the sum of ten dol-
lars. But no hotel shall be inspected oftener than once a year, unless
there is a change of proprietors, or unless upon a verified complaint

signed by three or more patrons, setting forth facts showing that such
hotel is in an unsanitary condition, or that fire escapes and appliances
re not kept and maintained in accordance with the provisions of law.
Upon receipt of such complaint, the State board of health shall make, or
cause to be made, an inspection or examination of the matters com-
plained of, and if upon inspection such complaint is found to be justi-
fiable, the legal fee of inspection shall] be charged and collected. In case
the complaint is found to be without reasonable grounds, the ordinary
fee for such inspection shall be chargeable against and collected from the
person or persons making the complaint. All fees for the inspection
shall be forthwith paid over to the State treasurer end his receipt taken
and filed with the State board of health. Such fees shall be by the
treasurer kept and deposited to the credit of the State board of health,
and only paid out upon warrants or orders issued by the State health
commissioner, and countersigned by the president of the State board of
health: provided, however, if a further inspection be made at the request
of the hotel, or its proprietor or manager, same may be charged for at
the regular rate.

9. It shall be the duty of the State health commissioner, upon ascer-
taining by inspection or otherwise that any hotel is being carried on con-
trary to any of the provisions of this act, to notify the manager, or pro-
prietor, in writing, in what respect it fails to comply with the law, and
requiring such person, within a reasonable time, to be fixed by the said
health commissioner, to do or cause to be done the things necessary to
make it comply with the law, whereupon such proprietor or manager
shall forthwith comply with such requirements.

10. Any owner, manager, agent or person in charge of a hotel, or any
other person who shall wilfully obstruct, hinder or interfere with an
inspector in the proper discharge of his duty, or who shall wilfully fail
or neglect to comply with any of the provisions of this act after notice
as aforesaid, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction
thereof be fined not exceeding one hundred dollars; any person failing
to pay the proper fee for inspection shall pay a fine not exceeding ten
dollars.

11. It shall be the duty of every person keeping, managing, or operat-
ing a hotel to see that every room and bed which has been occupied by
any person known to such keeper, proprietor or operator to have an in-
fectious, contagious, or communicable disease at the time of such occu-
pancy, to see that such room and bed are thoroughly disinfected in the
method prescribed by the State board of health before permitting such
room or bed to be occupied by any other person, and any person violating
the provisions of this section shall be subject to a fine of not exceeding
three hundred dollars, and to confinement in jail not exceeding six
months, either or both.

12. The proprietor of every hotel shall keep the same clean and in
sanitary condition, and all cisterns and tanks from which water is taker
to be drunk by guests shall be screened with wire gauze, so as to prevent
the entrance of flies, mosquitoes and other disease-breeding insects.

13. Every hotel keeper shall, at least once in every six months, dis.
infect each sleeping room thereof in such manner as shall be approved bj
the State board of health.

14. All hotcls shall hereafter provide each bed, bunk, cot or othe:
sleeping place for the use of guests with pillow slips, under and toy
sheets, the under sheet to be of sufficient size to completely cover the mat
tress thereof, the top sheet to be of at least equal width and to be at
least ninety-six inches long, and folded back at the head so as to cover all
such top covering ; said pillow slips and sheets to be made of white cotton
or linen, and all such pillow slips and sheets after being used by one
guest must be washed and ironed before used by another guest, a clean
set being furnished each succeeding guest.

15. All bedding used in a hotel shall be thoroughly aired in such rea-
sonable manner as may be approved by the State board of health.

16. All hotels shall furnish each guest with a clean towel.

17. In all cities, towns and villages where a system of water works
and sewerage is maintained for public use, every hotel therein shall,
within six months after the passage of this act, be equipped with suit-
able water closets for the accommodation of its guests, which water closets
shall be connected by proper plumbing with such sewerage system, and
there shall be some means of flushing said water closet with the water of
said system in such manner as to prevent sewer gas from arising there-
from. The wash bowls in the main washroom of such hotel must be
connected and equipped, in similar manner, both as to method and time.

18. In al] towns and villages not having a system of water works
every hotel not provided with water works and washrooms as in preced-
ing section provided, shall have properly constructed privies as approved
by the State board of health, the same to be kept in sanitary conditions
at all times. -

19. This act shall be in force from and after six months from the
date of its passage.