(a) The local boards of health of the respective towns and cities of this State (where such towns and cities have local boards of health) shall supervise all public laundries and public washhouses within such towns and cities and shall not permit the employment by any public laundry or public washhouse of any person suffering with an infectious or contagious disease. The local board shall not allow any person to sleep in such public laundry or public washhouse, or in any room adjoining and opening into such public laundry or public washhouse. Every room in such laundry or washhouse that is used for the purpose of washing or drying clothes shall be properly ventilated and drained and shall be used for no purposes other than those specified. The floors of all rooms in public laundries or public washhouses used for the purpose of washing clothes, shall be made of cement or other mineral substance, and shall be so arranged as to be easily drained.

(b) The local board of any town or city within the State shall upon request of any citizen in such town or city inspect or cause to be inspected any public laundry or public washhouse, and if the same is found in an unsanitary condition shall direct the owner thereof to make the same in a sanitary condition. Upon the owner’s failure to do so, the local board shall cause the place to be closed and shall post a notice upon the front door thereof and the place shall not be reopened until the owner or manager thereof receives a certificate from the local board certifying that the place has been put in a sanitary condition.

(c) A public laundry or public washhouse within the meaning of this section shall be any place within any town or city of this State now or hereafter required by the laws of the State to be licensed for the conduct of its business or any branch thereof. Nothing in this section shall apply to the laundering or washing of clothes in any private residence or hotel.

(d) Whoever violates this section shall for each offense be fined not less than $50 nor more than $100. Every day during which such violation shall be persisted in after notice from the local board in any town or city of the State shall constitute a separate offense.

16 Del. Laws, c. 345, § 3; 18 Del. Laws, c. 33, § 1; 22 Del. Laws, c. 328, §§ 1, 2; Code 1915, § 746; 28 Del. Laws, c. 59, § 1; Code 1935, § 754; 43 Del. Laws, c. 91, § 1; 16 Del. C. 1953, § 304; 70 Del. Laws, c. 186, § 1.