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The owner or landlord of each rental unit shall register that rental unit with the City by filling out an application for a rental permit approved by the Code Enforcement Department. A rental permit shall be renewed every five years. Owners shall pay a permit or permit renewal fee of $100.00 per unit plus an additional $15.00 for each rental unit in excess of one per building, subject to the following:
1. On the date of adoption of the ordinance codified in this chapter, the following discounts from the above fees will be applicable:
A. If the owner or landlord registers a rental unit within 60 days of adoption of the ordinance codified in this chapter, the permit fee will be discounted by 50 percent.
B. If the owner or landlord registers a rental unit within 90 days of adoption of the ordinance codified in this chapter, the permit fee will be discounted by 25 percent.
2. The owner or landlord shall pay an additional $50.00 late permit fee for any rental unit which is not registered within the time frame set forth above.
Every rental permit issued by the Code Enforcement Department under the provisions of this policy shall be valid for five years. Permits that are revoked as herein provided shall be null and void at time of revocation. Owners or landlords shall have 30 days from the date of expiration of the rental permit term to renew the rental permit. If at the end of the 30-day renewal period the permit has not been renewed, the rental dwelling is then no longer considered an eligible rental. The owner or landlord can no longer rent said rental to a tenant, and the owner or landlord must reapply for a rental permit for said rental unit.
If ownership of a rental property is transferred to a new owner or landlord, the new owner or landlord shall apply for a new rental permit no later than 30 days following date of closing of purchase. No refunds will be given to the original property owners for the previously paid rental permit. If the new owner or landlord does not register the rental property within the first 30-days of renting the property, the new owner or landlord shall not be able to rent the rental property to a tenant or renter until a new rental permit is obtained, and shall pay a late fee of $50.00 in addition to the registration fee when registering the rental property.
The Code Enforcement Department shall inspect all rental units being offered as a rental in the City every five years. As part of the revolving inspection process, the Code Enforcement Department may require that a reinspection be held at a time sooner than five years if concerns or violations were found during previous inspections or if the Code Enforcement Department receives complaints of possible building code violations of a rental unit during the five-year term. Inspections of a rental unit shall be subject to the following terms and conditions:
1. The City shall notify the owner or landlord of its intent to inspect a rental unit at least 15 days prior to a scheduled inspection. It is the owner’s or landlord’s responsibility to notify the tenants of the date and time of inspection prior to the inspection.
2. Inspections shall not be conducted without the property owner or owner’s representative present unless owner or owner’s representative gives their permission to the City to inspect without them being present prior to the inspection.
3. Inspections shall be consistent with the applicable building codes adopted by the City.
4. All fees are to be collected before inspection, at time of application.
5. If the inspector arrives at the time scheduled and no person is available to show the premises to him, the owner or landlord shall pay a $50.00 “no show” fee.
6. Items not inspected as part of this chapter include but are not limited to:
A. Asbestos
B. Lead-based paint
C. Complaints between tenants
D. Rental agreements
If it is necessary for a code official to conduct an inspection in order to enforce the provisions of this Code of Ordinances and, in doing so, requires access to the rental, the inspector may enter the rental at reasonable times to inspect or to perform duties imposed by this chapter. If such rental is occupied, the inspector shall present credentials to the occupant before entry. If entry is refused, the inspector shall have recourse to the remedies provided by law to secure entry including, but not limited to, obtaining an administrative search warrant to search the rental unit.
Whenever a property or portion of a property being governed by the provisions of this chapter is found to have a violation of the City building code, the Code Enforcement Department may order repairs to remedy the violation. A written letter setting out the corrective work necessary to remedy the major violations shall be delivered to owner or landlord by certified mail or hand delivery. The Code Enforcement Department may order that the occupancy of the rental unit subject to a violation finding be discontinued and vacated until the violation is corrected. Notice to vacate or removal of tenants shall be carried out according to Iowa law. The owner or landlord shall be given 30 days from date of receipt of the letter to complete the necessary repairs to remedy the violation, or submit an appeal of the Code Enforcement Officer’s determination of a violation per Section 156.13 below. At the end of the said 30-day time period, if the necessary repairs to remedy the violation are not completed and no appeal has been taken, the owner or landlord shall be assessed a fee of $100.00 per violation. If repairs are not completed in the mentioned time frame, the Code Enforcement Officer can grant an extension given a reasonable explanation for completion of violations.(See also Section 156.11)
TYPE OF INSPECTION OR TRANSACTION | FEE |
Certificate of Compliance
| Included with Housing Permit |
New Construction Certificate of Compliance
| Included with Building Permit |
Failure to Correct or Repair Violation (See Section 156.10
| $100.00 |
Inspection fee for every additional inspection, including, but not limited to, court-requested, attorney-requested, progress inspection at request of owner or manager or City Council.
| $50.00 per unit |
Failure to keep appointment, arrange for inspection, or provide entry for scheduled inspection.
| $50.00 per unit |
Housing Appeals | $100.00 |
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