Ames, IA Rental Inspections: Inspection Programs (2026)

Sec. 13.302 sets the mechanics of the Rental Housing Code's inspection program. The owner, registered operator, or an authorized representative, never the tenant, must accompany the Building Official at every inspection, and the owner or operator must give tenants a minimum 24-hour advance notice; if that notice was not given, the Building Official will not inspect and a reinspection is scheduled instead. The first, or initial, inspection carries no fee, and if deficiencies are found, the second inspection needed to confirm repairs is also free.

Only a third or later reinspection triggers the fee schedule adopted by City Council in Municipal Code Appendix L. The section sets tiered compliance windows for cited deficiencies: imminent life-safety items require immediate correction, routine maintenance items must be fixed within 30 days, seriously deferred maintenance within 90 days, and weather-dependent repairs within 180 days or a negotiated schedule; owners can apply to the Building Official for a time extension with a progress report. Missing a scheduled periodic reinspection appointment is itself a Code violation that costs the owner one of the free reinspections otherwise available.

Noted violations that are not life-safety issues do not block issuance of a Letter of Compliance, but cited violations must be repaired first. The section also spells out interior cleanliness duties: owners must keep shared areas clean, safe, and sanitary, while occupants are responsible for the space they occupy and control, alongside duties under Iowa Code Chapter 562A.