Cocoa, FL Rental Inspections: Inspection Programs (2026)

Sec. 6-2007 sets up Cocoa's residential rental inspection program under Article VI, Chapter 6. Inspections happen two ways: in response to a complaint, or on the inspector's own initiative, and either kind is aimed at checking compliance with the applicable housing codes; the city cannot inspect without the consent of the owner, local agent or tenant, or without an administrative inspection warrant, except when emergency life-safety circumstances justify an immediate look. Before a scheduled inspection the city must give the property owner or local agent at least seven days' written notice, delivered in person or by first-class mail, stating the date and time and explaining how to object; an objection blocks the inspection unless the city gets an administrative warrant or an emergency applies.

For properties with multiple units, Sec. 6-2007(c) uses a sliding sample instead of inspecting every door: buildings of two to four units get every unit checked, five-to-ten-unit buildings get forty percent sampled, eleven-to-thirty-unit buildings get thirty-five percent, and larger properties get thirty percent up to a cap of thirty units, though the inspector can expand up to one hundred percent on twenty-four hours' notice if major life-safety violations turn up in at least ten percent of units. Sec. 6-2007(d) sets the baseline cycle: a rental building or unit should be reinspected at least once every five years, with a Class A rating extending that five-year cycle and lower classifications shortening it. Owners can substitute a certified independent ICC housing inspector's compliance certificate for a periodic inspection, which then buys a thirty-six-month exemption.