Dubuque, IA Rental Inspections: Inspection Programs (2026)

City Code section 14-1J-3(A) bars letting any dwelling, rooming, or sleeping unit for rent without a current rental license issued by the City Manager, and licenses run for a two-year term under subsection (E). Subsection (I)(5) requires the owner, manager, or licensed real estate professional to make the rental unit available for inspection by the City, complying with Iowa Code tenant-notification requirements, while directing the City Manager to "develop a written Rental Housing Inspection Program which shall govern the cycle, frequency, recordkeeping, conditions, and self-inspection and self-certification eligibility of rental inspections." Refusing to permit inspection of a licensed unit is itself grounds for license suspension or revocation for up to one year under subsection (J)(1)(c), following written notice and an opportunity to appeal to the Housing Appeals and Mediation Board within 20 days.

Section 14-1J-4 lets the City Manager designate an owner a "priority category" if, within any 12 consecutive months, the owner has a license suspended or revoked, stays noncompliant with maintenance orders for more than 90 days, skips a required tenant background check, or is cited for a Property Maintenance Code violation three times. Once designated, section 14-1J-6 authorizes the City Manager to order inspection of any or all of that owner's properties on an accelerated schedule, charging an inspection fee the City Manager sets; failing to comply with that schedule or pay the fee can trigger license suspension and tenant relocation at the owner's expense.