Greensboro, NC Rental Inspections: Inspection Programs (2026)

Section 11-40(a) limits periodic inspection authority to situations with defined 'reasonable cause': the property has more than two verified violations of the housing ordinances or codes within a rolling 12-month period; there's been a complaint or a request that the building be inspected; the inspection department has actual knowledge of an unsafe condition; or violations are visible from outside the property. Even then, inspectors can't discriminate between single-family and multi-family buildings, or between owner-occupied and tenant-occupied units, and must present proper credentials before entering. If a safety hazard is found in one unit of a multi-family building that poses an immediate threat, the department may extend the inspection to additional units in that building without a separate complaint for each one.

§ 160A-503(2) and (2a); the total of all such targeted areas citywide cannot exceed one square mile or 5 percent of the city's land area, whichever is larger. Before designating a targeted area the city must notify all owners and residents, hold a legislative hearing, and adopt a plan addressing low-income owners' ability to comply. This periodic-inspection framework works alongside, not instead of, inspections required by the state fire prevention code or other state law.