Lakewood, WA Rental Inspections: Inspection Programs (2026)
Key Facts
- Inspection interval
- No more than once every 5 years
- Prior-inspection window
- Within previous 24 months accepted
- Base infraction
- $150/day, first 10 days
- Escalated infraction
- $500/day after day 10
- Falsified certificate
- Gross misdemeanor, up to $5,000
- License term
- Jan 1 to Dec 31, annual renewal
Summary
Lakewood requires every rental housing unit's owner to hold a business license and provide a certificate of inspection no more than once every five years under LMC 5.60.080. Owners may satisfy this with a qualified inspector's report, a prior inspection tied to a funding subsidy, or self-certification approved by the City.
A. Rental housing owners are required to provide a certificate of inspection as a business license condition during the year such is required by the City. A certificate of inspection shall be required no more than once every five years. B. Proof of an inspection by a government agency or other qualified inspector within the previous 24 months will satisfy the requirement for a certificate of inspection. C. A rental housing owner may provide self-certification that their rental property is in compliance with the requirements of this title in lieu of a certificate of inspection. The form and content of such self-certification shall be provided and approved by the City. D. The Director is hereby authorized to adopt administrative procedures consistent with this chapter and Chapter 59.18 RCW.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 852, passed June 15, 2026).
Full Breakdown
005). 020, renewed annually from January 1 through December 31. 080 requires the owner to provide a certificate of inspection, but only once every five years at most. The certificate can come from proof of an inspection by a government agency or other qualified inspector performed within the previous 24 months, or the owner may instead file a self-certification, on a City-approved form, attesting compliance in lieu of a formal inspection. 010 includes a HUD-certified inspector, a Washington-licensed home inspector, an American Society of Home Inspectors certified inspector, a municipal code enforcement officer, or a Washington-licensed structural engineer or architect.
060 that endangers tenant health or safety, covering structural deficiencies, weather exposure, plumbing and sanitation defects, inadequate heat or hot water, hazardous wiring, defective exits, and fire risk conditions. 025 exempts owner-occupied units, units occupied by a parent or child of the owner, hotels and motels renting for under 30 days, retirement and nursing homes, government-owned units, and accessory dwelling units where the owner still resides on the lot. Newly constructed units with a satisfactory certificate of occupancy and no code violations are exempt from inspection for five years, and units already inspected every three years as a condition of a government subsidy can rely on that inspection if the Director finds it substantially equivalent. 080's certificate requirement. 110.
Violations & Fines
Renting or keeping a tenant in a unit without the required certificate of inspection violates LMC 5.60.100, and the Director can order the owner to stop renting until compliance is shown. Under LMC 5.60.150, general violations of the chapter draw an infraction of $150.00 per day for the first 10 days and $500.00 per day for every day after that, with each day a separate offense. No fine can be reduced or suspended except on proof the violation was fixed or with the Director's consent. Anyone who knowingly submits, or helps submit, a falsified certificate of compliance is guilty of a gross misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $5,000, on top of the daily infraction penalty. A license can also be denied, suspended or revoked under LMC 5.60.120, and reapplication is barred until all deficiencies behind that action are corrected; appeals of license actions go through the Chapter 5.02 LMC process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does every Lakewood, WA landlord need a formal inspection every year?
Who can perform the inspection for a Lakewood rental certificate?
Are any Lakewood rental units exempt from inspection?
What happens if a Lakewood landlord rents without the certificate?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lakewood
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Inspection Programs in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle inspection programs.