Lawrence, KS Rental Inspections: Inspection Programs (2026)

Section 6-1310 of the Lawrence City Code puts nearly every licensed dwelling unit on an inspection schedule set by the director of planning and development services, on approximately a three-year cycle unless the unit is otherwise exempt. In the year an owner's units come up, the code official inspects 20 percent of that owner's licensed units, rounded up and capped at 25, choosing among units not otherwise exempt. If more than seven violations per unit turn up in that sample, the code official must, on 72 hours' written notice, inspect an additional 20 percent (up to 25 percent) of the owner's units at the owner's expense; finding the same defect repeated across similarly designed units in one structure can trigger inspection of every similarly designed unit if the owner does not submit an approved corrective-action plan.

Inspectors must earn International Code Council accreditation within two years of hire. New construction and major reconstruction (replacing at least 50 percent of four or more primary building systems within 12 months) are exempt from inspection for up to ten years after passing final building inspection. Section 6-1311 charges a per-unit inspection fee only in the scheduled year, plus an administrative fee if an owner misses a scheduled inspection or refuses consent, and a separate re-inspection fee for follow-up visits not caused solely by tenant action. Section 6-1312 rewards owners with no more than three violations per unit with a six-year exemption from further routine inspection.