Cobb County, GA Rental Inspections: Inspection Programs (2026)
Key Facts
- Interior inspection minimum
- 25% of units within preceding 12 months
- Full-cycle coverage
- Every unit inspected at least once per 4 years
- Exterior inspection
- 100% of common areas, annually, per IPMC
- Trigger
- Required before business registration certificate issues
- Annual recertification began
- January 1, 2024 business license renewal
- Records request deadline
- 10 business days or certificate is voided
- False certification penalty
- Fine per unit; inspector barred up to 5 years
Summary
Owners of multifamily rental dwellings and units in unincorporated Cobb County must file a code compliance certificate before the county will issue or renew their business registration certificate. A certified building inspector must have personally interior-inspected at least 25 percent of the complex's units within the prior 12 months, with every unit hit at least once every four years, plus a full exterior common-area inspection every year under the International Property Maintenance Code.
All owners of multi-family rental dwellings or multi-family rental units within the county required to pay occupational taxes pursuant to Code section 78-31 shall provide to the county, prior to receiving a business registration certificate under this Code, a code compliance certificate covering interior inspections of no less than 25 percent of the total multi-family rental units within the multifamily dwelling complex within the 12-month period immediately preceding the date of the certification. Said code compliance certificate shall be certified by the owner and a certified building inspector that all units inspected are in compliance with those standards contained in the code compliance certificate and inspection report. For the initial year of construction, this section shall not apply to new construction or rehabilitation of a multi-family rental dwelling provided proper permits are obtained from the county.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 53).
Full Breakdown
Cobb County created the Multifamily Rental Housing Inspection Program in Article XIV of Chapter 18, covering apartment complexes, boardinghouses, rooming houses, group homes and other multifamily rental dwellings in the unincorporated area only; Marietta, Smyrna, Kennesaw, Acworth, Powder Springs and Austell run their own housing codes. Under section 18-365(a), an owner who owes occupational tax under section 78-31 cannot obtain a business registration certificate without first filing a code compliance certificate showing a certified building inspector verified compliance in at least 25 percent of the complex's units within the preceding 12 months.
New construction is exempt for its first year if the county issued proper permits. If the initial inspection turns up work needed to meet minimum standards, section 18-365(b) lets the chief building official approve a remediation plan and grant an extension of up to one year, except that any unit with a life-safety violation cannot be leased until it is fixed. Starting with the January 1, 2024 business license renewal, owners must recertify annually: interiors again at 25 percent of units, with every unit reached at least once every four years, and exteriors at 100 percent of common areas (drainage, exterior walls, roofs, parking lots, abandoned vehicles, graffiti) inspected once a year under the IPMC.
Owners and certified building inspectors must keep written records of every inspection and produce them to the county within ten business days of a written request; missing that deadline voids the certificate for the affected units. Certified building inspectors must be a licensed architect or engineer, or hold an ICC credential such as property maintenance and housing inspector, and must be pre-approved onto the county's inspector list before doing any work under the program, per section 18-368.
Violations & Fines
Failing to file the code compliance certificate is itself a violation carrying section 1-10 penalties, and it authorizes the chief building official to order a county-conducted inspection billed to the owner, with unpaid inspection fees becoming a lien on the property collected like delinquent taxes. Knowingly filing a false certificate is a separate Code violation for each falsely certified unit, fined per violation. A certified building inspector who signs a report knowingly containing false compliance information can be barred from submitting inspection reports in Cobb County for up to five years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this rental inspection program apply inside Marietta or Smyrna?
What actually triggers the inspection requirement?
What happens if an inspection finds repairs are needed?
Who is allowed to perform the inspections?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cobb County
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