Newport News, VA Rental Inspections: Inspection Programs (2026)
Key Facts
- Initial inspection window
- within 120 days of request
- Standard certificate term
- 12 months
- Clean-inspection term
- up to 48 months
- Re-inspection after expiry
- within 30 days
Summary
Newport News must inspect a rental unit within 120 days of an owner's request, then issues 12-month certificates, or 48-month certificates when no disqualifying violations turn up.
The initial inspection of each residential rental dwelling unit which is subject to inspection under this article, shall take place no later than one hundred twenty (120) days from the date that the owner thereof contacts the code compliance office to schedule such inspection. ... the term of a certificate of compliance issued for any residential rental dwelling unit in an inspection district, shall be for a term of twelve (12) months beginning with the first day of the month next following the month of issuance.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 81).
Full Breakdown
City Code § 13-196(a) sets the inspection clock: the initial inspection of a covered unit happens no later than 120 days after the owner contacts the codes compliance office, and a re-inspection follows within 30 days of a certificate's expiration. A standard certificate of compliance runs 12 months from the first day of the following month. A unit that clears inspection with no disqualifying violations, and no more than minor code issues, instead earns a 48-month certificate, extending the next mandatory inspection out to four years.
Violations & Fines
Missing an inspection or letting a certificate lapse means the owner cannot lawfully rent the unit under § 13-195(e), and can face the enforcement penalties set out in § 13-200.
Frequently Asked Questions
How soon after I request an inspection will it happen?
Why do some units get a 48-month certificate instead of 12?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Newport News
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